Hiya!

Sorry, it's been a while since I've done anything on this site... Life is just so troublesome -.-

Anyways, I've been having trouble continuing some of my other stories and this one's been plaguing my mind since I discovered my love for the pairing... Geez, I really think I'm going to have fun making this... Till my motivation for my other stories come back, I'll probably stay focused on this story...

Still, this is my first attempt at MinaKushi and as such, I might make them seem OOC... If I do, let me know and I'll adjust it accordingly...

For those who are reading this and know me, I promise I'll get back to my other stories soon... For those who have no clue who I am, well, just enjoy the story...

"Anger is just anger. It isn't good. It isn't bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It's like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice."
-Harry Dresden

Chapter One/Prologue: The Girl with the Beautiful Red Hair...

I don't own Naruto.. If I did, I'd rename the show Naruto X Hinata: Ninja Saga...

Well, maybe, maybe not... It depends...

One more thing... When it comes to certain things, like any activity of the sexual kind or vulgar language, I'm not going to pull any punches... For now, because they're kids, I'll keep both at zero but when they get older, it's fair game... Just a warning of sorts..

There were many things wrong with what was happening in the playground near Konoha's ninja academy. First and foremost, a red-haired little girl was lying with her dirt and blood covered face on the ground, two academy boys holding her down. The second was that a third boy lay unconscious on the floor with a bloody nose and a lump forming on his forehead.

The most crucial thing that was wrong, for the boys at least, was that there was a smile on the small girl's face.

"I'll give you two seconds before you two idiots end up like your stupid leader," the girl said as the two boys look at each other before taking a look at their audience; their entire class and then some. While no one witnessed how exactly she knocked out their leader, they had. It was horrible and the way she did it... it really didn't make sense to them. However, she did it and they had seen it with their own eyes.

Still, they weren't about to become the laughingstock of the entire academy, just because they submitted to the crazy redhead; and a girl no less.

"In your dreams, Tomato," one boy taunted half-heartedly. Most of the kids who witnessed this, laughed at the redhead, whose smile disappeared. She replaced it with a frown and a furrow of her brow.

Without warning, a foreboding feeling surrounded the area and those in attendance began to shiver from a fear they felt on an instinctual level, except for a select few who shrugged off the feeling. The two boys shared a look as the girl under them slowly began to rise, as if they weighed a little more than a sheet of paper. She stood and felt a great amount of weight literally fall of her back and turned to glare at the two pathetic young males cowering at her feet.

What would followed next would scar all the males that were watching as the redhead systematically began to destroy the two boys.

The first punch thrown by the redhead sent the boy on the left flying into the crowd. Even the redhead had to admit, she put a bit too much power into that punch. It's not like she was displeased with it, but still. She shook herself out of her thoughts just in time to duck the second boy's own punch. She loved it when they fought back.

Folding her left arm, she grabbed the boy's collar with her right hand, pulled down while simultaneously swinging her left arm up. Her elbow met his face within seconds and busted his nose open. He fell on his back and held his face as he cried from the hot, searing pain he felt in his face. She just smirked, standing over the boy as she admired her work. She felt someone's arm wrap around her neck and tighten around it, crushing her windpipe.

She choked on her spit as the first boy locked in the headlock. He smirked viciously as the girl's face changed to blue within a moment. She knew she'd pass out soon if she didn't do something now. So, she moved her body a bit to the left and cocked her right elbow forward before swinging back; her target? His crotch.

The force of the blow made the boy's eyes roll to the back of his head as he released her instantly and fell to the floor, his hands automatically going for his family jewels. Every boy in attendance flinched, all knowing too well how badly even a tap felt. And yet, it probably paled in comparison to what that poor boy was feeling now.

"Kushina!" a voice shouted in a scolding tone and the redhead flinched at hearing her name being yelled so harshly. She turned her violet eyes to the chunin heading toward her and the fallen boys. "Not again, Kushina! This is the fourth time this week!" the chunin, a man with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes told her.

