Chapter 148: Rising the Spirits

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

Dialogue

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 148: Rising the Spirits

Naruto pretended not to notice and kept walking through the village until he arrived at the training field his team always used.

Only then did he stop and look around. "Okay, Hinata, you can come out," he called aloud.

A few seconds later, someone jumped down from one of the trees onto the field where Naruto was waiting.

"How did you know? I was careful not to get too close," Hinata said as her eyes returned to normal. She'd been using the Byakugan to keep track of him.

"You did better, but on an empty street, it's not hard to notice even the smallest sounds. Plus, the wind was blowing west, so I caught your scent," Naruto replied.

"M-My scent?!" Hinata's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

"It's not an unpleasant one," he added with a small smile. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

She was a bit hesitant to answer. "No… well… I just wanted to see how you were doing. I didn't want to approach you at the funeral, in front of everyone…"

"I'm fine." Naruto was getting tired of the same question. Hopefully, this would be the last time.

"If there's anything I can do for you… you can ju—"

"Actually, there is something." Naruto stretched his limbs. "My body's feeling a bit stiff, I could use some exercise."

"Stiff… exercise…" Hinata's face turned as red as a tomato. "I-I don't know if I'm ready for this… I mean, here?" She looked around, taking in the empty field of grass, rocks, and trees.

"What are you talking about? This is the perfect spot for a sparring match." Naruto couldn't help but notice her tendency to let her mind wander in that direction.

'Why is the mind of a girl so pure behaving this way?' Naruto thought. He expected something like this from the likes of Jiraiya, but not Hinata.

"Oh, sparring…" Hinata realized her misunderstanding. "Right!"

Naruto studied her more closely. There was no doubt she was growing into a beauty. Even in her loose black robes, her figure was easy to make out.

If she was so willing to be by his side, he wasn't going to turn her away.

'At least I won't have to look too far when I need a Dao Companion to aid me in cultivation. But it's too early yet,' he thought.

He had only just entered the Qi Refining stage. He wouldn't need a companion until he completed his Golden Core and absorbed all of the Kyubi's chakra.

The Kyubi's energy was pure yang, so once he was done assimilating it, he would need significant amounts of yin chakra to balance it out. This would be absolutely essential before he attempted the next stage.

He could achieve this balance through normal cultivation, but that would take too long. Dual Cultivation was a quicker way to absorb large amounts of yin energy, as females naturally had plenty. Another option would be obtaining a Bijuu with pure yin chakra, but the only one he'd encountered was the One-Tail, and it was unsuitable for this purpose due to its yang properties.

'There's no point in thinking about that now,' Naruto reminded himself. He would still need at least a couple of years to fully assimilate the fox demon's chakra. Only then could he consider his next step.

"You want to spar with me? I'm not sure that's a good idea…" Hinata seemed hesitant.

"Why not? Are you still hurt from the mission?" Naruto asked.

"No, Lady Tsunade took personal care of me. I'm completely healed," Hinata quickly replied.

Naruto nodded, already knowing this. The Hokage likely felt regretful about sending an unprepared team on such a dangerous mission, so she had made sure they received the best medical attention upon returning.

"Is there another reason, then?" Naruto asked.

"It's just… you'll be disappointed if you spar with me. I'm too weak. My father always said so… I've accepted it, but I don't want to hear it from you." Hinata rubbed her hands together nervously.

'Nice job, Lord Hyuga,' Naruto thought with frustration. He couldn't understand why her father would crush her spirit that way.

He could tell that the girl had a tremendous amount of latent talent, but training her was going to be challenging due to her lack of self-esteem.

However he had already taken on this responsibility, and it was too late to back out now. He was a man of the word after all.

'I'll have to push her a bit...' He decided.

Naruto stepped close to her, lifting her chin with his fingers.

"Look at me."

Hinata raised her head slowly, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Hinata, you are weak," he said flatly.

She gasped, devastated. That was the last thing she'd wanted to hear from him. "Why?" The tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Because… only when we admit we're weak can we grow stronger. Those who believe they've reached the top of the mountain will never try to climb higher."

"Ah…" Hinata finally understood his meaning.

"Can I really become stronger?" she asked.

He cupped her cheek gently.

"Stay by my side, and not only will you become stronger… I'll make you the strongest."

He leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers.

Hinata's eyes widened, but she didn't pull away.

The kiss was brief, and then he pulled back and turned around.

"N-Naruto?" She felt as if she might pass out from the shock, but her mind was racing too much for her to lose consciousness.

He glanced back at her. "It all begins today, Hinata. Now, we train."

She would help him on his journey to Godhood, and in return, Naruto decided he would turn this shy girl into a true warrior...one who could instill fear in her enemies' hearts.

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