I don't own Naruto

Tsunade looked through the documents once more, her eyes finally settling on something that made her hopeful. She tapped her fingertip to that phrase once more, only to look towards the doorway to her office and call for Shizune. Her assistant made her way into the room and watched her carefully. Jiraiya sat beside her, watching her carefully. "Shizune, could you get Naruto and Sasuke for me?" she asked and her assistant nodded to her before leaving without another word.

She turned back to the calculative gaze that had been on her the moment she had finally found what she was looking for. "Do you think this is the best idea?" he asked her softly and she looked back down to the writings before her. She knew that Hinata had already changed so many things for the better, but she also knew that Hinata was probably missing her family by now. Tsunade had been searching nonstop for over a year now to try and find a way to bring Hinata home.

A frown crossed her lips at the thought of Hinata refusing to come home, she knew the young woman had formed a bond with Hashirama. "Yes. I do think this is the best idea." She said as she looked over to Jiraiya, who she had filled in on everything that had happened. He even understood the fact he had been dead and that they had been brought back. He leaned back in his seat and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and moving one leg to sit across the other with the foot propped up on his knee. An all too familiar position that he enjoyed it seemed.

She sighed and looked over to the image of Hinata standing between Hashirama and Tobirama. Her fingers trailed over the page and couldn't help the sad smile that crossed her lips. "I think... she at least deserves the option to return home... if we can even give it to her."

:-:-:-:

Hinata's eyes fluttered open, despite her protests and desire to stay in this warmth. She didn't want to wake up because she was comfortable, but curiosity for what had her feeling so warm got the better of her. She felt a weight on her hip as she tried to adjust herself which made her force herself to focus her bleary eyes. When her eyes finally focused, she could feel her heartbeat thumping in her chest. Deep down she was praying that he couldn't hear it due to how loud it was in her own ears.

She glanced down to see his arms were wrapped around her hips and that she was flush against him. She managed to free one of her arms without waking him, only for the urge to touch his hair to overtake her. She carefully reached up and brushed his dark hair from his face, only to smile softly. His features were so peaceful while he slept and a soft smile was touching his lips. Her eyes scanned over every feature of him and she couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. He was so very attractive up close and she felt so nervous just being this close to him.

His sun-kissed skin looked smooth despite all the scars she knew he had from all of his battles. He was so different from her, she looked as if she lingered around during the night, but he looked like he had never missed a chance to be in the sunlight. She slipped her eyes shut, only to sigh. How had she gotten into this mess anyways? She carefully tried to slip out of his embrace, only for his grip to tighten and she found herself locked in his embrace.

Even in his sleep he was so much physically stronger than she was. "H-Hashirama-sama..." she managed upon seeing his half awake brown eyes staring back at her. "Why are you leaving?" he muttered softly and she blushed lightly. "I um... I don't think this is appropriate..." she whispered and he just blinked at her in confusion. She could see when the realization began to settle in as a pink tint started flushing to his tanned cheeks. His grip slowly released her, so slowly she couldn't help but wonder if he was contemplating pulling her back to him.

"Hinata-chan... forgive me..." He said softly and she furrowed her brows at him. Why was he apologizing? Last she remembered she was the one who fainted because of dirty thoughts Madara had put in her mind. She scowled inwardly at the thought of the dark haired man laughing at her. she glanced back up to see Hashirama sitting straight up in the bed now, a small distance between them. "I shouldn't have laid down here, forgive me." He sighed and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. She sat up and leaned to look at him curiously.

"You brought me back here because I fainted... you shouldn't have to apologize for doing that." She said softly and he watched her carefully. "I never should have fallen asleep with you though, as you said it was inappropriate and for that I am sorry." he sighed and continued to hide his face in his hands. She frowned and looked down to her hands softly. "Hashirama-sama..." she said and he looked over at her.

Her breath hitched and she couldn't help but be lost in his eyes. Those brown eyes were so filled with emotion she honestly couldn't tell what he was feeling. She swallowed softly as she watched the hand that was coming towards her. His gentle fingertips brushed the hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears. She could feel the heat come to her cheeks as he brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek softly. She had no idea what was happening, she just wanted to be closer to him.

