Secrets of the Hidden Leaf

By : Sessakag

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

"Sakura-san…"

Pink brows wrinkled, a coil of annoyance turning her lips downward. Sakura ignored the irritating sound, burrowing deeper in her comfortable nook and pulling the blanket up to her chin as she fought to returned to her peaceful slumber. A warm hand found her shoulder, shaking it gently, yanking her abruptly from her lull, and further rousing her temper.

"Sakura-san."

A low sound, partially groan, mostly growl, left her lips. She slapped the hand from her shoulder and slowly parted eyelids that scrapped like sandpaper. Afternoon sunlight blasted her, exacerbating the vicious throb that had suddenly made itself known at her temples. Her lips were chapped and stinging. Her tongue made a swipe at the uncomfortable flesh, but her mouth was as dry as the desert. Her skin felt grimy, and smelt faintly of old sweat, alcohol and sex.

Nose wrinkling, she rose gingerly from a nest of pillows, stroking back bubblegum strands plastered to her face and neck.

Her head spun before righting, bleary emerald orbs swept the room.

She was in a familiar bedroom.

One not in her marital home.

She turned her sluggish gaze to the man sitting beside her on the mattress.

Not her husband.

Lee, dressed in his standard spandex, stared back at her, his fishbowl orbs wide and questioning, a rare frown on his face. He looked concerned and a bit upset in a way she had never really seen before. The cautious intensity swimming in his onyx eyes made her think his…upset had to do with her.

She searched her mind for the reason why.

She remembered coming over that afternoon, using her spare key and letting herself inside his apartment, dropping her bag at the door, weaving down the hall with her left over wine…

Heated images of desperate copulation filled her mind.

Recollections of her jumping the poor guy the moment he stepped through the door, damning replays of him making love to her…and wearing his own face.

She hadn't fucked a make believe Sasuke last night.

She fucked Lee.

Her insides seized, a chill swept her skin. The wrongness of the act hit her like a boulder.

She had crossed a line.

Last night…

That…was never supposed to happen, that wasn't how this worked.

That wasn't their agreement.

Panic squeezed her chest. Sakura held on to the mattress below, struggling not to hyperventilate. She felt sick to her stomach, nausea churning her insides. Her hands shook as a flare of anger ignited. She reached for it with the desperation of a drowning man. Animus swept through her veins, burning away the helplessness threatening to swallow her whole.

She didn't know if she was more mad with him or herself.

"Sakura-san, are you alright?"

She tugged the bed sheet up and over her breast, then glared at her hands in silence.

No.

She wasn't alright.

Silence filled the room, a heaviness that they'd never had between them.

"I'm…sorry about last night," he whispered.

It startled her, his apology.

"I…shouldn't have touched you while you…weren't in your right mind. You may have…kissed me but, it wasn't really your choice to…" his cheeks pinked, "to have relations with me…" his face grew sad, his eyes devoid of their usual spark, "even intoxicated, even though I was me…you were still…thinking of him."

Why can 't Sasuke be like you?

She remembered those words, her words, spoken on a broken sob in the aftermath of mutual satisfaction. Guilt settled on her slim shoulders like wet fabric, she clung to her anger instead. It burned in her stomach, searing away that uncomfortable sensation and spawning vicious words on her tongue.

Accusations that he had taken advantage of her.

Affirmation that this was his fault not hers.

She held them back and said instead, "next time," she knew there would be a next time, "even if I'm the one that…initiates things, don't…" her throat constricted, she felt like a bad person, "even when I'm…like that, please use the tonic…"

She couldn't chew him out for not…masquerading as her husband when she was wasted and needing comfort.

Her anger that he hadn't was…inappropriate, even to her distraught mind.

She chanced a glance at him, afraid of what she would see in his eyes.

Condemnation?

Desolation?

Anger?

She needn't have worried, he wasn't looking at her, but at his own battle roughened hands. His dark eyes were churning with emotions she couldn't name.

"I understand," he replied to his palms.

He said that but it felt like he meant something else.

She swallowed.

"I'm…I'm sorry Lee, it's just that-"

"I know," he cut her off, giving her a forced smile that made her feel like shit, "you told me before…I understand…" his smile faded, "do you…want to tell me what happened? You were extremely intoxicated yesterday evening."

She sighed heavily.

In the time she spent waiting for Lee to show up, she'd thrown back a few shots of vodka. Vodka she bought and stored in his apartment because the Taijutsu master didn't keep a single drop of liquor in his house.

Lee was straight edge, though not by choice.

He was too destructive when he was anything but sober.

She pressed a soft hand to her forehead, closing her eyes briefly as she quieted the pain blasting her temples with a steady flow of chakra.

Thank the Gods for medical ninjutsu.

She didn't want to talk about being stood up by her husband, after what they did last night, the very last thing she wanted to speak or think about was Sasuke. What she wanted to do was take the memory of that lonely night, the shame of last night and toss them both into an abyss, never again to see the light of day. They hurt in different degrees, uniquely wounding her heart in ways she wasn't prepared to deal with right now.

Or ever, really.

She didn't have the interest or the energy.

"I'd rather not talk about it," she mumbled tiredly.

He shifted, concern rolling from his form in waves, "you were really upset yesterday, you cried for a long time…then you got angry and um," he looked sheepish as though he were responsible for her temper tantrum, "broke the coffee table."

She ducked her head, embarrassed.

She didn't remember doing that.

Her pitiful weeping was foggy but fairly solid in her mind. She even remembered his arms strong arms holding her tight as she cried her eyes out, his rough hands soft and gentle, soothing in the slow stroking of her hair and skin.

"I've ever seen you that way before," he continued, that irritating worry deepening, "whatever upset you had to be really bad. I know you don't want to talk about it but I really think-"

"I'll get you another table," she snapped, "I'm sorry I broke it, but I don't want talk about this," her jaw tightened, humiliation pricking her temper, "what happened is between me and my husband and I'm asking you to respect that."

Her headache was coming back, twining with the ache in her jaw her clenched teeth created. They were quiet in the aftermath of her outburst, tension ticking between them for several agonizingly uncomfortable moments before slowly, he nodded.

She cleared her throat.

Fighting remorse, she strove for neutral ground, "what time is it?"

He seemed reluctant to shift the topic, gripping his knees and wrestling withing himself, then answering faintly, "almost three."

A jolt passed through her body, "in the afternoon?!" she shouted, glancing at the sun peaking between drawn blinds.

He nodded, "I would have let you continue sleeping but I wasn't sure if you had responsibilities you were missing at the hospital."

She did have responsibilities at the hospital.

By her calculations, she missed two morning meetings and was poised to miss a third. She was up an out of bed like a shot, speed walking to the place she left her bag.

"I brought it in here, it's in the closet," Lee told her, stopping her.

"Thanks," she muttered, retracing her steps and diving naked into his closet.

He was staring at her when she came out, his wide eyes tracing her small curves and gentle slopes. He was blushing like he'd never seen her naked before.

Maybe there was some truth in that.

Sakura came to him for sexual relief, their copulations, while simulating love making held a touch of…distance. She didn't need him to stroke adoringly stroke her flesh or explore and commit her body to memory, she needed him to make her cum…wearing her husbands face.

Her insides heaved.

Red stained her cheeks, but not for the reason they did his.

xxxxxx

"I'm not abusing her, for the record."

Less than fifteen minutes on the road, quietly traversing grassy woodland, Naruto finally broke what Sasuke had hoped was companionable silence, hoping against hope the blonde wasn't silently putting together what had truly went on in his head before they left.

This however, threw him for several loops.

The comment was jarring, seemingly flying out of nowhere to smack the one armed shinobi right in the face.

He turned to look at the man at his side, arching a 'what hell are you talking about?' brow.

A blonde 'you know what I'm talking about' brow rose in return.

Naruto walked resolute and confident, his face calm but carefully arranged, that piercing gaze from earlier blazing in his oceanic depths again. His towering stature was ramrod straight, a slightly challenging tension running through taunt muscle, as though he was preparing to issue a fairly important creed.

"She likes when I handle her a certain way, and I like handling her a certain way."

He stopped, staring at his bestie as if he'd grown another head, "and you're telling me all this why?"

"Well, you were looking all intense back there," Naruto shrugged, giving him an unreadable once over.

That answered his silent question. Naruto had noticed something off, then again, he always did. They were connected in a way that defied the generic term of friend, and Naruto was better at using their connection than he was.

