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“Okay….deep breat. Iiiiin and ooouuuut. Phew, okay, I can do this. It won’t be so bad.” A tall, young man in his mid twenties with a thick swath of bright, blonde hair and sky blue eyes mumbled to himself as he paced nervously back and forth in front of a tattoo parlor in Downtown Konoha. He wore a loose, ragged, orange t-shirt with a red spiral emblazoned on the front. While the weather was still chilly in the beginning of march, he decided to wear a simple black, zipped up hoodie as well to stave off the brisk wind. His jeans hung loose around his slim waist and it was all ragged and scuffed up at the knees. His sneakers definitely has also seen better days. Naruto didn’t mind that he looked so rough around the edges because it was the most comfortable outfit he owned and, honestly, that’s the best he could do on a college student budget.
Naruto looked up in trepidation at the sign printed across the shop’s windows that said “Kyuubi” with a silhouette of a nine-tailed foxed curled around the “K.” The man raised a shaking hand out to grab the door handle ,but, he hesitated for a beat. He shook his head furiously and quickly shuffled away back down the street the way he came from. Suddenly, he came to a dead stop only a few feet away. “I can’t do this. There’s no way! Stupid Teme! Making that dumb bet!” Naruto can already imagine his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha, crossing his arms smugly and laughing at his torment right now. Naruto lets out a frustrated groan and slaps both hands over his face scrubbing it furiously. “Ugh! And fuck me for accepting the bet!” Naruto knew better than to be goaded on by Sasuke’s immature taunting. He couldn’t help it though! He just got so mad when that dumb duck-haired dick head said he couldn’t possibly win against him in a one-on-one basketball match. Naruto and Sasuke, were teammates on the same basketball team at Konoha University. Sasuke, much to Naruto’s chagrin, was chosen as the captain of their team. Naruto, on the other hand, was assigned to center as he was the tallest amongst their whole team. Naruto couldn’t just stand by and let Sasuke insult his skills like that to his face. The two were always fighting over the top spot in player rankings. Of course, in true Naruto fashion, he needed to put the Teme in his place. So, he stupidly accepted the challenge. It was such a CLOSE match too which pissed him off more now just thinking about it. It was down to the last five second with one point between the both of them for the win. But, Sasuke being the slippery snake that he is, executed a perfect fake out by spinning around Naruto’s body and made a clean swish into the basket.
Naruto never felt his blood literally BOIL than he did at that moment. His punishment was going to be solid gold blackmail material. He wanted to make Sasuke wear one of Sakura’s (Sasuke’s high school sweetheart) dresses around campus for the day and he just haaaaad to go and screw it all up! He should have known he would have gone with a fake out. He had him! He was blocking Sasuke like a pro and keeping him on his toes, but, Naruto just got too cocky in the end. And that cost him the match AND the bet.
When Naruto begrudgingly asked Sasuke what he wanted him to do, Sasuke’s request shocked the HELL out of him. With his stupid smug grin, that he wanted to punch into the next season, Sasuke ordered Naruto to go get a tattoo and he had to show proof that he got it at their next practice on Monday. And if he didn’t commit and get the tattoo, Sasuke would tell everyone how he had to talk to their RA, Neji Hyuuga, butt ass naked to open his dorm room for him because he accidentally locked himself out when he went to take a shower. He thought he was going to combust into flames from Neji’s glare alone. THAT was certainly one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen to him in his life. He got an earful from the stoic and strict Neji Hyuga. What’s worse his towel had fallen off during the lecture and his bits were hanging there in the wind screaming “HELLO!” He could have sworn he heard the loud snap of Neji’s patience just then. He thanked God his life was spared that night.That damn bastard! Using his weakness of needles against him!
And that’s how he ended up here. There was no way in HELL he was going to have anyone find out about that incident. “That fucker!” Naruto growls out clenching his fists. Naruto had always wanted to get a tattoo as a memento for his parents who died when he was really young, but, he always chickened out because he was TERRIFIED of needles. And that rooster head demon spawn knows it and was tired of seeing Naruto debate back and forth about getting one. But he is also a sadistic bastard, and LOVED seeing Naruto nervous and scared. Oh no. He’ll show that asshole! He’s going to get this damn tattoo and flash it to the whole team on Monday with pride and rub it in Sasuke’s damn face.
“Now…” Naruto thinks to himself. “All I need to do is open the damn door and walk in there. No problem.” Naruto takes a few deep breaths to calm his erratic heart beat.
