DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH MASASHI KISHIMOTO! So relax all you people in the copyright infringement area.
A/N: This story takes place at the beginning of episode 3, the day when all our favorite characters were just getting assigned to their teams. Hinata is the main character of these stories. Also, all of the teams are mixed up. Who's with who? You'll find out soon enough. WARNING: CONTENTS MAY CONTAIN SHIPPINGS THAT ARE NOT CANON WITH THE ORIGINAL STORY BECAUSE…FANFICTION, THAT'S WHY.
Chapter 1: ENTER, HINATA HYUGA.
So…today's the big day. I'm officially a Genin, a real ninja…in training at least.
Hinata thought as she looked at herself in her body-sized mirror. She was wearing her dark blue ninja sandles, short pants, with a short sleeve black shirt which remained hidden under her thick, tannish jacket. Even though it was the middle of what may have been the warmest summer of Konoha, Hinata was still insistent on wearing that thick, furry, winter coat. It seemed that no matter how warm it was outside, she was always cold. Hinata started to think that maybe she was always so cold because of the house she grew up in. The honorable Hyuga Clan of the Hidden leaf village, a clan well known for their special kekkai genkai, the Byakugan, which was passed down from generation to generation through their bloodline. This is the clan that Hinata had been born into. Not only is she a member of this prestigious clan, but she is also the Hyuga heiress…or at least she used to be. She's not even sure anymore. Her father believes her to be completely worthless. Weaker than even her 7 year old baby sister, Hanabi. To say that Hiashi was disappointed in Hinata's lack of fighting talent was an understatement. It's not that she didn't try, he just never gave her much of chance. She could never pick up on everything right away and he was so quick to give up on her. But Hanabi…was born with such natural talents that she didn't really have to work for.
Hinata picked up her ninja headband, which lay on the nearby dresser. She displayed it in front of her with both hands on either side of the metal brace, while she stared at her reflection in the engraved silver. Looking this headband…made her think of one person. "Naruto" she whispered to herself. She began having flashbacks of watching Naruto fail at making a simple shadow clone jutsu. She remembered how everyone laughed at him, teased him, and taunted him. She looked back at how he failed the graduation exam for the third time a few days ago. Yet…Naruto never gave up on himself. Despite having no support from anyone, no family, no friends…he never gave up. He is always trying, doing his best, even if he fails. Naruto was always an inspiration to Hinata. It saddened her that he didn't pass this year's exam. Still, simply thinking of Naruto gave her a little bit of strength, but more importantly, hope.
I'm going to prove to father…to everyone…that I am not worthless. I will become a great ninja someday. Then maybe…maybe father will accept me…maybe…I won't feel like such a burden anymore.
Having given herself a mental pep talk, Hinata tied the headband around her neck and left her room. She ran down the hall and prepared to turn right at the hall's end, planning to head straight for the door. She had gotten up really early, it was only 6:30am and she didn't need to be at the academy until 8, but she made it a habit of hers to never be late, always early. She didn't want to be troublesome, as she knew her instructors despised it when students were late.
Suddenly Hinata was startled when she attempted to make a right turn towards the exit, only to turn and nearly run into a tall man with long brown hair and piercing white eyes wearing a silk grey kimono. Hinata stopped in her tracks to gaze at what she believed was the only man who could look threatening wearing a bathrobe. "F-Father…" She said softly, bowing her head, not only as a sign of respect, but also as a way to avoid making eye contact with him. "Good…good morning." "Hn…" Hiashi responded. Not that Hinata expected him to actually respond to her.
Hiashi was about to ask his daughter where she was going at such an early hour when he noticed a certain leaf village headband around her neck. Hinata's head bow would make it difficult for a normal person to see her neck but nothing is invisible to the eyes of Hiashi. Hinata lifted her head as she prepared to run outside of the house as quickly as possible. Interactions with her father only lead to mental abuse and even greater damage to her self-esteem. However, Hiashi surprised his daughter by actually preparing to speak, though Hinata was sure that his words would not be the 'have a nice day' that most parents would tell their kids. "I see you've managed to become a Genin now." Hiashi spoke in a low, monotone voice. Hinata blinked. There was no insult in that last sentence. She looked at her father's face, not the eyes though-never the eyes-and wasn't surprised to see the usual scowl that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face. Though she was surprised by the lack of disdain and disappointment in her father's voice. "At least you aren't completely useless." Ah, there it is. Hinata lowered her head once more. Hiashi walked around his stagnant daughter and proceeded to walk down the hallway. "Try not to get in anyone's way." Was the last thing that Hiashi said as he disappeared behind the wall. "Yes sir…" Hinata mumbled.
