125 Chapter 125
Her mind rushes from one plan to another in the few moments of silence. Watching the pretty, yet exhausted looking boy scan the room for her, Kurenai eventually asks from nowhere he can see, "misunderstand what?"
"With the thin walls and the open door, I heard everything-"
"If your train of thought is leading you anywhere near blackmail-" "Kurenai-san please-" a tired Haku tries, pleadingly but without vulnerability. "It will not end well for you," Kurenai finishes.
Abruptly, Haku bows, asserting with a strained voice, "I have no such intention."
"Convince me."
Haku lets out a long humorous exhale, conveying, "for nearly three days, that's been your Torture and Interrogations Departments sole mission. I will tell you honestly, as I told them. I am Zabuza-sama's tool and he bid me to stay by Naruto-kun's side to bring about the better world he envisions. Even if that takes the rest of my life, I will serve this nindō."
Kurenai has no idea if he's telling the truth. She could ask Anko what she learned from him but he could cause enough damage with one conversation to the right person. Holding him against his will seems like the best solution. 'Naruto hasn't seen him yet,' her mind reasons, and she only needs to ascertain if he's being honest. After that, she can bring him back before Naruto notices.
"I want to thank you, Kurenai-san," Haku states still bowing and breaking her out of her threat assessment and mission management. "In a short amount of time, I've been able to learn more about Naruto-kun from your conversation then I expected."
Rounding beside the bowing boy to see his reaction, though asking as if her voice was coming from the far end of the room, she grills him. "Is that how you satisfy your perverse urges? Is the village aware of your voyeuristic impulses?"
His expression did not change as he answers, "while Zabuza-sama was apathetic to my presence when he fornicated in our room, I'm not a voyeur. I slipped in silently so as to not wake Naruto-kun, and despite being made to stay awake for three days, I was unable to sleep and heard everything"
'You could've left when you realized what he was doing!' Her mind yells before she considers what mild and prolonged torture Haku might've suffered for three long days. He's sweating feverishly, he has dark bags under his eyes… he looks horrendous in the most beautiful way possible as she states, "…The interrogation team had to be certain."
"They are."
"But I'm not," Kurenai practically growls.
"I can't make you trust me, Kurenai-san," Haku softly states in his strained voice, standing straight as he continues. "But even if I didn't hear about the understandable incident or your resulting bargain, I did hear your proclamation to Naruto-kun. Like myself, you also believe in his dream for the future. It must be difficult for you. After walking with you and Kakashi-san, I know your relationship with Naruto-kun isn't public knowledge."
"…No, it isn't," Kurenai confirms. "And I will make certain it stays that way. Do we understand each other?"
A pasty Haku nods, expressing further, "ordering me, his tool, to stay with Naruto-kun is the best gift Zabuza-sama was capable of giving me. I will not ruin that in any way by betraying either of them. You have my word, on Zabuza-sama, on Naruto-kun, I will not speak of this to anyone."
Though uneasy about a stranger learning of her jeopardizing relationship with Naruto, Kurenai observes his sincerity and demurely accepts his promise. She dawns on her cloak before dispelling her genjutsu, materializing again as she warns him, "if you ever do betray-"
"I'd sooner take my own life," the feminine boy interrupts with a genuine smile, before adding, "however, I'm well aware how genjutsu can trap a person's mind in an infinite nightmare from which there is no escape. I understand, Kurenai-san."
Tying her cloak tight, Kurenai nods, then notices all the evidence on the floor has been wiped clean. 'He aired out the room and cleaned the cum stains,' she uncomfortably notes as she takes several moments to ease into the uneasy feeling that another person finally knows of her clandestine bedmate. Feeling her body's sudden drop in energy, the raven-haired Jōnin simply shrugs, telling Haku, "you should know there are many in the village, civilian and shinobi alike, who deeply dislike Naruto."
"I'm aware," Haku sadly responds. "They used his history in an effort to shake my devotion to him."
"Something along the lines of, 'why waste your time holding such conviction for the Dead Last of the village?'" Kurenai ponders aloud.
"Exactly," Haku confirms the tactic. "Despite their assertions or what some slip of paper says about him, I've witnessed Naruto-kun, armed with his convictions, battle—not fight; truly battle—Zabuza-sama twice, besting him on his own the second time. I'll trust my eyes."
Nodding in agreement, Kurenai then informs him, "the interrogation of your interaction with him has more than likely been redacted, so be careful of what you say." Her pause lasts a second as she tries to explain in the simplest way possible why that is. "He's special that way."
"He would have to be," Haku agrees with a lovely smile. "Or Zabuza-sama wouldn't have done as he did."
Kurenai actually smiles with him, finally feeling a bit of security in her abrupt assessment of the long-haired brunette. Moving toward the door, Kurenai asks, "before I go, may I ask what you intend on doing now that you're a probational resident of the village?"
"In our travels, I've often sold medicine I prepared myself for ryo, food, and or shelter," Haku explains. "I've always enjoyed that work."
Kurenai nods once before asserting, "welcome to the village, Haku."
"Thank you," he responds with a nod before offering with a kind smile, "please let me know when I can cover for you both."
Kurenai's response is a tight smile before leaving.
HINATA
It's been one of the best five days of her life. Though considerably toucher, her mornings of training with her team and afternoons of missions hadn't changed, however, evenings and dinners with Haku-san, Naruto-kun, and Kurenai-sensei were enchanting. Hinata felt like they were her personal branch family, only made of spare parts no one wanted.
On her way to the hospital, every time Hinata recalls her sparring sessions with Naruto, she'd feel like a walking puddle of love and joy, as rainbows would burst from her singing heart. Though skipping and humming happily now, Hinata needed a lot of motivation and assurances in the beginning. She was certain he'd hate her if she struck him and the first time she tagged him clean against his liver, Hinata was sure the popping sound in her chest was her heart exploding. Reminiscing on it now, Hinata's sure she'll never live down the embarrassment of bursting into tears in front of Naruto-kun, Haku-san, and Kurenai-sensei…
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