“Uhh, sooo…” A low voice drawls out startling the shit out of the blonde man. Naruto quickly looks up and sees a man around his age with spiky, brown hair and two red triangular tattoo marks on his cheeks holding the door open with a bored expression on his face. Naruto also noticed one of his teeth poking passed his lip like a fang. He probably had that filed down or something as some people liked to do to look more “edgy.” He also had a couple of piercings in his ear as well. This was definitely a guy you did not want to mess around with Naruto noted.
“Hey man, do you want to like come in or something? You’ve been pacing back and forth in front of the shop for the past hour. And frankly, it’s kind of pissing me off. If you’re not here for a tattoo please fuck off.” The tatted man jerked a thumb at the “No Soliciting” sign on the door for emphasis.
“Oh shit! Yeah sorry!” Naruto quickly rushes over to the man. “I-I’m here for a tattoo.” Naruto rubs the back of his head nervously with his signature grin on his face trying not to anger the man in front of him anymore than he already is.
“Okay then. Come inside and have a seat. Welcome to The Kyuubi.” The man drawls stepping aside to allow Naruto inside. Naruto quickly shuffles inside and was immediately in awe of the shop’s interior. Contrary to what Naruto expected, the shop was very spacious and clean. What’s more, there were plants everywhere. The décor chosen gave off a very sleek, modern vibe. The floor was a dark, brown hardwood, and the furniture was mostly black or grey. The walls were also kept simple painted an off-white to utilize as much natural light as possible. On side of the wall were framed artworks, which he assumed, were all done by the tattoo artists here. A large, L-shaped, black leather couch was placed off to the opposite side by the large front windows of the shop. Stacked nearly on top of the small, circular coffee table was a small pile of magazines and photo albums. There was a small coffee and water bar next to the couch for the customers to use. Naruto noticed that the back half of the store was closed off by twin, black double doors. There was a very spacious front desk to the left of the doors where the man with the facial tattoos was currently standing behind looking at Naruto expectantly. “Oh! Yeah! Right!” Naruto quickly walks over to him.
“Alright then. My name is Kiba Inuzuka. I’m one of the artists that works here at Kyuubi. Is this your first time getting a tattoo?”
Naruto nods nervously. Kiba sighs a little. “Well, normally we don’t take walk ins, but, luckily for you, today is a very slow day for us and Hinata has a completely free schedule today.”
“O-okay.” Naruto gulps.
“Here.” Kiba walks over to the coffee table and pulls out one of the albums that has “HINATA” written across the top. “This has a few examples of Hinata’s work. Take some time and look through it. If you like her style, we can go ahead with all the paperwork and such.” Kiba gestures for Naruto to sit down on the couch and hands him the album.
“A-alright.” Naruto felt completely out of his element. He had no idea what the proper steps were or what to do. He started second guessing if he should really get a tattoo today.
“If you have any questions just call me. I’ll be in the back.” Kiba walks off without another word leaving Naruto to his thoughts.
“I mean. It can’t hurt to just look at the examples right?” Naruto nods to himself and opens the album. Instantly, Naruto is blown away by all the designs. He noticed that a lot of the pieces were very detailed and had an almost elegant feel to them with all the sweeping lines and swirls. Even with the smaller tattoos Naruto can clearly see the delicate, fine lines. This Hinata person was an AMAZING artist. As Naruto flipped to another page, Naruto’s eyes locked onto a tattoo of a blue lion stylized like those old, Japanese ink paintings. It wasn’t your typical lion tattoo, it looked more like a lion/dog from Asian mythology. It’s entire form was mostly made up of blue and black flames. The swirly nature of the flames made the piece look fierce and beautiful at the same time.
“So! Have you made up your mind yet?” Naruto let out a startled yelp and looked up only to see Kiba standing right next to him with his arms crossed.
“Y-Yeah. Hinata’s artwork is seriously good and I would like to have a tattoo done by her.” Kiba nods his head in acknowledgement. “Hinata is honestly our most popular artist here. She’s mostly known for her elaborate and detailed artwork. Kurenai, the owner of this shop, personally mentored her.” Kiba informed.
“Now that your mind’s made up, I need you to fill out some forms regarding your medical history and consent. Also, I need your driver’s license please.” Kiba walks back over behind the front desk reaching down and pulling out the necessary paperwork and clipping them onto a clipboard. Naruto fishes out his ID from his wallet and hands it over to Kiba who takes it and scans it using the printer behind him.
