He lands in the exact spot he left hours before. The broken hut has now fallen over completely making his heart sink even further.

This is a complicated situation then again...jumping dimensions always is. There is always danger in wandering through unknown territory. But he will find her, no matter what it takes.

He crouches down at a set of paw prints perfectly outlined by the fading moonlight. As he examines them he hears high pitched howls and cackles in the distance. Now...he has never encountered a hyena before, but thanks to the discovery channel, he is able to distinguish their barks and howls from anything else out here. He is also able to hone in on their direction. He listens carefully to the sounds....

Then suddenly her voice echoes through the trees, picked up by a small breeze. He can't quite make out what she is saying but can recognize her voice anywhere.

She has a smoothness to her voice that most likely comes from practiced vocals and her accent. He begins to think about that tongue of hers and how brash she can be.

He wishes Kakashi had chosen someone else. It would have made this whole mess so much easier. Now he has to devise a larger plan over top of his original plan just to save his friend's heart. And he will do it, because that is how much Kakashi means to him. He will betray the crown despite the consequences, he just needs to be smart about it. Then again...he may not have to do anything, as Kakashi is just as strategic as he is...in fact he is even better. He will most likely have a secondary option for Hana by the time he gets her back into the real world. Because that is just who he is...he is also not one to reveal anything unless he needs to and as of right now, he has no obligations.

In time he will be tasked with a duty by Naruto himself. But it won't be until Hana is back in hidden leaf and committed to joining with the land of iron. Only then will Kakashi be given his own contract. Something Naruto is terrified to ask of him.

Another cackle rings through the air, snapping Naruto out of his fears and in seconds he is leaping through trees following the sounds of her chaos in the distance.

————————————————

It is almost dawn...You sit in the same position losing chakra every minute.

By now your cuts and wounds have dried, but some still need stitches. It is too bad you don't know any healing jutsu to help you out and curse yourself for not getting to that chapter before this mess. But...you don't really have the chakra for it anyways.

Another hyena takes a step forward into the water and you roll your eyes wondering why it even bothers. It's not like it will take a chance at a swim.

With the sun rising, creating a velvety blue sky in the distance you can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. That you in fact did hold your chakra long enough to see the sun one last time. It brings tears to your eyes thinking of how far you have come. To think you knew nothing about jutsu and chakra development only months ago, to know how to hold onto it for hours and hours is...well...pretty badass if you say so yourself.

You thank Kakashi in your mind for everything he has ever done for you. You also thank your polka dot panties for sealing the deal with your sexy sensei.

That thought makes you laugh out loud.

He probably has a drawer full of your panties....

In your thoughts you hadn't noticed the orange reflection, flickering off the water behind you. Or how anxious the hyenas have become. Then a voice startles you enough to leap to your feet.

A voice you wished was someone else's but are so relieved to hear all at the same time.

"Hey Hana! How you doing?"

Barely standing you turn around to meet his insufferable toothy grin, in shock, as this is the last person you thought who would show up to rescue you. You in fact thought no one was going to show up, you had even picked out a new reincarnation for your poor soul. You had a plan to become a rock in your new life. Nothing happens to rocks, they sit on the ground with no expectations, no special abilities, and no chaos. It sounded so peaceful....

His toothy grin quickly fades as he looks upon your bloody and beaten body in the brightening light.

"Naruto?" You ask in disbelief and stumble forward almost losing part of your stability on the water.

He proudly places his hands on his hips and performs his trademark perfectly.
"Believe it!" He says, then follows up with a wink.

Instinctively you begin to scold him, because that is just what you do.
"Oh don't start that shit! And did you just ask me how I'm doing?" You ask with a substantial amount of tone.

He scratches the back of his head.
"Well not real..."

You wave your hands over your bloody body interrupting him.
"How does it look like I'm doing, Naruto?"

"Ahhh..well....not so good..."
Then he says the words you have been so desperate to grasp yourself.
"Let's get you out of here ok?!"

He opens his arms wide and closes the distance. Once he comes within arms length you latch onto his shoulders and he lifts you up off the water, sweeping you off your feet...literally. With one last look at the mess you put yourself into, he leaps into the trees above, gliding through them as if they weren't even there. Like some sort of an orange colored angel....

He bounds through the trees babbling on about how he had gotten into your world along with the complexities of dimension jumping. You can't help but gaze up at him with an overwhelming ache in your heart. You have never appreciated Naruto so much. Just the thought of his generosity and how he had just saved your life brings tears to your eyes. You hook your arm tighter around his neck making him pause his story. He feels so nice, so familiar, and he doesn't smell half bad. This is nothing compared to Kakashi, but it is the first full human contact you have had since arriving here in this hell hole. You need this....you just need to feel someone....anyone...

