Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto and Haku's Wind of Change
Team seven walked away from the soon to be named "Great Naruto Bridge." Just like when they left the Hidden Leaf Village, they had an extra travelling companion. It was not Tazuna this time, but a young boy named Haku.
He was the apprentice of Momochi Zabuza, the demon of the mist. They were hired by Gato to kill Tazuna.
Zabuza and Haku fought team seven on the incomplete bridge. Just when Kakashi was about to kill Zabuza, Haku managed to deflect the killing blow. Unfortunately he was injured and removed from the fight.
Kakashi disabled Zabuza's arms, and was about to end it when Gato appeared with a group of mercenaries. Having been betrayed, Zabuza called off the fight and killed Gato and several of his mercenaries, mortally wounding himself in the process.
Before he died, he pleaded with Haku to live on and find his own path in life. Haku, loyal to Zabuza to a fault would do just that.
They were now heading back to the Hidden Leaf village at a quick pace. A cold breeze was blowing, but Haku did not mind it.
Naruto was running on top of a stream. Haku had shown Naruto how to use the walking on water exercise, and he was determined to master it. Thus he was using it whenever he could, as he had the stamina to do so.
Kakashi had warned Sasuke and Sakura against it, since they could not use it for long. He would have to show them how to do it when they got back to the village, as neither would tolerate Naruto knowing how to do something they did not.
Eventually they made it to the Hidden Leaf Village. As the group made their way to the Hokage tower, Haku took note of the looks Naruto was getting. The civilians openly showed him looks of disdain, while the shinobi seem to act as if he did not exist.
Naruto did not seem to notice. Either he was oblivious to it, or he ignored it. Haku suspected the latter, and decided to do something about it.
He moved to Naruto's side and wrapped his right arm around Naruto, who looked back into his smiling face. Naruto smiled back, and Haku released him.
Naruto understood the meaning of the gesture. Haku knew his pain, and would not let him suffer it alone. He would help shoulder the burden. Things would be different for them now. The wind of change was blowing for them.
Team seven had just finished giving their report to the Hokage. Haku and Kakashi stayed behind while Naruto went to his apartment to clean it up. Haku was going to be staying with him so they could share expenses and save money.
"So Haku," began Sarutobi, "I've got all your files ready for your citizenship and shinobi application. The only thing I still need is your family name."
Haku could not remember his family name. Even if he did he would not use it.
"I don't remember it, and even if I did I would rather use my mother's maiden name. I've decided to use another one instead." He replied.
"Oh, what would that be then?" Asked Sarutobi.
Haku took a deep breath. This was an important moment.
"I considered Momochi, after my master, but he was just that to me, not a father. However, in the time I've been with Naruto we've grown very close. He's starting to become like a little brother to me, and I would like to be as close to one as I can get. Therefore, I would like to use the Uzumaki name."
Haku hoped his request would be granted. The Uzumaki were once the leaders of the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides, or Hidden Eddy for short. The village was part of the former Whirlpool country.
The Leaf Village and Eddy Village had close bonds. After it's fall, a red spiral, the symbol of Whirlpool country was added to the flak vests of the Leaf ninja in it's memory. Naruto, as the last Uzumaki was the only one allowed to wear it on his regular clothes.
There was a good chance his request would be denied. Luckily the Third Hokage merely smiled and finished filling out the forms.
"Request granted. I'm sure Naruto would be pleased with it as well."
It was Haku's turn to smile now. For the first time in over ten years, he now had a family.
'I'm not going to lose this one. I will do everything I can to protect it'
Naruto and Haku were sitting in a clearing high above the Hokage monument. The view from the spot was incredible. They had a panoramic view of the entire village. The sun was beginning to set, bathing it in an orange glow.
The cold wind was still blowing, but neither Haku or Naruto noticed it, or if they had it did not bother them.
Haku was the first to speak.
"This is an incredible sight. I've never seen anything like it before."
Naruto was smiling, happy he could share this moment with his new brother.
"Yeah, I come up here a lot. I used to think that someday, when I became Hokage that everyone would see my face up here and have to look up at me and show me respect. Meeting you and Zabuza changed that."
Haku was intrigued by that. He knew Naruto wanted to be Hokage, just not why.
"How did we change that?" He asked Naruto.
"I used to want to be Hokage so people would have to respect me and stop ignoring me. I see now that I was being selfish."
Naruto's head was now hung low.
'He must be feeling ashamed about how he used to act. I don't think this is normal behaviour for him. He must feel comfortable around me.' Thought Haku.
"How were you being selfish? You don't seem like a selfish person" Asked Haku, hoping to cheer Naruto up.
Naruto turned his head towards Haku, and had a faint smile.
"Thanks, but I was. I wanted to be Hokage for the wrong reasons. If I became Hokage it would make my life better, but I never thought about making anyone else's better."
Naruto took a deep breath now so he could relax and get what he wanted to say off his chest.
"When I heard how Zabuza wanted to become Mizukage so he could end the bloodline purges, it made me realize there was more to being a leader then just being respected. There's a lot of power that comes with the position. That power can be used for good or evil. Zabuza wanted to use that to make Water Country a better place to live."
Haku agreed with that. It was why he respected Zabuza so much.
"When I become Hokage, I'll do everything I can to make sure this village, and all of Fire Country is a safe place to live."
Haku was happy with that.
'Even though my master has passed on, his ambition and spirit lives on in us.'
"I understand how my master had affected you, but what did I do?" Haku asked Naruto.
Naruto put his right hand behind his head and made a nervous expression.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Naruto asked in reply.
"Yes, I was collecting medicinal herbs," said Haku.
"Well, remember how you asked me if I had someone precious in my life?"
Haku took a moment to remember that.
"Yes, I do. You didn't seem to get why I asked at first, until I explained my own belief."
Naruto spoke next, reciting Haku's words to him from that day.
"When people are protecting something truly precious to them, they truly can become as strong as they must be."
"That's right," said Haku with a pretty smile that made you wonder if he really was a boy.