"It's not my fault," she said in defense. "I was eating my lunch like always and these knuckleheads came and made fun of my hair!" she continued and then motion for her fellow classmates. "Everyone here saw that they threw the first punch! Tell them guys!" Kushina saw that everyone suddenly found the ground pretty interesting. She scowled at them but she wasn't surprised. She guessed that they only looked out for their own. Obviously, she wasn't part of that clique.

"She's telling the truth," one voice said, surprising Kushina. She looked around, trying to find her would-be savior. A mop of blond hair stepped out of the crowd of academy students and Kushina sweat dropped. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the help; she had just hoped it would've been somebody more... well, not him.

Still, she couldn't be picky, no matter how flaky he was. "You see!" she bellowed and the chunin stared at the blond boy for a second before shaking his head.

"Regardless, violence is not the answer. You're coming with me to speak to Lord Hokage. Can I have three volunteers to take these three to the nurse's office?" Three kids held their hands up, one of them being the blond. "No, not you, Minato. You're coming with us since you said you witnessed this entire event."

Minato nodded his head, a mildly happy look on his face. Kushina just stared at him oddly. He always seemed to be happy. Not the annoying kind of happy that the other kids genuinely had. It was the sort of happy that seemed forced, in a way. Kushina wasn't sure if the others caught it but she had noticed it since day one.

"What's your deal?" she asked, catching Minato off guard and causing him to lose his smile. He titled his head and stared into her eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely confused. For some reason, Kushina couldn't keep the eye contact and looked away as the chunin instructed the other children to return to their classrooms.

"Every time I see you, you have that stupid smile on your face," as if on cue, he smiled. "Yeah, that one," she said with a slight blush. Then she noticed something; it wasn't the same smile. This one didn't seem forced at all. In fact, she felt like she had just witnessed on of his real smiles. It was kind of nice, actually...

Kushina looked up when a hand placed itself on her shoulder. "Let's get going," the chunin said and Kushina sighed as she followed after him with Minato walking beside her. Every so often, she'd spare a glance to her left and take in his appearance. Besides his sun-kissed blond hair, he had other attributes that really stood out. For example, he was about an inch or so taller than she was. It didn't really make him stand out that much but not many kids their age could say they were taller than she was. He wore a dark blue tracksuit with three yellow stripes on the sleeves, dark blue trousers and dark blue calf-length sandals.

The thing that really attracted Kushina's eyes were his azure orbs. So much emotions were behind his eyes, that it took Kushina's breath away. Even though physically, she felt like she could take him out, she also saw that it wouldn't be an easy fight. She could tell because his eyes showed a determination that she never saw in any of the boys she fought before. Determination, happiness, sadness, grief, patience, and understanding; though there were more, these were the ones that stood out the most.

"You first," Minato said as he held the door for Kushina. She blinked and blushed, embarrassed that she got caught getting lost in his eyes. At the thought of getting lost in his eyes, her blush deepened and she pushed him back as she entered the Hokage Tower. Minato just blinked and watched her walk in. Had he done something wrong? Was it because she noticed him staring into her violet-blue eyes?

[*.*.*.*]

Kushina groaned as she waited for class to begin. She'd never admit it aloud but she was actually learning cool things from the academy. Well, whenever she paid attention, anyway. Regardless, she just wished class started already so she didn't have to hear all the chickens squawk to each other about the latest gossip. It's not that she didn't like talking to her friends or anything; she just didn't like to hear girls be so... girly about things. She glared at the nearest group of girls giggling and whispering to each other about stupid things like boys and make-up and other stupid things like that.

'Geez, it's like they don't know how to talk about anything else,' she thought to herself when she heard one girl talk about the Hyūga twins. The two were wildly famous with the girls. Mainly because they were calm and passive towards women but also because of their proper mannerisms and looks. Kushina honestly didn't give a flying fart about boys. In her mind, they were meant to keep women entertained and to make them feel smarter; nothing more, nothing less.

Speak of the identical devils, there they were, entering the room. Kushina prepared herself by placing her hands over her ears just as half of the girls in the room squealed in joy.

"Harpies," Kushina grumbled under her breath.

