A/N: New story, new story. (Dances round and round) Oh, I always wanted to type a Gaara story. Just thought I might have too much on my hands. But I really can't hold back all the ideas, of they'll fly away. I want Gaara-chan! Heehee.
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei, but the new OC is mine!
"…" talk
'…' thoughts
= = = = changes in scene/time
Jutsu List
Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu – Dragon Fire Technique
Byakugan – White Eyes
Kaiten – Heavenly Spin
Kagemane no Jutsu – Shadow Copy
Katon, Housenka no Jutsu – Mythical Fire Flower
Kamaitachi – Slashing Wind
Chapter 1: Intro! Tsunade's Pupil!
Three shinobis hid themselves in the trees, keeping silent. Their targets, five Hidden Stone shinobis. Three were already killed while two were standing back to back in the clearing. Their side had some casualties as well. Two shinobis suffered some light injuries while one had heavy internal bleeding. Suddenly, shurikens rained on them and they were forced to jump out of their hiding place. "Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu!" screamed one of the ninjas. The two Hidden Stone ninjas evaded the stream of flames. One of them performed some handseals and rocks tumbled onto them. They managed to jump out of the way, but the other one had anticipated this and slammed his fist into the heavily injured ninja. He hit the ground with an audible crack and blood spurted from his mouth. A navy-haired kunoichi quickly landed beside him and begun healing him with chakra. "Byakugan!" she cried as she activated her bloodline limit. With it, she surveyed the damage suffered by her fellow shinobi. Said man had a few fractured ribs and internal bleeding. A scream told her that one of the Hidden Stone had been taken care of. Hinata tried to heal her fellow shinobi but with the lack of medicine and running low on chakra, the best she could do was stop the profuse external bleeding. Another scream made Hinata flinch inwardly. She hated killing. That was why she always let the others finish the job; she would only injure and knock her enemies out, never kill. Her comrade turned to her, "Mission accomplished. Let's get back to the village." Hinata nodded weakly.
= = = =
Konoha Hospital
Hinata brought her comrade to the hospital while the leader went to Hokage-sama to report about their mission. Once arriving at the hospital, she lost no time in getting him registered. When the doctor had him admitted, she sat on one of the benches, sighing in relief. "Hinata-chan? You're back from the mission!" Hinata looked up to see a girl her age beaming at her. "Kina-chan." She smiled. "What are you doing here?" "Usual check-up." "I suggest you clean up a bit. We'll be meeting Naruto-kun for lunch at Ichiraku." "Un."
Hinata's POV
I listened with a smile on my face as Kina-chan began to tell me about her day. Naoru Kina was a medic nin, like me. She graduated later than us and had made it to chuunin but she chose to pursue medicals instead. Kina-chan had been specially trained by Tsunade-sama. In fact, she was very skilled in medics and Tsunade-sama made her her pupil. She had been my best friend since we met during the medic nin course. Her rich blond hair looked especially bright under the sun. Soon, we reached my home and Kina-chan waited for me outside. After a bath and a fresh change of clothes, we were ready to meet Naruto-kun."
= = = =
Ichiraku Ramen
"Hinata-chan!" a blond boy of 16 jumped up and hugged Hinata tightly. Hinata giggled at her boyfriend's antics. "Naruto-kun." Together, they entered the ramen stand and ordered. Naruto spoke animatedly about his most recent mission, waving his arms round. Hinata just smiled and nodded. "And then, I defeated then with my Rasengan and we wrapped up the mission." He ended with his trademark fox grin. After that their ramen arrived and Naruto dove at his bowl. Hinata shook her head; Naruto was just such a messy eater. "Naruto-kun, you have ramen on your chin." She stretched her had out and brushed the pieces of noodles from his chin. Naruto grinned slyly and without warning, his tongue darted out to lick her fingers. The Hyuga turned a pretty shade of red. "Na-Naruto-kun!" she cried, embarrassed. The young shinobi grinned even wider. "Yare, yare. Looks like I'm invisible." Kina teased. The pair blushed; they had forgotten that Kina was there.
After lunch, the blonde left Hinata and Naruto as she went to mind her own business. Both ninjas walked around until they reached their favourite spot. The sunset was the best there. Hinata leaned backwards with Naruto's arms wrapped around her. They watched the sky silently, until Naruto pecked her lightly on the cheek. "Arigatou, Hinata-chan." "For what?" "For loving me." Hinata just smiled gently and leaned into his embrace. She remembered hearing that somewhere before.
Flashback
"Kaiten!" screamed the silver-eyed girl. All the kunais were deflected but her opponent had rushed forward to attack her, katana drawn. The blow that landed on her, and blood spilled profusely. Ignoring it, she took this opportunity to land a blow on his chest, cutting of blood supply to his heart. The man fell down and began jerking. He fainted when no blood reached his brain. Hinata slapped his chest, letting blood back into his heart. She had no intention of becoming a killer just yet. Sudden pain gripped her and she passed out.
