Hey you guys, I'm back and I'm not dead, although I might be since some of you will probably be angry with me for just disappearing for who knows how many months and then out of nowhere telling you guys that I've discontinued Not Just Rivals and will be rewriting it. The story had some major plot issues and in the process of rewriting it I decided to add a back story to the beginning so that the attempted suicide scene would make more sense. I ended up getting a plot bunny and now I have a whole new plot. The first chapter from N.J.R might be included if I can get around to it. I'm really really sorry. First I lost the new chapter, then I realized there was no new chapter, and when I tried to make one, I just couldn't; I'd muddled up the plot beyond repair and had to redo the story. Then I had school and then... well I got more reasons and excuses than Kakashi, wanna hear 'em? Of course not.

P.S this chapter has 5,172 words, is that enough for you to find it in your hearts to break my legs instead of my arms so I can continue to write? Although I do need my legs for running track...

Disclaimer (because I always wanted to do one in the original story): No, I'm not Masashi Kishimoto in disguise pretending to be a fellow fan fiction writer so I can hammer out my ideas.

Now, onto Not Just Rivals Rewritten: Ushinawa Ai vs Uzumaki Naruto!

Before you read, I must provide you with a better summary... When Naruto henges simply to be able to buy things from a shop without being kicked out, his henge receives a name. The henge, Ushinawa Ai becomes popular and has everything Naruto lost on that fateful day when he became a jinchūriki . Slowly, as Naruto becomes withdrawn and Ai gains popularity, Ai becomes Naruto's alternate personality. But Ai isn't the real Naruto and the only ones who miss him are the ones he let see his true self (Hinata and the lover mentioned in the summary). Will they be able to save the real Naruto, or will he become lost in his dreams and disappear completely, leaving Ai in his place?

He felt a firm hand grasp his ankle just before he hit the water. This time Naruto didn't even look up to see whether his teammate was smug or exasperated with having to save him. He was dropped unceremoniously on the dusty ground. Preparing himself for his teammates' scolds and chides, the young genin tried to block out the voices berating him. "Naruto, you should be more careful! You're lucky Sasuke-kun saved you!" No, I'm not. Naruto thought in response to the female voice's comment.

"Stop getting in the way, dobe." Of course, an arrogant reprimand from the-oh-so-mighty Sasuke Uchiha. Their jounin-sensei, tall silver haired, albeit young, man didn't say much; he just sighed and looked slightly disappointed. Picking himself up, Naruto trudged back into the river and continued picking up trash. Shame filled his entire being, he was a failure; he couldn't even help his teammates with a simple d-rank mission. He had been dead last in the Ninja Academy, and his skills still weren't much to speak of. On top of that, he had some random demon sealed in his gut and the majority of the civilians and ninjas hated him for it. Even the people who didn't know hated him for it.

Stabbing a piece of plastic rather forcefully, Naruto placed it in his bag. Naruto felt frustrated as well as shamed, every one loved Sasuke. Even if Sasuke was alone, he didn't have to be. He was a natural genius and had a butt load of talent. All the girls loved him and all the villagers, too. Naruto was almost alone. He had Iruka and the third Hokage, but even they couldn't be there for him all the time. When he looked up, the river was clean and the mission over. Naruto followed silently after his teammates and sensei to collect their mission pay. Naruto perked up slightly at the idea of being paid. If he could perfect his henge technique, then he could disguise himself as a civilian and buy food. Naruto grinned at the Sandaime, taking his money, and said, "Isn't it great, I'm getting paid now!" Sarutobi chuckled at the young genin's cheekiness but his good natured smile faltered when he heard the pink haired girl mutter something about Naruto not deserving his pay. He didn't like the flicker of hurt that crossed the blond shinobi's countenance, either. Naruto left the Hokage's office rather quickly and hurried to his apartment.

Absently sitting on the window seat, the boy pulled out a shuriken and held it in his hand, observing it. He then flicked it across his right fore arm and watched as a red line appeared. He didn't feel like he was bleeding blood, he felt as if he was bleeding pain and loneliness. He felt his frustration drain away as he fell on his side, feeling a bit woozy as his cut healed itself. He didn't hear the clatter of the shuriken as it hit the floor; he was long gone by then. His eyes glazed over and his face froze in an expression of surprise as if he were seeing something other than his small apartment.