She slipped her eyes shut and softly pressed her cheek against his gentle fingers. His hand cupped her cheek and she couldn't help the smile that had crossed her lips as his thumb brushed over her cheek now. She felt him move closer and she opened her eyes to see he was on his knees in front of her. She scanned over him trying to figure out what his intentions were, as he had made his way across the bed on his knees. His other hand found her cheek as well and she just blinked up at him curiously.

"Hinata-chan..." he began and she just looked up at him once more. Before anything else could escape him, he heard Itsuki crying. He turned to the door, but she was already there and making her way down the hall, trying to calm her racing heart. She held a hand to her chest as she rushed to get away from him. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to be that close to him, because she did. It was just the fact that she wanted so badly for him to kiss her that she didn't even understand it.

She looked to see Butsuma and Akane standing in the living room of her shared home with Hashirama. They just stared at her in excitement. Akane rushed over to her and looked her over excitedly. "Are you two together?" she asked, her eyes screaming her hopes to her. Hinata shook her head and the woman just seemed to deflate with a sigh. Hinata offered her a small smile, but Hashirama brushed past her gently.

She watched him to see he had a grin on his lips as he rubbed the back of his head gently, in that sheepish manner he was known for. "Sorry Ma, I forgot I was supposed to get him today. I got a little distracted and ended up taking a nap." He laughed and she looked over to see Akane looking between the two of them silently. She smiled as she took in the fact Hinata was still wrapped in his green haori. "Are you sure it was a nap?" she asked, sending an amused glance between the two of them.

"Yes Ma!" Hashirama exclaimed, a blush coating his cheeks as well as one making itself known on hers once more. Akane just kept glancing between the two of them with amusement in her eyes. "It may have just been a nap, but you sure didn't nap alone." She teased and Hashirama sat there trying to fight to keep his parents out of their business, but Hinata knew she was a dead giveaway as she blushed darker and began looking towards the floor.

"We took a nap, it's no big deal." Hashirama grumbled and Butsuma just raised a single brow at him. "Together though, because Hinata isn't denying anything." He said and Hashirama jerked to look at her. "Why don't you two just kiss already, we are getting exhausted waiting on you two to get together." Akane urged and Hinata scooted a little further from Hashirama.

The whole situation was embarrassing. Not that the potential of her being with him embarrassed her, it was the fact that everyone could see it were teasing them about it. she looked up at him only to notice he had gotten closer to her once more. "Hinata-chan, please help me..." he pleaded and she snapped her head to look back down to her hands, which were fiddling once more.

She heard him sigh in exasperation while his parents just kept taunting him. He kept going back and forth with them, but she knew they weren't going to stop anytime soon. She reached over and tugged on his sleeve lightly, making him look down on her. She could feel him watching her, most likely wondering why she had tried to get his attention. "Hinata chan?" he called and she looked up at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words eluded her. She couldn't even remember why she had tried to get his attention anymore. She had to think of something now, she couldn't just sit here quietly...

"W-would... would you like to train with me again sometime?" she asked softly and his features lit up. She hadn't trained with him since before she and Tobirama had trained together. She missed training with him and she knew he felt the same. He grinned at her and nodded rapidly. Her heart fluttered at how excited he was. He was like a child who had just been told they could go play with their friend.

She looked over and saw Akane watching her with a knowing look. Butsuma only chuckled softly as he offered Itsuki to Hashirama. They both knew that she was playing the tactical advantage she had to stop their bickering. Hashirama would always be willing to train with her, just as he would always be willing to spar with Madara. It was such a simple distraction and she knew it would work to draw his attention away from his amused parents.

:-:-:

Kaira was following Tobirama around today as he did tasks for Hashirama. For most this would be boring, but she was enamored with the way Tobirama spoke to everyone he met. Most would think he was rude to everyone, but he was far from it honestly. She supposed not having to harm his now best friend helped in opening up his harsh demeanor and showing everyone the part of him that he had been hiding away from the world.

She had been paying close attention to everything he had been doing as well. He seemed to be gathering things for Hashirama, but not for Itsuki. She was going to make a clear assumption the items were for Hinata. She had lost everything when Kurama was unleashed on them so she just assumed that Hashirama was being nice and replacing things for her.