Fuck…

"Thought maybe you were taking what you saw the wrong way, ya know?"

Sasuke didn't know what he was getting at.

Naruto told him Hinata came clean about their meeting in the woods, enlightening the blonde as to why he'd walked into his apartment to find the single armed Uchiha sipping tea with twinkling eyes across from his girlfriend who was blushing furiously and fighting to remain conscious.

Naruto had laughed about the encounter and Sasuke's subsequent teasing, though they didn't really address the subject matter of the books.

Sasuke had taken it all in stride, keeping his curiosity to himself, but with that conversation the Uzumaki-Hyuuga proclivities were no longer a secret to him. Sasuke hadn't made a comment, judgment nor spoken a word against it then or since then, so what in the world made the war hero think he had a mind to do so now?

That he would see the interaction between the couple as abusive?

"Did you forget our collision in the forest and the books she dropped? I have an idea of how she likes to be 'handled'," though he had assumed their kinky dynamic remained solely in the bedroom.

His mistake.

"I didn't forget," he negated, continuing to walk, "at the time, that was just, ya know, bedroom kinks. This is different. Me and Hinata, we came to a decision about our relationship dynamic, 'ttebayo, and we're not gonna limit how we interact with each other, but Hinata was worried people might feel, I dunno, weird and shit when they see it," he chuckled, "lot of people don't understand the whole Dominance/submission thing."

Bubblegum locks, beautiful emerald eyes and a disapproving frown flashed in his mind.

You 're being too rough Sasuke! We're making love not trying to beat each other a pulp!

"Or they're misinformed about what it actually means and what it doesn't mean," the Jinchuuriki continued, "anyway, point is, this isn't just bedroom experiments, this is how we are and I don't wanna hide that. Okay sure, there's a time and place for everything, I'm not gonna make a public spectacle, but around friends and in places where it's not gonna get me looked at funny, we wanna be, ya know, comfortable expressing ourselves the way we want. I just wanna make sure people don't get the wrong idea and think I'm abusive to her."

Again, Sasuke found the other man's words at odds with reality.

Benevolent Naruto Uzumaki.

Konoha's golden heart hero.

The sunny poster child of all things good in the world; an abuser of his girlfriend.

The very idea was laughable, and even if the whole of Konoha saw what he'd witness this morning between the couple, the Uchiha doubted a single person would ever associated the word with Naruto.

He was just that kinda guy, that kind of pure.

"You don't need to reassure me, dobe, I get it."

Those twinkling blue orbs sharpened, "so if you're fine with it and you 'get it'…" he trailed off, gaze probing, "what was that look for?"

His mind worked overtime, shoving the envy and desire to the far corners of his thoughts as he answered, "you're reading too much into a look," he bluffed, moving ahead of nosy male, breaking free of those eyes that saw too much in the process, "use your head. We're taking on a mission guaranteed to make my life hell. How else do you expect me to look?"

Naruto fell into step along side him, arms folded behind his head, "dunno, not like that, 'ttebayo. Haven't seen that look before. You're moody as hell most of the time, but I can usually tell what kinda moody it is. This one was different, got me wondering what it means."

Annoyed with the topic and hidden implications, Sasuke glared at the blonde, "what is your fascination with dissecting how I looked when I already told you it had nothing to do with what you were thinking. I don't secretly believe you're abusing your girlfriend just because you're rough with her. For the thousandth time, I get it, dobe, so drop it."

Sasuke wondered why he thought his hardheaded friend would steer the conversation to less personal topics, just because he gave up on this one.

Not Naruto Uzumaki.

He merely dug another hole nearly identical to the other.

"You 'get it' how?" the vulpine face shinobi questioned next, a sly grin curving his lips, "do you and Sakura-chan…?"

"In what alternate universe would you believe Sakura is submissive," he grumped, hoping the full extent of his discontent with that fact wasn't noticeable in his inflection, "she's not into that."

"Hmmm, that's true, Sakura-chan is more Dominatrix than anything" the Jinchuuriki conceded, then stopped abruptly, mouth wide, alerting the brunette that something stupid was headed his way, "then are you subm-"

Brow twitching, Sasuke rounded on the snickering blonde.

"Naruto, if you think for one second-"

"Alright, alright, relax," he laughed, holding his hands up in mock surrender, "don't get your Sharingan all twisted, I was just wondering. You said you 'get it'," he emphasized with finger quotations, "and the way you said it, just seems like you don't just 'get it', more like you're into and 'get it', ya know?"

Silence from the Uchiha.

"You are into aren't ya?"

"That's none of your business."

Blue eyes rolled skyward, "lotta stuff ain't my business, it's just conversation, Sasuke, lighten up."

Easier said than done. Lightness had never really been apart of his life.

"Sakura is your teammate-"

"Ex-teammate."

Semantics really, they would always be team 7.

"Regardless, you're our mutual friend."

"So what?"

Sasuke sighed heavily, "I don't want you to look at her a certain way because of the things I say."

Or him.

Sasuke wasn't sure how the other man would react to him admitting he not only lusted after his girlfriend, but masturbated to her likeness in his head.

"Look at her a certain way? Why would I? It's Sakura-chan, dude," he announced as though that explained everything, and in a way, it did.

Naruto had spent countless years with Sakura, far longer than Sasuke had, he knew her temperament and was intimately familiar with her head strong tendencies and penchant for violence. Sill, there were obscure parts of her personality he was sure his wife had never shared with their tawny haired friend.

He reached for a different excuse.

"It's weird."

"No it's not," Naruto snorted, "it's actually pretty common. If you think Sakura-chan doesn't share every one of your fuck ups with Hinata and the rest of the girls, you're delusional. Even Hinata gossips with the girlfriends, I know for a fact they all know my dick size."

That gave him pause.

First, it hadn't crossed his mind that Sakura discussed their…marital issues with her female friends. He himself was incredibly private and outside of Naruto, he could never picture himself sharing his marriage's intimacies with anyone, let alone a whole group. Opening up to their therapist was hard enough.

Second, Naruto shared that tidbit of information without a shred of embarrassment or hesitancy, as though his genital size being front page news to a group of his friends was normal.

His brow twitched as the blonde's last sentence permeated deeper.

"Do I even want to know how you know that?"

"Sure ya do," Naruto boasted, "Unlike my Hina, the rest of those women aren't exactly hush-mouthed about what they know. Few days after we started having sex, I got a buncha 'how's the third leg' and 'heard you hang pretty low' jokes. Ino was the worse, she had eggplants on standby any time I showed up to her flower shop."

A coil of amusement touched his lips.

Sounded like the rowdy Yamanaka. They may not be friends, but considering the spunky platinum blonde was to his wife, essentially what Naruto was to him, Sasuke had had more than enough time to observe her antics from a respectable distance or receive a dramatic retelling of every outrageous 'Ino-pig' event from his significant other.

"Lucky for you, I'm not blabber. You tell me something personal nobody else is gonna be running around making jokes. Lips are sealed, 'ttebayo."

Not that he really had to tell him that.

Sasuke knew from experience.

Loud mouth Naruto Uzumaki knew how to keep his mouth shut, Sasuke's biggest, darkest deeds and thoughts had yet to leave the Jinchuuriki's lips.

He was a living, breathing contradiction. Open and talkative but could keep a secret like a bank vault.

Sasuke grunted, a low sound of acknowledgment.

"Hinata knows more about you than you think, probably even more than me thanks to Sakura-chan, but she never speaks bad of you," Naruto confessed, "she never treats you funny or looks at you different, and considering Sakura-chan throws shit at you at least twice a week, I'm pretty sure the stories she's heard aren't exactly highlight your good side, still, it never makes her act negatively towards you."

A single black brow rose at that. This was Hinata Hyuuga they were speaking about. Sasuke suspected the attractive, soft spoken female didn't possess a single mean bone in her body. She'd try and nurse a fly if she accidentally swiped one.

Sasuke opened his mouth iterate that point and was promptly cut off.

"And before you even say it, yes, I know, my girlfriend is the sweetest woman you'll ever come across but even though she wouldn't give you catty attitude energy, she wouldn't be as welcoming the way she is. Hinata doesn't need to yell or slap you to get her point across, that's what I love about her, ya know? She's not a doormat, she stands up for what she believes in, and makes shit happen in her own sweet way," he boasted, his face taking on a besotted softening, "real kill em with kindness type stuff, dattebayo. Anyway, if she took what she heard to heart, and didn't like you, trust me, you'd know it. She wouldn't be helping with your pardon if she thought you were a bad guy because of what Sakura told her."

