Sweat dripped from Hinata's forehead, and the bush she was hiding behind tickled her face. A few meters beyond her, Naruto was practicing his latest justu, while Kakashi-sensei and Yamato-san watched from a under a near-by tree. She had been training with Shino and Kiba all morning, but she had taken a break to go get some lunch for the boys. In her rush, she had stumbled into the clearing where Naruto was training. Luckily, she was able to duck behind a bush before she was spotted. Kakashi-sensei must have realized she was there, but she was certain that Naruto didn't see her. He's been working so hard, she thought. I wish I could help. Her face suddenly lit up in a smile. I bet he's hungry. I should bring him some lunch, too.
"Konnichiwa, Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-san, Naruto-kun!"
The clear voice made Hinata jump. Sakura appeared in the clearing, smiling and carrying a large basket.
"I thought that you might be hungry, since you've been training all morning."
"Sakura-chan!"
Naruto, who had fallen over at the unexpected sound of his teammate's voice, now jumped up and ran over to greet her.
Hinata's face fell. Oh well, at least he won't be hungry. She took one last longing look at Naruto,who was already stuffing multiple rice cakes in his mouth, and started back on the path to the village.
xxxxxxx
A little ways away from where Hinata had been hiding, Kiba sat in a tree, absentmindedly stroking Akamaru's fur. Shino was being particularly silent today, so Kiba had left him to his thoughts in hopes of accompanying Hinata to the village. When he caught up to her however, he saw her crouching behind a small tree watching what appeared to be a blonde rocket shooting back and forth across the field. Damn it, why is she always so weird around him? That's not how she usually acts. Her odd behavior around Naruto had always annoyed him. He didn't understand why anyone would instantly clam up the second that noisy fool came around. How can she like HIM? Someone as sweet as Hinata should definitely not be interested in a knucklehead like Naruto. Heck, he couldn't picture him with any girl, let alone the kind, shy Hinata. But it was obvious, she certainly did like him. Hinata had never been as morose and depressed as the time that Naruto left for two years to train with Jiraiya-sama. Then, when Naruto returned, Hinata could be found trailing five or six steps behind him for over a week. Of course, Naruto was oblivious to all of this. To any bystander it was as plain as day, but Naruto didn't have a clue. Kiba chuckled to himself. He probably wouldn't even get it if she spelled it out on a billboard for him. Naruto's ignorance to the things going around him was somewhat amusing. She's crazy about him and he doesn't even realize she's there half the time. Kiba wondered why it bothered him. He shrugged, gave Akamaru one last scratch, and started to head back toward Shino, who he hoped would be more talkative now.