Sorry that this is rushed XP

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It was sometime in the heart of summer when Naruto and Hinata were placed within the same four-man team with Shikamaru and Kiba. After Sasuke abandoned- or as Naruto would say "took a vacation" from- Konoha, their Team 7 broke up. They ended up dissolving within the other groups of shinobi as if they were never a team at all. On the inside, they knew that a team would probably never work out between them again. Internal conflict drove them apart. To be specific, the thought of Sasuke as no longer a comrade any more was not acceptable. Their group would only remind them of him, and even with Kakakashi's gentle coaxing of reassurance towards their team's strength, he knew too well that their four-man group was finished.

Tsunade understood, a little too well, how words could not penetrate the reckless boy. In fact, he could turn what ever she told him against her. It appeared that he had a knack for switching people's ideals and opinions in life. A unique gift was what she classified it as. Either way, she had to find him a new team. Even if she could manage somehow to make him agree to remain within team 7, her new subordinate apprentice was just as thick headed as her blonde friend. It would be nearly impossible to make them both agree. A rearrangement of all the ex-genin was in order. Having all become chuunin, being able to work with different shinobi as teammates was essential to the ninja experience.

There was a second problem however. There was not much complaint coming from Sakura's end, but Naruto was another case. It looked as if he wouldn't partner up with anybody except for Sasuke. Though he never said it, everyone could see it written on his face. The message wasn't cryptic, but plainly opened toward the world. As much as he tried to hide his morose attitude towards Sasuke's absence, it was just as blatant as his personality.

When alone with the Hokage in her office, he clearly stated that he did not need any team members to drag him down. Tsunade chuckled at that, but it was only half hearted. His bright character dimmed somewhat after Sasuke left the village. She wondered if the boy had unconsciously taken on the personality of Uchiha Sasuke.

Continuing his altercation with the woman, he argued some more regarding a team. In truth, Naruto believed that he was quite convincing over the matter. He said: "I don't need, or want a team! You know who I am right? I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage! Why should I be placed in a four man team? They'll just be a hinderance. Besides…" he was starting to grow gloomy. "I don't want people I care about to get hurt because of me. I have Rasengan, summoning, and kyuubi. They're enough. Look, you even said I was really strong. Strong enough to one day become Hokage!" He raised his hand and held thumb and index finger a few centimeters apart from each other. "I'm this close to becoming a Jounin already. You said it yourself! Tsunade no baa-san…"

"Shut up!" Replied Tsunade. The independent prick was starting to get on her nerves. What ever happened to the old Naruto? Where was the annoying little kid who changed her heart? "Listen up, because I will not repeat myself. I will not try to cajole you into a team because that's not necessary. I think you are the person who his forgetting who I am! I am the current Hokage of Konoha and I am the arbiter of everyone within this village which means you listen to me! Not the other way around! Understand?"

Naruto could have said more but when Tsunade stabbed the table with her pointer finger, shattering the whole desk, he decided to just go with her words. "If you're so worried about your comrades, use the powers you have to protect them. That is what a true Hokage does. Any more complaining…" she held her thumb and index finger close together. "You'll be that close to the same fate as my desk." Naruto gulped as he glanced at the pile of dust around Tsunade's feet. It was an augury of his potential future condition.

"Fine."

Being on the same team with Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata wasn't so bad. At least he knew them and could trust them. Hinata was quite pleased with the situation; to be exact, she was ecstatic, but she hid all that within herself and kept quiet around Naruto. She often smiled as she watched his back.

Hinata sometimes wondered how she was able to obtain Naruto's love and affection. She was always too shy before to tell him her deep inner most feelings. The most she could let out was a meek stutter and a rosy blush. Sex appeal definitely was not a factor. But she changed. Naruto taught her how to be most out-going and open towards other people. She no longer was that dark weirdo everyone thought she was. Hinata was now a cheerful and receptive member in society, though she was still shyer than most people. When alone with her thoughts, she sometimes thought about their love. She knew, or believed wholly, that their love was true and pure. In worst case scenario, it was just gratitude and not real. It was because they started getting together after the incident.

What was the incident?

Hinata liked to have thought of it as her most heroic act ever. She saved Naruto's life. At least he said she did. The feeling was mutual for her, though the praise was welcomed warmly.

The event was blurry. The mission was just any regular mission: a simple assassination. Their team had received a mission the moment they became Jounin, without even the time to celebrate. Really though, the mission should have been left to ANBU but at that moment, many countries were asking Konoha for assistance. They were in fact up to their ears with missions that Chuunin had to even take on missions within the Jounin level.