Kuma began sniffing the air, so she watched him carefully. "What do you smell?" she asked and Tobirama looked back at her at this moment. He tossed his large head from side to side and continued to sniff, not a word from him made Kaira feel off. She sniffed the air as well and her brows furrowed as she smelled dog. It wasn't Kuma, because she smelled this on the daily. This was another dog, one like him. "Tobirama, are there any other nindogs like Kuma in the village right now?" she asked and Tobirama shook his head.

"No one has registered a Nindog like him. Why?" he asked and she frowned. She looked around and saw a flicker of white vanish behind a building. "Because there's one here." She said before he took off in the direction she had seen the large dog run off. Tobirama took off after her, only to run into Izuna. "Someone needs to control their damn dog. It bit Madara and took off." he said and Kaira frowned as she continued running.

"Wonder who wants to play today, because I've been bored." She said, a wicked smirk crossing her lips as she came to an intersection between buildings where the scent just vanished completely. The only thing sitting there in the middle was a kunai as it dropped to the ground untouched. Kaira picked it up and sniffed it, but the scent on the blade was unfamiliar to her even though it was that too familiar scent of a burning fire.

"An Uchiha was here." She said as she showed the kunai to Izuna, who looked at her oddly. "Hey, we don't own dogs." He said and she rolled her eyes at him. "Not saying you did. Just saying that I think an Uchiha helped the dog escape us. Madara made his way over to them and he had a disgruntled look on his face. "Why did it bite you?" Kaira asked and he scowled at her.

"Hell if I know, I was just offering the stupid mutt some food. The fat bastard just bit me." He grumbled and Kuma huffed at him in irritation. "Not saying you're a fat bastard Kuma. Just whatever dog that was." Madara said as he offered Kuma the meat that he had offered the other dog before it had bit him. Kaira looked over to see Madara poking a finger through the rips in his sleeve the other dog had created.

"I think we may want to talk to Hashirama about this if we can't find them ourselves." Kaira said and Tobirama nodded. "I agree, whoever these people are... they haven't done anything against us yet, but I don't want to risk them attacking when Hashirama is unaware of their presence here." Tobirama said and she nodded at him. "Especially since there's five of them." She said and they looked at her oddly.

"How can you tell that?" Madara asked and she ignored the urge to roll her eyes. "I can smell all of them. One is a male Uchiha, one reeks of Ninetails chakra, one is the dog's owner, one smells like a Hyuuga, and the last one... I can't really describe his smell." She said and they all just stared at her oddly. "Oh, so you can differentiate between our scents too?" Izuna asked excitedly and she did roll her eyes at this.

"What do I smell like?" he asked happily and she smirked at him. "Madara smells like fire. Hinata smells like flowers, Hashirama smells like the forest, Tobirama smells like the forest after a rain... but you... you smell like burnt pervert." She said which made Izuna deflate and pout. Tobirama glanced over at her and shook her head. "I think you smell good why are you giving me that look?" she asked and he just sighed.

"How long have you been sniffing all of us like that?"

:-:-:-:

Hashirama looked at the four in front of him and sighed as he folded his hands together in front of him. "Other than biting Madara, what has this group done?" he asked and ignored the dirty look that his friend sent him. "Nothing yet, but I have a feeling that their sudden appearance can't be coincidence." Kaira said and Tobirama nodded in agreement. He looked over the group before him once more, only to frown.

"Keep an eye on Hinata and Itsuki. I don't think it is coincidence either." He said and Kaira and Tobirama nodded. "Madara, Izuna, keep an eye out for this group. Mito... if one of these newcomers has some of the Kyuubi's chakra then I need you to stay with any one of us at all times. If you can get along with Hinata, stay near her I don't need these people being able to get within reach of any of you." He said and they nodded.

He looked over to Mito, who was smiling softly. She had better not try and play any of her games with Hinata, or else he would make sure she were never in a room with her again. "Mito I will escort you to Hinata and Itsuki. Do not try anything against her." he said, his voice stern. She only nodded once more as she stepped out of the way to let him lead the way. "If Hinata begins avoiding me again..." he began and she shook her head.