“Alright. Go fill this out and while you’re doing that, I will let Hinata know you’re here so you can have a consult with her about the design of your tattoo. You can pay for your tattoo by card, but, we strongly recommend cash for tipping so it all goes to the artist. If you don’t have cash on you, there is a bank across the street with an ATM.”
Naruto takes the clipboard and the pen that Kiba hands over and nods. “Thanks man. Sorry if I seem so oblivious.” Naruto says sheepishly.
Kiba waves him off casually “Nah. No worries. We get a lot of newbies too and everyone is always nervous the first time they get a tattoo. I always suggest doing as much research as possible before getting one. That is, if you plan to get another one next time.” Kiba informs but not in a scolding way.
“Yeah. Thanks. I’ll remember that for next time.” Naruto smiles and Kiba walks to the back of the shop opening and closing the door behind him.
“Hmm, I do have like a vague idea of what I want to get, but, I’m not too sold on it yet. What should I do?” Naruto muses to himself. He continues to peruse through the album hoping for a spark of inspiration to hit him.
“Umm, excuse me?” Naruto hears a light airy voice address him and it breaks him out of his thoughts instantly. He whips his head up and is floored by the devastatingly beautiful woman standing before him looking shy. Her long, thick hair fell like a beautiful, deep blue waterfall down to just about her ass. Her petal-like lips that looked so soft and inviting stood out against her pale face. Her eyes were large and round framed by thick, long eyelashes. They emphasized her pretty, pale lavender irises to perfection. At first, Naruto thought she was blind, but, quickly realized that she was looking directly into his eyes an the color was natural.
This woman didn’t dress up too flashy like some of the other girls he flirted with at school. She wore simple, black leggings that hugged her long legs and thick thighs that made Naruto gulp down, quite loudly, the drool that built up in his mouth as he started to wonder what it would be like to have those plushy flesh pillows squeezing the sides of his head as he feasted on her body. Naruto’s gaze continues to wander slowly around her form. His eyes were magnetized to her generously ample chest that looked like they were about to burst out of the top of her teeny black tank top. Her waist was slim and he was sure his two hands could span her entire waist.
The young woman cleared her throat nervously snapping Naruto out of his obvious ogling.
“Oh haha! Yes! Hi!” Naruto chuckled embarrassed to be caught staring with no shame at this gorgeous woman.
The woman giggled covering her mouth demurely with her hand. Her cheeks were slightly flushed. Naruto couldn’t help but be mesmerized by her tinkling laugh. His grin spread wider, feeling proud of himself for making her smile.
“You must be Mr. Naruto Uzumaki correct? Kiba-kun told me there was a walk-in. My name is Hinata Hyuga.” The blue-haired woman extended her hand out to Naruto for a handshake. Naruto immediately grasped her hand loving how dainty and soft her hand was in his.
“Hi. Yes. That’s me! Wait…are you related to Neji Hyuga by any chance?” Naruto tilted his head in curiously.
“Yes! He’s my cousin. I haven’t seen him in a long time. Is he doing alright?” Hinata looked up at him excitedly.
“Yeah he’s doing good! He’s my dorm manager. He always looks like he has a giant stick up his ass.” Naruto quickly covered his mouth with his other hand.
“Oh shit sorry! I don’t mean to like insult your family ya know.” Naruto waved his arm frantically.
Hinata only giggled again.
“No. It’s okay. He really does act like that sometimes. He was really protective of me when we hung out as kids. He would always send death glares at any boy who would glance my way.” Hinata smiled brightly. “I’m so glad he’s doing okay.”
Naruto smiled gently back at her loving the warmness she exuded. Naruto noticed he was still holding onto Hinata’s hand. As he looked down to extricate his hand for her grip Naruto saw the tattoo sleeve covering both her arms.
“Woooooah!” Naruto looked on with wide eyes. Both arms had an identical design off swirling black and blue flames curling around the length of her arms. As Naruto’s gazed drifted down to her hands, they were covered with the heads of roaring Japanese lion dogs. It was as if they were swallowing her fists whole. It was mesmerizing and beautiful.
“Aha yes. I did this tattoo myself when I first started out as a tattoo artist.” Hinata explained.
“Do they mean anything?” Naruto asked in wonder.
