Ageless Love

Judge

Welcome back

Let's go into the story

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Naruto silently made his way to the decently sized lake that sat at the edge of the training grounds. He stopped at the edge of the lake next to a voluptuous young woman with long navy blue hair. The woman's eyes were closed hiding the pale white eyes that every Hyuga possessed. Both individuals were silent as they stood within arms length of one another.

"You have grown into a beautiful woman Hinata-san." The blond stated as a gentle breeze swept through the clearing. Hinata's hair gently swayed from the current of wind before glancing at the boy with a small smile.

"Your compliments are always a breath of fresh air." Her hands clasped behind her back before her gaze shifted back to the water. "You've grown into an incredible man, Naruto-kun. Your parents would be proud." The sincerity in her voice made the Jinchuuriki shift uncomfortably though he made no move to leave.

He gave a small sigh before responding. "It's what Auntie Tsunade and Jiraiya-Sensei tell me... Though I'm hard pressed to truly believe it myself. I've accomplished little compared to my father and mother." Hinata gave small hum following his statement.

"You became a Chunin after 6 months of being an active duty Shinobi, would have dominated the entire Chunin exams finals had it not been for the invasion, single handedly beat the Ichibi Jinchuuriki after he transformed and mortally wounded Orochimaru's right hand man." The girl gave a sly smile before continuing. "You sell yourself short. You've done things that most Shinobi couldn't achieve in their entire lifetime. All in one year no less. I'm sure you've done even more during your trip with Jiraiya-sama."

The beautiful woman placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder as she continued her speech. "You need to stop comparing yourself to your father. He was an incredibly talented man but so are you Naruto-kun." She gave a soft smile before removing her hand. The Hyuga began to walk away as she gave one last statement to the blond.

"You told me that if I wanted to stand up that I'd need to fall down first."

The blond teen furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at his reflection in the water while contemplating the words he had spoken to the shy girl so many years ago. Had he truly started to compare himself to his father? Jiraiya and even Tsunade had told him that Kushina and Minato would be proud no matter what he did in life.

Naruto had only assumed they said that to give him something to strive for. He was a shinobi yes, but what for? To protect Konoha? The blond shook his head at that. He didn't necessarily care about the village. Well, the people atleast. If not for the village then what? To reciprocate his Aunts desire in protecting him?

Naruto gave a small frown at the the thought. Illogical. He was aware that Tsunade was among some of the strongest Shinobi in the Elemental Nations. His Aunt was perfectly capable of protecting herself. It's not as if he couldn't protect her without being a Shinobi.

Naruto's eyes narrowed at the crystal blue water. He was a Shinobi and that was that. You didn't just hand in your headband after accepting it. You live as a Shinobi and then die as one. Naruto glanced behind him towards the large gathering of Shinobi for a second before pocketing his hands.

"When your mother was your age, she wanted to run away to a backwater village and disappear. She had told Minato that 'fighting for what you believe in didn't change the world for the better.' On some level, I truly agree with her." Naruto didn't verbally respond and continued gazing into the pool of water. "This world has always been dark. One good deed doesn't make us better people. I've killed hundreds if not thousands of people during my years as a Shinobi."