"I promise you that won't happen. I understand Hashirama, you don't have to say it." she said and he nodded to her. "Kaira, Tobirama, you two will be able to figure out if they get close to them before Madara or Izuna will, so please be diligent." He said and they nodded as they made their way to follow him as well. The walk to his home was silent, it seemed none of them had anything to say, but he knew they were all delving into their minds.

"Tobirama, what are you thinking about?" he asked and his younger brother frowned at him. "We are all wondering why these people would be after Hinata." Mito said and Tobirama frowned but he nodded. Hashirama sighed and his shoulders slackened slightly as he looked back at them. "Because I feel like they may go after her to get to me." He said and Tobirama nodded.

He looked over to see Mito still smiling softly. "Mito." She looked up at him and his heart sank. He could tell she was still upset about the fact they had split, but he could also tell she still blamed herself. "I hold no more ill intent towards her. I know my own actions led to this, please understand that. Doesn't mean I'm not bitter about being right about it." she said and he sighed and ignored the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm not going to do anything, don't look at me like that." She snapped softly and he did roll his eyes at this.

"Either way, you will be watching Itsuki when we get there. I want to train with Hinata." He said and she nodded, this seemed to lighten her mood a little. He knew she wanted to spend time with her son, he was just grateful she wasn't being spiteful about Hinata watching him when he was busy. His home came into sight and he sighed and opened the front door. Hinata was sitting in the floor of the living room changing Itsuki. He couldn't help but chuckle when he overheard her talking about him to his son.

He looked over to see Mito smiling softly at the sight before them. "So, you tell him all about me when I'm working do you?" he asked and she blushed darkly as she scrambled to get out of the floor, Itsuki in her grasp. He couldn't help but chuckle as the deep red blush only continued to darken. Mito reached out and Hinata handed Itsuki to her gently. "Come on, Hinata... we are going to go train some today." He said and she smiled up at him. Before she made her way out the door, she turned to Mito and greeted her softly. Only stopping to explain that he has eaten recently and telling her where all his toys were. She planted a small kiss on his forehead before she turned to make her way out the door once more.

"Hinata." Mito called and he gave her a pointed look, which she didn't even seem to notice. "Thank you... for being such a good mother to him when I wasn't. You'll be a wonderful mother." Mito said and he smiled softly as Hinata stared at Mito with wide eyes. He hadn't expected the redhead to have anything kind to say to Hinata, but he was grateful. After her momentary shock, Hinata smiled at Mito brightly. "Perhaps... we could... spend time with Itsuki together sometime?" she asked and Mito nodded.

"I would like that. It would give me a chance to get to know you, seeing as you may be his stepmother soon." Mito mused and he sighed deeply as Hinata fumbled over her words in her embarrassment. "I see why you like her Hashirama, she's definitely not me." She said and he groaned as he took Hinata by the wrist and led her away. "Did she insult me?' Hinata asked suddenly and he sighed once more.

"No. That wasn't an insult to you. More so to herself I suppose." He grumbled and Hinata nodded as she stared at the hand that was wrapped around her wrist. He looked down and noticed it as well and released her with a sheepish look. "Hinata, sorry." he said and she shook her head, but she continued to stare at his hand. He couldn't help but wonder what was so interesting about his hand.

She reached out and touched her fingers to his softly as they continued walking towards the inner zone of the village. After a couple bumps of her fingers against his, she pulled her hand back to herself and entwined her hands together. It took a moment, and he was cursing himself in his own mind. He grumbled to himself, calling himself an idiot as he figured that maybe she was trying to hold his hand and that had gone straight over his hand.

He couldn't help but wonder what other subtle cues he had missed in his idiocy. Tobirama was right, he was an idiot when it came to women. His shoulders slumped and soon enough his head followed suit as he thought about how much of an idiot he was by missing his chance to hold her hand. That all too familiar aura started to engulf him and he began berating himself outwardly.

She looked up at him and giggled softly. At least someone found his idiocy amusing... She stepped closer to him and nudged him with her shoulder lightly. "I still don't think you're an idiot." She said softly and he blinked down at her. "You may not think so but I am." He mused and she only smiled up at him, causing a faint heat to meet his cheeks. "So, are we going to train, or are we going to get something to eat?" she asked softly and he felt like more of an idiot.