“Well, it’s related to a painful time in my life where I always cried and gave up when things got hard. Especially with family stuff. My father didn’t exactly approve of my dreams, so, I decided to leave that part of my life and pursue my passion in art. There was a lot of down moments than there were ups, but, eventually, I ended up here and Kurenai was kind enough to take me in as an apprentice. Once I was fully trained as a tattoo artist, I wanted a permanent reminder that embodied strength and perseverance. I needed to permanently change from how I was when I was younger. I vowed then and there to myself that I will never again be the person who gave up easily.” Hinata looked at the tattoo wistfully.
“Gosh. You are amazing. Seriously.” Naruto looked at Hinata with an intense heat in his deep, blue gaze making Hinata blush bright red from head to toe.
“Oh no. Please, you’re over exaggerating Mr. Uzumaki.” Hinata refutes. Naruto shakes his head.
“It’s Naruto and no, you ARE a really strong woman. To be able to follow your dreams without fear. You should feel pride in that. Thank you for telling me your story. Sorry, if it brought up any painful memories.” Naruto scratches the back of his head in shame.
Hinata looks at Naruto’s downtrodden face with a warm smile. “He’s so cute.” Hinata thought to herself blushing lightly.
“No. I enjoy talking about my work. Anyways, let’s get to business shall we?” Naruto quickly releases Hinata’s hand.
“Right. Right. Yes.”
“Is this your first time getting a tattoo? Naruto nods shyly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything step by step for you okay?” Hinata swings out her arm to the couch. “Let’s take a seat over there. Please, after you.” Naruto and Hinata take a seat on the plush couch facing each other. Their knees are barely touching as they sit intimately close to one another.
“So, Naruto, do you have a specific tattoo design in mind?” Hinata asks.
“U-umm no sorry. Not really. Like, I have an idea of what I want it to represent if that helps.” Naruto says hesitantly.
“Hmm, okay that’s a good start. Why don’t you tell me a little bit more about yourself?” Hinata grabs an iPad Pro that was resting on the shelf beneath the coffee table and opens a drawing app. “While you’re talking, I’ll just be sketching some ideas okay?”
“Yeah sure. That doesn’t sound too bad. Well, where do I start? I’m a third year at Konoha U studying business and political science. It’s been a dream of mine since I was kid to run for a councilman position just like my dad.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! I was never really into politics because it looked way too complicated and honestly a bit messy.” Hinata mused while focusing down on the iPad screen in front of her moving the Apple Pencil in quick broad strokes.
“Yeah, it definitely can be like that for sure. But, I like the challenge. I want to feel like I can change the city for the better with my own power. I already have so many ideas on how we can improve local infrastructure, programs we can do for the youth, how we could reduce homelessness in the city by providing the people with no means with resources to help themselves…” Naruto continued on describing his plans passionately. Hinata watched mesmerized with the fire and passion blazing in Naruto’s eyes.
“This is really a big dream for you huh.”
“Yup! And I’m definitely going to achieve it for sure!” Naruto pumps his fist in the air enthusiastically.
Hinata laughs lightly. “Well, how about your family can you tell me a little bit more about them?” She asks curiously.
Hinata instantly notices the light leave Naruto’s eyes and his body almost withers and deflates in sadness.
“Well, my parents actually died when I was pretty young in a plane crash while they were traveling overseas. I don’t remember all the details, but, I do remember the exact moment a woman from child services broke the news to me and took me away from home.” Naruto sighs heavily.
“From there, I was bounced around between a lot of foster families. Some “couldn’t handle a boy with my hyperactive personality.” Naruto made air quotes with his fingers next to his face. “Most just saw me as a way to get some easy money from the government. I was so hurt from being “abandoned” by my parents that I retaliated a lot as a kid. I would get into so much trouble and sometimes I was even physically abused by some of the adults before I was picked up again by child services.”
Hinata raises a hand to her mouth in horror. She could feel her eyes warm as tears gathered on her lashes.
“Oh my god, that’s awful! I’m so sorry Naruto-kun. And you were so young too.”
“Nah, it was all in the past. Eventually things did get better for me. My godfather, Jiraiya and his wife Tsunade found out about me and took me in. They both thought that I was lost in the system forever, but, they fought hard to get guardianship over me. I lived with them until I went off to college. Now, I live on my own here in the city, but, I still visit them back home on like holidays and stuff.”