"Baka, baka, how stupid look at the retarded demon kid he thinks he can be a ninja." Cruel voices teased and laughed at a small blond kid in an over-sized white t-shirt and blue shorts. He shrank back from the malicious crowd, semi-circled around him. In the background he saw a small pale girl with lavender eyes watching him with a regretful expression. She didn't hate him, and that was enough to get him through. The thought that someone didn't hate him numbed him to the pushes, and punches, and pinches, and kicks that the crowd had started to shower him with. It protected him from the hurtful insults and cruel remarks…

Blinking slowly, Naruto shook himself and got up. How long had he been out? Shuffling around the space, Naruto opened his fridge. Alas it was empty, and just when he needed to eat, as his stomach painfully reminded him. Naruto went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He made a henge and inspected it. He had been transformed into a boy a little taller than himself with dirty blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. Naruto was now slightly tanned as compared to his normal pasty color and he wore a black over-sized t-shirt with a red leaf symbol on the middle and black shorts.

Grinning, Naruto grabbed his Froggy wallet as he left his room. It was still pretty light outside, so he couldn't have been out too long. The now dirty blond shinobi wandered through Konoha, wondering what to buy for dinner. Counting the money in his wallet, and realized that it wasn't much. With his hopes of buying dinner at a shop crushed, Naruto headed toward a stand that sold various fruits and vegetables. There was an array of different fruits and vegetables to choose from, but the blond had to be practical. Selecting chrysanthemum leaves, winter melon, bean sprouts, daikon, and bok choy. Paying for the food, he moved on to another stand that sold meat. He didn't have much money left, so he quickly bought some goat meat and then left in search of a stand that sold bread. He bought some egg noodles and a loaf of melon bread. Feeling satisfied with his groceries, he took them home and began to prepare something for dinner. He made a soup with daikon, bean sprouts, egg noodles, goat, bok choy, and chrysanthemum leaves.

The soup simmered slowly. To distract himself from his hunger, Naruto cleaned his apartment. It was only when he passed a mirror when he realized that he still had his henge. Releasing the jutsu, Naruto felt slightly relieved. Padding into the small bedroom, Naruto spied a shuriken on the floor, covered in dried blood. Naruto felt at peace, the sting of the shuriken or any sharp metal object really, took away the other things he felt. After he got his "fix" Naruto always felt strangely at peace. Maybe it had something to do with the flash backs he had, especially the pleasant ones. Naruto had just finished washing the shuriken when he could smell that the soup was ready.

Turning off the stove, Naruto ladled some of the soup in to the bowl and sat at the table with a pair of chop sticks. Gazing at the soup meditatively Naruto thought about the peace that he felt. How long would it be until he was hurt again, until he was bogged down in sorrow and frustration? Sighing plaintively, Naruto muttered a quick 'Itadakimas' before digging in to his food. The soup was absolutely delicious and he wolfed it all down. It was the first good meal he'd had in a month. When he got depressed, he never had much of an appetite. And when he did, he didn't have the energy to go and get food. Pretending to be okay took up so much energy. Being full for the first time in a month was a pleasant thing. Clearing up from his meal, Naruto wondered when his next mission would be. Hoping that they would get another mission soon, at this point Naruto would have been grateful for even an e-rank mission, Naruto headed to bed. Falling asleep was easy; sleep always came fast on the day he got a fix. And if he was lucky, he would sleep well every night that week.

Smiling in his sleep, Naruto was in a land of sweet dreams...

Naruto noticed the pale eyed girl sitting all alone on a swing. Sitting on the swing next to her he asked if she wanted to play. "Sure!" she sounded surprised, but pleased. Hardly anyone reacted to him this way. They swung higher and higher until Naruto went flying off his swing. Somersaulting in the air, Naruto turned so that he landed on his feet. The impact of the fall caused him to bounce a few times. "Wee! This is so cool!" Naruto cried happily. The girl smiled at him and clapped. He heard clapping behind him, too. He turned around and saw Iruka-sensei clapping as he came towards Naruto, "well done, Naruto-kun. That was a great trick! You have a great sense of balance." Ruffling Naruto's hair, Iruka looked up and saw Hinata shyly standing a few feet away, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is… what's your name?"

