Hinata ran through the park as fast as her five-year old legs would carry her. Some of the students from the Academy were playing Hide and Seek during their break from training, herself included. There was a 'no jutsu' rule set in place, making sure no one was at a disadvantage.
Jumping behind a bush, she tucked her knees to her chest and made herself as small as possible. Peaking through the bushes, she watched the others around her, making sure to stay hidden in the process. It was Niisan's turn to count and everyone else was racing to find good places to hide.
She watched as Sasuke climbed a tree and hid behind the leaves and as Rock Lee hid behind the slide. Naruto, being the brightly colored boy he was, had a harder time, but finally found a place behind a bench where he could some-what blend in. Gaara, who was visiting, managed to find another hiding place similar to hers, in some bushes on the other side of the park.
When she saw Neji begin to look, she ducked back down and listened closely for his footsteps. What she heard instead was a group of children standing by the bush who, apparently, didn't realize she was there.
"Look at them, playing Hide and Seek like a bunch of little kids. They're supposed to be ninja in training. Where do they get off acting so immature?"
Hinata knew who they were; they were some of the other kids from the Academy. They were part of the majority: They came from civilian families, knew very little of the actual shinobi world, and thought that because they were in training to be ninja, they were above all others. Sadly, Hinata thought with knowledge beyond that of a normal five-year old, just like the rest of the majority of students at the Academy, they wouldn't become shinobi.
They didn't know how the world really worked. They were from happy, loving families who would support them no matter what. And when they failed, their parents would comfort them and take them out to an 'I'm sorry you didn't make it, but I still love you anyway' dinner. They would go home and tell their families how unfair life is and their families, in turn, would listen and baby them and tell them everything was going to be okay and they would live their lives, eventually forgetting their once upon a time dream of being a shinobi or a kunoichi.
Looking back through the bushes at her cousin and friends, she saw that Neji had just found Naruto and was closing in on Lee. As she watched them, smiling, her thoughts again took over and she went back to crouching unseen.
Unlike the children by the bush and the rest of the Academy's majority, her and her friends were from the minority. They knew the horrors of the world more than any children their age should. They knew them because they lived them, not out on the front lines, not yet at least, but at home, with their "families". They came from the harsh side of reality where the word "family" means little to nothing and the only way you're worth something in anyone's eyes is to earn it by being ruthless and fearless. They had never had the luxury of being real kids.
So, they played Hide and Seek, and they ran around and acted like fools sometimes. They acted like kids because, for now, they could. When they became shinobi and kunoichi, they knew their childhood would soon end.
"I found you Hinata-sama!" Neji-niisan exclaimed. Hinata giggled and ran away, with Neji right behind her, chasing her, trying to stop her before she reached the base.
Yes, they knew how limited their childhood was, so they struggled to hang onto it, grasping on to that last bit of sweetness the world would allow them before thrusting them into the world of battles and blood and death and destruction. They knew how easily childhood could be taken away, so they held onto it, desperately, for as long as they could.