“A lot of people don’t think I can achieve my goals because I’m actually not that great at school and I can be a bit of a meathead, but, I’ll show them! I’m going to make a difference in this city! So, like you, I want a tattoo that represents my parents and also my dream.” Naruto looks at Hinata enamored with the way her hands held the pencil so gently in between her fingers while she drew quickly across the screen.
It was quiet between them for a while as Naruto watched Hinata concentrate on her work. Once she was done, Hinata looked up to Naruto with pure admiration in her eyes.
“I never felt so inspired as you made me feel now Naruto-kun. I can tell you are an amazing person as well, and I whole heartedly believe you will achieve anything that you set your mind to.” Hinata continued to sing Naruto’s praises making the blush on his cheeks darken. “You have a passion and wild fire inside you that I have not seen in anyone else. And that’s why I drew this.” Hinata turns over the iPad revealing the drawing to Naruto.
Naruto’s eyes widen in shock as he looked down at the piece of art. All over the sides were various notes and little sketches. Right in the middle, there was a black spiral tattoo that looked very much like a flaming sun. The pattern of the swirling lines looked very similar to Hinata’s flames on her lion tattoos. The flames radiated out from the spiral tricking the eyes to imagine movement. It was not only a bad ass looking design, it was honestly breath-taking.
“That looks so awesome! You’re an amazing artist Hinata!” Naruto said in eagerness. Hinata blushes and preens slightly at his praise.
“T-thank you Naruto-kun. You really reminded me of the sun with how bright and passionate you are, so, I thought this symbolized you the best. I also added a bit of creative flare and did a little nod to your family name with the whole spiral design.” Hinata winks. “Are you satisfied with the design Naruto-kun? Of course I can alter any part of it that you don’t like.”
Naruto nods his head eagerly. “I love it just as it is!”
Hinata giggles at Naruto’s enthusiasm. “Well, the next step is to decide on the placement of your tattoo.”
Naruto scratches the side of his nose bashfully, “I uh, I actually want it on my stomach. If that’s okay.”
“Of course! It’s your tattoo. As long as you are certain you want it there. I will make a stencil and we can put it on and if you don’t like the location we can reposition it wherever you like. Please don’t hesitate to tell me if it’s not to your liking. Remember, tattoos are permanent. If you don’t like how it looks and if you don’t tell me so, it will be there forever.” Hinata informs Naruto seriously. The young man only nods obediently while listening to her.
Hinata smiles brightly and closes the iPad. “Alright, let’s head to the back so I can prep you for the session.” Hinata quietly guides Naruto to the back of the shop pass the double doors. As soon as Naruto entered the room all he could see was a wide open area. Along the walls were shelves and cabinets filled with tattoo supplies. Long countertops lined each side with even more equipment and supplies lined up all neat and organized. There were a few large indoor plants in the corners of the room and some framed pictures hung up as well. It was very neat and minimalist looking. Hinata points to one black door towards the back of the room. “That is the bathroom. If you ever need to use it in the middle of the session, please let me know.”
In the middle of the room evenly spaced out between one another is four black leather tattoo chairs. They all looked quite large and really plush and comfortable.
“My station is the one at the back righthand side of the room so please make yourself comfortable on the chair while I ready my supplies.” Naruto looks to the area that Hinata indicates and obediently moves toward the chair.
There was already one customer already here being worked on by another tattoo artist. Naruto hears Hinata call out to the man. “Hey there Shino-kun!” Hinata casually waves at the silent man who only nods her in direction. The man was slightly strange to Naruto in his opinion. He wore a long sleeved green trench coat that ended to his ankles. His feet were covered by thick, black leather boots. The collar of his cost was pulled up so that it covered most of the bottom half of his face. Across his forehead was a simple dark bandanna keeping most of his spiky brown hair out of his eyes as he worked. His mouth was set in a hard line and his gaze was strictly focused on the piece in front of him.
“Y-yo!” Naruto called out to the man nervously not sure if he should bother him since he did look pretty intimidating. All Naruto heard next was the loud pained groan of the man in the chair and the whirring of the tattoo machine.
Naruto instantly felt cold sweat break out all over his back as fear exploded in his gut. He watched as the needle glided over the customer’s skin and he moaned louder in excruciating pain. Naruto sincerely thought he imagined it but he did hear the tattoo artist mutter a quiet “hello” in greeting.
“Please don’t mind Shino-kun. Once he starts, he gets super focused on his work that he forgets the world around him. It’s what makes him a super talented artist.” Hinata pipes up behind him carrying a bunch of supplies in her arms nearly making Naruto jump in surprise.