"Ano… I'm…"

And the dream ended. Naruto felt slightly disappointed that he didn't learn the name of his new friend. It had been such a wonderful dream, Iruka had been proud of him and the girl was his new friend. It was a terrible shame that the real world didn't work that way. Maybe he could make part of that dream real if he worked really hard, he could still impress Iruka. Maybe Sakura would agree to go on a date with him, or even just go somewhere as friends. Pleased with the cheerful prospect, Naruto went into the kitchen to make breakfast. He wondered how often people had winter melon for breakfast. Naruto brushed his teeth and showered. The water came out in freezing bullets that stung, but got him super clean. Pulling on a Black t-shirt and his orange pants and jacket, Naruto headed out.

The air was humid and warm and Naruto suspected that it might rain. He wandered to training ground seven and noticed his not so cheerful teammates. "Jeez, Naruto, you're so late." Sakura whined. Sasuke ignored him, which was just as well since he found the raven's arrogant remarks rather hurtful and annoying.

"Good morning to you too, Sakura-chan. Sasuke," Naruto greeted his teammates. Walking to a random tree, Naruto took out some red and white paint (don't ask where he got it, he's the king of pranks, of course he has paint, I mean did you see the Hokage Monument?) and painted a bulls eye on it. He set the paint down and went to stand about ten feet away from the target. Taking out a shuriken, he held it by the point and tossed it at the target and watched it fly. The shuriken reminded Naruto of a miniature Frisbee. Too bad the Frisbee didn't hit the center; it barely nicked the tree the target was painted on. Naruto threw another shuriken. This time, he threw it more like a Frisbee. It hit the dead center of the bull's eye. Trying it again, it hit just next to the previous shuriken. Smiling, Naruto tossed two shuriken which embedded in the target. The next one hit the shuriken that was over the center of the bull's eye. Naruto backed up five feet and continued practicing. It took him more attempts to hit the mark this time. He continued his target practice until Kakashi showed up.

"Good throw Naruto, glad to see at least one of you is doing something worthwhile. Shinobi and kunoichi shouldn't be too idle." Naruto grinned. He couldn't wait until he told Iruka about this, he had done something right, for once, and someone seemed genuinely happy that he had done well. Naruto was on his way to making his good dream a semi-reality. He thought his day would be a great one.

"You're late!" Sakura accused peevishly.

"Thanks captain obvious," Sasuke rolled his eyes; he had long given up expecting his sensei to be on time.

"What's with those two?" the late sensei asked Naruto.

"Who knows? Wouldn't they have figured out by now to arrive later?"

"I guess not," the silver haired sensei looked back at the cranky genin.

"Well, aren't we going to start training?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

"Hm? I was waiting for you." Kakashi looked up from his book which he had just pulled out.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and Sakura spoke up, "If you don't train us, how will we get stronger?"

"By shutting up so that you live another day to make time," Naruto answered wisely, noticing the tic mark on their sensei's head.

"No one asked you, baka, jeez, you're so annoying!"

Naruto sighed and muttered, "You don't have to be so cross…"

"Okay!" Kakashi announced cheerfully, closing his book. Not that the three genin knew it, but he was going to have some fun messing with them since they were so cantankerous, their reactions would be hilarious.

"Okay, what?" Sakura asked.

"We're going to start training!", and with that Kakashi was gone.

"Where did he go?" Naruto asked looking left and right repeatedly and then looking up and down. Not seeing their teacher, he thought the training would be to find him. "Oh, I get it! We're supposed to find Kakashi-sensei for our training; if we can find him then we can find anybody!" He noticed Sasuke and Sakura sneaking away. Naruto asked them, "Hey, where are you going?"