"Now when I become Hokage, it won't be just for me, but so I can protect all my precious people as well."
Haku admired his new brother for his determination.
'It truly seems I have found a kindred spirit.'
The cold wind blew again, picking up a leaf with some frost on it and blowing it off into the distance. Neither Haku or Naruto noticed it yet.
'I wonder what the future holds for us?' Thought Haku. 'I have a feeling things are going to be better for us now.'
In the time since team seven and Haku had returned to the Leaf Village, things had changed. Haku's skills were determined to be adequate enough for him to become a chunin.
He still needed experience working with a team, so he was assigned to team seven based on his connection with them. Haku would lead them whenever they did a d-rank mission while Kakashi observed them.
Naruto wanted to impress his new older brother so he took the missions seriously. He was not showing off for Sakura, or trying to upstage Sasuke. With Haku's guidance, Naruto was performing the missions with ease.
In their free time Haku and Naruto trained together. Haku needed to improve his taijutsu and stamina, while Naruto needed help with his chakra control.
When Haku found out Naruto could not do the clone technique, he helped Naruto master it. As it turned out, it was not due to a lack of chakra control that Naruto could not use it, thought that played a part. He simply was performing the technique wrong.
They were able to master it, and the transformation and replacement techniques as well, since neither knew many other techniques.
When Naruto asked about learning water techniques, Haku explained that an affinity for them would help significantly. They tested Naruto, and learned he was a wind type.
Since Haku could use the wind element as part of his bloodline, they researched how to use learn it. Haku only learned water techniques from Zabuza, and had to invent his own ice techniques.
When they learned that the wind element could enhance their kenjutsu, both started training with a pair of ninjato. Haku picked up the basics while working with Zabuza, though he never formally learned how to use a sword from his former master.
As most of their training was done around water, Naruto started picking up the basics for manipulating it as well. Haku suspected that Naruto may have water as a secondary element, but had him focus on mastering his wind element first.
It was one day after a long training session that left both boys very wet and tired that the cold wind blew again. Haku felt it this time, and became cautious of his surroundings.
When he discovered that he and Naruto were being watched, he discreetly sent a trail of water to their observer's location to form an ice mirror.
"Naruto," Haku called out to his brother. "I need to take care of something. I'll be back soon."
Naruto merely nodded in reply, too tired to do anything else.
Haku formed an ice mirror in front of himself. He had been pacing himself while Naruto went overboard, so he had some chakra left. Their watcher did not seem hostile, so he was not expecting a fight.
Haku stepped into the ice mirror, and exited from the one behind the spy. Haku was surprised by who it was.
The observer appeared oblivious to Haku's departure, as she was entirely focused on Naruto. The boy in question had stripped down to his boxers to cool off in the stream he and Haku had been training nearby. The girl watching them was keeping an eye on Naruto's every move.
"What are you doing?" Haku asked the mysterious girl.
The girl gave out an "eep" and turned around to face Haku, who noted that her face was entirely red, most likely from embarrassment.
Haku took a moment to study the girl. She had short, blue-black hair in a princess cut, which Haku had considered getting himself. She wore a grey jacket that hid her frame completely, and her lavender eyes did not appear to have pupils, which was surprisingly common in the village.
'I think Naruto and Sakura are the only ones I've noticed that do.' Haku noted to himself.
Haku then turned his attention back to the girl. Noticing the clan emblem on her arm, which he knew from his studies of the Leaf Village's clans, he identified her as a Hyuga.
"So," began Haku, "what is a Hyuga doing spying on me and my little brother?"
"Umm…" Was the girl's barely audible reply.
Haku was intrigued by the girl's behaviour.
'From what I've heard about the Hyuga clan, they are considered rather pretentious. This girl seems meek and shy. Why would she be shy?'
Haku then took note of the redness of her face.
'She's blushing pretty bad. I've seen plenty of younger boys get like that around me, but most girls are jealous of my looks. Or is it not because of me at all?'
Haku then remembered where her attention was focused.
'She was watching Naruto very closely after I left. So, my little brother has an admirer then? This could be fun.'
"I see now, you were spying on Naruto, weren't you?" Haku asked the mystery girl.
The girl merely shot her head up in surprise.
'Oh no,' thought the girl, 'not only did she catch me watching them, she knows I was spying on Naruto. At least she called him her little brother, so there's nothing between them.'
"It's okay," said Haku, "I don't mind, since you don't seem to have any ill intentions toward him. So, why were you spying on Naruto then?"
The girl did not respond, but looked like she was about to faint. Haku was having fun, and decided to move in for the finish.
"You like him, don't you?" He asked the girl.
That was too much for her. The girl passed out.
"I guess that's a yes." Haku said to the unconscious Hyuga.
Haku then picked her up and carried her back to where he and Naruto were training. If this girl liked his brother, he was going to do something about it.
The girl regained consciousness some time later. She noted she had been propped up against a tree. Looking forward, she saw Naruto and the girl who appeared to be his older sister chatting together.
Naruto was clad only in his boxers, and had a towel around his shoulders. The girl felt her cheeks get hot again from the sight.
Unfortunately for her, Naruto looked over in her direction and noticed she was awake. He then called out to her.
"Hey, you're awake! Come on and join us!"
The girl slowly got up, struggling to stay calm. She managed to awkwardly walk over and sit with down with Naruto, who put his clothes back on, to her dismay, and his sister. They both smiled at her, and Naruto spoke again.
"You seem familiar. Have we met before?" He asked her.
She was inwardly depressed that Naruto did not remember her, but consoled herself that she was not very memorable anyway.
"We were in the ninja academy together. I'm Hyuga Hinata." The girl, now identified as Hinata explained.
Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes, obviously in deep thought.
"Oh yeah, I remember now!" He exclaimed. "You were put on a team with Kiba and the quiet kid, Shino right?" He asked/stated.
Hinata nodded in reply, in too much shock that Naruto was actually talking with her to trust her voice too much.
"So why were you here?" Naruto's sister asked her, eyes narrowed in a questioning manner.