It was 7:00am by the time Hinata arrived at the academy. She entered the nearly-empty building, noting that there were only a few jonin that were there. Though that was to be expected, jonin were elite ninja who took their jobs very seriously. Of course they'd be there an hour early. Hinata was probably the only kid in the whole school who arrived at such an early time, and her teachers loved her for that, yet they could still never remember her name. That's what happens when you're as silent as a ghost.
Hinata stopped in front of room 308, where orientation would be held an hour later. She actually enjoyed arriving early, being the first one in class meant that she got the first choice in seats. The class had three floors, each with three long desks that went across the room and sat three students. There were nine desks in all, three rows and three columns, and then there was an extra floor below the first one, which is where the teacher's desk was. Hinata loved to sit at the far right of the middle desk in the third column. It was the one seat next to the window with a perfect view of the outside. She had no idea, why she loved to sit in that specific seat so much. Maybe it was because she could always get a perfect view of Naruto as he was often being chased around outside by Iruka-sensei and the other Chunin teachers. She giggled as she thought of Naruto, though it saddened her a little that she would not be able to see such sights any longer. Hinata let out a soft sigh as she slid open the classroom door ever so gently.
The classroom was dark and silent, though she didn't have any problems seeing. Hinata took one step inside the room, and then stopped when she suddenly heard the sound of several kunai whipping through the air and coming straight at her. Despite her surprise, Hinata was able to dodge them by jumping to the side, over the stairs, allowing the kunai to bury themselves within the wall behind where she had formerly stood. Where did those come from? Hinata thought as she began to float down to the lower floor of the classroom. However, she landed on the stairs and lost her footing as the moment her weight hit the unstable edge of the last stair and she fell backwards, landing flat on her butt with a painful "oof!" Hinata whined a bit to herself as she slowly began to stand up again. She then focused her eyes on the kunai in the wall, she followed the invisible trail of where they had been thrown from. Her eyes shifted from one side of the room to the other, where she noticed a somewhat familiar figure. "Sasuke…Uchiha…" She whispered to herself. Her eyes widened as she noticed where that raven-tailed boy was located. He was sitting in HER seat, wearing his usually indifferent face, eyes closed, spinning a kunai with one finger. Did he…? Hinata wondered, although there was no one else in the room who could have done it and he certainly didn't look too innocent playing with his kunai like that. Hinata decided to walk up the stairs to the back of the left side of the classroom, next to the door. She plucked each of the kunai out of the wall and laid them all neatly in the palm of her delicate hands. Hinata then walked over to her occupied seat and extended her arm to the Uchiha boy, who simply responded to this action by opening one eye and giving her a look that said What do you want?. "Did you...Are these yours?" Hinata further extended her arms. Sasuke closed both eyes again. "Idiot." That word stung. "Do you see anyone else in this room? Of course it's mine." Sasuke's voice was full of irritation and hatred, so basically it was his normal voice.
Hinata's face turned red with anger from being insulted, and embarrassment at having some see her earlier fall. She clenched her hands around the handle of the kunai in her hands as she attempted to glare at Sasuke, though she only succeeded in showing an adorable puffed up face that made her look like an upset chibi doll. "Y-You…you could have really hurt me!" Hinata said in a normal-volume voice, though to her, that's the closest that she ever came to yelling. Sasuke jerked his head in her direction, showcasing his mighty glare, truly worth an Oscar. "So? Aren't you a ninja now? If a few kunai is all it takes to throw you off balance then you're nothing but a failure!" He spat with such disdain, as her narrowed his pitch black eyes. Hinata gulped as she began losing what little nerve she had. A failure…a word that she absolutely despised. She had heard it so many times in her life. Needless to say that it brought up a lot of suppressed childhood memories. Hinata's face began to burn, she turned her head away from Sasuke, shunning his cold, black eyes in favor of the floor. She felt herself ready to cry. That ice-cold glare reminded her of too many people she knew. Only their eyes were all seeing and all white. I won't cry. I won't cry! Hinata told herself repeatedly.