You run your thumb over his cheek praising him quietly. That affection stops him completely. He lands on a plateau overlooking the jungle, staring down at you questionably.

"Hana...." He says quietly, noticeably unsure of your strange affection.

As you gaze upon your savior, with sopping wet eyes you come to realize that Naruto really is a good man, with a huge heart. That almost everything he has done in the last few months was for you or for Kakashi. You run your fingers through his hair making his cheeks burn red hot, causing his whisker-like markings to deepen in color. You can feel his heart racing against you.
He swallows hard as your hand makes it to the back of his neck. You pet him like you have done with Kakashi, but with an entirely different meaning. He hums nervously, his skin shivering at your touches.
"Hana...I'm....not sure about this...." He begins.

And you pull him closer for a crushing hug before he can say anything more about it. You lock your arms around his neck and sob into his shoulder thanking him over and over. Telling him you're sorry for everything you have ever done to cause him problems.

"Forgive me..." You beg.

He sighs into you.
"Jeez, Hana...I thought for a second..., you may have fallen in love with me."

And that comment makes you burst out laughing.

He smiles against your cheek chuckling to himself.
"I mean, it's happened before. I have that effect on women you know...it's one of my flaws."

You push him away laughing hysterically while hanging onto his biceps.
"You mean a lot to me, Naruto, but my love is for Kakashi and Kakashi only."

His eyes sweep over your features.
"I know that...I'm just messin around....let's get you healed up, you're way too pretty to look this savage."

Your eyes grow wide at that remark. That is the first time he has actually complimented you and it makes you fall apart all over again.

He sighs again.
"....you're such a mess right now, Hana."

He removes you from his arms and takes off his hokage coat then lays it out on the ground.
"You'll want to be lying down for this. It's much more comfortable."

You happily scurry your tired ass over and lay back. It is not as comfortable as you like but it does bring you a ton of relief. Once you are in position Naruto appears over you, grinning from cheek to cheek. He claps his hands together and begins to rub them for friction.
"You're going to feel one hundred percent."

"Good...I thought for sure I was going to die out there." You laugh.

But Naruto doesn't share your humor in that comment.
"You will not die today. There is so much more in store for Hana Hoki than getting eaten alive by hyenas. People are counting on you...a lot of people."

You scowl up at him questionably.

"What do you mean by that?"

He shakes his head and shushes you, ignoring your question completely.
"No more talking. I need to focus."

You take note of his comment about the amount of people counting on you. How many people are we talking about? And for what? What could anyone possibly need you for?....

This just brings up a ton more questions and confusion to your encounter with Naruto. Then his soothing energy washes over you as he places his hands on your heart chakra and solar plexus. It was so relaxing you fell asleep almost immediately.

————————————————-

You wake hours later to the smell of something barbecuing. It was so delicious you sat upright, drooling from the mouth, asking for a plate.

"Good evening, Hana." Naruto says happily.

Your eyes flick over to his more relaxed figure, leaned up against a tree. His one knee is propping up an arm, in his other hand he has the drumstick from what looks like a chicken. Gnawing on the remnants, he asks.

"How are you feeling?"

You sweep your hair to the side, feeling the crusted blood and dirt caked into it.
"I need a shower."

Naruto laughs.
"Yeah you do....here have something to eat, it will help with your strength." He hands you a large drum stick to chew on.

You take a bite and savor it.
"Mmmm....where did you find chicken?." You ask with a mouthful.

He shrugs.
"There's a bunch of quail running around here. It was fun catching them."

You raise your brows and shake your head, picturing Naruto running around the jungle on all fours catching quail.
"Not as fun as fishing though." You reply to which he agrees completely.

"I have a question." He says as he throws the bones into the blazing fire.

"What's that?"

"I know this is typical of you...but I'm still curious..."

You roll your eyes at his presumptiveness.
Here we go....

"The hyenas....what were you thinking?"

And he's back to being that dumb pineapple head in no time.
You finish your chicken and throw the bones into the fire then brush off your hands, preparing to explain.

"First of all...I did not instigate that encounter. Second of all, why do you always think I'm the cause of every problem?"

He shrugs again.
"Chaos seems to follow you everywhere, that's all."

You roll your eyes.
"Well...it's not like I ask it to. I would rather be living a peaceful life, on a small acreage with a family...."

He tsks.
"Don't be so sure about that. It can get pretty boring..."

