Winter Hearts
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: Read and Review and tell me what you think
Chapter 1
Naruto was a smart kid, he knew that he was disliked and more likely despised by most of the population in Konoha. He knew that he was an orphan due to the Kyuubi attack that happened six years, and he knew that he did not know the full story behind his mysterious abundance of hateful glares. Still, Naruto couldn't grow to hate the villagers of Konoha, even at the young age of seven years-old. Instead he just went about his normal life (as normal as it could be), with his head up high, nothing to prove.
At first it had been a hard concept for the six-year old to grasp. The fact that the people around him seemed to hate him for no reason and there was nothing in his power he could do to change their mindset. No, he guessed that wasn't true, he was once told by a particularly straight store owner that if he were to kill himself then he would save the entire village a great deal of trouble.
He'd been chased out of stores, pushed around by older kids and adults alike, even beat to the point where he couldn't move but the words of this storeowner in particular seemed to eat at his heart. Why? Naruto's conscience refused to interpret the evil behind the words.
Of course, this wasn't a reasonable option for the young child at the time, he barely understood the idea of death, but he understood well enough to find consolation in the only person that seemed to care about his well-being and held the position as a grandfather to the whiskered boy, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The oldened shinobi had seen many injustices and horrors in his life, many that still plagued him in the darkest nights. But one of his biggest regrets sat with the something that was currently taking place. The seven-year-old, red-haired orphan was currently sitting in the chair right in front the him, silently sobbing to the cruelty of human thoughts. It was taking a toll on the fragile mind and it was most apparent when he was in Hiruzen's presence.
The Sandaime thought about his options. This was not the first time that an incident similar to this had occurred and Hiruzen knew that it would not be the last, but what could he do. The Sarutobi remembered the many previous times that Naruto had come to Hiruzen about his less fortunate interactions. At first, it had only started out as a troubling experience and childish wonder but overtime it had grown more erratic and aggressive. Something that shouldn't be happening to a child with no one to speak for him.
The storeowner that abused Naruto would no doubt be closing under Hiruzen's order but that was not necessarily a solution.
Hiruzen suspected that this was where he was supposed to come in, Naruto's guardian. In truth, the Hokage could not be further from the truth. Yes, there was a law that prevented anyone of revealing Naruto's true wild card to the boy and yes, he could imprison anyone for the harsh behavior that was being subjected to Naruto, but what could he do when that counted as at least eighty percent of the village population.
The Hokage couldn't throw everyone in jail and even if he did, that would cause more problems than it could solve. So he did whatever he could, he gave the child a shoulder to lean on when needed.
"They fear what they don't understand Naruto. You must not allow them to get the best of you. Trudge on with your head up, one day you will prove everyone wrong and become a greater hero than the heroes you idolize," Hiruzen said with the utmost amount of confidence and seriousness. Naruto looked up from his damp arm and sniffled.
"You're right Oji-san, I can't believe I let this get me down. They'll respect their future Hokage one day," Naruto said with returning certainty. The old Sarutobi examined Naruto. In his mind the boy's determination at times was unlike any he had ever seen but when he looked into Naruto's eyes, he could see the growing frustration, the growing hate in depths of his blue orbs.
Had Hiruzen not been so busy at the moment, he would have taken Naruto to get something to eat in an attempt to brighten the child's mood but the paperwork in front of him disagreed with the notion. Instead the Sandaime decided to gift the orphan with something that could truly benefit him.
Reaching into his seal-guarded drawer, the old Sarutobi pulled a worn book into Naruto's view. It was a blue book, rimmed with real silver. A black withered string hung from the front of the book, which Naruto assumed was to be used as a book mark. The book was heavy, at least five-hundred pages, the red-headed boy guessed.
"Tell me Naruto, do you know who Tobirama Senju is," Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. Tobirama was the boy's favorite Hokage. Naruto could only dream to be as strong as the legend and he looked up to the ghosts' toughness, bravery, and will to never back down. Traits that Naruto hoped to exhibit one day.
"Of course, he's my favorite Hokage," Naruto exclaimed. The Sandaime feigned being hurt by the child's comment. "Right after you that is, Oji-san," Naruto gave a sheepish smile. Hiruzen chuckled,
"Don't worry about it," he raised the book, "this is the Nidaime Hokage's journal. An entry he wrote near the end of his life. It has only been read by successors of the role and is filled to the brim with information and knowledge. Few know that it even exists but those that do, believe that whoever reads it is gifted the power of a Kage."