Sasuke continued glaring at Hinata. Geez…I am really not in the mood to deal with anyone right now. I was hoping if I came here early I could have some time to myself. Sasuke thought. He was pissed that morning. He had just gotten out of the fight of his life. He was attacked in the middle of the night, by vicious, bloodthirsty beasts that cornered him in the safety of his own home, and these monsters were determined to tear him limb from limb, and almost succeeded in that. He just barely escaped with the clothes on his back and his life. Who are these opponents? FANGIRLS! They are EVERYWHERE!
It was 4am when Sasuke was jolted awake by the sound of voices echoing through his apartment. He jumped out of bed, grabbing the closest kunai he could find, but by then it was too late. The girls were slithering their way from under his bed, through his windows, out of his closet…it was like a nightmare! The young Uchiha had no choice but to grab some clothes, with his headband, and throw himself out the window to escape. He had spent a vast majority of the morning getting rid of those girls, before he was finally able to lose them and come to the academy. Sasuke had spent the last hour trying to fall asleep on these cold, hard, wooden desks, and just as he was about to doze off, in comes the blue haired, pale skinned, ghost of the academy, ruining his only chance to take a nap. Sure, they still had an hour, but he couldn't be caught sleeping in public by anyone. He wouldn't dare! Besides the possibility of fangirl attacks, he had a reputation for always looking cool and calm, he couldn't let anyone see him sleeping in class. It's undignified. Though his pride didn't aid his sleep deprivation, it never helps that he waits until midnight to go to sleep either. He's such a night owl, not that he could help it. He actually feared that the fangirls had finally found him when he threw those kunai. He was hoping to scare them off. Though it was a simple case of mistaken identity for Hinata, he was still upset that he couldn't take his nap now. Besides…Sasuke Uchiha doesn't apologize. Ever. She dodged them and wasn't hurt(physically), so good for her, though he almost laughed at the way she landed. ALMOST.
After successfully resisting the urge to cry, Hinata turned to face Sasuke, who now had his elbows rested on the table with his hands upward, folded so neatly in front of his face, with his eyes closed. I guess he wouldn't be willing to give up that seat. Hinata thought. I wonder what so many girls see in such a guy. Without saying another word to Sasuke, Hinata walked over to the middle column of desks on the top row, the back of the classroom, where she sat down in the seat to the far left, a good distance from Sasuke. She folded her hands on the desk top and let out a huge sigh. This day isn't turning out very well so far. Hinata's gaze drifted over to Sasuke Uchiha, now known as the boy sitting in her favorite seat who just used her for target practice. She squinted her eyes as she looked at him, making a decent glare at the boy who, unfortunately, didn't get to see it. I'm way too nice. Hinata laid her head down to rest upon her arms, on top of her warm, soft, jacket sleeves. She needed a nap.
An hour later…
The sounds of dozens of voices filled Hinata's ears, awaking the young Hyuga from her short nap. She blinked her eyes a few times as she waited for her eyes to adjust the light. She looked around to find the classroom almost filled. In fact, it seemed as if the only person that had yet to arrive was Iruka-Sensei. As she scanned the room, she noticed a familiar crop of blonde hair along with an orange jumpsuit. Naruto! But what is he doing here? She thought, before she spotted it! He was talking to Shikamaru, sporting a new forehead protector. "Take a good long look Shikamaru! It's a regulation headband! Looks like we're gonna be training together from now on! Ya know, it's as if this protector was made for me, as if I was born to wear it! Believe it!" Naruto spoke rather fast, but loud and clear enough for Hinata to hear. Someway, somehow, Naruto Uzumaki managed to graduate. Naruto. You graduated after all. I'm glad. Hinata blushed a little.
Meanwhile a sound of a running herd of bulls filled the nearby hallway. The door slammed open. Hinata, and several others, turned to look at the door to find Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka attempting to enter the room at the same time. They both got managed to push their way past each other into the room, and then proudly raised their arms declaring "I'M FIRST!" in perfect sync. Those two are always competing with each other. Hinata wasn't surprised to see them racing, though she had to wonder what ever happened to their former friendship when they were little.
