I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

Chapter 64: Delicious Cake

Though she was a little unsteady on her feet, Hinata managed to make it to the commons/dining room shortly after 3 PM. There, she found Hanabi lying on the couch in a rather unladylike posture, watching a movie while eating a type of stick candy covered in strawberry milk chocolate.

Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps, Hanabi turned around, perking up when she saw it was her sister entering the room.

“Good afternoon, Hinata-nee. How are you feeling? Does it hurt…?”

Smiling wryly, a faint blush colored Hinata’s cheeks as she replied, “I’m a little sore, but it isn’t painful…it’s just…well, you’ll understand when you’re older.”

Despite several hours passing, Hinata could still ‘feel’ the presence of Wu inside of her. It was difficult to describe, but it was like a cavity had been opened inside her body. Wu wasn’t exactly small, and they had gone at it for so long that she thought it would never end. Now that it had, she felt a peculiar sense of longing…like something was missing ‘deep’ inside of her.

As the blush pervading Hinata’s cheeks deepened, Hanabi’s also gained a discernibly ruddy hue. To conceal this, she returned her attention to the television, disguising her flustered state by lazily remarking, “Onii-sama is out at the moment, but he left you some food in the fridge. He also said to get plenty of rest, so you’re not caught unprepared for the Chunin Exams.”

“Right…”

Having completely forgotten about the Chunin Exams, a mixture of relief and uncertainty washed over Hinata. She was a little ashamed to admit it, but she wasn’t sure she could endure if Wu made love to her as intensely as he had the previous night. At one point, she had the distinct impression her brain was melting, so she was a little worried that something inside of her might ‘break’ if she didn’t have time to ground herself.

With such thoughts in mind, Hinata carried herself to the kitchen, finding a veritable hill of pancakes awaiting her. The jam and syrup were both made by Wu, so by the time she was finished devouring the entire stack, Hinata felt refreshed and full of energy. Even the feeling of something ‘missing’ in between her legs had vanished, so while she respected Wu’s suggestion to take it easy, she spent much of the afternoon stretching and doing light exercises to ensure her body was suitably limber…

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After tarrying in a park nearby the Uzumaki Estate, enjoying the cool Spring breeze, Wu was unsurprised when an oppressive aura made its way over to him. Others might not be able to sense it, but he could feel the Chakra within the figure ‘boiling’ as Naruto appeared a few meters away from him, his usually blue eyes a demonic shade of red, complete with slit-like pupils.

Rising to a seated position, Wu’s expression and tone were calm as he said, “You fucked up, Naruto…”

Clenching his fists so tightly that Wu could hear the bones creaking, Naruto growled, “Wu…you bastard…I thought you were my friend! How could you do this to me…!?”

Maintaining his cool, Wu retorted, “If you genuinely believe I’m the one that brought this on, you’re even more hopeless than I thought. I have ‘always’ put more effort into our friendship than you, Naruto. I’m even the one that spurred Hinata to confess her feelings for you. I stacked every possible thing in your favor, yet it still ended like this. So tell me, how am ‘I’ the one responsible for ‘your’ behavior…?”

With tears building in the corners of his eyes, Naruto screamed, “I know, dammit! I know how much you’ve done for both me and Hinata! I know I messed up, and I know I can’t undo what’s been done! But…but why did you and Hinata have to get engaged!? If I had time…even if we broke up, I could have become a better person! I could have won her back…!”

Shaking his head, Wu replied, “That’s your problem, Naruto…while it’s okay to be a little possessive, Hinata is not an object. It’s okay for you to call them your girl or be a little forceful when flirting, but the moment you regard someone that is supposed to be your partner as a possession that ‘belongs’ to you, you’ve fucked up. Hinata is a strong woman…if you had respected that and tried your best to improve alongside her, then the two of you would have made an amazing couple…”

Falling to his knees, Naruto slammed the ground with such force that it caused an explosion to ripple out for several meters. He wanted, almost more than anything, to be able to refute Wu’s words. However, just like when they were children, Wu was ‘always’ right, and he was ultimately to blame for simply not trying hard enough…

“God..! Fucking..! Dammit…!”

Despite being caked in dirt and even suffering a few minor abrasions, Naruto kept pounding the ground in frustration. One of his few redeeming qualities, at least as far as Wu was concerned, was that he seldom took his anger out on others. There were times when he ‘very clearly’ wanted to, but Naruto was far more harmful to the environment than the people around him. He might be a possessive asshole, but that was primarily due to his overprotective nature. He was the type that would throw himself in front of a fatal attack to protect his friends, so, even at his lowest, Naruto was still a good person.

Taking advantage of that innate compassion, Wu waited until Naruto had ceased his tantrum before revealing, “I didn’t come here to lecture you or discuss the matter of your failed relationship. Regardless of how you view me, I still consider you a friend, Naruto…right now, there is a girl enduring incredible suffering, even as we sit here and enjoy the weather. I believe you may be the only person qualified to help her, so I’d like you to at least try…”

“Huh…?”

