Naruto: Sacred Scroll

"I didn't," Naruto said. "It was given to me."

Hanabi looked at Naruto as if he grew two extra heads on his shoulders.

"The owner of that restaurant wouldn't just give you that big of a bottle of Vineyard of the Olden for free," Hanabi replied.

"He would if you have something on him that he doesn't want to become public knowledge," Naruto replied mischievously. "This extra-large bottle of the village's most expensive imported red wine was what he traded in exchange for my silence."

Hanabi knew that Naruto was good at blackmailing people. She realized that Naruto must have some deep dirt on that restaurant owner if it got him to give Naruto that wine free of charge just to keep him quiet.

"You're really good at what you do, Naruto-kun," Hanabi said, smiling and giggling. Naruto could have teased her about how she addressed him again, but he decided against it. Seeing her laugh and smile was his prize.

"How about a small drink?" Naruto suggested as he handed Hanabi one of the two champagne flutes before opening the bottle and pouring a small amount into her glass and some for himself. Hanabi took a small sip of the wine and licked her lips.

"Wow!" Hanabi cheered as quietly as possible. "This wine tastes really terrific! I thought I would only taste this wine when I got older!"

"You're fortunate you didn't have to wait that long," Naruto said as he sipped and savored the delicious taste of the wine. "To tell you the truth, my Little Nighttime Firecracker, you're the first person I've shared and drank wine with. I have never even done this with Hinata-chan."

Hanabi looked at Naruto in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? You mean to say that I actually beat Neesan at doing something like this with you before her?"

"When you put it that way..." Naruto remarked after he thought about it. "…I don't even know how to respond to that."

Hanabi giggled again before sipping the wine. "I forgive you, Naruto-kun. Just don't pull that stunt on me again."

"Don't worry," Naruto assured as he ruffled her head. "I'll just have to think of something else to catch you with."

"You really are such a pain," Hanabi replied with a bit of annoyance.

Naruto grinned and gulped the rest of the wine down before handing her the rest of the bottle.

"This is yours to keep," Naruto said. "Savor every drop of it, my Little Nighttime Firecracker, because I don't know when I'll be able to get another one, and it sure as heck won't be anytime soon."

Hanabi took the bottle and looked at it. She set it and the champagne flute down by her futon, and, without thinking, she leaped and hugged Naruto tightly.

"Thank you so much, Naruto-kun," Hanabi said happily. Naruto held her briefly.

"Wow, Hanabi," Naruto teased. "I wasn't aware you could be this affectionate towards me. You really do care."

Hanabi jumped away from Naruto and recomposed herself, though a dark blush was present on her face.

"…Sorry," Hanabi said as she cleared her throat. "I got a little carried away. That's something not fitting for a Hyuuga of the Main House."

"You evidently have a side to yourself you don't want others to see," Naruto teased. "That's OK. You can always feel free to express that side of yourself whenever I'm around. By the way, how did your first day at the academy go?"

Hanabi sighed. "…It was dull. I used to believe that you were exaggerating about Iruka-sensei."

"Now you're truly seeing things from my point of view without the need for your Byakugan," Naruto teased.

Hanabi huffed as she folded her arms and turned her head away. "Whatever. You're still a pain, Naruto-kun."

"Likewise, you can be, too. So that makes us even," Naruto replied. "In any case, I'll take my leave now. You'd better find a good hiding spot for that bottle unless you want your father to find it."

"I'll think of something," Hanabi assured. "I've gotten this far without getting caught by them, have I not?"

"True, but don't become too overconfident," Naruto advised. "Sleep well, my Little Nighttime Firecracker, and do wake up sober."

Naruto body flickered out of Hanabi's room and back to his apartment, leaving the young girl alone again. Hanabi sighed in annoyance at Naruto's last words to her.

"That Naruto-kun," Hanabi mumbled. She turned her eyes to the bottle Naruto left for her as a present. She picked it up again and looked at it. "I could tell Neesan about this…" She thought for a moment and smiled. "But I think I'll keep this to myself. It'll be my own precious memory."

(End Flashback: Present Time)

Hanabi rarely drank the Vineyard of the Olden, only taking small sips of it every few weeks. She wanted to make the bottle last as long as possible. She had taken another sip of that wine four nights ago. She recalled what happened the night she did. It was still fresh in her memory.

(Flashback: Four Nights Ago)

It was late into the night. Hanabi, in her sleeping kimono, was in her bedroom awake, with her window blinds closed, lights turned off and door locked. Out in front of her was her champagne flute filled with a small amount of Vineyard of the Olden, which she was sipping little bits of after putting the bottle back in its hiding location.

"Savoring every drop, huh?" Naruto teased after he body flickered into her room. Hanabi turned around in surprise but kept her cool.

"How do you keep popping up like this?" Hanabi asked with a frown of annoyance.

Naruto grinned, and replied, "Ninja never reveal their most important secrets. It kills the element of surprise if they do."

"Why are you here?" Hanabi asked as she sipped her wine.

"I got a proposition for you, my Little Nighttime Firecracker," Naruto offered.

"It's not anything embarrassing, is it?" Hanabi asked suspiciously.

"Far from it," Naruto said, "I've been contemplating your taste for alcohol and liquor, and an idea came to mind, especially considering that you're adept at your clan's Juuken style."

"What are you getting at?" Hanabi asked.

"How would you like to put your taste for alcohol to use with your Juuken?" Naruto suggested.

"Excuse me?" Hanabi replied as she placed her champagne flute down on her desk.

Naruto reiterated, "How would you like to be the first Gentle Drunken Fist fighter or Drunken Gentle Fist fighter; whichever you want to call it? I've been giving it some serious thought for the past couple of weeks, a hybrid fighting style that fuses Drunken Fist with Gentle Fist."

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