The snow that recently fell crunched under a young boy's feet, leaving a trail behind. It did not matter if he was the first to disturb the fresh blanket; it would soon be trampled by the careless students of the Academy the next day anyway. Prints in the snow alerted the redhead to a few children, who seemed to have entered a small patch of trees.
One wearing a cap shouted, "C' mon, apologize! You stuck up noble!" The redhead's eyes widened as he saw a dark-haired girl on her hands and knees surrounded by three older boys. Anger burned itself into existence from a spark of disgust. Silently the boy approached the group and took a deep breath.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" he began, "And I won't let you continue being jerks in this village!" The three other boys turned to face the redhead and smirked before mocking laughter rumbled to life.
"You, Hokage? Don't make me laugh," the boy in the cap said. Without warning, he pulled back his fist and struck a whiskered cheek. Naruto collapsed onto the dirt, feeling the cold of the light snow seep into his thin clothing.
"That shows hi-" A swift tackle cut the boy off, which sent him to the ground along with the thing that hit him. Naruto stumbled to his feet once more before the other two boys, who remained idle until now, grabbed his arms and slammed him back into the dirt.
The boy picked himself off the ground before quickly wiping his pants off. He walked towards Naruto until he loomed over him like a giant. The shadows on his face seemed to make his already wicked smile turn into a demonic one.
"I'll show you what happens when you pick a fight against more experienced fighters!" Cap-boy said. He demonstrated by punching his left palm and imitated the typical expression of the adults when the redhead was nearby.
Cap-boy threw everything he had into every punch; bruises formed seconds later. Eventually, a voice broke the sound of the boy's blows hitting flesh. "Lady Hinata!" The three bullies ran in the opposite direction of the call, leaving a battered Naruto and a terrified Hinata.
"Let's go Lady Hinata," the man, who had shouted earlier said. He ignored the quiet, barely audible buts spoken by the child he was towing behind him. The demon brat was not something that the current Hyuga heir needed to be seen associating with.
That was the last time Hinata saw Naruto, until the first day of the Ninja Academy; which was a few short months after the incident. The Hyuga's face burned with heat as she saw the redhead. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as Naruto climbed the stairs in between the desks. In a turn of events, Hinata did not have to call to him, as he sat beside her on his own free will.
Hinata continued to watch Naruto as he looked around the room with eyes filled with hope; however, there was a faint glimmer of fear. Without thinking, Hinata grabbed his hand. A blush brightened the girl's face as Naruto turned his head towards her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked. Hinata swayed before she fainted, and fell onto the floor. He kneeled beside her as the people around them looked toward them. Naruto pulled his limbs closer to his body on instinct under the stares but was determined to help the girl before him. He pulled on her arms until she was in a sitting position before he spun around, then he pulled her onto his back.
Naruto ran down the stair towards the door, as he reached for the door awkwardly, it opened. A man with a scar across his nose stared in shock as at the redhead with the Hyuga heiress on his back. It took a moment before either of them could react.
"What's going on here?" the man asked sternly. Naruto felt his muscles tense at the raised voice but took a deep breath once the man gave a questioning look.
"This girl passed out, so I was going to take her to the hospital!" The man sighed before he entered the room.
"There is a nurse's office near the entrance, just before the stairs," the man said, "Please hurry back after dropping her off." Naruto grinned in thanks before he ran from the room.
Naruto walked towards the nurse's office shortly after lunch period began; he wanted to apologize to the girl, just in case her passing out was his fault. As he was nearing his destination, the redhead heard a man shout. Naruto stopped in place just as a man in loose robes and a haori walked passed him, and was closely followed by the girl. She hesitantly met his eyes before turning away with a blush.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Naruto asked.
"Home," the girl stuttered. The man from before turned to him and glared intensely. White eyes bore into Naruto, who completely froze. Hinata threw herself onto the pale-eyed man and clutched his clothing.
"Father, l-"
"I will be watching you, Uzumaki," Hiashi said sternly. He grasped Hinata's wrist before he pulled her from the building.
'That KI was... scary,' Naruto thought. A shudder ran through his body. Blue eyes stared into the abyss om the direction of the exit.
Naruto lost track of time as he remained in the same spot Hinata left him. A weight that was placed on his shoulder made the redhead jump. Naruto hesitantly, and slowly, turned his head to see Iruka standing behind him.
"It's time for class, please head to the training area," Iruka instructed before heading into the nurse's office. Naruto shook his head before he slapped his cheeks a couple of times.
"I can do this!" Naruto assured himself. With that, he ran down the hallway with a grin on his face. The few straggling classmates Naruto passed gave him annoyed looks as he rushed by them. Whatever Iruka had planned, was bound to be good. The door before Naruto was nearly tackled open.
The wind tussled red locks as Naruto ran toward the back of the building. The buzz of various conversations became louder as he rounded the corner. Multiple posts and targets were arranged around the area. An obnoxious voice broke through Naruto's stupor.
"I can already use chakra," a brown-haired boy complained to a boy in a light grey hooded jacket. Naruto could not quite make out the quiet reply from the other boy, not that it mattered; the redhead was just happy to have the ability to use chakra himself. Naruto walked towards a post before he turned around and sat down before it. The wood felt rough even through the fabric of his shirt.
"Alright class, listen up! Today you'll be learning to draw on, and use your chakra to hold a leaf on your forehead." Iruka said shortly after arriving in the training ground.
"But we already know how to use chakra!" the same obnoxious voice from before shouted. Naruto could see a tick mark make itself at home on the man's head.
"Everyone has to learn this exercise regardless," Iruka said, "But if you'd rather fail this class I can have your mother sign a form to hold you back a year." The obnoxious boy paled at that, the only sound from him was a whimper.
After a moment, Iruka cut a leaf from one of the trees and pressed it to his forehead. Shushed murmurs were scattered among the students. Suddenly it twirled off Iruka and stuck to a pink-haired girl's forehead. Said girl peeled the leaf off her forehead, and looked it over in wonder.
"Everyone please come get a leaf." A line had somehow formed, even though it was rather messy and branch off in several places. Naruto wandered towards the end of a branch and watched how each of his classmates scattered. Small groups began to form as the line shortened. Before long Naruto obtained his own leaf and returned to the place, he had been sitting in before.
"For those of you who don't know how to draw on chakra let me explain how," Iruka said, "You have to first start by meditating, which means you have to sit cross-legged, shut your eyes and take deep, slow breaths. Afterwards, I want you to use the ram seal you were taught earlier, and try to feel the energy flowing within your body."
'Alright, that sounds easy enough,' Naruto thought. Naruto pulled his legs towards his body before he made the ram seal. Each breath made the slight feeling of a river grow larger. When the redhead felt confident, he placed his leaf on his forehead. Naruto tried to focus his chakra to his forehead, but only felt the leaf brush passed his nose.
Naruto let out a huffed breath as he opened his eyes. Chakra was not something that could be used without training; it seemed. A smile tugged at Naruto's move, as he closed his eyes once more. He was glad for the challenge, it would give him something to do at home.
Naruto threw out his instant ramen cup before he returned to his room. The leaf from his training at school laid on the rickety table beside his bed. Once again, Naruto picked it up and sat on the floor in a meditative position.
Chakra flowed evenly through Naruto's body before it began to gather to his forehead. The leaf briefly stuck to his skin before it flew away with a burst of chakra. Naruto grumbled as he stood up to grab it, that is when he noticed a tear.
"I wonder how that happened," Naruto thought aloud, "I guess it doesn't matter, I can still use it." With that, Naruto returned to his training.