Hinata gulped, and tried to come up with a half truth, although Naruto's sister seemed to already know the whole truth.
"I just finished training with my team and was passing by when I noticed you two training together. I did not mean to intrude. I apologize if you thought I was spying on you."
With her last statement, Hinata bowed her head, asking for forgiveness.
Naruro did not understand why she was apologetic, but Haku merely dropped the icy persona and went back to his usual self. He cupped Hinata's chin in his hand and raised her head, smiling at her.
"It's fine, we don't mind. Since you're done training with your team, why don't you join us? We'd like the company."
Hinata was inwardly overjoyed.
'Not only am I not in trouble for spying on them, they want me to join them?'
"Yeah!" Naruto shouted, ignoring that the only other people around were sitting right next to him. "We'd love it if you joined us. It's always fun to spar against other people. Haku and I can't get too much better fighting each other all the time. Sakura's too weak and Sasuke is a sore loser."
Hinata heard Naruto call his former crush weak and did a mental dance for joy.
'That look of distain, or disgust when he called her weak was, just, I can't even explain how happy I feel now. He seems to be over her now.'
Naruto was indeed over his crush on his female team-mate. Haku's positive reinforcement and help with his ninja skills had shown him how one-sided his relationship with Sakura was.
Ever since he realized that, he stopped addressing her in a familiar manner and no longer asked her out on dates. In fact, Naruto barely spoke to her at all.
At first, Sakura had been appreciative that Naruto was no longer bothering her and felt more comfortable around him. They seemed like they might actually become better friends.
As Sasuke kept shooting down any request she made for a date though, and Naruto no longer showed any interest in her, Sakura's confidence began to slip. No one knew how much longer she would last.
As for Hinata, she was now overjoyed that she may have a chance to gain Naruto's interest, and jumped at the opportunity.
"Yes, I'd love to join you for a spar. In fact, I can come by and join you and your sister anytime I'm done with my team."
Naruto was happy to have someone join them, although Haku inwardly sighed at being called a girl again, not that he was not used to it.
"Alright," called out Naruto, who apparently did not have an indoor voice, "let's get started then."
They got up and moved into their basic stances. Haku moved away, but close enough so they could still hear him.
"Okay," began Haku, "you two enjoy your spar. Oh, and Hinata?" he called out to her.
Hinata turned her head to look at Haku.
"I'm a boy."
Haku then stripped down to his boxers and went for a soak in the stream to cool off like Naruto did earlier.
Hinata promptly fainted.
"Hinata, hey Hinata, wake up! Oh man, she's out cold!" Said Naruto, worried about his new friend.
As Hinata lay unconscious, she dreamed of having twins, with blue-black hair, feminine looks and pale, blue eyes.
It had been a few weeks since Hinata started joining Naruto and Haku for their training. Haku had helped her open up to Naruto, and soon they even became a couple. For the three of them, it was the happiest they had ever been.
They were now walking down a street to Ichiraku after a hard day's worth of training. With Hinata's help, both boy's chakra control and taijutsu improved. Hinata's confidence had grown, as well as her own skills.
They tested Hinata's elemental affinity, and it was water. Haku started teaching her what he knew. Oddly, Naruto and Hinata grew more from each other's help and Haku's then their own teams.
As Naruto merrily bounded down the path, Haku and Hinata took note of the looks he had been getting. They were not as bad as before, but still not too pleasant.
Still, It was a big improvement. Naruto had changed for the better. He was calmer at times, and no longer sought out attention, as he had it from his brother and girlfriend.
Naruto even stopped wearing his orange jumpsuit, replacing it with a black, long sleeved kimono and burnt orange pants and a turtleneck shirt, also burnt orange. He could conceal his ninjato in the sleeves for easy access.
It was similar to what Haku used to wear, and his current attire. The difference was Haku's Kimono was blue, and he wore a white turtleneck shirt and pants.
Both boys' kimono's had the Uzumaki white spiral on their left sleeves, as well as the red Whirlpool spiral on the back.
While the civilians had a harder time identifying Naruto without all the orange, the shinobi had noticed him growing stronger and becoming more serious and were starting to treat him better.
Haku and Hinata, whispering to each other so Naruto would not hear them, commented on his recent changes.
"I've noticed the looks he's been getting aren't so bad anymore." Haku said to Hinata.
Hinata nodded before replying.
"Yes, it seems that with his new look and attitude, those of the people here have changed as well."
Haku agreed with that.
"I can't imagine how long it would have taken if he was still the same as before. Who knows what his life would have been like without us."
Hinata did not want to think of that. Instead she looked to something positive.
'Those days when Naruto was alone and I was a coward a over now. We have a bright future to look forward too.'
Haku had similar thoughts.
'Although I enjoyed my years with master Zabuza, it was missing something. I know what it was now, it was family. I have that now, a brother and maybe someday a sister in law too. I might even have nieces and nephews to spoil.'
Haku's days of being a tool were over. He was his own master now.
Even Naruto was reflecting on how much things had changed for him.
'I can't believe how much I've improved since I met Haku. He's helped me become a great ninja. Even Kakashi, Iruka and the old man haven't helped me as much as he has.'
It was odd how Naruto's instructors have not actually taught him anything. Naruto had an idea why.
'I used to be such an idiot before. No wonder I was the dead-last. That must be why no one ever bothered to help me. Well no more, I'm not the idiot dead-last anymore. I'm putting those days behind me.'
So too did Naruto put his memories behind him. The three now looked toward their future.
The next time the cold wind blew was the day of the chunin exams. Kakashi had nominated his team, hoping the experience would help them bond. If not, there was a chance Sasuke or even Naruto would be promoted to chunin, considering the latter's improvement.
If one was promoted, they would be removed from the team to allow them to advance without being held back. Kakashi would not have to worry about their team-work if they were not a team anymore.
Team seven all entered, even Sakura, who had improved recently. She and Naruto had become better friends since he started dating Hinata. Naruto came to her for advice a lot, and Sakura gave it in exchange for help with ninja training. They both agreed to keep them helping the other a secret.
