Final Chapter

The Labyrinth’s dungeon was only lit with rows of torches along each wall. While there were many twists and turns, Naruto and Hinata seemed to approach their destination decisively. Hinata used her Byakugan to scan the area for any danger. Along a narrow hallway, she stopped Naruto.

“Naruto, there’s a wall here.”

“What? I don’t see anything.” Naruto put out his hand to physically search for it. As he was veering in the wrong direction, Hinata grabbed his hand and guided it to the invisible barrier. This time, Naruto was the one that blushed.

“O-Oh, I see now.” He said.

“There’s no other way around it.” Hinata reported, looking around, “There’s also a chakra signature unlike anything I’ve ever seen before up ahead.”

“That must be the rose!” Naruto exclaimed.

“Why would the rose have a chakra signature?” Hinata looked puzzled.

“Well how else would it survive down here for so long?”

“Good point. In any case, we need to get through this wall.” Hinata redirected attention back to the two ninja’s obstacle. Suddenly, Naruto put out his hand.

“Will you do the honors?” he said. Hinata knew what he meant, and started molding his chakra into a spiral shape.

“Rasengan!” Naruto thrust his rotating sphere into the wall. The force released a genjutsu that was hiding the wall, and it became completely visible at it was blasted away. With the path clear, the Konoha lovers could continue on to the rose’s chamber. They nearly tripped as they ran in, but not because of surprise out of danger, but from pure awe.

The rose was situated in the center of a glade bathed in a hole of sunlight. Grasses and smaller flowers surrounded it, and somehow blue specks of light circled it like a swarm of azure fireflies.

“The Lovers’ Blue Rose…” Hinata gasped. She held Naruto’s hand as they walked towards it.

“It’s so beautiful. I almost don’t want to take it.” Said Naruto. He appeared to be in some sort of trance. Hinata bent down to pick the rose, and when she did, it was as if she had done nothing at all. There was the rose in Hinata’s hand, but it was also still on its perch, like she had picked only a silhouette of the real thing.

“But how…?” she looked back and forth between the two roses.

“Love is eternal,” Ume’s voice echoed through the chamber all of a sudden. Naruto and Hinata put their hands to their ears to see if it was coming from there, but the transceivers were still dead. “As is our flower. Welcome to the reason why no one has ever claimed the Lovers’ Blue Rose.” The sunlight from the hole in the rose’s chamber made the surrounding area seem dark, and Ume and Momo Kusabana appeared from the shadows, smirking grimly.

“You two have done the best job of finding the rose out of anyone to date, but that was the easy part. You can only keep the rose if you pass this final test.” Said Ume.

“What ‘test’? Wasn’t the Lovers’ Labyrinth enough? We spent two days in that place!” Naruto yelled.

“You successfully used love to solve problems and navigate your way through the maze, but…” Momo paused, and Naruto and Hinata suddenly found them selves rising. The Blue Rose’s glade was a platform, and it was lifting up into a packed arena. “You now have to prove how well you can use your love to fight!” the crowd in the arena cheered loudly.

“The ten couples to complete the Labyrinth had no such skill, and died here versus our Jounin in training. That is the last test of Hanagakure’s Chunnin: to defeat a ninja from another village. Now it is mine and my sister’s turn to become Jounin, and we will do it by killing you!” Ume yelled maniacally.

“That’s sick!” Naruto lashed back.

“Do you know what actually happens in that maze of yours? People may have died, sure, but those ten couples you said found their way: they found the way through by finding each other as well, just like Naruto and I have! To put them through all that just so you can kill them is… unforgivable!” Hinata ranted. Such an overdrive from Hinata astounded Naruto.

“Naruto-kun,” she said suddenly, “I think I know why Tsunade-sama sent us. She knew that this is the way Hanagakure appoints their Jounin, and she knew once we learned that, neither of us would stand for it. She knew what would happen between us here and most of all…” Hinata assumed the Gentle Fist stance, “She knew we are going to be the ones to stop it.” Momo and Ume laughed.

“Try all you want. The Flower ninja are stronger than any ninja of the Hidden Leaf, and from your Hokage’s report, one of you is only a Genin.” Momo mocked them.

“Rank means nothing! If you think we’re so weak, though, then you won’t back down from a little bet.” Hinata said.

“A bet?” Ume mimicked, “Very well. What did you have in mind?”

“If we win, then we get the rose, and this system of killing other ninja just to become Jounin comes to an end and all the dangers in your maze get taken out so it can only be used for honest sport. If we lose, however, your system stays and…” Hinata needed to think of something quick; the stakes weren’t high enough, “… and you get the secret to the Byakugan.”

“Hinata!” Naruto warned her. Such a proposal was dangerous, but that was the point. Momo and Ume took the bait.

“Excellent. That will help our village infinitely. Let’s fight.” Said Ume.

“Yes, let’s. Naruto!” Hinata ordered for action, and the four ninja rushed into battle. Hinata squared off against Ume, while Naruto took on Momo.

“Bloom Control Jutsu!” Momo summoned thousands of flower petals and leaves and sent them flying at Naruto. Naruto jumped, but the attack followed him and caught him off guard. It slammed him to the ground.