"To go find sensei, dobe," Sasuke said. Naruto blinked, "Okay then, I'll go see if I can find him…"

""Whatever," Sasuke left and of course, Sakura followed. Hurt that his teammates had left him alone, Naruto turned to go find their sensei on his own. Where would Kakashi-sensei hide? Somewhere really clever, where they would never think to look… somewhere once they found out where would make them feel like total idiots. Behind a tree! Naruto looked behind all the trees, no luck. Maybe their sensei would be hiding under a rock? Naruto began looking under medium sized rocks. If his sensei was in a hole in the ground under a rock, then he would have to find a random empty spot under the ground.

Naruto pressed his ear to the ground. Maybe he could hear some sign of his missing sensei. Listening intently, Naruto could have sworn he heard someone breathing irregularly, as if to stifle a giggle. Smiling, Naruto walked over to the spot and stuck a kunai in the ground over the spot. If he tried to dig into his sensei's hideout, Kakashi would hear him and leave, the only other way to dig a hole really fast was a paper bomb. Attaching a paper bomb to the handle of the kunai, Naruto leaped away from it. "Kai!" the paper bomb blew up and Kakashi, who had just managed to tunnel far enough away not to die in the explosion, pulled himself up to the edge of the newly made gaping hole. "So you found me."

"I thought you might still be here. You are exactly the type of person to hide somewhere obvious where we wouldn't think to look. So I thought of all the places we wouldn't look, but would later feel retarded for not checking."

"Oh." Kakashi sweat dropped. While Naruto had found him, his thinking process was just a little off. "Very… creative and um, intuitive…"

"Well, Sasuke and Sakura were so cranky this morning you might be tempted to play a prank on them. I specialize in pranks! I painted the Hokage Monument and then managed to escape the Anbu and chuunin and jounin for more than an hour!" Naruto grinned proud of his skill. Kakashi's sweat drop grew, this seemingly dull boy managed to hide from highly skilled ninjas before graduating the academy while wearing orange. Either this boy was a semi-genius, or they really needed to reevaluate their staff.

"Where are your teammates?"

The boys smile faltered noticeably, "they ditched me and went off somewhere to find you."

"Oh well, they can find their way out of the forest on their own. Well, I have some important business to attend to, ja ne!" Kakashi waved over his shoulder as he left.

"Ja," Naruto turned and left the forest to find Iruka-sensei. Wandering through town, Naruto wondered where Iruka could be. Wandering through town he noticed Sakura and Sasuke sitting on a bench. "Hey, what are you doing over there?" Naruto called to them.

"Looking for Kakashi, baka."

"I found him already; he said he had some important business to attend to so he left."

"WHAT!" Sasuke and Sakura looked shocked. The next thing he knew, Naruto was shoved against a fence, "WHERE IS HE?"

Cowering at Sakura's anger, "How should I know? He left!" Naruto insisted.

"DON'T LIE! YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS, TELL ME!" Sakura punched him and yelled at him again, "TELL ME!"

"Sakura," Sasuke called.

"Huh?" Sakura stopped her punch mid air and turned to look at Sasuke.

"He said he doesn't know. The dobe was probably lying the whole time. He's wasting our time, let's go." Sakura finished her punch and none too gently, either.

"Itai…" Naruto muttered and rubbed his head. It hurt to think his own teammates, who he had never lied to before didn't trust him at all. They didn't want him around; they hated him just like everyone else. It was when he was trudging home that Iruka called out to him, "Hey, Naruto! How's it been?" Then noticing his injuries, Iruka rushed over and began to clean his wounds with a white cloth he'd gotten from his first-aid kit. "What happened to you?"

"Sakura hates me…" Iruka looked at Naruto with great concern in his eyes when he heard this. Iruka's concern was comforting to Naruto. He didn't really need Iruka to treat his bruises, they would be gone within another five or ten minutes, but it was nice that someone cared. It was almost like having a dad. But even Iruka's kindness couldn't fully heal the hurt that he felt at his teammates' hatred towards him.

After departing Iruka's company, Naruto went to a field to have lunch. It was a nice, balmy day and the gentle breezes were soothing. Naruto didn't do much eating, he was mostly thinking as he picked at his melon bread. He had been so close to having one good thing, but his teammates didn't even give him a chance. Maybe he had to make them see that he was worthwhile. If they didn't know that he was more than just the loud mouthed idiot they saw, then how could he blame them for how they acted? Brightening up some, Naruto began eating his lunch heartily and with new vigor. He would train on his own to become strong and then his teammates would accept him. He didn't notice that just a little darkness was still left in the corner of his heart.