Hinata turned back to look at Naruto who, to her surprise was…STARING…AT HER! Naruto was staring at her! She felt her cheeks burn red hot. He-He's staring at me…or so she thought. Hinata's blush quickly faded when she noticed that Naruto's affectionate stare shifted. At that moment Sakura had ran from behind Hinata and was headed straight for Naruto. Hinata hung her head in embarrassment. He was looking at Sakura…not me…She should have known.
Hinata watched as Naruto stood up to greet Sakura, only to be pushed out of the way and onto the ground. "MOVE IT NARUTO!" Sakura yelled.
"G-Good morning Sasuke." Sakura said in an uncharacteristically sweet voice. Sasuke turned his head slowly to face this blushing, pink haired girl. "Mind if I sit next to you?" Before Sasuke could open his mouth to respond, Ino walked over, grabbing Sakura's arm "Back off forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke! I walked into the classroom before you did, everyone saw it!" That last line seemed to be an invitation to all Sasuke's fangirls in the room to join in as another girl with brown hair walked over. "Actually I got here before either of you!" Another girl spoke. "So did I, I'M sitting next to Sasuke." And that was it, a whole argument started over this. Clueless. Sasuke thought as he turned his head back in the other direction, closing his eyes. It's just a seat.
Hinata shook her head. I wonder what those girls see in Sasuke? He's cute, but he's so cold and mean. Hinata thought as she had a flashback of his earlier attempt on her life. She couldn't understand how such a guy could have so many fans, especially when no one knows anything about him, besides his name and the fact that he likes girls with long hair. Hinata's gazed turned back to Naruto who was still on the floor. Oh Naruto… Hinata watched sympathetically as Sasuke's fangirls began to beat Naruto mercilessly. Hinata turned her head, she couldn't bear to watch. The sounds of broken bones filled the classroom as all the other boys began to huddle in one corner, trying to distance themselves as much as possible from those merciless girls. Though the beat down would soon be over as the teacher's door slid open. "Good Morning Class. Sorry I'm late." Iruka-Sensei said as he walked into the classroom.
(the Speech)
"As of today you are all Genin, official ninjas. You've faced many challenges to get here, but this is only the beginning. Today you will all be put into three-man squads which shall be lead by a Jonin, an elite ninja." Silence filled the room as everyone began to react to the news of three man squads differently while Iruka began calling teams.
Cha! I'm definitely gonna be with Sasuke! There's no doubt about it! Inner Sakura declared within Sakura's mind.
A three man squad…tch…that will only slow me down. Sasuke thought as he imagined what would be the worst possible teammates. As long as I don't have to deal with Naruto…
I wanna be with Sakura and well…I don't care just as long as it's not Sasuke. Naruto sat there imagining how much bad luck Sasuke would bring with his army of fangirls.
Hinata simply stared at Naruto. Her thoughts made clear.
"Team 7: Sasuke Uchiha…"
A hush fell over the room as all the girls began intensely staring down Iruka-Sensei who couldn't help but sweat drop. If only these girls spent half as much time training as they did fawning over Sasuke He shook his head. I feel sorry for this poor girl. Iruka thought to himself. Iruka cleared his throat before he resumed speaking "…Hinata Hyuga"
"WHAT?!" The whole room erupted at once. Hinata's eyes swelled to the size of her fist, as she dared to look down in terror at all the jealous fangirls who had suddenly turned their vicious and vengeful eyes on her.
"That ghost is on Sasuke's team?! What a joke!"
"It's always the quiet ones!"
"We should have known better!"
Hinata began sweating, as she actually began to genuinely fear for her life at that moment. Those girls were making it seem like she picked the teams herself. Hinata looked over towards Sasuke, who still had his hands folded in front of his face as he stared at nothing in particular. I don't think I can do this… Hinata sweat dropped.
Iruka eased the class as he continued to speak "…and finally, Naruto Uzumaki."
"HUH?!" Naruto screamed as Hinata's face suddenly lit up like the morning sun. Naruto was on her team too! She almost felt like standing up and shouting herself. Naruto…Naruto and I will be together on the same team! She giggled to herself, but quickly stopped as the two fangirls in front of her suspected that she was giggling for Sasuke.