They ducked a low hanging branch, and took a nearly hidden natural path west.

"She knows Sakura's just venting. Letting out your frustrations with friends is normal. Everybody needs someone to talk to, somebody they can go to and get shit off their chest."

Even with his social limitations and proclivity of solitude, the Uchiha agreed with the Jinchuuriki.

"If you don't wanna get into it that deep, that's cool, but I'm just letting you know, we can talk about anything. We're friends, friends bitch to their friends about shit, even relationships. Whatever you tell me it's not gonna make me dislike Sakura-chan or you. If there's anything I've learned dating and shit, is that relationships are fuckin tough as hell. Love can make you do things you never thought you would, stuff you never thought you were capable of, doesn't make us bad people," most of the time, his chagrin look prefaced, "it's just, ya know, normal couple drama."

"Noted," Sasuke grunted.

"You should be taking notes," the blonde chuckled, bragging, "this is solid advice and insight, you should be grateful I'm kind enough to try and teach a moody bastard how to be human."

"You trying to teach me something you're still learning to do," Sasuke snorted.

"Pfft, so what, I'm closer to it than you."

"Anybody that eats as much ramen as you will never be labeled human."

"You saying my girlfriend ain't human?" Naruto hummed, lips pursed, "I'll be sure to let her know that when we get back, 'ttebayo."

"What? Are you referring to her reigning Queen of Gluttony title at Ichiraku?" Sasuke questioned, and without waiting for a response continued, "that doesn't count. As inhuman as it is to eat forty-six bowls of ramen in one sitting, its nowhere near as bad as treating ramen as one of the major food groups to be consumed daily. That is where the line between human and you, gets drawn."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "you're just making excuses so I won't rat you out to Hinata. Wouldn't wanna piss her and get yourself black listed from her cooking."

"If you say so, dobe."

"I do say so," Naruto crowed, shooting a cocky grin, "you didn't deny it either. You're hooked. Poor bastard. Don't beat ya self up about it, even I'm no match for her. Hina cooks shit that makes Ichiraku's ramen taste like cheap garbage, dattebayo."

His lip curled upwards, amusement gleaming in his dark eye as he opened his mouth to agree with that over the top comparison, only to be cut off.

"Don't you dare," glaring at the sly faced Uchiha, Naruto growled, "it was just an exaggeration! Ichiraku's ramen is fucking amazing, and if you tell anybody I said it wasn't I'll kick your ass all over Konoha!"

Sasuke indulged the equivalent of a eye roll, merely grunting noncommittally and leaping into the trees.

"Sasuke!!!" the annoyed Jinchuuriki yelled at his back.

xxxxxx

"Good afternoon father," Hinata greeted, dark head bowing ever so slightly, hands clasped at her waist.

She stood poised and regal inside the tastefully decorated foyer of the Hyuuga Compound. A soft cotton gown, short sleeved and scoop necked, calve length but fitted, wrapped her demure figure in the pastel colors of springtime. Lime vines set upon a sky blue backdrop, pretty bell shaped flowers, painted a soft blush pink that matched her milky cheeks, sown into the dress, hiding last nights passion patterns adorning her skin.

"Hinata," Hiashi acknowledged, returning the gesture.

He watched her curiously, as if looking for something out of place. Hinata struggled not to fidget, she had covered herself thoroughly, but pinned to spot by his piercing eyes, the Hyuuga heiress felt like he could read every nasty act she'd engaged in the night before, that could see the hickey marks lining her thighs…

Twisting her fingers in the fabric of her skirt, she murmured, "if you're not too busy, I thought we could share tea today."

His gaze sharpened, a seriousness lining his shoulders.

Father and daughter hadn't shared an afternoon of leisure since she announced her decision to move in with her lover, the few times they spoke, her displeased parent wasn't interested in hearing anything other than a retraction of her future living arrangements.

He stared pointedly at the empty space behind her.

"Naruto-kun is out on a mission today," she explained quietly, "b-but he does plan to speak to you soon."

She was the one putting off the meeting, hoping to cool tempers before the fated confrontation. Naruto was eager to put this 'issue' to rest, for all his understanding and acceptance, her blonde lover resented the strangle hold her Clan had over her life and decisions. He didn't understand it and certainly didn't like it. A confident whirlwind that relished paving his own way, creating his own rules, her head-strong Jinchuuriki had neither the interest nor the patience for her strict traditionalist Clan.

She understood his frustrations, they often mirrored her own but…

She was a Hyuuga, an heiress of a great and powerful people. No matter where life took her, she would always be a Hyuuga.

It was literally, figuratively inscribed in her DNA.

Father inclined his head and said no more, leading the way down the hall.

They took tea on the engawa outside the southeast guest room, sipping quietly and gazing out amongst the neatly trimmed landscape. A servant placed the last of their finger foods on the low table between them, then headed back inside.

"I assume this is not a social visit," Hiashi stated as the branch servant bowed and slid the shoji closed.

Hinata kept her face passive at the subtle barb, "I haven't moved in with Naruto-kun yet father, I wouldn't classify this as a visit. I still live here."

"Hinata."

They both knew her residency here was a threadbare technicality rather than a reality. To be honest, she hadn't 'lived' in the Hyuuga compound since the early months of her relationship, a fact that her father and those Hyuuga that shared his age group, never passed up the opportunity to poke at her about. From Hiashi Hyuuga, it was the concern of a father for his daughter's wellbeing and reputation, from others, a snide degradation and reaffirmation of their low opinion of her.

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

Taking a breath, Hinata prepared for a battle of wills. Her father was apart of the Clan Council and thus was privy to very sensitive information, and though she too was often included in these meetings, she had no full claim to attending each and every one. The Hyuuga Head was well within his rights to exclude her however he saw fit, and that's exactly what he had done in regards to this heartless mission.

"Were you aware of the…nature of Sasuke-kun's mission this morning."

Hiashi didn't flinch, "I am aware."

"Then you…approved this motion?" she questioned quietly, tracing the handle of her tea cup.

"I did."

"To what end, father?" she asked, lifting her eyes to meet his own, "why is the Council really compelling Sasuke-kun to hunt down his former teammates?"

"That is none of your concern and I will not discuss it with you. I have told you over and over, the Uchiha affairs are not for you to meddle in. If you wish to champion political causes, that is your right as my heir, however, I would encourage you to direct your time and energy to deserving recipients. Sasuke Uchiha is not one of them. Leave this be, Hinata," that said, he took another leisurely sip of tea.

Shoulders sagging, Hinata gazed over lush green vegetation.

Well, she had gotten her answer, indirect though it had been. They really were going to use team Taka to further impede Sasuke. Having spent twenty amongst the Hyuuga, she knew the cutthroat nature of her father, of her Clan, she had an educated guess as to how they would try to use Taka.

She could hope she was wrong.

Still.

Hinata hadn't come this far to give up.

If he wouldn't tell her the true purpose, she had to at least try and sway him from whatever nefarious course he was hell bent on taking.

Taking a breath, Hinata put forth her best argument.

"Sasuke-kun has made some terrible decisions," she acknowledged, many of which had hurt her lover deeply and put the village at risk, "choices he will have to live with for the rest of his life. Choices that deserve redress, of course, I just…I don't believe this is the way to remedy the situation. We cannot ignore his tragic past," she looked him in the eye as she quietly pointed out, "a tragedy Konoha's governance facilitated."

It was something her father didn't like talking about.

It was something a lot of Council members didn't like talking about.

It was something they had to talk about.

The inconsistency of power appointment, the Second Hokage's hostile policies, the Uchiha's ostracism, Danzo's greedy reprehensible actions, public opinion shifting blame on the Uchiha for Kurama's attack, Itachi's manipulation, the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, a mind boggling tale she had only learned two years ago and she still struggle to wrap her head around.

Had it not been for Itachi pleading for his brother to be spared, Sasuke would have suffered the same fate as his Clan, his young life snuffed out before it truly began.

Government sanctioned genocide right down to the last innocent child.

Two wrongs didn't make a right, but that initial wrong, the first wrong was still wrong.

Sweeping ugly truths beneath the rug didn't mean it wasn't there, festering underneath. Sasuke had to take responsibility for his actions, she firmly believed that, but Konoha had to pay penitence as well, she firmly believed that too.