“Ah!” Naruto shrieks.
“Oh my gosh. Sorry I scared you. Are you okay?” Hinata looks at Naruto worriedly.
“Oh yeah! Sorry! I-it’s nothing.” Naruto explains himself hurriedly. Hinata looks at him skeptically and Naruto knew he couldn’t lie to her in that moment.
“A-actually, no. I’m kinda, sorta terrified of needles.” Naruto looks down in shame.
“You really don’t have to get a tattoo if you don’t want to Naruto-kun.” Hinata puts a gentle hand on his arm in a comforting manner. Hinata is never usually this forward with her clients, but, she couldn’t help herself when she saw Naruto’s forlorn expression. It didn’t fit him and Hinata wanted to bring back that big goofy grin that she was starting to like a bit too much.
“N-no! Honestly, this whole tattoo thing did start off as a stupid bet from my best friend.” Hinata deflates at his words feeling a bit disappointed at the possibility Naruto would walk out, leave the store and they would never cross paths ever again.
“But, for the longest time I really really wanted to get one. Like I said before, I wanted a permanent reminder of my parents and my dreams and I thought a tattoo would be perfect. I’ve just been too much of a chicken shit to go through with it. My best friend finally got so annoyed with me being so indecisive he made a bet and if he won, I had to go get a tattoo. So, really the bet was the final motivation for me to get one and now I really don’t want to back down this time. Not only because I want to rub it in Sasuke’s stupid face on Monday, but, I really love your art Hinata and I want that on my body permanently. And like you, I don’t want to ever give up!” Naruto’s bright smile returns to his face as he thrusts out a confident thumbs up in her direction.
Hinata’ s face instantly breaks out in a deep red blush. “H-he loves my art?!”
Hinata clears her throat feeling all shy and bashful. “W-well if you are completely sure Naruto-kun. I will say a lot of people get really nervous their first times. I won’t lie to you and say it won’t be painful because everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but, I will do my absolute best to make it as much of a comfortable experience as I can for you okay?”
Naruto gives her an unsure nod. “Please remove your shirt Naruto-kun and I’ll put the stencil on you.” Hinata looks on with patience and a kind smile. Naruto crosses his arms and grips the bottom edge of his shirt before quickly slipping it up and over his head. Hinata stood there speechless and wide eyes as miles and miles of firm, tanned skin was revealed to her very much appreciated gaze. Hinata didn’t expect for Naruto to be so muscular, but, he definitely was. Hinata unconsciously swipes her tongue across her bottom lip as her gaze wanders across the planes of his chest. His arms were not bulging with muscles, but, they were defined and toned. Letting her eyes rise higher, she loved how defined his collarbones are and his chest looked very firm. Hinata could feel saliva build up in her mouth looking at Naruto’s flat tanned nipple. In the dark recesses of her mind, Hinata desperately wanted to know what his skin tasted like and if she could get his nipple to harden with her tongue. And the pièce de rèsistance were his rippling six pack abs that were dusted by a fine golden happy trail which Hinata willed every part of her to resist blatantly look at this sexy man’s groin more than she already was gawking at his body.
Naruto couldn’t help but preen a bit as he watched as Hinata’s cheeks grew darker and darker while she was checking him out. Naruto was a pretty confident guy and he worked his ass off every day in the gym to maintain the body he had now, but, knowing a gorgeous woman like Hinata appreciated how he looked gave Naruto an overwhelming confidence boost. As subtly as he could, Naruto flexed his stomach muscles just a bit and he could have sworn he heard Hinata squeak in surprise.
“I-I…ummm…y-you.” Hinata stammered.
“Hinata? You okay?” Naruto cocked his head grinning a little. All of a sudden, a hidden back door opens and the smell of fried potatoes and oily burgers fill the space. Kiba comes around the corner, with a french fry hanging out of his mouth.
“Yo I’m back! I’ll take my lunch in the break room.” Kiba goes to the other black door across from the bathroom and heads inside.
Hinata shakes herself out of her stupor vigorously mortified that she was staring at Naruto’s naked body for so long.
“A-ah yes well. I-I need to clean and prep the area before I tattoo you s-so I’m sorry but your treasure trail…I MEAN I have to shave the h-hair on your stomach.” Hinata covers her face with her hands. Seeing this shy, bashful side of Hinata only made Naruto chuckle in a low smooth voice.
