A/N This is my second attempt at fan-fiction, my first attempt I'll have to get some more inspiration for because I've had a bout of writers block, and as many know that is the bane of all authors. The Idea for this story came while I was at work, I've been reading NaruHina fic's and well I had to try and write on myself, but a thought occurred to me… What would happen If instead of Naruto being alone his whole life with no one friend his own age, what if he did manage to make a friend? What if he asked Sakura out -yet again- and got turned down but turned in the right direction for someone who could reciprocate his affections?
At the moment I've decided to go with the first idea. What if he became friends with Hinata? What would this small stone cast into the waters of the Naruto world cause? What boats would be rocked? What would happen to various peoples personalities, how would certain people change? That is what I hope to discover, this is going to play somewhat along the lines of canon, but there are going to be some major changes eventually, but for now we'll see where it goes, and yes the characters will be ooc because, well I'm writing it so sit back, shut up, and enjoy the ride.
Chapter 1: I made a friend
A young blonde child, dressed in what could barely be considered clothing; rags would have been a far more suitable description for the shreds of fabric he had on his back. He systematically ate around the core of an apple his orphanage had provided for him in an attempt to make his meager meal last a little longer. His sensitive hearing picked up on loud voices coming from around the corner in the normally quiet town of Honogakure.
His young curiosity peaked he ran around the corner to see a young girl dressed in dark blue pants with a light blue jacket trimmed with ice white fur, being surrounded by a group of older kids who were pushing her between them.
"Hey!" He shouted throwing what was left of his apple at the biggest one, quickly grabbing their attention, "Leave her alone!" He cried out defiantly as he ran towards them swinging a wide, wild swing missing by a mile. The leader scoffed, "Oh yeah? What's a pip-squeak like you going to do about it?" He asked with a cocky sneer playing across his face as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"The name isn't pip-squeak, it's Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to be Hokage someday and then you'll see. Believe it!" At that he dashed forward and head butted the leader before being tossed down and kicked. He rolled to his back and kicked out at knees and gripped another behind his ankle trying to bring him down as well. Hinata watched in awe as he continued to stand and fight against three opponents twice his size. 'He's so brave… I wish I knew how to thank him…'
The bullies eventually got tired of kicking Naruto around and left after they each spit on him. Hinata walked over to Naruto and helped him to his feet, as he dusted himself off he glanced up at her with a bloody nose and a scratched face, grinning nonetheless, "Are you okay?" He asked, not even noticing his own injuries.
Hinata turned a light shade of red and nodded, stuttering out her own reply, "I-I'm fine, h-how about you? Are you o-okay?" Naruto dusted himself off and ran his thumb across below his nose wiping it off, "I'm fine, a little pain is nothing." He gave her the good-guy pose and his characteristic smile, "A little pain is nothing to the future Hokage!" He gave her another of his million watt smiles, before a slight frown tugged at his face, "Besides, this is nothing compared to everything else I've gotten…"
Hinata frowned and felt her heart strings tugged as she asked in a slightly more confident voice, "W-what do you mean?" Naruto looked at the ground and scuffed his foot, "The people at the orphanage all treat me just like those bullies, and no one wants to ever really talk to me…" He looked at the sky as he walked over to the fence and sat down with his back against it, "And whenever I go to a store the shop keepers usually kick me out…"
His face lit up again though with a single thought, "But someday they're all gonna respect me because I'll be the Hokage and I'll make them acknowledge me, Believe it!" Hinata smiled and clasped her hands, "Do you have any friends Naruto?" she asked quietly.
He looked up at her in surprise, her long bangs half covering her eyes, as she glanced at him and blushed again, "How'd you know my name?" He asked confused, "Y-you said your name is Naruto earlier. when you were defending me." His eyes lit up in remembrance, and he laughed, "Yeah, I guess I did." He scratched his head as he thought, "I mean there's old man Teuchi, he's pretty much my only friend." He looked back at her puzzled, "Why do you ask?"
Hinata summoned up her courage, "W-w-would you l-like to be m-my f-f-friend?" His ensuing smile in response sent her heart into overdrive, "Yeah, my second friend!" He looked at her with his head tilted and asked, "What's your name again?" He grinned and chuckled, "I don't think you ever said it did you?" Hinata blushed in embarrassment, "H-Hinata, my name is H-Hyuga Hinata." 'How could I forget to tell him my name? I'm so embarrassed…' She blushed again.
Naruto lifted himself off the ground, pushing his back against the fence and got to his feet, "Nice to meet you Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, at your service!" 'She sure blushes a lot, but it's kinda cute.' Naruto thought to himself. Hinata surprised herself by taking his hand and shaking it. Just then, a low roar came from somewhere nearby, Hinata looked around startled, "W-what was that?!"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned, "Sorry, I'm a little hungry, I haven't had a chance to scrounge up more than an apple today." Hinata face faulted from his simple statement, 'T-that was his stomach!? Maybe I should invite him for lunch…' Hinata nodded to herself, and grabbed his hand, "C-come with me. S-since you saved me, the least I can do is get you a hot meal…"
Naruto soon found himself being dragged along behind his new friend to a large mansion where a pair of gate guards, noting the presence of Hinata bowed, "Greeting Hinata-sama." They rose from their bow and looked at the generally shy girl, dragging along the Uzumaki child with a look of determination on her face, one guard raised an eyebrow quizzically, "I-I'm home, and I brought a friend for lunch." She exclaimed, opening the gate and walking in, half-dragging a stumbling Naruto behind her.
The guards exchanged looks and shared a small chuckle. This scene reminded them both of the time she had found an 'abandoned' puppy, and decided to bring it home. It wasn't until a few hours later than an Inazuka came looking for a puppy who had gotten out of their clan compound. The guards had a feeling this was going to be something like that all over again.
(A/N) This is a teaser, let me know what you guys think and I'll know whether or not to continue.