You scoff back at him and reply jokingly.
"You're starting to sound jealous of my chaos."

"Maybe I am..."

Curious.....

"Really?"

He huffs out a breath and looks up at the sky.
"You know...there were times when chaos used to follow me around. Kurama made sure of that.... It was team seven against the world and Kakashi leading us...man those were the days. Now the most adventure I get is wiping the crayon off the walls....or catching wild chickens...since you arrived my whole world has become.....Far more interesting."  He taps his fingers together with a strange grin on his face.

You shake your head.
"You are seriously jealous of this shit...well at least someone is having fun..."

He laughs loudly.
"Oh come on, Hana....Who wouldn't want to be sought after by a prince? Who wouldn't want to be the most valuable ninja in the world? Who wouldn't want to have the power you have and be able to use it in the best way?...you're crazy if you don't appreciate what is going on here. Could you imagine if nothing happened to you? If you just sat around getting fat, while you are forced to do mountains of paperwork and sit through grueling meetings about nothing?" He sits up straight, pointing his chicken wing at you.

"Four days ago I spent three hours in a meeting talking about our feelings and how to apply the appropriate feelings in the workplace." He explains using his fingers as quotation marks while still holding the chicken wing. "Who fucking cares about feelings right now? There is way more shit to worry about, and I'm sick of biting my tongue. I'm also sick of being locked up in that damn office, with those damn assistants, watching my every damn move!...don't get me wrong...I wanted this. Badly. But no one told me it would come with all the other bullshit."

He throws the chicken into the fire and entangles his hands into his hair in frustration.
"I think.....I think I'm going crazy!...well...I was anyway. Until you came along bringing the chaos I so desired. I wouldn't trade being hokage for the world! But sometimes...I mean just once in a while I'd like to use some jutsu with purpose, not just as a teaching method. I'm getting rusty...and fat....and old...and...well....fuck...."

Now that was not a conversation you thought you would ever have with this man. It is very obvious this man needs a little fight here and there...or even a little more effort in the bedroom with his wife...But he does have a point about the chaos....
"I guess, when you put it that way, it's sort of flattering to be the center of chaos...so..thank you?"

"No thank you! I now have more to do than wiping asses and signing papers..."

He throws you another half of the quail which you don't hesitate to finish off.
"Well, Naruto. It sounds to me like you either need to change up your routine in the bedroom....or come along with me for the ride..."

He sighs heavily.
"I wish...but Hinata doesn't like being on top and unfortunately I am stuck in hidden leaf, or I would come with you to the land of iron."

You pause for a moment mid bite, trying to register that comment. Slowly you turn your head towards him. And something clicks in your brain. All this time you have been lost in the land of jungles, Naruto has been playing a game of chess with your enemies and you are the pawn. How many moves has he made for you so far?....Damnit!.....

Through clenched teeth you ask.

"What did you do, Naruto?"

He turns his head away from you, a tell tale sign that you are exactly right.

"Naruto?!"

He hums and haws over the answer, drawing it out which feels like torture. Then he drops the rest of the chicken carcass in the fire and stands.

"Let's get you cleaned up first. I saw a hot spring not too far from here. I'll explain everything when we get there."

You leap to your feet, clenching your fists and storm right over to him. There is no way we're going anywhere without an answer.
"Not so fast! I'm not going any....Eeeee!.."

Before you can protest any further Naruto has picked you up in his arms and swung you over his shoulder. In this position all you can do is smack his back, which does absolutely nothing considering how much muscle this man has.
"Put me down you idiot!"

"I'm sorry, Hana. But I can't explain any further until you have had a bath....it's the smell..." He plugs his nose with his free hand.

"Oh shut up! It's not that bad"

"Bad enough." And he leaps up into the trees again while you scold him the entire way.

............

Now you stand at the edge of a hot spring, your toes curled over the stone slate refusing to go in until he starts his damn explanation....sounds familiar....

"Get in, Hana!" He commands, pointing an authoritative finger at you then the steaming pool of water. Just like Kakashi has done in the past...

You shake your head repeatedly.

"I could push you in..." He says coming around to your backside.

"I would like to see you try. You will lose something if you do...now tell me everything Damnit!"

"Not until you get in and we're relaxed..and not so...scary right now."

You gasp.
"I'm not scary!"

He laughs hard at that.
"You are terrifying! Now get in!"

You growl back at him...and cross your arms not moving. Then you feel his fingers trickle down your shoulder, smoothing the lines of your back. His hand rests against the smallest part of your waist and he leans down to whisper into your ear.