When she woke up, the first thing she thought of was where she was. Before she could think properly, an orange blur attacked her. "Na-Naruto-kun?!" "Yokatta! You're okay!" Naruto hugged her tightly, oblivious to the presence of others in the room. Neji's eyebrow twitched, while Kina smiled tiredly. Kurenai was glad her student was all right while Kiba and Shino was relieved. Kina put a hand on Neji's shoulder and indicated him to leave them be. The others exited the room, leaving the two alone. Naruto finally released his hold on the kunoichi. Hinata could tell he hadn't slept from his tired face. "I'm so glad you're okay, you had me worried." 'He was worried about me?' "Gomenasai, Naruto-kun." Naruto gulped and readied himself, "Hinata-chan, I-I have something to tell you. At first I didn't realize it but after you almost died, I found out how much you meant to me." Hinata stayed silent. "I can't bear to see you get hurt. It hurts…here." He gripped at his chest. "I like you, Hinata-chan. I really, really like you." He whispered as though afraid of saying it. Hinata's silver eyes widen as Naruto made his confession. 'He likes me. He actually likes me.' Too shock to speak, Naruto took her silence as rejection. "I-I understand if you don't have any feelings for me." He stood up to leave. "After all, who would love a demon?" he said softly.
"Matte, Naruto-kun!" Hinata tried to stand but her wounds began to hurt and she began to cough violently. Naruto, anxious, rushed to her side. "Hinata-chan, daijoubu?" Hinata held onto him tightly, still coughing. "Don't leave, Naruto-kun. I like you too! For so long…" Naruto blinked stupidly and then sky blue orbs widen. He enveloped the Hyuga in a bone-crushing embrace, causing her to choke. Naruto released her quickly. "Gomen!" exclaimed the blond. She took a moment to breath before turning to Naruto. "I've always liked you, Naruto-kun. I was always watching you. You were the reason I became stronger. The reason I believe in my strength. Please don't say that no one would love a demon. Tashika ni the Kyubi resides in you, demo Naruto-kun wa Naruto-kun, Kyubi wa Kyubi. Even a demon deserves to be loved." Hinata smiled as she poured her heart out to him. 'After so long, I finally have the chance to tell him.' "Naruto-kun, I had always been in love with you." Naruto smiled, not the fake smile he had been using to cover his pain and loneliness, but a true smile of happiness. He hugged Hinata again, tears streaming down his face. 'At last…' "Arigatou." 'At long last…someone cares for me.' "Arigatou, for loving me."
End of flashback
= = = =
Memorial of the Fallen Shinobi (is that what you call that place they put the names of the ninjas who died?)
A blonde girl stood in front of the stone monument. A Jounin with his dark hair pulled back into a scruffy ponytail stood beside her. Yamanaka Ino caressed the flowers in her hands. Nara Shikamaru looked sadly at the monument. Both were staring at a name carved onto the monument. Their best friend and teammate, Akimichi Chouji, had his name carved onto the stone monument. Ino bent down, placing the flowers on the ground. She did not cry; her tears had dried up a long time ago. Shikamaru just stood there, reliving the day he lost his best friend.
Flashback
"Ino!" "Ino-chan!" Shikamaru and Chouji tried to reach the girl before the arrow could strike her. Ino felt her body move itself as she avoided the arrow, which only grazed her shoulder. Shikamaru sighed; relieved he managed to catch her with the Kagemane no Jutsu in time. He released her shadow and ran to her. However, it was too soon to be relieved. Their enemies were still after them. The client they were supposed to protect was shivering in the middle. The lazy shinobi tried to figure a way to get away. This wasn't easy as they were greatly outnumbered 11 to 3. After a long time, they somehow managed to downsize the group of enemy shinobis to 6. But they were running very low on chakra and all seemed bleak. "Shikamaru-kun, get down!" Shikamaru ducked a little too late as kunais pierced his back. Chouji went berserk at the sight of his best friend getting hurt. He consumed the red pepper pill and immediately, power radiated from him. With a loud roar of rage, Chouji went on a rampage, killing the 6 shinobis, who were shocked by the amount of chakra he possessed. Chouji ignored all the attacked thrown at him. all he was thinking about was to hurt these people who had endangered his friends,
"Chouji! Chouji!" "Oi, Chouji! Me o samase!" Ino had tears rolling down her face. Shikamaru was deathly pale. Chouji felt the side effect of the red pill kick in. Piled with the injuries, he knew he wasn't going to make it. "Hehe…Shikamaru-kun….gomen…for not listening to you. – cough – But we could've all died. Better one that four." "What're you saying Chouji? You'll be fine!" cried Ino. "Hehe – cough – You know, Ino-chan, I never told you but… I think you're the prettiest girl I've ever known. Ino-chan…I like you…" Ino gasped. "Come on, Chouji. Don't speak anymore, we'll get help." "Dameda…I'm not going to make it. You know that…Shikamaru-kun. Arigatou…for being my best friend… when nobody wants me. I'll miss you guys." "Don't talk like that!" Shikamaru said harshly. Tears threatened to spill. "Say…was I…did I manage to change?" "Yeah, yeah, you were strong. You're so cool, Chouji." To hell with not allowing emotions show, Shikamaru let himself cry. "Honto? Then I'm glad." With that Akimichi Chouji left the world. Only the night heard the sorrow in Ino and Shikamaru's cries.