They made it through the first test with ease. Naruto did not panic in the face of a written test, but stayed calm and managed to answer all the questions. Being seated next to his girlfriend who let him copy off her helped too.
Naruto only had a hard time coming up with distractions so he could copy her without getting caught, which led to some amusing sights. Unfortunately, that is a story for another time.
Since Sakura had regained her confidence, and actually improved she did not feel the need to drop out in face of the tenth question, and stayed to prove her worth. Thus team seven moved on to the second exam, a game of capture the scroll in the forest of death.
Team seven ended up fighting Orochimaru of the Legendary Three Ninja, and barely survived. Naruto, with his improved skills managed to stop Sasuke from giving up their scroll and kept it safe.
They then tried to fight off Orochimaru. Naruto did not use the fox demon's chakra, so Orochimaru merely knocked him out instead of using the five pronged seal on him.
The snake handler, sufficiently impressed by Sasuke's skill, inflicted him with a curse seal and left, but not before handing over his own scroll.
Sakura dragged Naruto and Sasuke away to shelter. Naruto awoke shortly afterwards, and helped Sakura set up traps around the perimeter of their shelter. He was even able to help Sasuke with the little knowledge of medicine he gained from Haku.
The sound genin attacked them at dawn, but with Naruto's presence and his added traps, they were not having an easy time. Lee's opportune arrival was their downfall.
Lee used his primary lotus to kill one of the males of the sound trio, although that was not his intent. Naruto had knocked out the other male, stopping him from saving his team-mate.
The lone female then surrendered her team's scroll in exchange for her freedom. She gave it up and left with her team-mate's bodies.
Since team seven now had an extra scroll, which was the one Lee's team needed, they agreed to join forces and escort each other to the tower.
Sasuke awoke soon after that. He was upset about not getting to participate in anymore fights, but agreed that whatever Orochimaru did to him required medical attention, and finishing the exams should be their priority.
The two teams managed to arrive near the end of the second day. Sasuke was taken away for medical attention and to have his curse seal examined, then sealed if possible.
Naruto and Sakura were given a clean bill of health. They spent the next day resting. After that, they either trained together in preparation for whatever came next, or in Naruto's case, spending his time with Hinata.
On the final day it was announced that before the final round would take place, there would be preliminaries to reduce the number of participants.
The teams that passed were the sand siblings, team eight, team seven, team Gai, team ten, but barely, and Kabuto's team.
The first match was between Temari from the Sand Village and Tsurugi Misumi. Temari won with ease, as Misumi seemed to be a close range fighter. As soon as he moved in for the attack, Temari quite literally blew him away with her fan.
Sasuke and Lee fought next. Just like when they fought before the first test, Lee showed his impressive speed was an asset against the sharingan.
Eventually Sasuke managed to catch on, as his sharingan had copied all of Lee's movements enough for him to roll with the punches.
Finally, satisfied he had learned enough of Lee's taijutsu, Sasuke threw down some smoke bombs and made a few clones to distract Lee. It was enough for Sasuke to catch Lee off guard and deliver several painful shuriken hits.
Sasuke then stalled out the match, letting the blood loss from his hits and Lee's constant movement wear him down. Finally, Lee passed out and was taken away by the medics for an emergency blood transfusion.
Kiba was supposed to fight Gaara next, but he forfeited instead. Gaara was not pleased by Kiba's cowardice, but could not take any action just yet.
The next match was between Tenten and Choji. The plump boy used his family's partial body expansion and human boulder technique to try and run Tenten down, but she used her agility to dodge with ease.
Tenten then littered the floor with caltrops. They stuck into Choji as he rolled over them, puncturing his body. Like Lee, he too eventually passed out from blood loss and had to be taken away by the medics.
Ino fought Kabuto next, if it could be called a fight. Kabuto merely used his chakra scalpels to deliver some painful cuts to Ino, who was forced to forfeit.
She later swore she would learn medical techniques so she would not be defeated by them again. Sakura, not wanting Ino to get better then her at something, did the same.
It was Naruto's turn to fight next, and his opponent was Kankuro of the Sand Village.
Kankuro was a pupper user, so he stayed hidden while his puppet, crow, did the fighting.
Naruto had a similar tactic. He lead with his shadow clones, who did not mind the poison or weapons used by Kankuro too much.
Naruto did however, as he had recently learned that shadow clones pass on their memories when they expire. He blamed his inability to notice that helpful fact before on his former status as an idiot.
Unfortunately, Naruto only learned this while fighting Orochimaru, otherwise he would have seen how useful they would be in training. For now, he would have to wait until he was alone to find out. An amazing training method like that should be kept secret, for now anyway.
For the moment, Naruto was using his shadow clones to gauge Kankuro's abilities, and waste his weapons. Eventually, Naruto surprised everyone by using the hidden mist technique.
It had taken some time, but he learned how to use it without a water source. Between his own massive chakra reserves and the moisture, or hydrogen and oxygen in the air, he had enough mist for a slight fog.
It was enough to get a sneak attack on Kankuro and separate him from crow. Literally cut off from his puppet, Kankuro was forced to forfeit, as he was at a significant disadvantage in close combat against Naruto.
Hinata fought her cousin Neji next. Like Naruto, she had grown considerably. Her confidence was higher then ever. She did not waver in the slightest when Neji tried to belittle her. Then the match was on.
Neji was very skilled in the gentle fist, and physically stronger and faster then Hinata. That would not help him if he could not land a hit on her.
Hinata dodged Neji's strikes, having practiced extensively against Naruto and Haku, as well as her own team-mates. If her agility was not surprising enough, what Hinata did next was.
While dodging a strike from Neji, she took out a water bottle and dumped it's contents on the floor. Neji narrowly avoided slipping on the puddle, giving Hinata enough time to put some distance between her and Neji.
Hinata then pulled out two more water bottles, and dumped their contents as well. Everyone thought that was odd, until Hinata made a tiger seal. Suddenly, the water puddles formed into three water clones of Hinata.