"You get to see me with my shirt off..." He whispers in a "lucky you" tone of voice.

You elbow him in the stomach.
"Naruto! What the hell! You think I want to see you like that?"

Grunting, he comes around to your side.
"Well yeah! I mean the way you looked at me before was...you know." He shrugs the last words away.

You raise a hand and flick the metal plating on his headband, you know exactly what he is trying to do.
"That was a fucking hug! Nothing more than that."

He begins to laugh again.
"No way!" He replies and clasps his hands together bringing them to his cheek.
"You are head over heels! I'm like a knight in shining armor, sweeping you off your savage little feet...!"

You swear you can see hearts forming in his eyes as he ridicules you.

You growl loudly back at him.
"It's not like that!"

"Oh it was...you are so in love...I know... I'm a pretty good looking guy. It must be so hard for y...."

And you've had enough of this embarrassing conversation. His attempt to get you into the water has definitely worked. You dive in feeling all sorts of strange mixed up feelings. It was just a hug...damnit....

You swim your way over to a rock to settle down on and begin the pouting process, while Naruto strips down to nearly nothing and makes fun of you for looking in his general direction.

Finally....finally he dives in. He surfaces and swims by you finding his own spot to get comfortable on. Although he takes his time with it, obviously trying to figure out how to put things into words.

A silence falls over you two as you wait patiently, until finally Naruto blurts out what he's been hiding.

"I need you to marry Arufa..." He says quietly.

"No." You reply sharply, as you half knew that was coming. Why else would you be going to the land of iron?.

"Come on, Hana. If you do this, you save an entire land from amalgamating with an enemy." 

You lean your head back against the rocks and look up at the dimming sky.
"Would you do it?"

Naruto pauses for quite some time.
"If I knew there was a way out of it...yeah....I know you want to be with Kakashi, so...I'm devising a plan to get you out of there. But we need to wipe the land of irons' slate clean so they can start new. Marriage will do that."

"How?"

"Royal contracts are far more concrete. They actually override the majority of regular contracts. You will have signing rights to everything that happens to that land. The land of lightning is planning on conquering other lands if we don't establish our own unity we will lose."

This was a lot to take in, and a lot of pressure on you. It is hard to believe that marriage can stop all of this.
"And what makes you think they won't try for a war if we destroy their original contract, despite royalty overriding the situation? Let's remember, the land of lightning had helped them out of debt."

Naruto nods.
"They did...but if they go to war over the worlds favorite couple. They will lose. The people of the world won't stand for it. Stocks for the land of lightning will plummet, trust will be broken, and everyone will side with us. They would lose everything..."

You roll your eyes skeptically.
"You're going based on assumptions and publicity?."

He shakes his head.
"No, I'm going based on your performance."

You curse loudly at that...he is just unbelievable and here you thought he was a good guy. He just threw that thought out the window in seconds.

He looks at you sympathetically.
"I promise to get you out of there once the contract has been revoked."

You roll your eyes.
"What does Kakashi think?"

He looks away.
"Ahhh...he agrees... although knowing him....he will find another way. He's hiding something."

That brings a smile to your face.
"Of course he is. Kakashi is always five steps ahead of everyone else."

"Yeah he is...he's the smartest man I know." Naruto agrees.

You blow out a long breath thinking about it all. Currently you are to marry a prince, but have two people with ulterior plans to either prevent that from happening or get you out afterwards. All of which are not guarantees of anything. It may save the land of iron from losing itself in the land of lightning, but it may also cause a war and for you, it would mean giving yourself up to someone you don't love.

"This is heavy, Naruto..." you comment.

He nods.
"Yeah...it is....and I hate what you have to do to fix everyone's problems."

"I don't have to do anything, you know."

"I know that. But would you be able to live with yourself knowing you could have prevented something worse?"

You blow out a long breath and reply quietly.
"No..."

He looks over to you with a half smile.
"Me either....so what do you say? Want to be a princess for a while?"

You huff at the thought.
"Could you imagine me as one?"

"If you weren't as pretty as you are...probably not. With that mouth of yours and your clumsiness...Arufa has his work cut out for him."

You send a small splash of water his way, playfully denying all of that.
"You're such a shit, Naruto."

He laughs.
"I can be....But I'm just playin. Honestly I think you would make a fantastic princess for a while. You would also make a great wife to Kakashi too. So let's make both of those things happen, so we can put this all behind us."

That is a little surprising coming from Naruto.
"Kakashi wants to get married?"