Naruto's mouth was watering. This could be exactly what he needed to begin his ninja path onto becoming the greatest Hokage in history. It was at this point that the boy realized a fundamental problem in his plan.
"But Oji-san, I barely know how to read!" Hiruzen laughed again, it was nice to have Naruto as company.
"I guess that means you'll have plenty of time to read. Besides, it's probably a good idea to read this over time and not all at once," the Hokage stated. Naruto nodded and felt a sense of pride. Even his young mind could understand that it wasn't common for the Hokage to go this far for any one shinobi. Even if Naruto was in a rather unfortunate predicament.
Surprising the old man, Naruto jumped out his chair, on the Sandaime's desk- ruining the large stack of paperwork that was piled there and tackled the professor in large bear hug. Hiruzen was in shock by the quick action of the child and returned the affection. The old man could begin to feel his shoulder become wet with the child's tears.
It was a small reminder to Hiruzen. He had seen and been through many horrors, but it was times like these that reminded him just what was worth living for. It was the future, the Will of Fire, to be exact. He had a responsibility to the entire village, a responsibility to never lose hope amidst the darkest times.
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While walking home Naruto thought about his goals and what exactly he wanted to accomplish. Whenever Naruto went on one if his Hokage rants Oji-san would always say that in order to reach his goals he would need to plan out his future. Today seemed like the perfect day to begin taking himself seriously. One day everyone in the entire village would respect him.
Naruto knew that deep down that all he ever wanted was attention, and multiple times he had just thought about giving up but then he reminded himself that there would be know point in that. Then 'they' would win, and he was far too stubborn to ever let that happen. He would never fade from anyone's memories and that much was for sure. Hence, the reason why he wanted to become Hokage.
The redhead thought about that for a moment. If he was being serious, then his reasons for becoming Hokage were all screwed up, based on what Oji-san had told him about being a leader of the village. Even though Naruto knew this, he felt like that was enough for right now. His reasons for the moment may be out of order, but the determination and the drive remained. He would reach his goal, or his name wasn't Naruto Uzumaki!
As of right now, all his days consisted of was pranking the habitants of Konohagakure. He realized that he would need to change and start taking being an aspiring ninja sternly. He knew that being the best of the best would not be easy, especially with his limited resources. Naruto didn't exactly know what a clan was, besides it being different groups of people and that they made good, quality ninja.
No doubt that he would need to work twice as hard as everyone else to reach his goal and Naruto was willing to put in the work. He looked towards the sacred journal that his grandfather figure had given him. He could barely read so he couldn't rely on that to train. The six-year old guessed that he would just start with what he knew, and he knew that he needed to get stronger.
So he started working out. Push-ups, sit-ups, calf lifts- anything he could think of really. He still pulled pranks, but this time for different reasons. Naruto still wanted attention, but the main purpose had shifted, the purpose was now to see how long he could avoid capture. So far, he'd been able to outrun and escape all civilians, even multiple mobs of civilians, but as soon as a real shinobi joined the chase Naruto was immediately caught.
Naruto's high-speed chases were more frequent than Hiruzen would've liked but for the most part, the orphan got off with light chastising due the Sandaime's suspicion on why Naruto was behaving this way. For training. Over several months the boy's pranks had become less malicious and more strategized, spread out through the village, on different clans. The Sarutobi took note.
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As Hinata's face hit the hard mat for the umpteenth time that day, she struggled to lift her small body to take her stance.
"Unsatisfactory. As usual," her father droned from the other side of the mat. "The academy begins in a couple of months and I refuse to let you embarrass me any further. Get up!" It was well known around the clan that raising one's voice in anger was considered imprudent, and even more rare and shocking to be seen from the current clan head, Hiashi Hyuga.
It was however, known that there was one thing that could grind the usually calm and calculative Hyuga to the edge. His daughter Hinata Hyuga. So far that name was only associated with disappointment for Hiashi. She was to be his heir, but she showed no affinity for the ways of the main branch of the Hyuga. This fact resulted in the assumption of many future problems to arise.