He had been walking on full auto pilot mode and they had walked right up to his favorite restaurant. His shoulders slumped and he offered a sheepish look as his stomach growled loudly. He glanced over to see her laughing behind her hand at his antics. He chuckled and offered her a small smile.

"Eat I suppose..."

:-:-:-:

They had spent the past week training and she couldn't be happier. She dodged under his fist and struck upward, her fingertips gently touching the underside of his arm only briefly. Before she knew it, he had her pinned to the ground on her back once more. He was grinning down at her, and she couldn't help but giggle as she noticed his arm dangling limply to his side. She reached up and touched the same spot she had before, opening the tenketsu on his arm once more.

"Thanks." He said, but before he could react, she had flipped him onto his back and was now pinning him down while sitting on his stomach. "If Madara were here he would be making some sort of joke right about now." He mused as he looked up at her. She blushed lightly but released his arms. He leaned up beneath her and she just watched as he propped himself up with his arms behind him to hold himself up.

She watched him carefully, wary of yet another attempt to pin her down. She looked him in the eyes and could tell he was plotting something, but she had no idea what it was. "Hashirama... are you ok?" she asked and he only nodded. He just continued to watch her, which was making her uneasy. "Hashirama... would you like me to move?" she asked, but he only seemed to ignore this question. She opened her mouth to speak once more, but he reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear gently.

"Hinata... may I see something?" he asked and she furrowed her brows, but she nodded. She wasn't sure what he wanted, but she was sure it wasn't anything bad. "Are you sure?" he asked, his voice taking on a different tone now. This tone made her swallow softly, maybe she shouldn't have blindly agreed to something. She bit her softly as he leaned up a little more and was now within inches of her. He reached and pushed the hair on the other side of her face behind her ear softly. She felt a blush rising to her cheeks once more and she slipped her eyes shut as she could now feel his breath on her lips.

Before she knew it, he was messing with her hair once more. Her shoulders slumped and when he released her hair, she slumped over and pouted lightly when her forehead met his shoulder. He urged her to get off of him and stand and she felt that pout welling up inside her. "Come on! Come look at it." he said happily and led her over to the river near them. Her eyebrow twitched as she looked to see he had pulled her hair into a high ponytail on top of her head. She slipped her eyes shut and turned to him to tell him she liked it, but her eyes went wide when he pressed his lips to hers.

She hadn't been expecting that in the slightest. Her eyes fluttered shut as his hands made their way up to her cheeks and tilted her face up to meet his more. Her heart was racing in her chest when he pulled away from her, only for him to capture her lips in a kiss once more. Only with this one he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and she could feel him smiling against her lips. He pulled away from her once more and grinned at her, which made her blush.

"That's all I wanted to see." He said and she blushed darkly. The hair was just a ruse to get her out of his lap... he reached and entwined the fingers of both his hands with hers, only to pull her flush against him and release her hands. His arms wrapped around her and she smiled as he hugged her tightly. "I just wanted to see if you would let me kiss you..." he said and she gave him a dirty look as he stepped away from her.

"T-that was mean." She grumbled and he just laughed at her reaction. "So, are you saying you didn't want me to?" he asked and she blushed darker and looked away from him. "N-no." she grumbled and he continued to laugh. She looked back at him and saw he was smiling at her still. "So, you wanted me to kiss you then?" he said and she continued to give him that dirty look.

"Keep doing that and I wont do it again." He threatened playfully and she rolled her eyes at him, which seemed to catch him off guard. He leaned down to be face to face with her once more. "Is this how you are with Kaira? You roll your eyes at people?" he mused and she slung a hand out to him but said nothing. As if catching the hint he engulfed her hand in his. He sighed and looked off to the tree line. She looked to see what he was looking at and saw Tobirama and the others there.

"Have you found them?" he asked and Tobirama nodded. "I can lead you to them, they seem to have made camp on the outskirts of the village. She looked from him to the others. "Found who?" she hadn't heard about them looking for anyone. She looked between them once more and Hashirama tugged her hand slightly, wanting her to follow him.