The weather was terrible. There was rain, and lots of it. Akamaru had trouble locating their target, and they had to rely on Hinata's Byakugan. So much pressure was on her back and she didn't want to disappoint them, especially Naruto. Naruto began reassuring her and her abilities when he noticed her shaking. They were all shaking; it was cold, but Hinata was shaking most, even though she was wearing the warmest clothes. She had spotted the enemy, but it was too late. It all happened so fast. Kiba was hurt and uncouncious, Shikamaru was busy holding much of the enemy with his shadow, and Naruto was seriously injured. He had been impaled though the shoulder with a poisoned kunai.

Hinata was guarding Naruto as three kunai were easily deflected by her own. Naruto's vision was nebulous and cloudy, but he still recognized Hitata's posture and used all his energy to tell her to run away and that he'd be fine because he wouldn't die so easily.

Hinata only shook her head. "Sorry Naruto-kun. I can't do that."

"Go! If you don't, you're going to die." Naruto warned. His words began to muddle as he gurgled up blood and coughed it out.

"You taught me to believe in myself and not to be afraid. I trust your words and will not back down. I will protect everyone here and I will protect you, Naruto-kun. My promise of a life time; I will not let you die. That is my word. That is my ninja way."

Naruto was speechless but a feeling of confidence washed over him. Hinata would be fine.

When Naruto opened his eyes, the rain had stopped. It was the next morning and everyone was alive. When he began asking what happened, he felt the stinging throb in his shoulder and clutched it painfully. He heard someone crying and looked to see Hinata hunched over him, holding the hand of his injured arm. The tears that were falling from her eyes were comparable to the rain of last night's storm. When he locked eyes with her, a smile spread across her face.

How had he survived, he inquired. The burn from the poison was still fresh in his memory. He should have died by now. Hinata held out her hand, holding a small empty vial.

"Sakura gave this to me. It's an antidote that she prepared for us."

"You're sure troublesome. It's a good thing we had that antidote or you'd be a goner. Sakura was worried about you. She even made extra and one specifically made for Akamaru." Added Shikamaru.

Naruto sat up and nodded. He'd thank Sakura after he came back, even when she'd probably scold him. There were many things he wanted to know, but most importantly, he wanted to figure out: "What the hell happened here?"

Kiba smirked. "Hinata saved your life. That's what happened."

Naruto looked at Hinata again. She just turned her head and blushed.

"Heh. Thank you Hinata-chan."

All those years of practice lead up to this point and she could now proudly claim her legacy within the Hyuuga head family.

After their return to Konoha, as expected, Sakura reprimanded Naruto to point where everyone thought he might collapse. She showed so much animosity at the point, that it was a surprise when she just stopped talking and gave him a hug. She whispered something in his ears and then walked away with Tsunade.

With the many requests finished, the shinobi of Konoha had plenty of free time. In Naruto's point of view, there was a little too much free time. He began talking with Hinata a lot more and she would join him whenever he ate at Ichiraku Ramen, which was almost all the time. Some would say that there was a spark. Some said it was fate; someone, like Neji. Others thought it was just plain romantic. Everyone knew that Hinata had a crush on Naruto; everyone expect Naruto that is. Although he was a bright elite ninja, his people skills still lacked a little.

Everyone decided to get Naruto and Hintata together. They did silly stuff like pushing her into Naruto, sending flowers to each other, and slamming their heads together into a forced kiss. Most of those ideas were Kiba's.

Naruto started to sense something wrong with the atmosphere. It was as if the gods kept pushing him towards Hinata. He liked her and all, but… He began to feel weird each time they met, a feeling he couldn't describe. Every time she blushed, it was so cute that he wanted to make her blush again. Every time she smiled at him, he couldn't help but keep her smiling.

Once, he was stunned when she showed him that smile he loved. He gulped and his hands grew clammy. "Wow, Hinata… y… you're really… pretty." Everything was a flash after that. They had time to date and be in each other's companionship almost all the time. Any small missions they received were finished within a few hours and all their free time spent together.

It reached the heart of summer once again when Naruto and Hinata met at the bridge. It was a regular date of walking together through the village. The only difference was that Naruto proposed to Hinata on that day.

Of course Hinata was happy, but her clan wasn't so sure. They thought it over and over but could not get past the thought of it being anything but a double edged sword. The plus was that Hinata would be marrying a relative of the Yondaime, but the downside was that Naruto was still in fact the Kyuubi. No matter how they looked at it, Naruto would be Kyuubi. Only the fact that he was related to the Yondaime and one of the top ninjas in Konoha outweighed the Kyuubi. In the end, the Hyuuga clan gave permission for Naruto to marry Hinata.