The water clones then attacked Neji, two from the front and one from the back. Only having one-tenth of Hinata's strength, they were quite weak, and Neji defeated them with ease.
Every time he did though, Hinata would reform them, taking a soldier pill occasionally to keep her chakra levels up.
While Neji was dodging the water clones, Hinata was launching senbon at him with deadly aim. Neji was having a hard time avoiding all of the hits, even with his byakugan giving him better foresight of them.
Eventually he managed to defeat all the clones, and Hinata ran out of soldier pills. The two then went back to hand-to-hand combat.
The many senbon riddling Neji's arms and legs slowed him down considerably. Unfortunately for Hinata, she was running out of chakra. The two ended up fighting to a standstill, and both passed out at the same time, ending their match in a draw.
The second final match was between Shino and Akado Yoroi, Kabuto's other team-mate. Yoroi was a chakra drainer, but could only drain his opponent's chakra if he was in contact with them.
Shino kept his distance, and studied his opponent carefully. Finally, Yoroi landed a hit on Shino, only for him to dissolve into a swarm of bugs. They then attached themselves to Yoroi and drained away his chakra, allowing Shino to win the match.
The final fight was between Sakura and Shikamaru, and was quite a disappointment for the final match.
Sakura, despite her recent improvements was no match for Shikamaru's intellect. The lazy boy trapped her with his shadow possession with ease, making Sakura forfeit the match.
With all the fights concluded, the winners were gathered to determine the match-ups for the finals. Each contestant drew a number from a box to determine who they would fight next. The matches were as follows.
Gaara VS Kabuto
Shikamaru VS Naruto
Sasuke VS Tenten
Temari VS Shino
Gaara did not show any reaction to his match, he only looked to Naruto and Sasuke, who he expected to both face and kill in the tournament.
Kabuto was alarmed, or at least appeared to be.
Shikamaru looked bored, while Naruto was looking anxiously at Gaara.
Sasuke was not too pleased by his match, as he was hoping for a strong opponent.
Tenten was actually looking forward to her match, as it was a chance to avenge Lee and prove her own skills.
Temari was slightly grossed out by Shino's bugs, and worried since if she and Sasuke both won then she would be at a disadvantage against his fire techniques.
Shino appeared calm.
With the matches set, everyone went their separate ways to prepare for the finals.
Naruto wanted to continue training with Haku in preparation for the finals since he had developed more from his brother's help then anyone else's. Kakashi, however, arranged for both boys to receive instruction from a wind user to help them both improve.
The brother's new tutor turned out to be Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage and Shikamaru's instructor. Shikamaru was training with his clan to learn their techniques, as was Choji, while Ino was studying medicine with Sakura, so Asuma had some free time.
When asked by Haku if it was a conflict of interest to train his student's opponent, Asuma had an interesting reply.
"It would be, if Shikamaru wanted to win. He's actually quite lazy, as I'm sure you've noticed. On the other hand, he's very brilliant. As long as he puts up a good show, he'll definitely be promoted so his intellect can be put to use. One of the reasons I'm helping you guys is to make sure that happens."
Haku seemed to understand, but Naruto needed clarification.
"I don't get it. You mean to say that as long as Shikamaru shows off how smart he is, he'll get promoted, even if he loses?" He asked Asuma.
"Pretty much, yeah. I just want you to make sure you give him a chance to do just that. In exchange, I'll teach both of you how to use wind manipulation and help with your battle tactics."
Naruto had his arms crossed now, and kept his eyes closed while considering how he felt about that. Finally he spoke.
"It still doesn't feel right to me, but I'll go along with it. Besides, it's not Shikamaru I have to worry about. By the sounds of it, I've already beaten him. It's Gaara who's going to be tough."
Silence permeated the field. None of them had seen Gaara fight, but they all heard from team eight what he was capable of. Haku was the first to break the silence, attempting to cheer up Naruto.
"Don't worry about that. You already know the basics for water manipulation, which will help deal with his sand. We'll be focusing on your kenjutsu, using the wind element to sharpen your blades and extend their reach. That should help you get past Gaara's sand armour."
Naruto nodded at Haku's explanation. In his mind, he already had a plan for beating Gaara, even killing him if it came down to it.
"Alright then, let's get started!" Shouted Naruto.
Haku and Naruto spent the rest of the month working with Asuma to develop their wind affinity.
Haku was spending some time on his physical development practicing his taijutsu and kenjutsu, since it was his biggest weakness.
Naruto was focusing on his wind and water manipulation, as they were essential to his plan for defeating Gaara.
Naruto was using shadow clones to accelerate the process, and developing in leaps and bounds. By the end of the month long training, he had become sufficient in both wind and water manipulation.
Haku had improved as well. In his time since joining the Hidden Leaf Village he had been slowly improving his build, since he rarely had time to do so while on the run with Zabuza. Now, while he still had a pretty face, his lithe frame was developed enough that if anyone saw it, they definitely would not think he was a girl.
Of course, it still happened now and then. A memorable moment in the hot springs led to an old lecher letting Naruto sign the toad summoning contract in exchange for his silence in the matter.
Haku, not having the chakra reserves needed to summon the strongest toads, merely settled for an autographed copy of one of the lecher's books.
Since both of them were focusing on their training, neither saw Hinata much. Since her match in the chunin exams against Neji, her family saw her in a new light.
Hinata's use of water techniques and senbon showed the benefits of not limiting themselves as they were. Oddly, she was now being taught by her father to develop her taijutsu and clan techniques more, since it was an area she was lacking in before.
Neji, after his humbling defeat, began to see Hinata as more of an equal then his superior in the main house, or a lesser as a ninja. Hiashi told Neji about his father's sacrifice, and he began to change for the better.
The three of were able to meet each other at Ichiraku the night before the finals and had a meal together. Naruto spoke of how, once he gets promoted to chunin, he will be one step closer to becoming Hokage.
Haku, already a chunin, was looking into the medical program. With his improved stamina he would be ideal as a field medic.