Hinata and Ume were battering each other using taijutsu. Ume’s fighting style did surprisingly well against the Juuken, but even so the match was near even. A jab equaled a dodge, and a kick was easily evaded. It looked like the two would never hit each other. The crowd was loving every minute of both fights.

Naruto was busy assaulting Momo with shadow clone after shadow clone, but Momo sustained her Bloom Control Jutsu and took out every one that came at her. Naruto had no time for a Rasengan, either, because when Momo wasn’t on the defense, he was, dodging the wave of leaves and petals Momo sent at him. In all this, though, Naruto saw an opening. He made one shadow clone and sent it one way, while he ran another. Momo, noticing this tactic, suddenly looked troubled. It was just as Naruto thought. Momo only had but so much control over her ninjutsu, and couldn’t use it in the same way Gaara’s sand could act as an ultimate defense. The wave of blooms went after the clone, and while Momo was distracted, Naruto made another clone.

“Rasengan!” he cried.

“Dang it!” Momo saw her predicament and braced herself for the Rasengan attack rather than focus her blooms on the other clone. Big mistake. With Momo’s bloom control no longer a problem, Naruto’s clone could grab hold of her, making Momo a perfect target for the Rasengan. It was a direct hit. Momo lay unconscious on the ground, and Naruto dismissed his clones. He then turned his attention to Hinata’s fight.

“Hinata! I’m coming!” he called. Unfortunately, this got Hinata’s attention, and a punch to the face sent her to the ground.

“N-No, Naruto…” Hinata got up from the blow, blood on her face, but not apparently hurt, “You’ve already won your fight. I have to… win mine… on my own!” Naruto suddenly saw the younger Hinata from almost three years ago standing valiantly in the Gentle Fist stance after being destroyed by Neji both mentally and physically. That figure slowly morphed into the Hinata before him, once again beaten and bruised in an arena, but this time she kept on fighting because she knew she could win, not because she thought she could.

“Look at you,” Ume chuckled, “What are you trying to prove? We both may be Chunnin, but you’re far too fragile; far too easily distracted. There’s no way you can beat me alone!”

“Too distracted, huh?” Hinata, still battle ready, simply smiled at this comment. Suddenly, she nearly disappeared from view for a split second and re-appeared right behind Ume. “Distract this! Juukenhou: Hakkeshou Rokujuu Yonshou!” Ume was taken aback,

“What?! Such amazing speed!”

“Yeah, get him, Hinata!” Naruto cheered. The crowd of Hanagakure’s arena cheered, too.

“Nishou, yonshou, hachishou, juurokushou, sanjuu nishou, hakkeshou rokujuu yonshou!” Hinata held her finishing stance, and Ume fell to the ground, incapacitated. Hanagakure medical ninja came to retrieve Momo and Ume, and flinched when Hinata looked at them. Exhausted and panting, Hinata fell to her knees, and Naruto rushed over.

“You did it, Hinata! Coming to this village won’t be a death wish to anyone, now!”

“Y-yeah, I guess I did. I really… proved myself.”

It took another day for Naruto and Hinata to return to Konoha, and they did so hand in hand, which was a sight for many of their friends to see. They went to the Hokage’s office as casually as ever. As they entered, Tsunade looked up from her papers, and Shizune, who was bringing in more, also turned to see the visitors.

“Ah, welcome back, you two. From the looks of your clothes you had just as rough of a time as I expected, but by the looks on your faces, it seems the mission was a success.” Said Tsunade.

“Yes, it was, in more ways than one.” Hinata smiled and looked at Naruto, who was doing the same to her. The two delivered their report, and as they did, Tsunade and Shizune stared at them in shock.

“It looks like I was right about this assignment. I’ll stamp you both for the completion of an A-Rank mission.” Tsunade congratulated them.

“Oh, but wait. Where’s the Lovers’ Blue Rose? If I recall, that was the main point of the mission.”

“Oh, sorry, Tsunade-sama. I almost forgot.” Hinata fished in her jacket, moving her breasts around with a surprising lack of embarrassment, and produced the rose, as sparkling and beautiful as ever. She placed it on Tsunade’s desk and bowed.

“Good work. You are dismissed, and good luck in your new relationship.” Tsunade let Naruto and Hinata leave.

It wasn’t long before news got around about Naruto and Hinata’s mission, and both of them received great amounts of recognition, especially Hinata. The night she came home, the Hyuuga family prepared a feast for she and Naruto as congratulations for the mission and themselves.

“For the first time, Hinata felt accepted and loved. She and Naruto became known as “Konoha’s True Lovers”, but even with their celebrity status, they could still find time for each other.

“Hinata.” Naruto said one night while the two gazed at stars on a park bench.

“Yes?” Hinata asked.

“Do you want to… come to my apartment for the night? I’ve never actually had anyone over so…” Hinata’s kiss interrupted him.

“Of course,” she replied. Then, with a mischievous look on her face, she said,

“Maybe there I can ‘prove myself’ to you even more.”

THE END