Man, why don't I just crawl under a rock and die? Naruto thought to himself as he slouched downward in his seat. He just had to be on the same team as Sasuke! And Hinata…it's not that Naruto didn't like her, he just didn't know her all that well, she was always so quiet and gloomy , and he really wanted to be on the same team as Sakura. Naruto, being the boisterous person that he is, decided to protest this outrage! He shot up out of his seat, facing Iruka with his arm outstretch and his finger pointing over to Sasuke. "IRUKA SENSEI! Why does a great ninja like me, have to be stuck on the same team with a guy like HIM?!"
Iruka sighed as he responded, "Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating class, while you Naruto, had the worst scores. So we decided to put the best with the worst."
Naruto growled as Iruka finished that last sentence, causing other students in the room to laugh at him.
For once Sasuke found himself agreeing with Naruto. It wasn't fair that he had to be stuck on the same team with someone as low class as Naruto. Sasuke had never really seen Hinata's scores, but from her clumsy fumbling over a few kunai earlier, he suspected that she wasn't any better. "Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser." Sasuke said calmly without even looking in Naruto's direction. "What did you say?!" Naruto shouted as he shook his fists angrily in front of his face. "Hard of hearing?" Sasuke teased as more laughter filled the room.
Sakura would have normally told Naruto off, but she had her eyes fixated on a certain blue-haired, pale skinned Hyuga. "I can't believe SHE'S on Sasuke's team…of all people…why couldn't it have been me instead?" Sakura mumbled to herself as she mentally began tearing Hinata apart, as if it was her fault that she was on Sasuke's team.
"AHEM!" Iruka coughed loudly. "Shall we continue?"
The kids all stopped laughing and paid attention to Iruka as he continued to announce teams.
"Any ways…Team 8: Sakura Haruno…Kiba Inuzuka…and Choji Akimichi."
Sakura's face dropped once again. "Oh no…the mutt AND food boy. Oh this day couldn't get any worse." Sakura mumbled as she slouched in her chair. Ino, loving every minute of seeing her rival suffer, decided to poke fun at her. "You know bill-board brow, you shouldn't let yourself get so worked up over such trivial things. I'm sure the mutt and the fatso will make great teammates." Ino let out a short giggle. Sakura, feeling so depressed, didn't even feel like responding.
"Well you sure got over that Sasuke thing fast. And here I thought that you'd be flipping your lid." Shikamaru commented.
Ino sighed "Well...I was hoping to get Sasuke for a teammate, but if I couldn't get him then Hinata would be the only other acceptable option. I mean, anyone with half a brain could see that she's got like no interest in Sasuke. I mean look at the homely way she dresses, she'll never get anyone's attention like that. And even if she did like Sasuke, she doesn't have the nerve to ask him out or anything, so it isn't like I've got anything to worry about."
Hinata appreciated that Ino recognized that she didn't like Sasuke…though she did wish that Ino wouldn't talk as if Hinata wasn't in the room at all.
"You girls are really vicious. Why kill each other over a single guy? Especially a guy like Sasuke, he's not even all that great." Shikamaru said flatly.
Ino scoffed at the lazy boy's words. Not believing what she had just heard. "You just don't get it. But I wouldn't really expect a guy as dense as you to understand love. I feel sorry for the poor girl who gets stuck on YOUR team."
"Team 10: Ino Yamanaka…Shikamaru Nara"
"!" Ino's jaw dropped down to the desk as Shikamaru began to chuckle "Hey, what was that you said about feeling sorry for the poor girl stuck on my team?" Ino forced her head into the desk "I'm doomed!"
"…and Shino Aburame."
"Not bug boy too!" Ino shouted as she started pulling at her own hair.
It looks like everyone is dissatisfied with their teammates. Shino thought to himself as he adjusted his glasses.
"AHEM!" Iruka attempted to gain his student's attention once more. "Anyway, it's time to break for lunch. Meet back here in two hours, which is when you will meet your new jonin teacher. Class dismissed."
A/N: So that is the first chapter! Not very much action, I know. I did skip a few scenes, because I didn't feel that they were necessary. And as promised, the teams are all mixed up now! MWAHAHA! We'll see a lot more interesting scenes next chapter as well as the Jonin assigned to each squad! Until next time!