:-:-:-:

Hashirama pulled her along beside him gently. He couldn't help but be happy, she seemed to reciprocate his feelings. He was worried she wouldn't, which he wasn't sure why he had been so worried about this. She had always seemed drawn to him, but perhaps he had figured it was because he had always been nice to her. he looked down and had noticed she was tucking herself more and more into his side as they walked. He glanced up and noticed all the looks from those around them, those knowing looks.

Mito was only smiling, which seemed to mean she was happy the two of them were possibly together now. He hadn't officially asked her, so he couldn't say for sure if she were his girlfriend now or not, but with the way she reciprocated his kiss he figured she was going to say yes either way. Tobirama was smirking while side eyeing them, which meant his younger brother had been waiting on this. Izuna and Madara kept whispering back and forth, while grinning at him.

Kaira had pulled up to the other side of him but her thoughts were unreadable. She looped her arm with his and he raised a brow at her. "Don't you ever hurt her." she whispered but the tone in which that whisper was uttered. It was a threat. He could only grin sheepishly at her taking her threat at full face value though. Tobirama pointed to a cave and they nodded as Kuma released a howl. He knew the hound was trying to get them to come out. The large white hound Madara had described exited the cave first and Hinata's grip on his hand slackened slightly.

She released him and ran up to the dog and embraced it tightly calling out a name to it. He furrowed his brows as he watched the others come out of the cave and look over his group carefully. Hinata's head snapped up and she rushed to hug the brunette man she saw first. The large white dog and Kuma began sniffing each other, only for the white dog to bark at Kuma who was much larger.

"Hinata!" the blonde man called out and she looked up and ran over to him and engulfed him in a hug as well. He couldn't help the jealousy that welled up in him at how easily she had rushed up to each of the men and hugged them. She greeted them all by what seemed to be their names and she interacted with them joyfully. As if she could feel his gaze on her, she rushed over to him and grabbed him by the wrist and pulled them over to the group of newcomers. The Uchiha male watched him carefully and he knew the man knew who he was.

Every last one of them seemed to know who he was but he had no idea who they were. "This is Kiba." Hinata introduced him to the owner of the white dog, only to turn to the blonde and introduce him as Naruto. Sasuke was the Uchiha, Neji was the Hyuuga, and Shino was the one that Kaira couldn't identify. He nodded to each of them, but all of them seemed wary of Madara and Izuna, who were just glaring at the large dog who Hinata had called Akamaru.

He listened to her as she spoke to the men before her. "How are you all here? And why?" she asked and the blonde scratched his head sheepishly and gave her a thumbs up. "We came to save you, Hinata-chan!" he said and Hashirama frowned as his body stiffened. He watched her as she continued to stare at them, she didn't seem to be able to find the words to say. She looked over at the one named Neji, and he could tell she wanted nothing more than to cry. She had told him before that her elder brother Neji had died in her time, so he knew that her being here had already changed the course of the future for the better.

He couldn't help the sad smile that crossed his lips when she looked at him, as if she were trying to figure out what to do. "Go on Hinata... go home with them." He said and all those he had brought along with him made their protests known. Madara grabbed him by the shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "What are you thinking?!" he hissed softly but Hashirama could only smile at him sadly. Hinata looked from him to her friends and he knew she was having trouble with the choice she now had to make. "Hinata, it's ok. You were never meant to be here either way. Itsuki and I will be ok, I promise." He said and smiled widely at her but he cursed himself for the tears that burned the back of his eyes. He had waited so long to attempt to show her how he felt, and now he was hurting because he knew she was going to go.

Madara and the others continued to protest but he held a hand up to silence them. His presence pressed down on all of them and Hinata just stared at him with sad eyes. She looked back to her friends, who seemed to see what was happening here. The Uchiha male sighed, while the blonde and brunette only seemed oblivious. Shino walked up to Hinata and whispered something in her ear, only for her to frown as she looked back at him and the others. Neji only smiled softly at her.

"We can stay a few days, but then we will have to return home, Hinata." Neji said and offered a nod to him, which he returned. "Then please, come stay in the village until you have to go rather than being out here." Hashirama offered and they all nodded. Hinata made her way over to him and grabbed his hand gently. He looked down at her and smiled at her. she opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head to silence her. "When you decide, you come find me. You don't have to go unless you really want to. I promise you I'm not going to make you stay either."