Happier Than Ever: A Naruto Uzumaki Love Story

Chapter One: A Bump in the Night

*NARUTO*

He cursed when the ground shook. Partially because of the shock of the sudden explosion, partly because the sudden shock obstructed his aim and wet the ankle of his pants. So, this is the kind of night it's gonna be, Naruto thought as he gathered himself and hopped into the treetops. From his vantage point, he spotted a large beacon of smoke emitting from a patch of trees only a few kilometers away from his position. Even in the dark of night, the thick cloud of black smoke was visible as it stretched towards the sky. Without hesitation, he hopped from the tree's canopy and made his way through the forest toward the explosion.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Three more blasts sounded in the distance, and, as if summoned by them, Sakura emerged from his right flank, headed in the same direction.

"Sakura, got any idea what the heck is goin on?" Naruto asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"No idea. I know Neji was assigned to patrol this area. We should run into him around here somewhere. Maybe he'll know what's going on," she answered. When another explosion sounded, Naruto checked the treetops for the breadcrumb trail of smoke to guide himself and Sakura through the forest. Whoever they were chasing, they were moving quickly, covering a vast amount of area between each explosion.

On their way, they passed through the scene of the first explosion and, to their surprise, they found Neji. His body laid limp against the base of a tree that'd taken minimal damage from the blast. Naruto rushed to Neji's side, gently adjusting him while Sakura checked for open wounds. Their sudden interference caused Neji to stir briefly before he opened his eyes. He placed a palm to the temple of his head.

"Take it easy, we're here now," Sakura said. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. I was nearly caught in the blast, but I moved out of the way in time. The shockwave still caught me and I must have hit my head."

"Are you sure you're ok? We have Kakashi-sensei as backup. I'm sure he's already on his way," Sakura said.

"I'm fine," Neji insisted. Naruto helped him to his feet and Sakura offered to heal him, to which he shook his head. "Conserve your strength. If we're going to pursue them, I need to tell you about something I saw. Before the blast, I was able to spot the intruders with my Byakugan."

"Well? What did you see?" Naruto asked anxiously. A bead of sweat dripped from Neji's brow as he fixed his gaze to the forest.

"There are three entities at play, but none of them seem entirely...human. From what I could tell, it's a two against one battle. Two of them are a product of someone else's jutsu, while their opponent...that's the one I'm not totally sure about. When I looked at them, I couldn't help but be reminded of...well, you, Naruto."

"So, this could be another jinchuriki?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know for sure, so we must proceed with caution. Got it, Naruto?" Neji said firmly, earning a mumbled "yeah, yeah" from Naruto.

"Where are they now, Neji?" Sakura asked. Neji closed his eyes before activating his Byakugan and scanning the forest.

"About 8 kilometers due west of here."

"They're moving away from the village?" Sakura questioned.

"From what I can tell. I see someone watching the battle from the sidelines as well. Possibly Kakashi-sensei," Neji said.

"We should meet up with him," Sakura insisted.

The trio leapt quietly through the forest, not to give away their position as they approached the fight. Moonlight bled through the haphazardly cut shapes of the trees' silhouette as Neji led them to them to the edge of a large clearing. As Neji said, they found Kakashi-sensei, watching something in a clearing from behind a thick patch of brush. He didn't budge as they landed beside him.