The first was that Neji of the branch family was revealed to be a prodigy of the Hyuga ways. It was not extremely uncommon for a branch member to be talented ninja, but at the rate Neji was progressing was worrisome. He could reach the power of a clan head as a young adult easily and with the turmoil going inside his head would only cause trouble for the clan.
The second would be that there was a second child, Hanabi. If Hanabi, at any point before Hinata becomes clan head, surpasses her older sister, then Hanabi would then become the primary successor. Hinata would then be subjected to one of two fates. She would either be cursed with the 'Caged Bird Seal' or she would be used as breeding stock to keep the Hyuga bloodline pure. Fates that would break Hiashi's heart, but powerless to change.
It was different for Hanabi though, if Hinata did what she was supposed to do and developed into a proper Hyuga heir, Hanabi would not even have to become a shinobi. She could live whatever life she wanted and marry whoever she wanted, with his permission of course. She would not be forced into the Caged Bird Curse Seal due to the simple fact that she was female.
It was a 'win-win' situation for Hiashi, but Hinata seemed to refuse to live up to her expectations of future clan head. It was like a permanent headache, he would not lose another family member! Hiashi viciously swiped his eldest daughter to the mat yet again, this one particularly aggressive.
Hiashi was beginning to become undone. Without looking at her he said,
"That's enough for today, you are dismissed." He left the room without looking back. Hinata remained on the mat, trying to regain her breath and wishing for the burning in her small muscles to disappear. She hated training with her father. It was one of the many things that put fear in her heart.
From the side of the training room, her servant Ko rushed to her side.
"Hinata-sama, are you alright. Do you need healers?"
"I'm fine," she weakly said.
Ko sensed her unease and short misery. Often the mood after a father/daughter training session.
"If you wish, we can go for a walk after you get cleaned up Hinata-sama. I know how much you love winter evenings," Ko said gently. Hinata smiled lightly,
"That would be nice."
Hinata loved winter evenings. They were beautiful and peaceful, they granted her a rare peace of mind and she liked to play in the snow. She almost wished that it was winter all the time. A false attempt to trick herself into thinking that she could achieve peaceful tranquility. But she knew better. If it was always winter and her life went on as usual, she would come to hate winter with all her might. A wicked curse.
As she and Ko slowly walked through white-painted village, Hinata took a deep, long breath of the dry winter air. It was lovely, she thought. The crunch of snow under her boots, the smoke emerging from the stands and restaurants, trying to battle the cold rigid air, the red tint the freezing air gave her face.
Eventually she and Ko made it to the park. The park they always found themselves at on days like this. They sat in silence. Ko had been found that Hinata embraced the silence. A break from her stress-filled life, she was a child after all. Ko took this opportunity to try to give the heiress some true peace.
"I'll be back Hinata-sama, I'm going to go get us some hot tea." Hinata looked up, she was grateful, Ko somewhat understood her plight and new that she desired peace above all else. She was seldom left with any type of privacy, especially since the kidnapping two years ago.
It was times like these she liked to think about her mother and her kind words. She often thought about how different her life would be if her mother was still alive. She doubted she would hate her father this much. She doubted she would hate herself this much.
She turned on her Byakugan. It was forbidden in the clan estate to use the Byakugan in anything not considered training and people outside of the clan didn't take kind to people who could look through everything. The truth was that as long as you didn't over exert the eye jutsu, it was a secret perverse obsession of all Hyuga members. It felt good, like being free, like a bird would feel releasing its tied wings.
She could do it freely while in the comfort of her own privacy. It was then that across the park she could see something very peculiar. It seemed like a boy was climbing a very large tree repeatedly. She wondered how Ko had not noticed. He was probably too focused worrying about her.
The boy looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. He had hair unlike she had ever seen before, red hair. Hinata berated herself for forgetting someone with such a unique description.
She didn't know what it was, but she started walking towards the mysterious boy. Perhaps her curiosity had just gotten the best of her. As she got closer, she decided to take another observation of the boy. Not only was he red-headed but he also had strange whisker marks that adorned his cheeks. He wore blue holey pants with a thin orange hoody that couldn't possibly be keeping him warm. A red scarf waved in the wind next to him as he continued to climb the tree.