"Don't be such a downer, Kushina-chan," a soft voice said and Kushina couldn't help but smile. She turned to her best friend and stood to hug her. The girl she hugged had long black hair, with her side bangs framing her face. She wore a long dark blue dress of sorts that reached down to her knees with black shorts under them.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Mikoto-chan," Kushina said with a sigh. Both girls blinked when they suddenly felt foreign arms wrap around the two.

"It's been a long time since I've held you, Miko-chan!" a vein swelled in Kushina's forehead as she released herself from Mikoto and punched Inoichi in the face. Lucky for him, she held back. She didn't want a repeat from yesterday. Inoichi flew across the room and landed on a desk. His eyes rolled around from the hit.

"Troublesome," a boy with black hair said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tell your good-for-nothing friend to keep his hands off me and Mikoto!" Kushina warned the yawning boy.

"But he's a good-for-nothing; so logically, me telling him what you just said would do good for no one," the boy replied. Kushina's vein grew as she grabbed the black-haired boy by the collar of his shirt.

"It'd do you some good if you did as I told you, Shika," she said loudly and Shikaku just nodded. She let him go and saw him rub the back of his neck as his portly friend arrived to stand beside him with a bag of chips.

"Hiya, Kushina, Mikoto," Mikoto bowed and Kushina waved to him half-heartedly.

"Hey, Chōza," Kushina greeted back. The young boy just waved as he placed more chips in his mouth. Even though he chewed with his mouth closed, Kushina could still hear his munching as if he stood right by her ear and ate with his mouth agape.

"Have you guys heard?" Inoichi said as he pushed himself off the desk and rubbed his cheek with a smile. "Nice punch by the way," he said offhandedly to Kushina. Said girl just smiled sarcastically before changing to a more neutral look.

"What?" Shikaku asked, even though he had a feeling he really didn't want to know or care.

"Someone in our class took the graduating exam yesterday, and passed too," he told them and Kushina scoffed.

"Who cares?" she asked no one in particular, though in some part of her mind, she had a feeling she knew who it was. Her stomach dropped to the floor immediately.

"Who cares? Even the adults are talking about it as if he had been declared Hokage," Inoichi added. This caught most of the attention of everyone in the room.

"What is that blond babbling about?" a girl with red triangular tattoos on each cheek asked in annoyance. Kushina faintly smiled at her; she was the only other girl in her class that wasn't as girly as the other girls. Kushina had a lot of respect for the non-girly girls. She scowled as she laid eyes on Inoichi again.

"He's telling us that one of our classmates graduated yesterday," she retold as she watched Inoichi completely exaggerate the whole thing.

"...they even said he set a new record for all of Konoha," he continued, causing most of the surrounding students to 'ooh' and 'aah'.

"Just tell us who it is!" Kushina shouted, a bit louder than she intended it to be. Everyone was silent as they stared at her, then, they moved their sights to Inoichi who was soaking up the attention, even if it wasn't really about him.

"Good morning, everyone," a voice said by the door. Everyone turned to see Minato standing by the door with a somewhat confused look on his face. The attention of the entire room shifted from him to his forehead. His Konoha forehead protector shined brightly as it refracted the sun's rays coming from the window.

Minato was soon assaulted by his former classmates, barrages of questions from the left, fangirls trying to touch his forehead protector from the right and jealous/happy stares from all the males in the class.

Kushina just glared at him from her seat across the room. Even Tsume and Mikoto went to congratulate the blond.

She didn't find anything special about a ten year old graduating the academy a bit earlier than usual. Hell, she bet even she could take the damn test and pass. The redhead blinked as she stared blankly at the area in front of her. Then, she smirked so widely that it'd make any Cheshire cat worth the name proud and jealous at the same time.

Minato smiled, his teeth showing and his eyes closed as he enjoyed the compliments from his peers. As he opened his eyes, he blinked when he noticed a fallen chair across the room. He faintly heard the sound of a door opening and turned his blue eyes to it just in time to see red hair flying out the threshold, following after the head it was attached to. His eyes lingered on the door for what seemed like an eternity.

"You ok, Minato?" he heard Inoichi ask and he stared at him, then at everyone. They were all looking at him. What happened?

