Nagato's Secret Base

Hinata

I gaped at Naruto. My ears twitching because I clearly have not heard him right.

Neither has Nagato.

"Excuse me?" The former captain raised an eyebrow.

Naruto said once again, sternly, "You come with us then Hinata and Sakura will deliver the baby."

"You're being naive, Captain," Nagato smirked. "You don't have any weapons. And this us my turf."

As if on cue, Naruto whipped out a gun from his boot holding the boss on gunpoint. Nagato didn't even flinch.

"I knew Justin should never be the one to check enemies for weapons," The boss shook his head.

The deafening shriek suddenly made Nagato lose his cool. His purple eyes glanced at the couple nervously.

"Naruto-kun," I grabbed his shirt. "If we wait any longer, both the mother's and the baby's life will be in danger."

But he ignored me completely, "So what's it gonna be Nagato? Your life or your friend's and the baby's?"

"I -"

Konan shouted again.

Yahiko snapped at his boss, "Nagato!"

The boss shut his eyes then opened them again, "How heartless can you be, Captain Kyuubi?"

Then finally he raised his hands in surrender.

"Hinata, Sakura get to work," Naruto replied, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. "Now."

I'm furious with Naruto. I just can't believe he'd do this to a young couple, even if they are under Nagato's control. A life and a child is in danger.

Yet Naruto bargained it like it was money.

"Hinata," Sakura tugged on my arm. "Let's go."

I peeled my eyes off of Naruto who dropped the gun soundlessly.

Nagato suddenly snicker from the opposite end of the room, "I may be some cold-hearted criminal but at least I'm not a monster."

------------------

A smaller room - Nagato's Hideout

The baby was perfectly healthy.

After two hours of making sure Konan was alright and strong enough to push the child out on her own, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy with a loud cry. Yahiko the entire time stayed by her side and watched the beautiful process of birth.

Sakura took the boy off with a smile to wash him up and make sure that he was strong enough while I remain behind to clean up.

I didn't expect to have a conversation with the parents while I was packing up but Konan finally said, "I've had enough."

"Dr. Hinata?" Yahiko called for my attention, his black eyes filled with something unexplainable. "Can you please help us?"

"Help you with what?"

"We didn't choose this life," Yahiko said softly. "It's true that Nagato is a close friend if ours but what he does..."

Konan tried sitting up. I had to help her lean against Yahiko otherwise she'd collapse.

"Our baby," Konan said, weakly. "Needs to grow up with both their parents. What Nagato does can take any of our lives at any given second. I don't want that for Hajime."

"Hajime?" I blinked.

Yahiko gave me a small smile, "Our son. A new beginning, that's what we want for not only him. But for our family as well."

I nodded, "I understand but what do you want me to do to help?"

"You're the captain's girlfriend," Yahiko replied. "Can you get him to help us?"

Naruto...

The same person who literally bargained their son.

"I'll see what I can do," I stood up, heading towards the door where Naruto said he was standing guard. Sasuke had Nagato in the car at gunpoint and Sakura was still washing the baby, taking vitals.

Just as he promised, Naruto was the only one standing guard in front of the room by the door leading outside. His eyes were unfocused but the moment I tapped his shoulder, he turned around.

"The shouting stopped," he said. "Is the baby and Konan okay?"

"They would've been better if Sakura and I got to them faster," I said, bluntly. "But they're healthy."

Naruto nodded, "Good then. Are you two ready to go?"

"Actually I w-wanted to ask you if it's okay we took Yahiko and Konan back to camp with us?"

Naruto looked at me as if I've grown wings, "Are you serious? We're not some charity that just takes in everybody that is in need of help. If that was the case, all of Eskon would be living there."

"Yes I'm serious," I replied, growing a little annoyed. "They want to be in a safer environment then this and since their son is still very young, living in a place like this can lead him to getting some infections."

"But I don't understand what that has to do with us?" Naruto blinked. "Why do we have to save people who kill other people for a living?"

I twitched a bit, "Last I check, you also kill people for a living."

"My job is different. I save people from terrorists," he tapped his chest, frustrated. "They are the people I kill to keep the innocent safe."

"Oh so the baby's life should be put in danger because his parents kill other people who are innocent?" I lost it. I can't believe we're having this conversation.