Naruto wasn't sure what to do to train by himself. He supposed that physical strength and skill would be the place to start. He started with push-ups. He was only able to do twenty. Then he started doing pull ups. He managed to do ten. After that, Naruto tried to run a lap around Konoha. He made it a quarter of the way around before he was too tired to go on. Dragging himself home, pleased with his training, Naruto wondered what he would eat for dinner. The blond shinobi decided upon leftover soup and a salad would be suitable. That night, the boy had no trouble falling asleep; he'd had a tiring day. The next morning Naruto got up bright and early; the only problem was: he had nothing to do. He went outside to watch the sunrise. He gazed at the beautiful colors of the morning sky, feeling the fresh cool air making his skin tingle. Naruto sat on the railing of balcony after ten minutes since standing had grown tiresome. The sun was now about a third of the way raised, and Naruto could feel the contrast between the cool, fresh air on his skin and the warm sunshine on his face. Naruto closed his eyes in enjoyment of the feeling when someone asked him, "Oh, Naruto, I didn't know you meditated!"

"Huh?" Naruto looked down to see Iruka smiling at him, "Oh, is that what this is called? I woke up early and so I thought I'd watch the sunrise. The sun feels really good on my face."

"Oh, I see, well, keep up the meditating, it's good for your mind."

"Ne, Iruka-sensei, what are you doing out here so early?"

"Oh, I was taking a walk because it was such a nice morning. Well, I have to go get ready for the academy, see you!"

"Ja ne" Naruto waved at his former teacher's retreating form cheerily. Today was going to be a good day, and this time, it would stay good. Naruto wandered back into his apartment to look for something to eat. Not much later, the day found the said shinobi strolling through Konoha, munching on a piece of melon bread. He found himself at the bridge by the lake. Sasuke was gazing at the water with a troubled expression on his face. Naruto perched on the opposite railing and closed his eyes, facing the sun. He could feel the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the air, he could hear his breathing, and Sasuke's. Naruto thought he heard a strange pulsing sound, it was deep, rhythmic and calming… could he be hearing his and Sasuke's heartbeats? Naruto didn't have much time to ponder this as he could hear a faster pulsing accompanied by harsher breathing, and footsteps. Someone was approaching. "Whew… I'm not late." It was Sakura. "Good morning Sasuke-kun", she said sweetly. No response was heard. He heard Sakura walk over to where Sasuke was standing. "Sasuke, is anything wrong?"

"No… it's nothing."

"Naruto, what are you sleeping there for? You'll fall in the water and get us all wet!"

Naruto didn't open his eyes, "I'm meditating, not sleeping… good morning to you too, Sakura."

"Whatever.", Sakura left him alone after that. Naruto continued his meditating when he could almost hear a faint sound but not quite… "Kakashi-sensei is coming…"

As if right on cue, Kakashi appeared, "Good morning. I hope you're not too cross today, we have a mission,"

"Cross? You ditched us," Sakura said pointedly.

"No, Naruto found me, didn't he tell you?"

"He did…" Sasuke spoke up.

"Well then! Our mission is another d-rank mission, we are to catch Tora…"

"No way" Sakura protested.

"…" Sasuke glared.

"We'll take it!" Naruto chirped. His teammates shot him death glares, "What? Don't you guys need money from a mission for tools, or clothes, or rent, or food?" The glares almost softened.

"Well, go get Tora and then report to me."

"Hai!" and with that, team seven set out to catch Torah, again.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto said after a while.

"What?" Sakura snapped.

"Isn't there some kind of food or something that cats really like? If we had some then maybe Tora would smell it and come to get it. Then we could catch him."

"Well there is catnip…", Sakura said thoughtfully.

"We could use it as bait for a trap!" Sasuke once again spoke up. Ten minutes later, a catnip plant sat near a concealed rope. Tora came over to investigate the catnip plant. Tora ventured closer, eyeing the potted plant suspiciously.