Hinata spoke of how she had been training with her father, and hoped to someday lead the Hyuga clan herself and change it for the better.
As they shared their dreams on that night, the cold wind blew again.
It was a few days after the final round of the chunin exam. Hatake Kakashi was once more at the memorial stone, visiting his old friends.
Kakashi felt a cold wind blowing through the field.
'I haven't felt a breeze like that since returning from Wave County with Haku. Well, that's not true. I felt it the day of the finals for the chunin exams.'
Kakashi was gazing at the names inscribed on the stone, three in particular.
'I suppose you'd like to hear what happened. I wish I could say nothing memorable, but what happened that day will not be forgotten for some time.'
Kakashi took a breath, and began his tale.
'I was on time that day for once. Sasuke was fighting one of Gai's students, and if I made her wait for us I'd never hear the end of it from Gai.'
Kakashi chuckled a bit, but he was in no laughing mood.
'The first match was between Gaara of the Desert, the host of the one-tailed tanuki, and Yakushi Kabuto. It was over fast. Gaara crushed Kabuto like a grape.'
Kakashi shuddered a bit at the memory. Even for a veteran ninja like him, that was gruesome.
'We later discovered that Kabuto was alive. He disguised himself as an ANBU. The person Gaara killed was surgically altered to look like Kabuto, and manipulated to act like him. Kabuto was planning on faking his death to cover his role as a spy, but we caught him before he could get away.'
They were lucky. Who knows what Kabuto might have done if left to his own devices?
'Naruto fought Shikamaru next. They both put on a good display of tactics. Eventually Shikamaru caught Naruto with his shadow possession, but Naruto turned out to be a shadow clone. The real one was transformed into a discarded kunai. Naruto effectively caught the trapper in a trap.'
Naruto seemed to like traps, but that is a story for another time.
'Sasuke fought Tenten next. She put up a really good fight, but lost. It was impressive, even Sasuke seem to agree, although he won't admit it.
The final match was between Temari from Sand and Aburame Shino. It ended in a draw.'
'Naruto fought Gaara next. He did pretty well. Naruto was able to use the hidden mist technique to saturate the air with fog. It slowed the sand a bit, and forced Gaara to rely on instinct to protect him. Naruto launched several water attacks to weaken Gaara's sand shield before going in for a disabling move with his wind enhanced ninjato. That proved to be a mistake.'
'My unpredictable student was able to deliver a series of slashes that tore away at Gaara's sand, clothes and even his flesh. The pain and blood loss caused him to trigger the release of his tailed beast's chakra, transforming him.'
'When that happened, Naruto lured Gaara away from the village, where they could fight without restriction. I heard he defeated Gaara and Shukaku with the help of Gamabunta.'
'Naruto was seen as a hero for that. Even Hinata was praised for helping protect the civilians and delivering medical attention to the wounded ninja. It was Haku though who made a major difference.'
'He noticed the flaw in the barrier the sound four were using to keep anyone from interfering in the fight between Orochimaru and the Third Hokage. That allowed us to eliminate it and join the fight. We were too late to save the Third, as he used the dead demon consuming seal on Orochimaru, but we were able to make sure the snake died with him.'
'With Orochimaru dead, Gaara defeated, and the snake summons dealt with by Jiraiya, the sound and sand forces were swiftly dealt with. I don't want to think about how much worse things would have been if not for Naruto and Haku.'
Kakashi continued his reminiscing with his deceased comrades late into the night. While he kept the dead from resting, Haku, Naruto and Hinata slept, and dreamed of a better tomorrow.
Jiraiya stood outside the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village with his three travelling companions. They were the heroes of the Sand/Sound invasion. If anyone could convince Tsunade to return home and become Hokage, it was them.
'These three have grown exceptionally. Tsunade needs her will of fire relit, and who better to do it then those of the next generation who's fire shines brightest.'
Jiraiya looked back at the trio, and signalled them to move out. As the group made their way along the path, Jiraiya felt a cold breeze travelling in their direction.
'Brr, that's cold. It looks like we're stuck with it for some time too. How is it these kids aren't bothered by it?'
Indeed, neither Haku, Naruto or Haku seemed to notice it yet.
'I guess it's just something else about them to be surprised about.'
He continued to watch them, as they moved through the trees with great skill and co-ordination.
'They seem to work well together. Haku is already a chunin, and from what I've seen Naruto and Hinata are ready for promotion as well. I should put in word for them that they should be made into a team.'
Naruto was chatting with Hinata while Haku observed them, as if looking out for them.
'Yes, it's decided. For the sake of their development, it would be best for them to be together from now on. What to do about their other team-mates though?'
Jiraiya pondered that for a moment.
'I think it's time I did something about that Kurama Yakumo girl. With Tsunade's help, she may be able to resume her ninja career. Then she could take Hinata's spot on her old team.'
Jiraiya observed Naruto and Hinata carefully. He knew what to do about Hinata's team, so what to do with Naruto's?
'I guess for now the Uchiha can stay with Kakashi as his apprentice. The pink haired girl seems to have an interest in medicine, as do several others, Hinata and Haku included. It looks like Tsunade may finally get to start her medical program. That will give her a place in the hospital someday.'
Naruto was still chatting with Hinata, who appeared to be a good listener. Haku was between them and Jiraiya, as if he was trying to prevent the old lecher from listening in on his little brother and said brother's girlfriend.
For once Jiraiya was not looking for inspiration for his novels, or at least not the pornographic ones.
'I can't wait to see what the future hold for these three. They'll go far. Who knows, they might even be the next legendary three ninja. My dream of a peaceful world for shinobi might happen after all.'
Naruto sighed in frustration as another balloon popped in his hands. He was trying to master the third step of the rasengan, and had no luck. He was still doing better then Haku and Hinata, who did not have the power for the second step.
Jiraiya had shown them the rasengan, and how to perform the first step. With Hinata's byakugan and their improved chakra control, learning the first step was easy.
'I need to master this or else that old lady won't come back to the village and become Hokage.'