“Yeah sure no problem go right ahead.” Naruto gestures to his abs. “It’s all yours.” Naruto says suggestively hoping the woman would catch on to his flirting.
Hinata lets out a nervous, audible gulp, but, she is also curious and wants to participate in this new game of theirs. “I’m going to wet the area first with this soap solution. It might be a bit cold. I’ll shave you and then soap down your entire stomach. Hinata slips on some black gloves and grabs the squeeze bottle on the counter that is filled with a yellow liquid. She squeezes out a small amount of soap on to his stomach making him clench again from the sudden shock of cold. Hinata picks up a disposable, plastic razor and deftly swipes across all the hair leaving a smooth clean surface. She then squirts more solution onto his stomach, and takes a paper towel and begins wiping the liquid up. With each pass, Hinata deliberately uses slow long strokes feeling through the tissue the ripples of his hard abs. Hinata could feel her eyes grow heavy as she was completely absorbed in her current actions.
Naruto on the other hand, was having a really difficult time trying to not pop a boner right there in front of her face and potentially ruin all chances of seducing the woman before him.
“Keep together Naruto! We are in a semi-public place right now! Gotta. Stay. Professional! I have to think of something disgusting and fast!” Naruto squeezes his eyes shut blocking the image of the blue-haired beauty stroking him. “Sasuke’s pasty white ass. Jiraiya and Tsunade groping each other!” That mental image almost makes Naruto hurl. “Okay, that worked. Blegh.” Naruto slowly began to feel his frantic fluttering slow down to a calm and more sedate rhythm.
“Okay! All cleaned up. Now, just stand still while I place the stencil on you okay? Everything alright so far?” Hinata always made sure to check in with her clients at every step of the process. She discovered doing that helped with the pre tattoo jitters sometimes.
“Yeah I’m still doing good here!” Hinata turns around grabbing the transfer sheet that had the design printed on it. She peels the paper layer off of the sheet and carefully arranges it on Naruto’s stomach. Once she deemed the design was in the correct position, she carefully rubs on the sheet firmly so the stencil affixes onto his skin. After a moment, Hinata slowly peels back the film and a perfect blue outline of Naruto’s tattoo is left behind.
“There! That should do it!” Hinata said proudly. “There is a full body mirror hanging right next to the bathroom door so you can see how the tattoo will look like on you and if you want to change the position. I still got other things I need to set up so take your time.”
Naruto walks over to the indicated mirror and finally gets the first glimpse of his tattoo. It is truly a work of art in Naruto’s eyes. The swirl appears to start from his belly button and then spirals out covering nearly the entirety of his abdomen. It really gave off the illusion of never ending movement with all the thick black swirls. However, when you look at it as a whole, it really does look like a blazing sun. Naruto grinned in excitement. This tattoo made him look really badass if he does say so himself. The feelings of eagerness bubble within his heart and he couldn’t wait to see it in it’s final form. Now, to just get over the whole needle hurdle. Naruto turns back around and sees that Hinata has her little table all set up neatly with her supplies. The chair has now been flipped down flat and a bright lamp shines overhead. Hinata turns to Naruto as she connects the necessary parts to her tattoo gun.
“So, what do you think?”
“It looks great. Seriously, I can’t wait to see it when it’s all finished now.”
“Perfect! If you are ready to proceed, I just need you to lay back, relax and we can begin the session. With how intricate the design is, the whole process might take three and half hours. Of course, we can take a break whenever you like just let me know. I’ll also need the break to move around a bit myself.”
“A-alright.” Naruto gulps. He can already feel the panic start to take over. But, he tries to push it aside as he lies down on the chair as instructed.
Hinata sits herself on a rolling stool and slides herself right up close next to Naruto. He watches Hinata’s every move as she peels open a plastic package and pulls out a needle tip and attaches it to the end of the gun. Naruto could see the edges of his vision darken and the blood pound loudly behind his ears. His breathing starts to pick up as if he could not get enough air into his lungs.
“Oh no.” Naruto knew he was falling into a panic attack but he suddenly snaps out of it when he feels a cool soft hand on his bare shoulder.
“Just close your eyes and breathe with me Naruto-kun.” Hinata whispers. Her voice alone, is already helping pull him away from the precipice. Naruto closes his eyes and focuses entirely on the sounds of Hinata’s voice and her breathing trying to match it with his own. He senses the fear and panic seep out of his every pore and he floats in an aura of calm energy.