Sasuke Uchiha, and his plight reminded her a bit of her own Clan and Neji's plight. These were two different Clans, each with their own sets of facts, realities and atrocities, she wasn't comparing or conflating the two, but she could see the similarities in dynamics, there were echoing threads that reverberated between both situations.

The Main was to the branch what Konoha's governance had been to the Uchiha.

Oppressive and marginalizing, stripping away dignity and hindering the ability to control one's fate. If the branch Hyuuga revolted right now, and people got hurt in the crossfire, could they be blamed entirely?

Did the wrong of the branch absolve the wrongs of the Main?

Not to her.

Neji punishing her for the crimes of the Main was wrong, a terrible injustice that nearly ended her life during the Chunin Exams. Nobody had the right to bleed on a person that didn't cut you, but she understood the conditions that created Neji's hate and she had never held that against him. He wasn't solely responsible, her father, proud Hyuuga Head, would never have bowed his head to her late cousin otherwise. Efforts to bridge class gap within the Clan would never have come to fruition.

Like the Hyuuga, the Uchiha weren't just stand alone perpetrators.

There were too many factors that contributed to their snowball tragedy, this wasn't a black and white issue, it was foggy gray and complicated.

"We owe it him and ourselves, as a civilized and just people, to be fair and unbiased in these proceeds," she articulated, "and in light of his recent efforts in the war, I do think he should be given a chance to be rejoin Konoha."

Hiashi opened his mouth.

"A fair chance," she pressed quietly, turning compassionate eyes to her cup as she add, "what you all are asking him to give up…it's cruel, father. Given the same choice; clemency in exchange for degradation of your kekkei genkai at the very least…" she shook her head, "no Clan member, no Hyuuga, would ever allow such a thing…"

She swallowed but pressed on, knowing it would irritate her parent.

"W-when you force a people to be less than they are, when you restrain them and oppress their potential, it breeds…discontent, anger and hatred," she lamented, "we don't even have to look to the Uchiha for an example, w-we can simply look at the state of our own Clan."

Discussions of removing the bird seal, initiated by Hinata herself and backed by the Clan head had caused displeasure amongst the Main, and even worse, their governing body, made up almost entirely of old Main members stuck in their ways, threw up road block after road block to delay the inevitable. With everything they had, they were fighting this change, dragging their feet to free the branch, and while Hiashi threw his support behind her campaign to dissolve the seal, her father was playing peacemaker, allowing their senior council to get away with their childish.

"We have already discussed this. The Clan is changing."

She was treading sensitive territory she knew, but this needed to be said.

"Progress has nearly ground to a stop," she negated, "the senior council…at every turn they try to disrupt and delay the removal of the cage seal. We promised the branch freedom and equality, and as things stall, the branch is growing even more discontent-"

"I am well aware of the state of the Clan," he replied, shutting down this line of conversation, "and I agree the tension is worsening. There is much work we must do amongst our own, but understand this, our affairs have nothing to do with the Uchiha."

She disagreed.

"I understand you wish to help Naruto in his campaign," he began, "you have always been a kind, helpful person."

She shook her head, "This isn't just for Naruto-kun, father."

Though initially it had started out that way.

Naruto was an amazing speaker, he shared every emotion in his heart through his words, and she had certainly been taken in by each and every one. How could her heart not bleed too when Naruto told her story after story of the two men's painful past as frenemies, how torn up he'd been when Sasuke left, how painful it was to watch the traumatized Uchiha orphan self destruct. She spent many a night offering support to her blonde lover as he agonize over this new roadblock in Sasuke's life. The pain in his voice, the sadness in his eyes had left her with an ache in her own chest and she vowed to help Sasuke to ease her boyfriend's distress.

But when she started gathering her own information about the Uchiha's past to better assist in swaying the opposition, she uncovered a plethora of shocking details circulating this dark tale. Painting a clearer, bleaker, picture of what had driven Konoha's most promising Clan to what she could only describe as the gates of Hell.

From there, the threads of fate had trickled down to the one-armed man.

She studied him when he was around, analyzing the frequency he exuded, finding herself worrying over the coldness she sensed in him. Sasuke wore every hardship, every misery and every horror of his life in the hollowness of his eyes, the deep stress lines on his face, and the terrible amputation of his arm.

Placing his story alongside the visual manifestation of suffering had stirred her own independent empathy.

Hinata had a heart.

She had always had an abundance of compassion.

She understood loss, heartache and the reality that everyone bore and dealt with trauma differently. She still wanted to help him in order to make her lover happy, but outside Naruto's feelings, Hinata herself wished for the former rogue to finally have peace.

"I truly want to help Sasuke-kun find his place in Konoha."

She could read the message engraved in his stoic face.

Sasuke Uchiha has no place in Konoha.

"Hinata," he verbalized, "you are not to involve yourself further in this matter."

Disappointed, Hinata searched for any give in his hardened features. He had changed and softened over the years, becoming to Hinata what he had always been to Hanabi.

A strict but loving father.

She needed to know if that man was speaking to her now.

"Is…is that a direct order, father?"

Was it a mandate from the Clan head? A command expected to be obeyed?

He stared at her for a few long seconds, noting her quiet resolve, her gentle plea for him to understand her feelings.

He sighed, "I am asking you not to get involved. As your father and as Clan head. The Uchiha have proven themselves untrustworthy and destructive time and again. I do not foresee a different outcome should they be given free reign of themselves."

He was forgetting, or ignoring, a compelling component of what went wrong with the Uchiha.

She hesitated before speaking up, "m-my tutors were very thorough in my education, father and history was one of my favorite subjects…there were other…forces at play in their downfall," she reminded him respectfully.

He knew what she was talking about, his disapproval that she'd bring it up prominent in the sharp downturn of his lips. Hiashi agreed with the elimination of the Uchiha back then, and felt Konoha's governance had made the right decision to this day. Considering her father never really spoke out against any of Konoha's questionable decisions, she didn't didn't put a great deal of weight in his ideals about their home.

To Hiashi and other Hyuuga like him, to question their village was to question the Hyuuga that functioned as a pillar of Konohagakure, taking negative speech as a direct insult to Konoha's oldest, most prestigious Clan. As though the reputation of Konoha itself was directly tied to the reputation of the Hyuuga.

Pride and appearance was everything, to her Clan. It didn't matter how rotten the inner layer as long as the outer layer sparkled.

Hiashi knew her mind about this topic.

She didn't believe in blind patriotism.

There was always room for criticism and if necessary, correction of a nation. A parent that disciplined their child did not love it less, pointing out when their friend messed up was a show of care, a spouse disagreeing with their significant other didn't hate their partner.

And to her mind, she believed a citizen condemn and hold their home accountable for atrocities it committed and still love their place of birth.

One did not negate the other.

"Regardless, leaving Sasuke Uchiha unmonitored and unrestrained is an exercise in stupidity."

She shook her head, leaning towards him, "I truly believe Sasuke-kun has changed-"

"Whether he has or has not is irrelevant. Madara's taint resides in the very DNA of the Uchiha. Another traitor may not manifest within Sasuke's children, but what of his children's children? In what generation will another Madara appear, and mark my words, that dangerous ideation will resurface," her father intoned, "they are a Clan cursed by hatred and we as survivors of that curse cannot allow it to spread."

"There are ways to mitigate and curb outbursts without these…extreme measures," she insisted, "without condemning an entire people. Allow the Uchiha to be apart of Konoha this time around, the way the First Hokage intended, let's treat them as part of the collective rather than-"

"Enough, Hinata. You will not sway my mind on this. Sasuke Uchiha will accept safeguards against the destructiveness of his lineage or he will not be apart of Konoha."

Hinata sighed.

Her father hadn't softened his stance, not even a little, and while Hinata held a very high support for her relationship with Naruto among young Hyuuga, even they were weary of Sasuke and any new iterations of Uchiha.

She truly was on an island alone.

"I understand the concern," she murmured, "but I just…I can't agree with treating the very existence of an Uchiha like enemies to be proactively persecuted. It's wrong," resisting the urge to fidget, Hinata straightened all 5 foot 3 inches of her tiny frame and softly stated her stance, "I've offered my support to Sasuke-kun and will continue to do so until a fair and just pardon is issued. We should be retracting dangerous precedents of the past, and learning from our mistakes not repeating them, father."

Silence met her proclamation.

Though he was stern faced as ever, Hinata couldn't read much anger in the lines defining his noble features. He was quiet for a while, taking in her measure, testing her resolve.