Tsunade made a bet with Naruto, Haku and Hinata that she would come back if they mastered a technique each. For Naruto, it was the rasengan. For Haku and Hinata, they would have to learn the mystical palm technique.
Tsunade even threw in bonuses. If Naruto won, she would give him her necklace. As for Haku and Hinata, if they mastered the mystical palm technique, then they were ready to become medical ninja. Tsunade would then take them on as apprentices.
The only catch was that all three had to master the techniques to win. It was all or nothing. If they failed, they had to agree not to pursue Tsunade any more.
Naruto looked over to where his shadow clones were practicing. They each had a bag of balloons, and were practicing the third step. Once they dispelled Naruto would get their memories, and the experience from it as well. He had a hundred clones out popping balloons.
He planned on training for fourteen hours a day, which would give him almost two months of experience in a day. That left him very mentally fatigued, but it would be worth it when he was done.
In a week's time he would have a little over a year's worth of practice. Since Jiraiya took six months to master the rasengan, Naruto hoped that twice that amount of time would be enough for him.
'I really need to thank Haku for all his help. If it wasn't for him, I might still be too stupid to have noticed I get the memories from my clones. Not to mention all the help with my chakra control he and Hinata have given me.'
Naruto was meditating off to the side. As his clones continually used up their chakra they occasionally popped themselves, giving Naruto and the others their memories prematurely.
Naruto was trying to avoid getting a headache from it, and trying the third step himself every now and then to judge his progress.
'I'll get this mastered soon enough. When I do, Grandma Tsunade will come back to the village, take Haku and Hinata as apprentices and become Hokage.'
Naruto did not even think of the necklace he would win. He was a changed person. No longer were his efforts done for his own good, but for someone else's.
It was the end of the week, and Naruto was called before Tsunade to see if he completed his part of the bet. She watched Naruto as he held a balloon in his left hand. Nothing happened to it. Naruto held up his right hand. A perfect sphere of spiralling chakra appeared in it.
Naruto thrust the sphere into a boulder, obliterating it. He won his part of the bet. Tsunade smirked at him.
'The little punk just mastered an A-rank technique. Not only that, but Hinata and Haku mastered the mystical palm technique as well.'
Shizune had been instructing the future medics while Tsunade observed them. Hinata and Haku took to learning medicine like a fish to water. That was ironic, since to master the mystical palm technique they had to resuscitate a fish that had been removed from water.
'From what Shizune tells me, both of them have been making medicinal balms for years. They've also been researching medicine for the past few months, ever since they met and discovered that was a common interest for them.'
The three of them were off to the side with Jiraiya, watching Naruto win the bet for his team.
'I suppose I have no choice. I could cancel the bet, but something tells me they won't give up easily. Who knows, maybe this is for the best.'
"All right brat, it looks like you win."
Naruto began jumping for joy while Tsunade removed her necklace, praying it would not claim another victim.
"Yes, now you have to take Haku and Hinata as your apprentices. Oh yeah, and be Hokage too." Naruto called out to Tsunade.
The slug tamer was surprised by that.
"Don't you want the necklace?" She asked Naruto.
"Nah," he replied, "I'm not into jewelry. I just wanted you to take Haku and Hinata as apprentices because I think they'll be really good at it. The perverted hermit wants you to come back to become Hokage. I'm just here to help them."
Tsunade was impressed by Naruto's selflessness.
'If this is what the younger generation is like, maybe things will be better from now on.'
Tsunade put her necklace back on, and continued observing Naruto. He was demonstrating the rasengan for Hinata and Haku, obliterating more boulders in the process.
Tsunade kept her hand on her grandfather's necklace as she watched Naruto, his brother and his girlfriend.
'I'll hold on to this for now. Maybe someday when you're ready to be Hokage it will be yours.'
The group returned to Tanzaku Gai to enjoy the rest of the festival. Street performers were playing uplifting music on unique instruments.
While Naruto, Haku and Hinata enjoyed the festival, Tsunade continued observing them from afar.
'They're acting like the children they are now instead of the adults they've forced to become. The three of them have faced death, but haven't become desensitized to it. Maybe Jiraiya was right. If they're an indication of what their generation is like, then the future is in good hands.'
The three in question were watching some younger kids play the games at the festival. Their ninja skills would give them too much of an advantage so they decided not to play any.
Even Naruto's strange luck kept them from playing any games of chance, as he won them with ease. That did not leave them with much to do.
'Well now,' thought Tsunade, 'if these kids are going to surpass my generation, then I'm not going to sit back and fall out of the spotlight. It's time to show them what I'm made of.'
Tsunade's resolve was solidified now. Her pride as a ninja restored, she would return to the Hidden Leaf Village, become Hokage and eliminate her hemophobia. She was not going to let some young punk surpass her without a fight.
The cold wind blew again, and Tsunade shivered. It disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, leaving Tsunade confused about it's source. She dismissed her thoughts of it, and turned them back to the three youngsters who's will of fire was bolstered by the wind of change.
Years later, a former member of ANBU, code-named Yamato, was studying a new book on architecture when he felt a cold wind blowing. Putting the book down, he made some hot tea to warm up.
'The last time I felt a cold wind like that was when Lady Tsunade returned to become Hokage. The world has changed much since then.'
Indeed it had. When she returned Tsunade began working with therapists in secret to overcome her fear of blood. Over time, she was able to let go of her pain and become the great medic she was once again.
Remembering the cold wind and the events of what happened the last time he felt it caused Yamato to reflect on what happened since that day as he enjoyed his hot tea.
'When Lady Tsunade became Hokage she formally started her medical training program and personally oversaw it. I've seen several new medics, including Haku and Hinata come out of the program.'
Haku and Hinata later formed a team with Naruto and Yamato as their captain, becoming one of the top teams in the village. They focused on search and rescue missions, and quickly gained fame for their heroics.
'I remember when I became their captain. I asked them what their dreams were. Naruto's goal was to become Hokage to make the Leaf Village a great place to live and protect his precious people. Hinata dreamed of changing the Hyuga clan and ending it's division. Haku hoped to become a great medic and help as many people as he could. Something told me they would all do that someday, and that I was lucky to be a part of it.'