End of flashback
After that incident, Ino stopped chasing Sasuke. Because the one who held her heart, all along, was the fat boy whom she had never really noticed. Ino regretted that she was never able to return his affection. Ino cried many days but Shikamaru never broke down. Ino was angry, angry that he could act so calmly after his best friend's death, jealous that he could confront his emotions so well, angry at herself that she never gave Chouji a chance. Now, it was too late. She remembered it when she lost her temper with Shikamaru's coolness.
Ino's eyes were red from crying. "Stop crying, Ino." Shikamaru said tiredly. He wasn't in the spirit to deal with anymore tears. PAP! The sting from Ino's slap registered a little while later. Shikamaru looked away, his cheek gaining redness. "How could you act so calm?" raged Ino. "So composed? So…emotionless." Silence filled the air as Ino continued to cry silently. "He died a hero. I'm proud of him, and he was my best friend…don't you dare say I'm emotionless over his death. You have to face it, Ino! He's gone! But he'll always be here, in our hearts." "Shika-kun…" the blonde wept in her teammate's arms, for the last time.
"Yamanaka-san, we'll be late." A Chuunin stepped up and said. Ino touched the carvings of Chouji's name tenderly before standing up again. "All right, let's go." She hugged Shikamaru before leaving with her comrades.
= = = =
"What's our mission details?" asked a young girl from Ino's group. "We're supposed to escort the Hidden Sand representatives to Konoha." A brown-haired boy interrupted, "Is this about the new exchange plan between the two villages?" Ino glanced behind to acknowledge the boy, who was a new Chuunin. "Hai." The boy bore a katana behind his back. He looked older than his real age, and somewhat sickly. Hayate Enki questioned Ino again, "May I know who Konoha sent to Sunagakure no Satou?" "Neji and Tenten." The girl in her group, also a new Chuunin, sounded impressed, "Hyuga Neji?" "Hai. Now keep your mind on the mission." Takura Anzu blushed a little. Ino could read that the Chuunin had a crush on the Hyuga prodigy. 'Pity he seemed more concentrated on getting stronger.'
Hyuga Neji and Tenten were now Jounins for a year and had been chosen to represent Konoha in the exchange of shinobis. (Kinda like student exchange programs) It was a new peace pact by the Godaime and the new Kazekage in order to enforce the strength of the two villages. All the villages were still unstable after Orochimaru's defeat last year. The Akatsuki had gone without a trace but not destroyed for sure. "Here we are." Ino stopped and landed in the middle of a clearing. "Okashii… There's no one here." Anzu looked around. Suddenly, without warning, shurikens showered upon them. The three jumped aside and got ready for battle. Ino made some quick handseals and performed a low level Genjutsu to confuse their enemies. Enki had his hand on the hilt on his sword. For a while, the atmosphere was tense and no sound was to be heard.
Suddenly, a figure darted out of nowhere and slammed towards Ino. Said kunoichi drew out a kunai and blocked it. For a while Ino was caught up in the battle as she couldn't even see the face of her attacker as the person was heavily cloaked. Enki swung his katana at the attacker, who jumped back. Anzu launched into a series of handseals, "Katon, Housenka no Jutsu!" The figure opened his weapon, a huge pale yellow fan with three green dots on it. Ino frowned. 'I've seen that somewhere before.' The figure swept his fan at the approaching fireballs, "Ninpou, Kamaitachi!" Ino's teal eyes widen as she heard another voice behind her, "Sabaku Kyuu." Anzu gave a small scream as sand gripped her ankles. Ino however, relaxed as she put on a frown. "That's not funny, you two." A redhead walked out of the shadows, arms crossed and cloaked. He had the 'Ai' kanji tattooed onto his forehead. A girl, probably two or three years older than Ino, pulled down her hood and grinned, "Konoha has some very potential ninjas. You actually made me use the Kamaitachi on you." Anzu still looked shocked. Ino dusted her pants and said, "These are the representatives from the Hidden Sand. Meet Temari and Sabakuno Gaara."
Yare, yare-Oh dear
Yokatta-That's great (express relief)
Matte-Wait
Daijoubu-[I'm] fine/okay (Daijoubu desu ka?- Are you okay?)
Gomen/Gomenasai-Sorry
Tashika ni-It's true that…
Me o samase-Open your eyes
Dameda-[I] can't
Honto-Really
Okashii-Strange
A/N: Ne, how was it? Like it? Hate it? Please review to let me know!! Arigatou gozaimasu!