Hinata willed herself not to flinch.

She had no reason to. She was the rightful heir, she had proven herself over the years, formed her own political relationships benefiting the Hyuuga, short of removing Hiashi, the only one that can usurp her position was her father, and she trusted this newer version of her father not to pull the rug under her feet. She was well within her rights as the future leader to pursue political matters of importance.

"Toeing the line of dishonor with your…relationship is one thing. Naruto Uzumaki, for all his proclivities and eccentricity, is a respectable man and remarkable shinobi, he is a war hero in line to become Hokage and thus, exceptions can be made for your recent behavior," his displeasure cut like a knife despite his leniency, "this however, endangering Konoha for the sake of a former traitor, is quite another. This I will not support. If you wish to pursue this path you will do so without the backing of the Hyuuga Clan."

She had hoped for a different outcome, but expected this one.

"I'm sorry you feel that way father," she murmured, and truly she was.

She wish she could make him understand, but knew, it was hopeless.

She would have to go her own way.

This would be easier with the support of her illustrious Clan, but she could and would do without. Support or not, Hinata was still the heiress, the future face of the Hyuuga Clan, she was not without her own connections and political power, small though they may be, were nothing easily dismissed. She carried weight as a future leader of an illustrious Clan, even if that Clan was not on her side. In the world of politics, connections and the disgustedly wealthy, that title held power.

It would be difficult going it alone, but, she would find a way.

xxxxxx

According to their contact, Karin traveled close to Konoha once every six months, why, was a mystery. However, she'd been spotted in this patch of land every single time, a teeming forest housing a beautiful body of water. They got their early afternoon, setting up a small fire and fishing out lunch to cook. They didn't bother hiding in the lush trees of the forest or below the calm lake, the redheaded Uzumaki would sense them anyway.

Besides, they were better off having Sasuke's chakra blazing since-

"Sasuke-kun!!!"

Both men turned to see their target sprinting for them, or rather, the one armed man standing near the lake. Not that Sasuke needed to verify who it was, he'd recognize that screech of his name anywhere.

The last Uchiha let out a quiet sigh, bracing himself for impact.

Sure enough, Karin came charging through the treeline, red hair gleaming like a banner behind her, arms outstretched, fanatic fangirl face alight. The moment she was in range, she leapt up the length of the irritated male, wrapping slender arms around his neck just shy of choking, but tight enough to be annoying…and nostalgic.

Naruto's cheeky snickering wasn't helping his mood.

He sent a glare to his bestfriend.

Unrepentant nor willing to help pulling the wayward female off him, the blonde merely settled in on his overturned log, contentedly watching the reunion as he finished off his roasted fish.

"It's been so lonnnnng Sasuke-kun," his former teammate whined, "I missed you! Did you miss me? Were you looking for me?" she leaned closer, whispering seductively, "did you and Haruno divorce, are you here for a rebound?"

"Karin."

"Hmmm," she hummed, tightening her grasp.

"Let go."

As though he'd confirmed every one of her assumptions, the redhead squealed, unwinding her arms from his neck

"I love it when you get all tall, dark and grumpy," she chirped, clasping hands to her bosom and doing a weird jug, "you were looking for me, weren't you?"

"Yes."

Another ear piercing squeal rent the air, making both men wince. She reached for him again, grabbing his arm and hugging the lax appendage.

"Well, now that you've found me, why do you and I-"

Immediately the air grew thick, "you have a mole."

For once, the Sasuke fangirl extracted herself from her obsession rather than being scrape off, confusion chipping away at the happy reunion. Her excitement dimmed gradually, a bright sun muted by a dark eclipse.

"That's how we found you, someone has been watching you and feeding information to Konoha," he admitted, staring into her now inquisitive eyes, "they told us you travel near Konoha once every six months, cutting through this forest each time."

A strange expression suffused her face.

"Karin…listen…" the words lay heavy in his throat.

He trailed off, dreading what he was about to say. Naruto shifted, locking eyes with the conflicted shinobi, instilling quiet support.

He wasn't leading his friend to the slaughter, he reminded himself.

This wasn't a surrender, this was the first battle of a long war.

He straightened his spine, "I've been assigned a mission to hunt down the remaining members of Taka and bring you all back to Konoha."

Her eyes sharpened behind her red-rimmed frames, face losing it's jovial glow, "why."

She knew why.

He could see it in the hardness of her expression, the mutiny in her eyes.

"I'm not betraying Taka," he told her truthfully.

They may no longer be an active unit, but like Team 7, they would always be teammates, friends. In his darkest days, Karin, Jūgo and Suigetsu had been there for him, a pillar of strength even when he was too far gone, too lost to darkness to realize…when he least deserved it, they were there. Giving him strength in their own ways, sticking by his side on each and every crazy mission for Uchiha absolution. The three of them forged a bond shaped by the unmerciful hammer of pain, cooled in the blood they'd shed and cleansed with the tears of their combined suffering.

Like the Uchiha Clan, Taka was no more, even so, they would always be apart of him.

"The pardon?"

Trust Karin to know.

They hadn't spoken in years, not since the war, but he knew she had kept tabs on him. On the day of his wedding, a single letter held closed with long red hair had been dropped off via unidentified messenger hawk.

A single word on the page; congratulations.

He nodded.

"I don't know what Konoha has planned," he admitted, "but we can assume they plan to use you all as leverage against me, but I'm not going to sell out Taka," he declared, "Konoha has it's share of assholes, but they're not Orochimaru. If I thought for a moment that they would stoop to his level I wouldn't be here. Right now, my hands are tied, I have to play their game, but I won't allow them to harm you or any of Taka."

"Neither will I," Naruto injected, speaking up for the first time, "It's been a while, I don't know if you remember me but, I'm-"

"Naruto Uzumaki," she supplied, giving him a curious once over, adjusting her glasses unnecessarily as she studied him, "blonde hair, whiskered cheeks, massive chakra comparable to a thousand suns, I remember you and even if we hadn't run into each other years ago, the whole world pretty much knows who you are," she popped a hip, raised a disinterested brow and took in his tall stature, "my my you've sure changed."

Naruto flashed a friendly grin, "well, I was just a teenager back then, dattebayo," he sobered, "anyway, Sasuke's gotta take you back to the Leaf, but I swear, we're not gonna let anything bad happen to you. I'm uh, kind of a big deal back home," and world wide, "I have some political power, ya know, and my girlfriend has some pull with the higher ups, you guys have allies, people that won't let you be caught up in whatever scummy plan the Council is cooking up," he grew grave, "I know its a lot to ask for you to put your neck on the line but…Sasuke needs your help."

xxxxxx

The low drone of a female voice pouring over an intercom barely pierced the haze she struggled beneath. Her ears were ringing louder than the announcement and the slightly loud chatter of employees, patients and visitors taking lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

"Look alive forehead," Ino chirped, dropping a familiar takeout box on the round cafeteria table, inches from the pink haired medical professional resting on folded arms, "brought you a little treat. You're welcome."

Umeboshi was one of the few food items that could pull her out of a rut and make her do the happy dance. Today, she just could not find it in her to care. She didn't need food, she needed a reset button for her life, that or a hard shot of vodka. Neither were in her near future, unfortunately. Exhaling a weighty combination of exhaustion, annoyance and stress, Sakura reluctantly lifted her head from the pillow of her limbs, glaring up at her best friend currently interrupting her impromptu nap.

Her calculations were wrong.

She missed three meetings and made it super early for one considering it wasn't scheduled to commence until next week.

She was a mess, in more ways than one.

She spent all afternoon battling nausea, forcing her sore body through the motions of the job, wrestling with her aching head to perform somewhat competently for her patients. So far, as long as she kept her mind carefully blank to the woes in her life, she accomplished it. It was when she had a moment to think and reflect that her rocky foundation began to crumble.

"Alright, spill," Ino prompted taking a seat beside her despondent woman, "what happened? Another fight with Mr. Tall Dark and Moody?"

Swiping her coffee that was, thankfully, still hot, Sakura took two sluggish sips, silently rationalizing why Ino didn't deserve the bite of her temper. It wasn't like her bestfriend had the foggiest clue that her mere presence was exacerbating her foul mood, or that the pinkette had been strewing at work all afternoon and was looking for an excuse for an argument.

"Just having a bad day," she muttered to her cup.

"Uh huh, hurry up, you only have about twenty minutes-"

"Ten," she corrected glumly, setting her styrofoam down, "I'm taking a half lunch, I was late this morning, and we're backed up."