The wedding was joyous and of course children were to be expected in the near future. Konoha was in a state of peace so having children at that time was a good idea. While the young couple was awaiting the arrival of their first child, Naruto found another past time. Sake. He'd have a few drinks with his friends at night. Although he didn't hold the alcohol down very well, all the ramen he ate with it absorbed it.

When the first child arrived, a name had not been picked yet. He decided to have a drink with his friend to celebrate after he visited Hinata and his daughter in the hospital. After a few drinks, he decided on a name for the girl.

"How about Sushiko? I like that. I'm going to call her Sushiko." Naruto slurred, taking a sip of his sake.

Lee almost spit out his water. "Are you serious!"

"Maybe you should think about this when you're sober." Added Neji.

"No… I've decided to call her Sushiko. That's a promise of a lifetime!" Naruto hollered and stood up from his seat. "I'm going to tell Hinata that right now."

Naruto left the bar they were in and ran wobbly towards the hospital. Lee sighed. "He can't change his mind after making that promise."

"What a stupid rule." Neji mumbled.

Hinata didn't argue with Naruto about the name because she trusted Naruto. She even asked him to name their second child. Naruto celebrated again at the bar and again he was drinking and eating with his friends. He thought hard about what to name the next child. It should be something meaningful and bring good luck to the family, he thought. He was about to eat more Ramen when he realized that his bowl was empty.

"Waitress, more Ramen please!"

The waitress bowed humbly and apologized embarrassingly for they were out of Ramen. Naruto stared at the empty bowl in front of him and an idea popped into his head.

"I know exactly what I will call my son!" Naruto proclaimed amongst his companions. He stood up and held a fist to everyone. "It's a promise of a life time!"

Neji sighed. "Please don't let it be something stupid like…"

"Ramenmaru!"

Everyone collapsed, but they were expecting something of that level. Once again he had promised to never change the name and once again he was drunk. This was to be expected from Naruto and they could only pray for his children.

"I've gotta hurry and tell Hinata!" Naruto yelled as he ran out the door.

"Sushiko and Ramenmaru huh?" Shikamaru pondered. "What troublesome names."

Years soon passed them by like the wind. Hinata quit life as a ninja in order to take care of the children. Naruto had continued to pursue his dream of becoming Hokage, leading ANBU in just a few months. It appeared as if there was no end to his growing strength and it was clear to everyone that one day they might be calling him Hikage-sama.

What about their children?

Sushiko was a very happy young girl, picking bouquets of flowers for her mother and father by the playground. As time continued and Naruto at last claimed the Hokage title, though it was not unexpected, she turned into somewhat of a spoiled child. She was quite popular with the guys and seemed to have had her father's upbeat attitude passed down through her. After her father became Hokage, her flamboyancy grew a little overboard. Being treated so specially by the villagers, Sushiko developed a small dependence towards them. Everything was pretty much taken for granted in other people's opinions about her.

The life of a shinobi was far on her list of things to do, but being the daughter of the Hokage meant she was to follow near his footsteps. Besdies, her father always talked about the possibility of her children becoming the next future Hokage. Looking back at her little brother, she realized that only she could fill out those shoes, not Ramenmaru. There was pressure for her to do well in the academy, and she always was one of the top students in the class. After all, she had Hyuuga blood running through her veins. Although she'd rather do other things besides missions, she knew that she had to keep up appearances and be the kunoichi that the village expected from her.

Ramanmaru on the other hand was completely different from his sister. He seemed to have received every bit of personality from his mother, down to the very posture of his feet; the only exception was the way his hair spiked up like his father's. He was a smart young man, but too shy to say anything to anyone. Socializing was not one of his strong points and Naruto did all he could to help open him up.

How was he going to hold up the claim to the right as the Hokage's son when he was always too afraid to speak his mind? Sometimes he'd sit in his room, thinking about how he would approach people, but when the time came to do it, he always chickened out. It didn't help that his sister constantly mocked him; she always had a lot of friends, what did she know about how hard a time he was having? It was difficult being alone, and his silent personality was in no way ameliorating the situation.

Although the two had their differences, they both shared a tacit agreement with each other about their lives. They could become great shinobi one way or another and bring honor and pride to their family. Being from the Hyuuga clan and children of the Hokage, it was their task- their duty- to do the best for their village. For in the end, being the Hokage's children was a special privilege that few were allowed to experience and the love for their village will push them to become great and talented members of Konoha.

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A few notes:

1) Sushiko is a brunette and Ramenmaru has the same hair color as Hinata. They both have Byakugan, becauase I'm going to assume that it's a dominant trait.

2) thanks for reading :]