Though he was more than a little confused, hearing that someone needed his help caused the crimson glow in Naruto’s eyes to wane. He knew Wu wasn’t the type to make jokes about such things, so Naruto’s expression immediately gained a hint of severity as he questioned, “Who is she? Why does she need ‘my’ help…?”

Making things transparently clear for the filthy blonde, Wu revealed, “I can’t say with absolute certainty, but there is a ‘very’ high probability that she’s a member of the Uzumaki Clan. In other words, while you might not have a direct relation, she is one of your few surviving relatives. Because of that, there are people willfully taking advantage of her heritage…if you want to hear the rest of the details, you’ll need to promise me, right here and now, that you’ll do everything in your power to protect her…”

Without any hesitation, Naruto shouted, “Are you kidding me, Wu-kun!? There’s no way in hell I’ll leave a member of my family to suffer! Just tell me where she is and what I have to do…!”

Though he nodded his head in approval, Wu stated, “Now is neither the time nor the place for such a discussion. Once the Second Round of the Chunin Exams has begun, I’ll arrange to have you see for yourself what kind of life she is being forced to live. For now-”

Regaining the red hue in his eyes, Naruto shouted, “Tell me where she is, Wu! If she’s suffering like what you described, I can’t just stand here and allow it to continue…!”

Narrowing his eyes, Wu countered, “I’m not asking you to stand here and do nothing. I’m asking you to steel your mind and remain patient so that you can help her without causing an international incident. She isn’t in any danger of losing her life, so use the time between now and the start of the Chunin Exams to make preparations for her arrival. Once it’s proven that she’s a member of the Uzumaki Clan, I will coordinate with the Jiji and the Heads of the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Senju Clans to ensure she is entrusted to your care. This is your chance to demonstrate your capabilities as the future Head of the Uzumaki Clan…”

Though he hated how roundabout Wu was being while a member of ‘his’ Clan was suffering, Naruto begrudgingly nodded his head and asserted, “I’ll take care of it…but if something happens to her and you could have stopped it…”

Exhaling through his nose, Wu adopted a half-lidded expression as he asked, “Have you ever known me to half-ass things, Naruto? Trust me; if something ‘does’ happen between now and the opportunity I’ll create for the both of you, I will immediately intervene. The only reason I’ve yet to do so is because I wanted to give her a chance to be saved by a member of her own Clan. As someone who grew up without a family, I’m sure you can appreciate how impactful such an encounter would be…as far as you two know, you’re the only family each other has left…”

Exhibiting more seriousness than he had in his entire life, Naruto firmly declared, “I swear it, Wu-kun. I’ll never let anyone harm her again…I’ll protect her, even if it costs me my life…”

Catching the mustard-haired youth by surprise, Wu shook his head, refuting, “No, Naruto. If you’re serious about protecting her, you must continue living. There are countless individuals and organizations that would pounce at the opportunity to take advantage of the Uzumaki Clan and the benefits of its lineage. You know very well how ‘special’ you are, so use that to become stronger…powerful enough that you never have to lose anything, ‘anyone’ again…”

Understanding that Wu was talking about Hinata, Naruto’s brows visibly crinkled. However, with his ‘family’ on the line, he managed to maintain a look of conviction, his eyes blazing even more than Wu’s as he parroted, “Never again…” in a firm, incomparably solemn tone.

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Enthused by how things had developed, Wu was in a phenomenal mood as he flittered through the skies of Konoha in a form the size of a house fly. He knew he was taking a gamble when he accepted Hinata’s proposal the previous day. Naruto was a delicate soul, but the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him was known as the fiercest and most destructive of the Tailed Beasts. It could purportedly flatten mountains with a wave of its massive tails and ‘spam’ Bijuudama capable of destroying entire cities with wanton disregard.

As exciting as the notion of fighting the Nine-Tails was, Wu was ultimately a very cautious person. The Nine-Tails was known as the most powerful creature in the entire world, so he intended to defeat all the lesser-known Tailed Beasts before smacking their de facto leader. Fortunately, the plan to ‘crush’ Konoha involved unleashing the One-Tailed Demon Tanuki that was sealed within Temari’s youngest brother, Gaara.

Though he had already clapped the Two-Tails’ vessel, nothing prevented Wu from flying over to Kumo and spanking her a second time once he had defeated the One-Tail. Eventually, he would line up each of the Jinchuriki in order and beat the shit out of all of them. That placed Naruto squarely at the back of the line, so Wu didn’t mind giving the boy a chance to grow further before he reaped the benefits. If possible, he would help the other Jinchuriki grow more powerful as well, making their penultimate battle all the more exciting. For now, however, his mind was set on a very different kind of battle…

Hearing the door to her room slide open, Tsunade’s brows immediately began to twitch as only one person entered her room without knocking first. When she turned around to find Wu staring at her with a ravenous expression on his face, she whined, “Oh, come on…”

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(A/N: All according to cake…)