Undeterred, Ino opened the take out, and fished out a pickled piece, "even more reason to cut to the chase, let's go girl, clock is ticking."

She didn't want to 'spill', she didn't even want to think about it, but, Ino was Ino. She wasn't going to give up until she got an answer.

Blowing a harsh breath, Sakura fiddled with her cup as she spoke.

"I took your advice and attempted to make up with my husband and 'learn his love language'," she muttered, "long story short, I put on a 'let's make up' negligee, made a big fucking 'I'm sorry dinner' and waited all night for nothing. Nobody ate the food and I went to bed alone," she told her friend, glaring bitterly into the murky depths of her artificial energy.

The taste of that humiliation replaced the charred acrid taste of coffee beans and hot water on her tongue. Her shoulders slumped despite herself, flagging beneath the burden of her unhappy marriage.

"Did you ask him to be home that night?"

"Why should have to ask my husband to be home at night?" she snapped, fingers digging into her cup.

"Maybe because your husband is Sasuke Uchiha? He' not exactly a conventional husband. He's not as socially inept as Sai, but he's got his hang ups," Ino replied, unfazed by her friend's attitude, "you gotta be a bit more direct in what you want. Should've told him you were feeling frisky and wanted to 'make-up'."

She hadn't had any contact with him after their last argument, even if she wanted to tell him that.

"It was probably for the best he didn't show up," she murmured, "we're not exactly doing any better in the bedroom."

"But you could be…"

"What for you mean?" Sakura questioned, taking a sip of coffee.

The Yamanaka straightened in her chair, leaned forward and continued in a low, conspiratorial voice, "well, have you ever thought of maybe…I don't know, finding a playmate?"

Sakura choked.

Ino beat the sputtering pinkette between her shoulder blades.

"What?" she fairly screeched when she could breathe.

"What? A playmate, ya know? A new dick to can get you off the way you need."

"Are you seriously telling me to cheat on Sasuke? To throw away my marriage for sex?" she demanded, a guilty flush painting her cheeks.

"Oh don't be so dramatic, of course I'm not," the Yamanaka dismissed with a roll of her eyes, "I'm saying that the problems in your marriage might need, ya know, creative solutions."

Disturbed, Sakura refused to acknowledge the comment.

Little did her bestie realize, she had already applied that 'creative solution' and look where she had ended up. More miserable than when she took care of her own needs with nothing but her imagination and a vibrator.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it. Sai and I-"

"You and Sai are way different than Sasuke and I."

"Different in regards to the nature of the hurtle maybe, but not so different in the resulting dissatisfaction," Ino countered, "sexual frustration is sexual frustration, the reason why is irrelevant."

 Sakura shook her head, jaw tightening.

"Talk to him about it, explain to him that you love him but you just need something different in the bedroom." Ino urged, blue depths holding a strange intensity, "it's not cheating if you're open and honest, if you have a mutual understanding built on respect and transparency. Sai and I went that route and our relationship has never been stronger. We're happy."

Reaching out, Ino placed a comforting hand on hers, the contact scalding.

"It's not a condemnation of you, him or your marriage to arrange non-conventional means of satisfying urges. It's a hell of a lot healthier for a relationship than holding back desires. That pushes a person even quicker to cheating than-"

"Can we please not talk about this?" she hissed, burning beneath the spotlight of scrutiny, "I…I'm not cheating on Sasuke a-and I'm not talking to him about doing something like that," she could never, the very idea made her sick, "we can make this work between us," she reaffirmed, though not only to her friend, "we just need to follow the therapists advice, buckle down and put in the work. No offense to your and Sai's arrangement but I would never consent to anything like that, and neither would Sasuke. He has a wife, he doesn't need anyone else."

Face the shade of a ripe cherry, emerald eyes a cauldron of molten wrath, Sakura stood and muttered, "thanks for having lunch with me. I have to get back to the hospital, I'll uh, talk to you later," and made a hasty retreat, leaving both the coffee and her favorite treat on the table.

She kept her head low as she sped through the cafeteria, stopping in a nearby bathroom stall to wipe angry tears from her eyes and compose herself.

She splashed cold water on her face, then stared at the guilt ridden woman in the mirror.

Ino was just trying to help, she knew that, but God, why did she have to suggest that. Why did she have to say those things, innocently poking at a festering wound in her heart? Struggling with what happened last night was bad enough, having to revisit the topic so soon was a burden she couldn't take right now.

She felt…like an idiot, a fraud.

Protesting the idea that she needed outside affection when that lay at the crux of her current affair, feeling outraged by the very notion of stepping out on her marriage when she was currently shacking up with her lover, lies and deception burning her tongue with each word.

She shouldn't be offended by Ino's 'creative solution' considering it would solve her dilemma.

No more sneaking around.

No more lying.

No more cheating.

She gripped the sink as pain lashed her chest.

Even if Sasuke entertained the notion, she didn't want that, she didn't want outside lovers to become the new them, and maybe it made her the biggest hypocrite in the world to feel this way but she just couldn't stand the thought of her husband with someone else. She was under no delusions that he wouldn't use their arrangement to his own benefit. If he agreed to allow her to find a more gentle lover, she would have to allow him to find one that enjoyed his rough treatment.

Fair was fair after all.

She didn't want that.

She wanted to be enough for him.

And…

And she wanted him to be enough for her.

xxxxxx

Happy to see her pretty face after dropping off Karin to a 'secure holding facility', Naruto swept his girlfriend off her feet the moment she walked over to greet him. He lifted her flush to his body, holding her up by her plump bottom, and fusing their lips, swallowing her initial surprised squeak and the soft moan that followed as he squeezed both globes.

Naruto was itching to unwind and let off steam.

He was heavily, rightfully, skeptical of this 'facility', Sasuke even more so, but Kakashi-sensei had been there to meet them, giving them both a nearly imperceptible nod of reassurance.

At the very least, she wasn't being taken to the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force.

Outside of that was an unknown.

He'd just have to trust the Hokage.

"I want this ass tonight," he muttered against her lips, emphasizing his words with another hard squeeze.

He sat her back on her feet, kissed her again, then reached to unzip his jacket. The motion snapped her from the daze she was floating in. She reached for his coat, sliding the black fabric from his shoulders and hanging it over her arm as she asked, "would you like to clean up before dinner, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah," he replied, sliding his headband off and running his fingers through his locks, "go find your clamps, get the lube," reaching out, he tugged on her dress, "and take everything off."

Checks flushed, arousal parting her lush lips, Hinata clutched his jacket to her chest, eyes skating to the side as she whispered, "yes, sir."

He moved, crowding her space, capturing her chin with a single hand and bringing her gaze to his.

A charged current ran between them.

It was this morning all over again.

"Can't hear you baby," he murmured, staring into her entrancing lilac eyes.

"Y-yes, sir," she repeated breathlessly, heavy bosom heaving.

He kissed her, laving her mouth thoroughly, tasting the heat of her silky, naughty mouth.

"D-dinner will be ready in thirty minutes," she whispered to his lips.

He grinned, "looking forward to it, dattebayo."

He took the entire half hour relaxing in the tub, enjoying the hot water on his muscles, his mind sorting through their next mission.

Karin knew where Jūgo was, and possibly, Suigetsu by extension, as the two men seemed travel together more often than naught. In two days time, they'd be heading out to try and find them. He hoped they'd be as understanding as Karin.

Jūgo, most likely.

Suigetsu, fifty-fifty.

Clearing his mind, he got out, pulled the stopper out and headed into the bedroom for a pair of sweats. He tugged them on and went searching for his girlfriend.

She was bare-assed and piling food on a plate. Coral tipped nipples hard, big tits bouncing freely, her skin flushed a pretty soft peach, she painted an erotic picture in their kitchen. A gorgeous siren enticing him tenfold through his cock and stomach.

"Y-you can take a s-seat, Naruto-kun," she instructed bashfully, shoulders hunched as though to hide.

He sat down on the couch, tucking himself in a corner, then cocked his finger to his girlfriend. Surprise adorning her face, she followed him obediently to the living room, placing his food and drink on their coffee table along side the lubricant and her nipple clamps.

She stood awkwardly, her face deep red, fingers bumping.

He patted an empty space on the couch.

The heat of cheeks deepened as she took her spot between his long legs.

She smelt faintly of something sweet and strawberry, his mouth watered. He leaned in to kiss her slender shoulders, only for her to lean over him and grab his plate.