"Meow!" Tora was then hanging upside down by his back paw. Naruto walked under Torah and held out an open bag. A shuriken, thrown by Sasuke, sliced through the rope and Tora fell into the bag which Naruto tied shut.

"I got him! Or her... whichever." Naruto shouted.

"Let's just return the cat so we can go." Sasuke walked away, of course he was followed by Sakura.

Madam Shijimi squished Tora in affection as she profusely thanked Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. "And the catnip was Sasuke's and my idea! Just put two intelligent brains together and you get an idea!" Sakura beamed. Naruto looked away, irritated but said nothing. Kakashi noticed this.

"Madam Shijimi? You forgot to thank Naruto," Kakashi reminded her lazily. He looked at Naruto with his eye and said, "and I think he had more to do with the retrieval of Tora than his teammates let on."

"Oh, don't be silly, there's no way such a dimwitted brat could have helped," Shijimi chuckled.

Kakashi wanted to say something else, but he couldn't exactly tell the daimyo's wife. Although being the wife of a daimyo didn't excuse anyone from such atrocious behavior. "We'll be on our way then, we have to report to the Hokage." Kakashi said, giving no hint to his irritation at Naruto's treatment.

"Alright then, see you later! Bye!" the madam waved happily as she watched the ninjas leave.

While Naruto was hurt that Madam Shijimi didn't like him and his teammates had lied, Naruto was glad that Kakashi had at least tried to stick up for him. Even if Kakashi might only be helping him because it was his job. He tried to ignore the people glaring at him as he passed by. Tired of the glares, Naruto ran into a field away from the main part of town. He was surprised to see a dark haired person picking lavender. Venturing over to the person he asked, "Who are you?"

The person looked up in surprise, which soon turned to fear as soon as they realized who he was. "Hi-hi-hi-nata Hyuuga!" the girl stammered. She had pale eyes which seemed strangely familiar.

Naruto sat down and asked, "Are you scared of me? Or are you shy?"

"Sh-shy... dreadfully so, I'm afraid." Hinata looked stunned to think that Naruto had thought she feared him.

Naruto blinked, "Oh... my name's Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you," Naruto held out his hand.

Hinata looked at his hand for a second and then took it lightly, shaking his hand with a slight squeeze, she replied, "Nice to meet you too, Naruto." she said this with soft determination.

And then he remembered. Back in the Academy when others would taunt him he would always see Hinata in the background, watching him regretfully. Sad that he was treated so, longing to help him or befriend him but too scared to do anything for him. It was Hinata who shielded him with her hate-less gaze. Hinata who never looked down on him, who truly wanted to be his friend from the start, who he could let into his own world. Smiling happily he said to the dream-Hinata, "I remember you, now. You watched over me all that time. You never hated me. And now I've found you out there, too." Dream-Hinata only smiled. Unfortunately for Naruto, the Dream-Hinata began to fade away as he was waking up...

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank all those special people who supported me in writing Not Just Rivals.

"Why are you all by yourself?"
"Hanabi didn't want to come with me, she said she'd rather train."
"Hanabi? Who's that?"
"My sister."
"I wish I had a sister."
"Do you have any brothers?"
"Nope, no known family."
"Oh, that's terrible!"
Naruto looked up, noticing that it was about lunch time, "shouldn't you be eating lunch with your teammates or family or something?"
"Ano...I probably should," Hinata began, " but I don't really want to." She admitted shyly.
"Why don't we go and have some dango instead?" Naruto suggested, happy at the prospect of having lunch with his new friend.
"Sure!" Hinata replied happily relieved that she would not have to brave lunch with Kiba (one of the said teammates). He scared her with his loud and boisterous personality, not that Naruto was much different, but at least he tried not to scare her.
As they were getting ready to leave, Naruto stopped to henge, "Transform!"
"W-what are you doing?" Hinata was blushing and startled.
"If the shopkeepers knew who I was, they would kick me out."
"Oh! Th-that's right..." Hinata remembered how she had seen the kids at the academy treat him. They seemed to hate him just like the rest of the villagers.
"So, how do I look?" Naruto had grown about an inch, gotten a tan, and his hair was a little longer as well as a more honey-brown/dirty blond color. It was his eyes that caught Hinata's attention, they still sparkled brilliantly with happiness and now mischief.
"Y-you look, um...great!"
"Thank you Hinata-chan!" Naruto enthused, grabbing Hinata's hand as he made his way toward the dango shop. Hinata blushed, smiling at the now dirty blond boy, as she followed in suit.