Not everything went perfectly though.
'There was a problem with a criminal organization known as Akatsuki, but they were eventually dealt with. Once that happened, the elemental nations became a much more peaceful place. I noticed that many ninja started to settle down in this period.'
The tale of the defeat of Akatsuki is a long one, and best left for another time.
'I know one couple that surprised a lot of people was Haku and Temari. She had become the Sand Village's ambassador to the Leaf Village, and spent a lot of time travelling between the two villages.'
In fact, Temari spent much more time in the Leaf Village then was necessary for her position.
'I heard Haku had sought her out one day to gleam any information on wind techniques from her. She knew from his reputation that he was a male, and I think she was quite smitten with his looks. They hit if off, and the rest is history.'
That explains Temari's frequent appearances in the Leaf Village.
'They got married when they were both twenty years old. Naruto was Haku's best man. Hinata caught Temari's bouquet, and Naruto, for once, was the one who fainted. It was hilarious. I think there's still some pictures being passed around.'
Theirs was not the only wedding Yamato attended.
'Naruto and Hinata were married a few years later, and Haku was the best man. Hinata's little sister Hanabi and Moegi got into a fight over who caught the bouquet, as they both grabbed it at the same time. This time, it was Konohamaru who fainted. I still don't know which one of them he picked.'
To this day no one seems to.
Yamato, feeling the cold wind disappear, finished his tea, picked his book back up and resumed reading it where he left off.
'I wonder what's in store for them in the future?' He pondered.
It was now thirteen years since the cold wind first blew threw Fire Country, and it was now the last time it would do so. Today, a young medical ninja named Rock Sakura, formerly Haruno Sakura felt it as she left the hospital at the end of her shift.
Looking up to determine it's source, he gaze caught sight of the Hokage Monument, where Naruto's face was now chiselled into it next to Tsunade's.
It was not the first time she felt the cold breeze, and like others before her, she began to reminisce on the occurrences in the village since then.
'I haven't felt a breeze like that since I attended the birth of Temari's child.'
Sakura maintained her friendship with Naruto, and Haku and Hinata by proxy even after team seven was split up. Sakura became close friends with Haku and Hinata while they were all in the medical program. Thus, she became the Uzumaki family doctor. Although the life of a medical ninja was rife with death, on occasion they bore witness to the miracle of life.
'It was two years after Haku and Temari were married that she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. He had Temari's hair and eyes, but Haku's feminine looks. They were sure he would grow up to be quite handsome.'
The boy was even voted the "cutest baby ever" by the hospital staff. He was sure to have many admirers when he grew up.
'They considered naming the baby after Naruto, especially since the boy was blond, but decided it would be confusing. They settled for Shippo, which was a nice approximation.'
Oddly, not too many people got the reference.
'I even got to attend the birth of Hinata's children. Considering she was the Hyuga heiress, that was a huge bonus for my career. Oh, and I got to be part of a special moment of my friend's lives too.'
Sakura was now one of the best medical ninja in the village. She had put her fangirl days behind her. She was more career minded now, but she did not forget who her friends were.
'Hinata gave birth nine months after she married Naruto, so they had honeymoon babies. Yes, babies, a boy and a girl, the most adorable twins ever. They had such beautiful blue-black hair, even though it was hardly noticeable. It took a few weeks for their eyes to be completely visible, but they were a pretty pale blue, and both had the byakugan.'
It should be noted that Hinata had succeeded in eliminating the caged bird seal, thus both babies were safe. Naruto, having proved himself mature enough to raise a family, became Hokage shortly after their birth.
'The girl was named Hitomi for her eyes. They too considered naming their son after his uncle, especially considering his effeminate looks, but settled for Fuyuki instead.'
Thinking about Haku and Naruto's children made Sakura think of her daughter, who was a year younger then Naruto's children.
'It's time I headed home. I just need to pick up Harumi from the daycare. You know, she seems to be fond of Fuyuki. It's funny how Naruto used to pine for me, and now my daughter likes his son. I wonder what will happen to them in the future?'
With that, Sakura made her way to the daycare, and made plans for scheduling a play-date with the Uzumaki children.
'They're not too young for me to be playing matchmaker, right?'
As is answering her question, the cold wind blew one final time, and was never felt again.
Author's notes: Whew, that was a long one. This is my first, and probably only songfic.
I know most people might not like how most of it was a summary, but considering it's how Naruto's life was affected by Haku becoming a part of it, it's mostly unavoidable.
I might consider making this a full length story. In that case, I'd keep most of the plot here, and expand on some details, like the entire Akatsuki subplot, and any time I said "It's a story for another time."
This may also be my only story with a Naruto/Hinata pairing. I just honestly don't have any ideas for one, nor do I feel a need for another when there's several good ones already.
The kimono's I described Haku and Naruto wearing are the ones I plan on them eventually wearing in "Zabuza's Seven" as well. If anyone could draw them wearing them, that would be great. I could use a profile picture.
Edit: As of December 19, 2010 I've amended the summary to include a disclaimer that the main pairing is Naruto/Hinata, not Haku/Naruto. I know most people use the character filter for pairings, but that is not the focus of this story. It's about Haku and Naruto's growing friendship and how they see each other as the brother they never had, and later have families of their own. That's why the categories are friendship/family and not romance. There is no rule stating the characters listed have to be in a relationship. At least not a romantic one.
If the canon story was a fanfic, which it seems like at times, the listed characters would most likely be Naruto and Sasuke. Hmm, that might explain why people think Naruto is a yaoi series.
Edit. Feburary 18, 2011: I noticed the real goody two-shoes is cracking down on song-fics now, so rather then delete this story, which probably won't be missed, I took them out. They did inspire the scenes in the story, so if anyone wants to know how, just ask me.
If anyone wants to turn this into a full length fic, just let me know and we'll work out a plan for it. It shouldn't be too hard, considering all that's needed to be done is expand on the descriptions already present.