He wasn't sure what it was, but the thick mass of pasta noodles smelled heavenly.

Turning on her knees to face him, Hinata twirled pasta around his chopsticks, leaned forward and offered it to him. Surprised, but silently pleased, he accepted the bite, his lidded gaze firmly on hers, though a few seconds in, she ducked her dark head.

Blushing prettily.

He didn't comment on her bold move, merely let it play out naturally between them.

This was a guilty pleasure of hers he could tell.

She always seemed to derive more pleasure catering to him than he did and this time was no different. He could feel satisfaction rolling from her in waves.

She was fairly preening in his lap.

Wanting her to feel comfortable, to convey without words his acceptance of her desire, he hum-growled his approval on the next bite, drawing a happy/shy smile from his loverly girlfriend, her lilac eyes alight as he stroked up and down her naked thigh. She was like a flower blooming beneath sunlight, absorbing his petting as a lily would warm streaks of sunlight. Her bashful discomfort over her nudity quietly fading away.

Maybe he had the same kink.

Fulfilling her needs, watching her ooze happy was turning him on too.

"Drink," he grunted.

Without missing a beat, she turned and reached for his cup. She took it from table, her movements fluid and graceful, and brought it carefully to his lips, holding it steady for him to drink until he tapped her knee. Replacing the beverage with his plate, she wound up more noodles on his chopsticks.

He trailed his fingers up and down her soft back, enjoying the slide of silky dark hair gliding along the back of his fingers, "how was your day, baby?"

"I-I had tea with father," she said, carefully feeding him another mouthful, "I fear the situation is what we expected, the Council plans to use team Taka to block Sasuke-kun, I just…don't know how, father wouldn't tell me. I tried to reason with him but…he refused to budge…and I-I may have made things worse bringing up things he…doesn't like speaking of. I'm sorry, I-"

Sitting up, he kissed her forehead, silencing her unnecessary apology.

"Don't be sorry, sweetheart, I know how your old man is, 'ttebayo. I don't think anything you said made the situation worse, he's set in his ways. I appreciate you going out of your way to help Sasuke out," he pressed his lips again to her soft bangs, lingering several times and stroking her soft throat, "you're such a loving, compassionate woman, ya know, I love that about you. Just knowing you tried is more than enough."

A softness suffused her face, love blazing in lilac depths.

"I…don't have the Hyuuga backing b-but I do have political power…I think I may be able to find a way to sway some of the higher ups, but…Sasuke-kun will have his work cut out for him. I'll need to work with him directly."

He nodded, stroking her bare hip, heat swelling in his groin despite the heavy conversation.

"I'll let him know plans have changed. We'll all sit down and hash out whatever game plan you think would be best."

She blinked, gazing at him as though shocked he was taking her so seriously.

"Y-you're sure?"

"Of course, I trust you, dattebayo," he grinned, "you're as cute as a kitten but," he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed its tender palm, "I know better than anyone how sharp your claws can be. The Council won't know what hit em'."

Smiling warmly, she nodded once, then went back to scooping noodles.

"When do you want me to have that conversation with your dad?" he questioned, dipping his head to gain her eyes.

She had been stalling for a while, trying to keep the peace.

Naruto wanted it over and done with.

She already lived here, he didn't see what the big deal was making it official.

She fed him before admitted, "I-I think it'd be best to speak to father whenever we have time," gazing sullenly at her plate, she murmured, "he doesn't plan on…accepting the way we wish to live a-and I can't convince him to be…okay with it. There's no need to put it off, hoping he'll at least…understand."

Stroking her thigh comfortingly, he reassured, "it'll be alright, don't stress about it. We'll deal with this together, baby. Much as this irritates me, I get where your dad is coming from," thanks to a chat session with Sasuke, "you're his daughter, doesn't matter how old you get, he'll always look at you as his little girl. We just gotta accept that fact and work around it, ya know?"

She nodded, seeming uncertain, but willing to stand with him.

"How was your mission?" she asked.

"We found her," he said, tracing her navel, "she's kinda…nutty," he chuckled, "she's like all of Sasuke's fangirls wrapped up in one crazy package. She doesn't really know anything about Uzushiogakure, but she had a knew a couple stories her mom told her. When she's not slobbering all over Sasuke, she's kinda fun."

"That's nice," she replied, smiling happily for him, knowing what it meant to meet a distant relative, before frowning thoughtfully, "where…did they take her? They didn't send her to Interrogation did they?"

He shook his head, "no, a 'secure holding facility'."

She frowned, as skeptical as he felt.

"Kakashi-sensei was there, I think he's making sure the Council doesn't try any funny business."

Accepting this, she went back to feeding him, Naruto settled comfortably on the couch cushions, drinking in her naked beauty, a fire slowly building in his abdomen. She stole subtle glances at the tent in his sweats, squirming every once and a while, feeling the rising tension he was drowning in.

By the time his plate was clear, he was craving desert and saw no reason to delay it.

Palming his cock, he touched her, delving between her legs, finding her pussy with his fingers. Warm sloppy moisture met his questing digits, his proof that feeding him had turned her on. His dick throbbed painfully, the knowledge settling heavily in the pit of stomach.

He loved the fact that serving him aroused her, more than was probably healthy.

"I want desert, baby," he growled into her mouth, grabbing her hand and placing it over his erection, "take em' off."

Untying the draw string, Hinata tugged his sweats down, pulling them off completely when he lifted his hips. Her hungry gaze fastened to his turgid meat, lips slightly parting as she wet the plump bottom one with her little pink tongue, leaving him in no doubt of what she wanted for desert.

"Clamps."

She grabbed her pink toys and held them out for him.

He took one in hand, opening it fully before reaching for an already hardened nipple. He swirled his thumb around it, drawing a hitched breath from his lover, then held her heavy mound steady as he attached the device.

"Tell me when, 'ttebayo," he instructed faintly, watching her face as he tightened the notch, arousal heightening as he watched pain paint her pretty face.

He was near the last level when she stopped him.

"There," she gasped, wincing slightly.

Impressed, he kissed her forehead.

"Think you're ready to graduate to tougher clamps, baby. You almost made it to the last setting," he murmured, tugging on her other nipple then adding the clamp.

He tightened until she stopped him again, right before the last setting.

"Good?" he asked, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles over her ribcage.

She nodded, eyes closed, expression one of bliss.

He hooked her chain to the clamps, then gave it a cursory tug. She gasped softly, spine arching beautifully, pearly whites sinking into her lower lip.

Fuck he loved seeing how her whole body reacted, how her she danced differently to pain or pleasure. No matter how she moved, he loved every second of it. There wasn't a damn thing he could think of that he didn't love about her.

Not one.

She was everything he'd ever wanted, everything he hadn't known he needed.

Fisting his cock, he pumped his meat slow, relishing each drag up and down his sensitive flesh.

"Turn around."

Without hesitation, Hinata turned carefully, kneeling with her back to him.

She squealed as he lifted her lower body, tumbling her torso to the couch, then moaned deep as his greedy mouth found her wet folds.

Dipping his tongue inside her weeping core, Naruto collected the dewy moisture, coated her pleasure button in the heady liquid then latched onto her shinny clit, rewarding her for being exactly what he wanted, what he needed in every way that mattered.

Her plush body quivered, a whining noise of approval leaving her throat, rumbling near his crotch.

Her dark head lay against his muscled thigh, her shuddering breaths puffing warm air on his cock. He could feel the briefest of contact between her parted lips and his steel length, a teasing kiss that was slowly driving him crazy.

He swirled her button, then sucked, teasing beneath the hood, finding that bundle of nerves that pushed her to the razors edge of climax.

Damp thighs hugged his head, squeezing as her pleasure built.

Those damp puffs on his sex were coming faster, growing bigger as her gasping breaths deepened.

He kept her dangling on the edge, giving her the pressure she needed long enough to make her squirm only to take it away again. True enough, he was rewarding her for being perfect, but that didn't mean he didn't want to torment her in the process. When she made those cute little whimpering sounds, and pressed her wet sex to his mouth in a voiceless plea, how could he resist making her suffer and draw even more sexy desperation from his buxom lover?

Adjusting, Naruto hooked her shaky knees over his shoulders, letting his broad strength bear her weight as he spread her labia and gave her vibrator a run for its money…

Well, not entirely, Yamanaka vibrators didn't fuck around, but his talented tongue flickered across her little button fast enough to draw a sobbing moan from her lush lips.