At the dango shop Hinata and Naruto had an animated almost one-sided conversation. Hinata was still shy and didn't talk very much. Nevertheless, Naruto learned that Hinata's favorite color was purple, she liked lilacs and lavender, loud and sudden noises scared her, and she hadn't had many friends. She had a few acquaintances, but they didn't know her very well or notice her most of the time. She wished she could be stronger and hoped to stop blushing and stuttering as much as she did. Likewise, Hinata learned that Naruto, despite being disliked by most of the village had a few acquaintances and a big-brother figure. Konohamaru considered Naruto his and Moegi's and Udon's rival, but respected him. She also learned that she was his first friend and one of the first people to accept him and one of the only people who had never hated him.

By the the time they finished eating, it was starting to get dark. "Oh dear, it's rather late for me to be out, I should be getting h-home now..." Hinata sounded regretful.
"That's alright, Hina-chan, I should probably be going too; I want to train a little before I go home. Want to train together tomorrow?"
"Sure, what time?"
"We can meet up and train before lunch, see you then?"
"H-hai, ja ne" Hinata waved as she left.
"Ja!" Naruto returned the gesture before heading home. He wandered over to the forest to train. He wasn't sure what to do, so he started doing push-ups.

"Hinata, you are late returning home." Hiashi stated.
"Gomenesai," Hinata bowed in apology.
Hiashi was surprised that Hinata hadn't stuttered, blushed, or fainted at his sudden statement. Deciding that if whatever had been keeping his daughter was making her stronger, it was alright. He didn't want to push his luck by asking her where she had been, so he decided to let her off the hook, "It is alright. You may go now," for now... Hinata thanked him and hurried out of the room. Another surprise, she hadn't run or scurried to get away from him. Hiashi mentally smiled at this development.

Naruto lay on his bed, slightly tired, as he fell asleep smiling.

Before he knew it, Naruto was back at the swing set with the pale eyed little girl. She smiled, happy to see her new friend again. "What's your name?"
"My name is Hyuuga Hinata."
"Hinata!"And then he remembered. Back in the Academy when others would taunt him he would always see Hinata in the background, watching him regretfully. Sad that he was treated so, longing to help him or befriend him but too scared to do anything for him. It was Hinata who shielded him with her hate-less gaze. Hinata who never looked down on him, who truly wanted to be his friend from the start, who he could let into his own world. Smiling happily he said to the dream-Hinata, "I remember you, now. You watched over me all that time. You never hated me. And now I've found you out there, too." Dream-Hinata only smiled. Unfortunately for Naruto, the Dream-Hinata began to fade away as he was waking up...

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it will be a while before you see the next one because I will be busy. Eight classes, plus track, plus chores equals not a lot of writing time. But please review, the reviews inspire me to make time for writing. It's nice to know someone appreciates my work. As for the romance stuff, it will come later...much later. Tell me what you think, and plese tell me if there are problems with this chapter so I can fix them or take them into account when writing the next chapter.

I would like to thank the following reviewers for supporting N.J.R:

Yuki Free

Cervello

kaear

XBloodSplatteredAngelX

Darkened-World

kalbus2002

Not Just Rivals Obituary

While the story was fairly popular (10,483 hits, 40 favs, 45 alerts, and 28 reviews) it was troubled and the plot was soon lost.
It broke my heart to have to end such a young story (6 months old 20,108 words long), I was glad that I was able to do it justice by rewriting it.
I'm sure we all hold this story in our hearts as it had wonderful potential and I hope you who read the original approve of my use of that potential
and think that I rewrote N.J.R well. Let us believe that N.J.R has not died, but been reborn (and renamed) and welcome N.J.R's new debut with open hearts and minds.

Thank you.