She was in front of the tree now and he had yet to notice her presence. She contemplated yelling up to him but before she could find the courage to do so three larger boys that couldn't have been any older than twelve appeared in front of her. Hinata immediately turned off her Byakugan due to habit.
"Oh guys look, it's one of those prissy white-eyed assholes," the middle one said. The one to the right sneered.
"I hate those guys, they always act like they're better than everyone else, looking down on the rest of us."
"They call my family pigs just because we don't have money like they do," the last one frowned.
"Well lucky for us, this one is all alone. How about we teach her a lesson," he threw his fist into his other hand. As they creeped closer, Hinata unconsciously moved back.
She was panicking, and had she not been beaten to bruises earlier or possessed even the smallest amount of confidence and courage, she may have even been able to hurt one of them. Instead the heiress tripped over her own feet and fell on her behind. Helpless and pitiful she thought.
Before one of the boys could even begin to raise one of their fists, a loud yell began to descend upon them. The next thing Hinata knew, the red-headed boy that had been climbing the tree was standing on top of one of her offenders with a goofy grin sketched on his face.
"Why don't you jerks try to fight someone your own size like me. Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage," the whiskered boy declared loudly.
"Hokage my ass," the one scoffed in anger.
Hinata sat there in wonder. Why was this boy helping her? Why had he insisted that they fight him instead when he was just as small, if not smaller than Hinata herself? Did he think that she was incapable of defending herself? Did he think she was weak, just like her father? The heiress slowly started to get upset.
The two boys that were not body slammed by Naruto, rushed him. Naruto didn't look scared and put up a struggle, but he was used to running, not fighting. Luckily, he was used to getting beaten too. Naruto was able to hit one of the boys square in the chin before he was overpowered and pummeled by the two boys. Right when the assailants had decided that Naruto had had enough, he spoke up.
"Is that all you got, I've been hit with pebbles that hurt more than that," Naruto called from the ball that he was currently in. They proceeded to stomp and kick him until one of his eyes were swollen shut and they could see his head was steadily bleeding.
"We should keep beating you, we'd be doing the entire village a favor. We know who you are demon. That hair is unmistakable." Naruto didn't say anything. Satisfied with their work, the two boys picked up their fallen comrade.
"You got lucky today you white-eyed freak, but next time your pet dog won't be here to save you. We're too tired to beat up anymore pipsqueaks." Hinata stared at them with venom in her eyes, she didn't need saving. The three boys then left but not before spitting on Naruto.
As Naruto slowly got up, Hinata looked at Naruto with anger. Unbridled anger. Unrestrained anger. More raw emotion than she had ever shown anyone besides her mother. Who did this boy think he was. She didn't need his pity. Without thinking Hinata jumped the injured boy, pinning him to the ground, and punching him with all the force her small frame could generate.
Hinata's chest was heaving, adrenaline through the roof. The cold air was burning her exposed face. She looked down at the whiskered boy, his hair dyed slightly darker because of his blood, unable to open one of his eyes. His other eye though, unbelievably blue, held an unbelievable amount of sorrow. His head was still cocked to the side from her strike.
"I wondered why you came over here," the boy Naruto whispered. Hinata jumped off of him. She looked around. She saw that the red scarf that he had been wearing was ripped and grabbed it, running as far away from the strange boy as she could.
Halfway back to where she believed the compound to be, she ran into Ko who almost spilt the tea he planned on drinking with Hinata.
"Hinata-sama what are you doing, are you alright? What is that in your hands?" Hinata's adrenaline was still pumping.
"I want to go home."
"Hinata-sama what happened," Ko was worried.
"I want to go home!" Ko was taken aback; the heiress had never ordered anything before.
"Yes Hinata-sama."
As the two turned around and headed back towards the compound, Ko tried to pry information from Hinata without success. She was tight-lipped about what ever had happened while he was gone. Hinata on the other hand didn't know how she felt. Things had changed in a very short time, but some things had become clear.
She now hated winter evenings. She hated her father and herself. She hated the boy named Naruto Uzumaki. She didn't know why she took the infuriating boy's scarf, but she would keep it. A fire within her heart had been lit in the coldest of winters and she could not stop thinking about the redheaded boy that she hated.
A/N: Chapter 1 complete, tell me what you think and stuff, till next time.