This won't be important until the later chapters but I'll say it here anyway. I'm focusing this story on Naruto and Hinata so I'll be skipping over arcs that separate them for long periods of time. So Zabuza won't be making an appearance in this story.

Naruto walked down the back alley, the sun shining down on him.

Looking down on him.

It didn't warm him up inside though. That type of warmth required friends, family, people in the world who actually cared about you. He had none of those. He was all alone in this village, a singular cell of a person. He wasn't the only trouble maker, but he was the only one alone. Shikamaru had Choji, Kiba had Akamaru. Naruto had no one.

He stopped walking. His fists shook at his sides. The tears threatened to come, to break through that wall he'd erected so long ago. But no, he wouldn't let them come. He'd cried to much already and it hadn't helped him. Hadn't helped him one bit.

But the gut wrenching pain he felt, it had to get out somehow. Had to escape from down inside before it destroyed him. Before it became so intense that it tore a hole through him and ripped him apart.

Naruto turned to his left and lashed out at the high wooden fence. His fist smashed against the solid planks and the impact reververated up his arm.

Naruto gritted his teeth. He'd felt the pain slip away, just for a moment, as he shoved himself up against the solid wood. But then it came back, it always came back. He could never escape it.

The pain always came back.

She rushed forward, pressing up against the limit of her strength. Leaping toward her opponent, Hinata swung out a kick.

A doomed kick that never reached its intended target.

Before she'd even begun the kick, Hanabi had already countered it. The smaller girl knocked the feeble kick aside and launched her fist straight into her sister's chest, knocking her to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Hinata lay there, feeling the throbbing pain burn a hole in her chest. She curled up into herself, pulling her arms over her head for protection. She waited fearfully for the next attack, the next burst of pain. No matter what happened, ther was always more. More fighting, more pain, more torture for the weakling daughter.

"Good job Hanabi."

That was her father's voice. Congratulating the good daughter, the strong one.

The one he loved.

Daring to peek through her fingers, Hinata saw her father lead Hanabi away, her small hand clasped in his larger one.

Hinata lay where she was for a while, too pained and afraid to move. But after a long time of stillness and silence, Hinata found the strength to crawl off the floor.

The sweat was icy on her skin.

Looking around the practice room, Hinata felt disappointment sink into her heart as she realized she was alone.

What had she expected?

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