A/N: Hi anyone who is actually reading this. This is my first fan fiction and I hope you like it at least a little.
A/N 2: Thanks for reading. If you liked this story please read my story The Fox's Reluctance REDUX. It is how this story was meant to be written.
The Foxes Reluctance
He loved her. Completely. Who wouldn't love her? How could he not love her with every fiber of his being? She was the first person to acknowledge him when no one else would. She saw pass the prejudice that the villagers had and saw him, the real him. She was the first of his precious people. No one else ever looked at him with any kindness. He would always catch her staring at him from out of the corner of his eye but she would look away blushing when he would return her gaze. He would catch her following him around the academy but could tell there was no malice in it. She cared for him and he knew it even then. He loved her cause she loved him. But that was not the only reason, no far from it.
He loved her gentle nature the most. She was always so kind and sweet. A little shy but that only made her more endearing. Besides he found her blushing cute. She was also beautiful. Her pale lavender eyes would always take his breath away and he could lose himself in her eyes. He always watched her even if she never caught on to it. She was amazing. So reserved but seemingly possessing some kind of inner light that made her shine. He had eyes only for her. He had been in love with her for years.
Of course this wasn't seen by others. Most believed Naruto was completed blind to Hinata's feelings for him. Of course this is exactly what he wanted. He had grown up really good at hiding behind the mask of a complete idiot. He hid his true feeling from the hateful villagers out of fear. Fear that they would turn their hate on his most precious person. He wouldn't allow that to happen. So he played the part of the dimwit who didn't seem to know how that pale eyed princess cared for him. It hurt so bad seeing the sadness in her eyes when she thought that he didn't care for her. But it was a necessary evil.
He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and announce his undying love for the hyuuga heiress. When she was sad he wanted to make her smile again. He loved her smile. One day he would pursue her like he always wanted. "I'm going to be Hokage so that everyone acknowledges me!" That is what he would always say to everyone. That was his dream since he was a child. No one knew that it was because of his desire to be with Hinata. If the villagers acknowledged him and didn't hate him anymore then he would be free. He could make his ultimate dream of being with her come true.
He acted like he liked Sakura sure. Knowing full well that Sakura was Saske's ultimate fan girl he knew he could pursue her without worry of ever actually succeeding. It would seem weird if he showed no interest in any female after all. But he wished he could try with Hinata. But he couldn't, not until he was Hokage and didn't have the entire village hating him. That would take a long time and there was a chance that Hinata might fall in love with someone else. It would hurt but Naruto knew that as long as she was happy then he would be happy too. She deserved to be happy. Naruto wasn't selfish enough to deny her happiness.
Those two years of training were very tough. He missed her like the sun misses the moon. Often times his thoughts would return to Hinata. Erosennin would often get mad at him for not paying enough attention to his training, but that would push him to train even harder. He had to be strong, strong for her because she deserved it. She was the reason he never gave up. And when he finally got to go home he was overjoyed. He would finally get to see the woman he loved. He only hoped that she was still the same girl he gave his heart to all those years ago. When she fainted at seeing him for the first time all fears that she changed were gone. She was still his princess, his Hinata. And she was beautiful.
Then there was Pain's attack on the village. Even when he was pinned down by his enemy staring death in the face he wasn't as scared as when he saw the face of his would be savior. Hinata was going up against an opponent that was clearly way too strong for her. And she was doing it because of her love for him. When he saw her die all light went out of Naruto's world. He didn't care anymore. The demon inside his could do as it pleased because Naruto's reason for living was gone. He gave himself over to his anger as he raged to the heaven's for Hinata's sacrifice. Only the words of his father prevented him from releasing Kyuubi to destroy the man responsible for taking her away from him.
After all was said and done, the battle won Naruto went back to his destroyed village with a heavy heart. He hid behind his mask as the villagers cheered for their hero. It was bittersweet because although he was now acknowledged Hinata was gone. Then he saw her. She was clearly still weak and injured seeing as she was being held up by a medic but she was still there. She was still alive and that was all that mattered to him. He ran to her and held her tight. And from then on she never had to want to walk beside him ever again. He would never let her go.