"Yessss," she moaned, "oohhh,"

He tightened his grip as she wiggled around, her trembling hands pressing and clutching at his chest as though conflicted if it was better to draw him close or push him away, the later of which would only encourage him to torture her longer, if not get her cute little ass in trouble.

In the end, she pulled him closer, straining into his messy caress, gushing happily on his tongue.

"N-Naruto," she gasped, "I…I'm going to-"

He pulled away, leaving her hanging on the precipice, her pitiful whine stirring his arousal.

Fingers clamped down on his calves, dull nails digging furrows. Using this new grip as leverage, Naruto chuckled as she scooted her bottom towards him, trying to hump his face to orgasm on her own. Grinning, he leaned completely out of her reach, nipping her inner thigh, a silent punishment for trying to cum before he decided she was ready.

"Don't make me punish you, baby," he murmured, kissing her plump cheeks, one then the other, "I promise you won't like what I do."

She shivered, her apology just as halting.

Satisfied, he brought her moist sex back to his mouth, laving and tasting her soft flesh, inhale the heady fragrance of an aroused woman.

She shifted, lifting slightly with his dick in her hand.

A beat passed, then scorching heat engulfed his sex.

Quietly pleased, he sucked on her clit, swirling the hood until the vibrations of her squeal ran down the length of his cock.

Even when he was rewarding her, she wanted to please him…

He grimaced, agonizing rapture bursting through his body as she suckled, dripping saliva and massaging his turgid sex with her tongue.

…and put her heart and soul into making sure he felt good every damn time.

He lifted her plump bottom high enough to get a full picture of the action. Nipple clamped titties jiggling, mouth full of his cock, Hinata's flushed face was the epitome of sexual satisfaction. Eyes closed, eager lips pulled tight, his sex kitten was unbothered he'd taken his tongue from her pussy, more focused on sucking until her checks hollowed and making a drooling mess of his cock.

Hooded blue orbs fused to the delicate beauty devouring him, hips rising as she latched onto his tip and laved it playfully in her mouth. Sucking pre-cum droplets from his slit, swirling the fluid around her tongue, coating his angry head moisture. Reaching out, he curled a finger around her glinting chain, yanking twice and basking in the pitiful sounds he drew from his lovely girlfriend.

Balancing her weight on single slender arm, she cupped his balls in gentle hands, massaging his scrotum with subtle pressure.

He bit his lip, groaning low and long, his body twitching at the dual sensations.

She gulped him again, coaxing him to the back of her throat, humming contently like a kitten with cream.

"Goddamn baby," he growled, setting her down and flexing his hips, "you're so fucking good at that."

She was more than good.

Her mouth was fucking dangerous.

No longer dangling, she sucked him in earnest, swallowing his length deep, coming way too close to sucking orgasm straight from his sac.

Grabbing a handful of shiny black hair, he tugged her up, freeing his cock from the vacuum of her mouth, and pressing her face down to the couch cushion. Without warning, he lit her ass cheeks on fire, peppering her bottom in hard smacks, spanking her jiggling flesh cherry red.

And his perfect girlfriend raised her buttocks for more, her muffled moans goading him on.

It was shit like this that made him wild, these lewd response that flowed so naturally from the shy heiress.

It was the Gods honest truth that Hinata Hyuuga drove him absolutely crazy.

Chest heaving, he snatched the lube off the table, squirted and coated his dick slippery, then tucked the head between the palm print ridden ass. He spread her checks to watch his cock sink inside her tight little hole, humming approval as he felt her push out to ease his invasion.

He pressed inside, carefully but insistent, stopping only when his groin touched her cushioned backside.

He sucked in several breaths, stroking her spine from shoulder blades to sexy dip and back again. Her skin was velvety, coated lightly in sweat, blushing an enticing peach. Wrapping an arm around her middle, he sat back in the crook of the couch, his mewling lover heavy in his lap. Her insides seized, squeezing his throbbing sex, a moan sliding from her lips.

He reached for her chain with one hand, and found her clit with the other.

She shuddered, anal muscles contracting, a sound he hadn't heard before exhaling from her lips. He paused, turning over the unfamiliar pitch in his head. He knew her noises very well, could recognize easily what state her body was in, at least until now.

She cleared his confusion moments later.

"N-Naurto-kun?"

"Hmm," he murmured.

"Can…can we take them off…" she asked, pointing at her clamps, her eyes turned shamefully away.

"Of course, sweetheart," he replied, placing a kiss to her temple, filing away this new, identified sound of true discomfort.

He reached for the clasp, giving her a moment to breathe before releasing her sensitive buds one at a time.

"They were too much?"

"A-A little bit…with…"

"Anal?" he supplied, flexing his hips, stroking her insides.

She gasped, cheeks flushing as she nodded, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize for that, I'd be pissed if you didn't say anything, 'ttebayo."

He kissed her again, then reached up to massaged the sting from her coral colored tips, pressing soft soothing kisses up and down her neck. Working her through the discomfort until her appreciative hums melded into needy moans.

"Ride me baby," he commanded, nibbling her ear.

She moved slow and careful at first, little more than sensual rolls of her hips, but as his gentle petting of her sore nipples became not so gentle tugs, the blissed out woman grew hungry for friction. He traced the enticing swell of her hips, reveled in the softness of her small waist as she bounded up and down in his lap, moaning and gasping his name.

"Down," he grunted, "let me see that ass."

She moved, leaning forward, dropping her head to the couch and showing him her branded ass full of hard cock.

Lubed passage squelching lewdly.

She rocked back and forth, giving his shiny groin plush booty kisses.

"What a pretty fucking picture, dattebayo," he muttered, tracing his bright red hand prints on her skin, watching his sex disappear and reappear between two plump snowy pillows.

Her rosebud flexed on the down stroke, igniting an inferno between them. He grabbed two handfuls and spread, getting a better view as she lunged into him, whining sexily, using the couch as leverage to get the force she wanted. Working lush body into a frantic, toe curling pace, bouncing her ass on his dick with headless abandon.

His lungs hitched, pleasure hitting his bloodstream like acid as he watched her move, palming and groping any part of her he could get his perverted hands on.

"You like getting your ass fucked, baby?"

Tightened inner muscles and a trembling moan was response, a voiceless singsong of her enjoyment.

He frowned.

Giving her ass a hard smack, he growling, "answer me."

Her flinch was pure decadence, as arousing as the fresh print blooming on her left cheek.

"I love it," she whispered.

He rose, caging her smaller form with his own. Bracing himself on stiffened arms, he rammed her asshole hard and quick, abdominals tightening as hot bliss lapped his balls. She arched, rising to meet his merciless drumbeat, sliding her fingers between her legs.

"Did I tell you to touch yourself?"

"P-please can I…" she murmured, hand hovering.

"You been a really good girl all night," he panted, slamming her bottom, "go ahead, baby."

Whispering jumbled gratitude, Hinata strummed her clit desperately only to lose herself seconds later. Climax slammed through her, tightening every delicate muscle in her body. He tensed, shoving against her body, riding out her orgasmic aftershocks, pumping his hips leisurely. Nosing away damp hair from her neck, Naruto latched on to the soft skin, sucking and laving her salty flesh, nibbling just enough to leave indents of passion.

A trembling hand threaded his hair, tugging him closer, pressing him deeper to the hollow of her throat.

"Harder," she whimpered breathlessly, "please…"

The soft plea flayed his body.

Ramming his dick deeper, he tightened his jaw, his bite not enough to break skin but enough to draw a scream from her throat and an arch from her spine.

"I love when you mark me," she whimpered.

She could turn him on so easily, flip a switch that would land her ass in trouble, in this case, literally.

He pumped his hips furiously, his mind empty of everything but fucking them both into oblivion. He lunged against her, jarring her petite form and the couch below. Her arms buckled, sweaty body collapsing in quivering heap, taking them both down.

Naruto was undeterred.

Fisting her locks, the horny blonde rode her ass even harder, slamming his hips forward with the force of a jackhammer, panting ecstasy when her rosebud squeezed him.

His rhythm stuttered as he tried his absolute best to beat his possession into every cell in her body. Her screams rang in his ears, the clench of her buttocks giving him that extra constriction he needed to lose his mind. Orgasm bowled him over harder than stampede of elephants, ripping away his control and launching him beyond heavens gates.

His own hoarse groan joining hers as hot semen painted her insides.

xxxxxx