He sits up straight raising his hands, his face turning white.
"Uhhh! No...I mean...I don't know...I just assumed."
And you can't help but tease him.
"What do you mean? Has he talked about it?"

He shakes his head.
"No...he hasn't said anything. I just assumed that was the case considering he's never been this attached to someone. I think he'd pretty much do anything for you. Even getting married."

Well that is a nice thing to say. You sigh and move on from the subject as thoughts of him fill your mind.
"I miss him..."

"He misses you, I assure you. But if we don't get you back soon he may have a heart attack or something. He's not coping well with your cohort." Naruto confesses.

"I'm not sure how to do that. I have no control over my stone and my jutsu goes haywire once my Kekkei Genkai kicks in. That's how my hyena situation landed me at the waterfalls. I used body flicker and transported every life form within ten feet surrounding me with me." You reply.

His brows knit together in confusion.
"That's interesting. We have a select few who can use a certain type of jutsu to transport others on the astral plane. It is a rare ability to transport an entire group of life forms all at once. I can transport people as well..."

That stirs some excitement in you.
"So...you're taking me back with you?"

He shakes his head sadly.
"I can't...if I bring you back with me, the connection between your cohort becomes unstable. Especially with that Kekkei Genkai, you need to be careful."

"I actually understand what you're saying. She needs to come back here before we can swap places. But I have no idea how to get her here." You explain.

"Kakashi thinks destroying the place would work. But I disagree. There has to be a place of connection here. If you can find the connection you can pull her back in. The same way she does to you when you lose control....do you know of any place like that?"

That jogs your memory. A vision of your pool of water you had shared together. The same place you learned the difference between stone energy and chakra.
"There is a place like that. It is where we met the first time. A pool of water surrounded by palm trees and thick bushes. Everytime I connected with the stone it would take me there, and my cohort would be at the other end waiting for me."

"That's it!"

"Can you take me there?"

He smiles.
"Of course. However...I do need to get back to my family. It's getting late and I've been gone for quite some time. I also need to check on Kakashi."

You huff out a frustrated breath in response. It's not like you can hold the man hostage here.

"I'll be back in the morning. We will search for the connection point and work on control over your Kekkei Genkai."

With a new plan set in motion, Naruto swims by you towards the edge of the spring.
"Let's get you dried off, I'll light a fire. You should stay here tonight, it seems like a safe place. You won't have to worry about too many predators this high up the mountains."

You watch him climb out of the spring before getting the motivation to do so yourself. He finds a handful of kindling and wood, then gathers it all up into a bundle.

As he does you climb out of the pool feeling ten times better, and much cleaner. You stand beside him and watch him perform a simple flame jutsu.

"Watch closely, Hana. This is an easy and effective flame jutsu. It can be used with a small amount of energy to light a fire. Or if you so wish, you can fire it at an enemy using that Kekkei Genkai, and blow them to bits."

You hum nervously at that thought. If only you had control over Kekkei Karen....

"Yeah..if I had control it would be great." You reply and watch him closely. It was a combination of four hand signs. Which you etched into your mind and will try out later when there is no one else around to blow up.

He smiles up at you.
"I'll help you with that control. We just need to understand it better. But we can't do that without using it...let's practice tomorrow." 

With the fire blazing away he stands and dresses himself. He turns towards you, obviously unsure of how to say goodbye. Your heart is aching over this. You don't want him to leave you alone in this place. You wish he could stay with you, and maybe keep the fire going tonight.

Instinctively you begin to rub your arms as if the cold was already setting in. He approaches you and places his hands on your arms rubbing them for reassurance.

"It's one more night. Then we get you out of here. I promise."

You stare at the flames trying to not to come up with terrifying situations that may happen once he leaves.

"Here." He says and removes his hokage coat. "Take this for warmth ok? I'll try to bring you some clothes tomorrow...although I'm impressed with what you've made for yourself. I half expected to find you out here naked or something....that would have been awkward."

You burst out laughing.
"Yeah...it would have."

With watering eyes you reach up to give him a hug. Then something strange happens. A loud growl from your cohort shakes the world around you both and Naruto clutches onto his shoulder stumbling backwards. Puncture wounds appear, dripping with blood and he backs away cursing loudly.

"What's wrong?" You ask in a panic.

You take a step forward and Naruto stops you. Another growl shakes the ground and Naruto cries out again. Claw marks form along his chest soaking his shirt in blood.

"Naruto!" You call and rush over to him but the minute your hand makes contact he disappears.

You call out his name over and over into the distance, but nothing comes in return aside from your echoes. He was gone...

——————————————-