As soon as he saw the knowing look on Mikoto's face, he suddenly felt the frown on his face. Almost immediately, he switched it for a smile and assured his friends that he was all right. Mikoto knew, though, he could see that. She just smiled sadly yet knowingly and shook her head.

[*.*.*.*]

Minato panted as he stopped running long enough to catch his breath. He mentally chided himself for letting himself be so weak in the physical department.

The blond righted himself as he looked around. He had been looking for Kushina ever since he heard of what she did. He had no idea what made her try to take the exam so early and knew even less of her results. For all he knew, she might've passed and had no one to celebrate with or maybe she didn't cut it and needed a friend. She didn't have many friends, he noted, and Minato knew he barely qualified as an acquaintance of hers. That's why he had Mikoto help him look for her. Unfortunately, she had something to do so she couldn't look for too long. In the end, Minato had to do it on his own.

Sucking on his teeth, he let his brow furrow as he had no idea where to look next. He had searched all the training grounds – even though academy students weren't allowed there, he had once or twice seen her head that way – and even at the new ramen shop set up not too far from the academy. His 'inside source' had informed him that she absolutely loved ramen.

Minato took some time to calm down; it wouldn't help if he was riled up. So, as he took in a deep breath, he faintly heard grunts coming from the forest nearby. Mentally debating with himself, he decided to check it out. He figured it wouldn't hurt to look.

After running for five minutes, Minato came across Kushina kicking a log that stood up off the ground in a small clearing. She was covered with sweat, dirt, scratches and some blood on her shins and knuckles. Her light green blouse-like shirt and black pants were ragged and torn in some places. Overall, she looked like she had been fighting and training since she left the academy. Two things that immediately caught Minato's attention was the lack of the Konoha forehead protector and the trails of dry tears running down her cheeks.

It didn't sit well with Minato.

Just as he was about to walk up to her, though, he heard her start mumbling. "Stupid Minato," she cried as she struck the log harder than her previous strike. That comment froze him in his place. Why was she calling him stupid? He'd never done anything to her.

"Why'd you have to be so much better than me!" she said, a bit louder than before. "Why'd I have to be weak?"

Minato stayed still as he continued to watch Kushina. He felt bad for her; not only because she didn't pass but also because she had no idea how talented and powerful she was. He only passed because he knew what he was doing. She could become twice the shinobi he ever could be but she didn't want to participate in class most of the time. If she had paid more attention, she probably would've passed too.

Finally, about half an hour later, Kushina tired out and fell to her knees. Minato was amazed by her stamina and determination. It was quite impressive.

"I won't let you surpass me for long," she declared after catching her breath. "I'll catch up to you and when I do, you better be careful, Minato Namikaze!"

For some reason, after watching all of this, what pity Minato felt for her disappeared. He didn't feel like he should pity Kushina; it sort of made him feel bad that he did. Instead, he felt a sort of pride and happiness swell in his chest. She'd eventually be a great shinobi when she grew up. Not because of the arsenal of jutsu she would probably have at her disposal and not because of the amount of missions and fame she would one day acquire. She would be a great shinobi because of her dedication to succeed at everything she does and her will to not give up or stay down for too long.

One day, Minato would see Kushina again. One day, they would be friends.

One day he'd get to know the girl with the beautiful red hair.

I got a lot to work on, I know...

I feel like I should make Minato a bit different... Maybe more indifferent? Like I mentioned before, I don't really have his character down; his and Kushina's...

If you think or know how he, she or both should behave, let me know please... I accept all sorts of criticisms [flames will be dealt with accordingly; any criticism that aren't flames are good criticisms... So if I messed up, let me know; I won't get mad just because you disagree or think I'm wrong...]

If I nailed them down, then that's good for the story since I have a few things planned that this first chapter already set up...

Next chapter, I haven't decided if I want to have a time skip to when Kushina graduates or if I want to show Minato's first meeting with the old perv, first...

Either way, please review, or send me a PM if you want to discuss my story or give me some suggestions for it...

Next Chapter: The Bird and the Worm *[Results may vary]

That's it for this chapter... I used to have a saying I'd always put at the very end of the chapter but I don't think I should do that anymore...

I'll come up with a new one but for now, a simple good-bye seems sufficient...

See ya...