“Just keep breathing Naruto-kun.” Naruto hears a quiet buzzing sound, but, it doesn’t immediately send him into a panic like before.
“Okay, here we go. Just keep talking to me Naruto-kun. Tell me more about yourself. What you like and dislike.” Hinata quietly mutters as she begins her work.
For the next few hours Hinata successfully distracts Naruto. He was so focused on her, Naruto actually barely felt any pain except for the areas closest to his ribs. And even through that, he was able to grin and bear it. In reality, the pain wasn’t as bad as when he broke his arm in two places after being tackled by a rival player in a basketball game. It still fucking hurt like a bitch, but, it was tolerable. The whole time, Naruto and Hinata took the opportunity to learn more about each other. To both of their surprise, they shared a love of plant husbandry. It was one hobby Naruto doesn’t make publicly known to a lot of people except for Sasuke. And that’s only because he was his roommate and he had to deal with an apartment that was part home part jungle on a daily basis. For a while, they talked about the plants they owned and what their favorites were. After taking a short 20 minute break to move around and use the bathroom, the conversation then shifted to the standard topics of their friends, school and some silly stories of their pasts. The hours flew by as the couple were in their own little cozy bubble accompanied by the quiet buzzing of the tattoo gun.
“Alright! We’re done!” Hinata gently rubs ointment all over the fresh tattoo before stretching her arms groaning softly as her spine let out a few pops.
“What? Really?” Naruto looks at Hinata shocked.
“Mmhmm! All that’s left is to wrap you up with Saniderm which will protect your tattoo since it’s like an open wound right now. Your stomach will feel a bit sore and tender for the next few days. You’ll keep the Sanidetm on for about three days and then you will peel it off and wash it with lukewarm water and antibacterial soap. After you wash it, you MUST let it air dry and put some healing ointment on the tattoo. I will give you a paper that will have all the instructions in detail about the whole healing process.” Hinata quickly finishes wrapping up Naruto’s tattoo.
“I just gotta finish cleaning up here, but, you can head out to the front and wait for me by the cash register where we can do the whole payment process and then you’ll be on your way in no time.”
Naruto doesn’t say a word as he gingerly pulls on his shirt before heading out the double doors. He squints his eyes as the bright orange rays of the sunset pierces his eyes. He didn’t realize how late it had gotten until he looked up at the clock hanging above the doors and it said 6:30 p.m. The other two guys were nowhere to be found. As Naruto stood there in the quiet, he couldn’t help but feel the growing trepidation that he wouldn’t have the chance to see Hinata again. This can’t be the end, he had to see her one more time. He wanted to talk with her more. He wanted to flirt and tease her so he can see her blush all over again. He wanted to spend more time WITH her. He HAS to ask her out. He knows he will forever regret it if he doesn’t. Suddenly, Naruto hears the door open and Hinata steps through.
“Where are the others.” Naruto asks curiously wanting to extend the time they had together.
Hinata walks behind the front desk and rings up the amount for Naruto’s session.
“They probably already left. So, I’ll be closing up shop tonight.” Naruto proceeds to pay with his card and gives Hinata a generous tip with cash as well.
“Thank you so much.” Hinata accepts the offered cash gratefully.
“No thank you, Hinata. The tattoo is seriously amazing.” The two stood there looking at each other in awkward silence. Naruto looks down and scratches the back of his head in his usual nervous gesture.
“U-um!”
“Hey listen…” the two realizes they blurted out at the same time, which broke the tension and made them burst out into giggles.
“Go first, Hinata.” Naruto gestures to her.
“Umm well..” Hinata starts off quietly looking down and fidgeting with a strand of her hair. “W-would you l-like to get coffee sometime? I-I want to see you again.” Hinata’s words trailed off slightly as a blush floods her cheeks once again, but, Naruto heard them loud and clear.
“Aww man, Hinata you beat me to it. I was about to ask you the same thing. I would really like to have coffee together. We don’t even need to get coffee, I can take you out on a nice date!” Naruto grins at Hinata cheekly.
“A date sounds perfect. Here, I’ll give you my number.” Hinata scribbles her cell number on the back of a business card.
As Naruto reaches out to take the card out of Hinata’s hand, the two smiled at each other in joy and budding affection as the glowing sun disappears further beneath the horizon behind them. The neon “OPEN” sign flickers and buzzes for a moment before clicking off.
The End