"Naruto you bargained that child's life just so you can capture one of those criminals!" I snapped.

"I knew what I was doing," Naruto raised his voice, his blue eyes flaring with anger. "So while you're here, I'm the one in charge. I'm the one that doesn't follow my emotions to make the decision and I'm the one that isn't too soft to understand that the world doesn't always do what we want it to do like you, Hinata. So you do what is asked of you and don't question my decisions, understood?"

His words were as sharp as a swords edge. The fact that he said those words without even pausing or without even considering who I am.

"You're just another person under my control so follow the rules and do as I say."

I can't believe this.

Thirty seconds passed and I didn't say anything. My entire body was processing his words. Naruto doesn't think I'm special. These past few days I thought he had become a man that I could proudly call mines.

But right now... all I see is someone who only has to make himself seem like the authority figure. Someone who only does his job and has no idea how to treat other people.

Just how he messed with me when he accepted a bet to go out with me.

And now I'm nobody to him.

Here I thought Naruto has changed.

A tear ran down my cheek. I don't know if it's from frustration, sad or just being frustrated and sad that I was such of fool to give this jerk a second chance.

"W-wow," my voice cracked.

Naruto's eyes that were staring forward suddenly widened. He turned to me, his mouth dropped opened.

I wiped the tear away with the back of my hand immediately, "I-it's amazing to see how much I mean to you, Naruto-kun. Or should I just simply call you Captain Kyuubi?"

"H-Hinata," Naruto raised a hand towards me. "I-I-"

But I took a step back, away from the hand that means nothing, "From now on, you don't have to worry about me stepping out of line ever again, Captain. I promise it won't happen again."

"Hinata..."

I ignored him, angrily wiping the tears that won't stop streaming down my face. 

"Wait. Wait! Hinata, Please!" Naruto only had to take one step in order to catch my loose wrist. 

But I didn't let him hold on long since I know for sure he will easily make me crumble once again. I swung my hand away and whipped around at Naruto, "J-just don't. Please don't. I'm not worth it, anyway."

Before the captain could say anything else, I had already slid the metal door shut on his face. Pressing my back against the cold metal I took several deep breaths of to calm my nerves. The tears have stopped rolling down my face but that doesn't mean my entire body was ready to function correctly yet.

"Dr. Hinata?" Konan's voice echoed through the small room.

I have to be strong, however, for the new family who are helplessly held against their will. Covering my face once more to collect myself, I looked at them with a smile. I noticed the baby boy was safely in her mother's arms with Yahiko protectively towering over them both. The image was so innocent, so pure that nobody would look at it and say that these two belong to a band of criminals.

"We kinda heard what happened out there," Yahiko chuckled nervously. "Sorry we asked you to do that."

I smiled at them, "I should be sorry I couldn't convince him otherwise."

"You tried," Konan shifted her position a bit. "That's all that matters. Thank you."

Just as I opened my mouth to say something else, a giant deafening explosion caused me to double over. The man immediately covered his wife and their son as I crawled over, one hand covering my ear. Another explosion came shortly afterwards, a little closer to the room that the last. 

The first thought that shot through my entire body was if Naruto and the others were okay. Then Naruto shouted some orders from the other side of the wall before a few gunshots were fired then the scurry of footsteps.. 

"Are you two okay?!" I shouted over the explosion, smoke starting to cloud the room.

"Hinata!" Naruto swung the door open, his gun drawn. "It's time to go!"

"I'm not leaving them!" I snapped back.

The captain bit his lip, "I'm not saying you have to! We have to move, now!"

It's better than a no.

Naruto shot to more bullets before looking at me again, "Let's go!"

I ushered the weak Konan to her feet with Yahiko supporting her other side. My heart was racing so incredible fast at all that was unfolding before all of us. But it's not the time to sit back and watch the action movie. We had to get going to save every single person in this room.

However, all my hope dissolved when we took a single step towards the doorstep and somebody smacked Naruto across his face with the back of their gun then a simple gunshot flashed through the smoke. 

"No! Naruto-kun!" I yelped in terror, taking a step forward. No, no, no there's no way that he's -

Suddenly the gun was pointed directly at my face and the man I despise the most right at the moment came in.

"Yahiko, Konan, is everything okay?" he asked. 

Konan nodded, dumbfounded, "What is going on, Nagato?"

"You know, the emergency procedure just in case I got captured today," the man laughed. 

I swallowed slowly but I was not afraid of the damn gun in my face. Naruto was literally just shot seconds ago and I could only see his stilled legs. It was taking everything in my power not to rush over there. Not to rush over and make sure he isn't taking his last dying breaths on Earth at the current moment.

"What emergency procedure? We weren't inform of this!" Yahiko snapped.

"Uh, you two just literally try to ask to leave the Akatsuki," Nagato pointed out. "So I guess it means you guys are traitors."

The desperation behind the mother's voice made my entire body stiffen, "What do you expect us to do?! We were only trying to save our son from a life that requires death in any given heartbeat."

"You wouldn't understand, Nagato," Yahiko hissed. "You wouldn't want danger to come to your nephew, would you?"

The look on the boss' face made it seem like this is the most amusing thing in his world, "You're right I wouldn't understand. You're also right that I don't want any harm to come to Hajime."

"Then you'd let us go?" Konan asked, a single tear running down her face.

The boss chuckled, lowering the gun just a bit, "You see. I would say, yeah I would let you go since the work we do here at Akatsuki is rather...not a home for a newborn."

The parents looked relieved a little too soon.

"But I do need a legacy and since I can't really make kids of my own thanks to my sins," Nagato clicked the gun, suddenly. 

Konan and Yahiko exchanged a look. 

I continued remaining frozen in my spot with the gun pointed at my face.

"You're right, you're right I wouldn't understand the parents' perspective when it comes to children and protection," Nagato continued. "But I do know when two people welcome a new life into their family, they always get a gift and I'm planning on delivering."

Before I could do anything, anything at all. The murderer moved his gun from my face to the parents and seethed four of the chillest words I have ever heard in my life.

"A quick, painless death."

N-no...

Four bright flashes with no sounds.

My hearing returned seconds later only to intercept Hajime's cries filling the room making the entire situation just as deadly as it seemed. I closed my eyes briefly then opened them again, completely a different person with pure hatred for the man standing in front of me.

This son of a bitch is going to pay. 

He is going to pay but his blood won't be on my hands. 

The anger I felt was the fuel I needed to reach out and quickly snatch his wrist, twist it just enough to make him drop the weapon. My memories of all the taekwondo my father made me take before I entered college flooding back and mixed with the despair I felt for him injuring Naruto and firing this murder weapon at two parents who only want what's best for their son allowed me to snatch the gun up and fire it once straight into his thigh.

Nagato could only grab his wound in absolute pain. Using this as my only distraction to make a getaway, I moved over to the bodies of my new friends I only made a few minutes ago, I gently extracted Hajime in the warm blankets from Konan's limp arms.

I promise, I thought as I gently brought my hands over both their eyes. I will do everything in my power to protect Hajime. 

"Get back here, you bitch!" Nagato spat suddenly.

I'll raise him like he was my own son.

I looked up at the window I've been eyeing all night just in case something like this were to happen.

So please, move on without any lingering regrets. 

"Don't you dare," I watched Nagato stagger a bit in my direction. 

Hajime's cries increased in volume as I hugged him tighter to my body with one hand and climbed onto the sill.

You are finally free. 

"Don't, bitch!" were the last words I heard Nagato throw at me as I leapt down the other side. 

I looked in the direction where the car was parked in time to see Sasuke taking on a few guys with Sakura right beside him. I'd love to join in but I literally have an infant in my arms at the moment so I getting into a fight is the last thing I need right now.

"Hinata!" Nagato's voice echoed through the room once more. 

That's my cue to run the opposite way.

I'll make sure Hajime is raised in an environment where he is safe, where he is loved.

With one last glance just soon enough to see some of Nagato's goons, pointing and shouting in my direction, I took off sprinting straight into the burning night of Eskon without a single idea of where my desperate legs will lead me.

However, a single thought was able to usher my will to live on.

I'll raise Hajime as if he was my own son. I promise, Yahiko, Konan. This is a favor I know I can fulfill.