NARUTO:
THE LEAF IN THE WHIRLPOOL
CHAPTER 1
GRADUATION
Naruto quickly made his way to the Academy. He was moving much faster than usual and he attributed the slip in his normal front to his excitement. Naruto had always held back at showing his true powers at the Academy, instead he would practice and train those skills in the privacy of his own home.
He knew that he was much faster than all of the Genin in his year. It was something he could not accurately explain but from an early age his movements were always quick and his Ninja training had improved his speed even more.
He had even seen that he was faster than Iruka and Mizuki Sensei. He could not accurately measure his speed because he had never seen others moving at speeds higher than his.
Although he had lived on his own his entire life he was not idle. When the truth of his family was told to him and he could understand what it meant he knew that he could not fail them. Therefore he had done his best to become a powerful Shinobi and his dream was to one day hold the title of Hokage.
He had looked through scrolls that had belonged to his parents and he had learned from them. He had found that he was good at Wind Jutsu's and so the scrolls left behind by his mother were a great help. He knew many high level Fuuton Ninjutsu's and his large chakra allowed him to perform them at even greater power levels.
There was only one problem. Because he focused so much before and after class he ended up missing out on some of the important lessons and that led him to being last in class in terms of theoretical Ninja skills and some of the basic Ninjutsu's. In fact his worst Ninjutsu was the one that was always tested in the two times he had been up for graduation.
Bunshin no Jutsu was beyond him and he could not fathom why. He just couldn't do the most basic of the basic Ninjutsu's. That truth kept him humble and it also made him want to keep his other skills under wraps. He could count on one hand the number of people who knew his skills.
One was Hyuga Hinata, the super shy, weird girl, who always fainted whenever he was around. He remembered the day when they stumbled upon each other outside of Konoha.
She had gone out there to practice in the solitude of the forest and he had gone out there to practice some of the more powerful Ninjutsu's he had learned from the scrolls. She had been in the line of fire of one his most devastating attacks but she had survived thanks to her unique Jutsu, the Kaiten he remembered her saying.
Naruto still didn't understand how exactly it was done but he knew it needed a high level of chakra control.
They had exchanged a few words while he was checking if she was alright but she had fainted as soon as he asked her to take off her heavy jacket so that he can check for any cuts.
He left that day feeling like she was a dark, weird and timid girl but he respected her power and he knew that he could count on her. It was instinctual and Naruto always trusted his instincts.
Around Hinata he felt calm and he knew that he could be his true self….
Naruto reached the Academy in record time and he took his seat already anxious to get the test over and done with.
Some time later….
She saw him walk out of the Academy with his head down and his shoulder's drooping. It was obvious what had happened and it broke Hinata's heart. Naruto had failed his exam for the third time.
Watching the person she admired in so much pain caused her to change. She could not stand by and watch Naruto feel so much pain without anyone to comfort him.
She slowly made her way to Naruto who was sitting on an old swing looking sadly at all of the other children who had graduated. She could tell he was in great emotional pain because not only did he not graduate but there was no there for him because he was an orphan.
"Naruto-Kun" she whispered and she took his hand into hers and slowly he looked up. Their eyes met and for that time they were alone in the world.
Something passed between them that they could not put into words. They stayed that way for a long time drawing comfort from each others presence, acknowledging each truly for the first time.….
When they finally broke contact, Hinata blushed furiously and Naruto smiled warmly. It was not his usual ear to ear grin but a more reserved smile with trace of his earlier sadness but there was also hope.
"Arigato Hinata…-chan" Naruto said and he got down from the swing gave her hug and leapt away in the direction of the Hokage monument.
It had taken a lot of willpower to do what she had just done and Hinata was exceptionally pleased with herself but that pleasure was fleeting.
When he called her Hinata-chan her whole world had spun off its axis but when he hugged her it had blown apart.
She had a vague sense of falling as the world started to go black but then instead of impacting the ground she felt her self being caught by someone. It was a surreal experience but she perceived that she was fainting but at the same time she felt like she was waking up for the first time.
From a distance she heard someone's voice speaking to her and it said.
"Arigato Hinata, for what you have done for Naruto" she felt her body being gently placed on the ground and just like that she was pulled back in and she only knew darkness after that.
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She woke up to find herself in the Academy first aid room. She slowly got out of the bed and made her way to Iruka Sensei's office. She found him looking through some papers.
"Iruka
Sensei" she said as she knocked on the door.
He turned to her.
"Hinata you're awake. I'm so glad. I thought you would sleep
forever."
"Sorry about that Iruka Sensei, I must have passed out."
"I found you outside and decided to bring you in so that you can rest more comfortably. Do you feel well enough to go home?"
"Hai" she answered.
"Ok then have a safe trip home" He said with a smile.
She bowed and turned to leave but just then Mizuki Sensei came rushing into the building out of breath.
"Iruka" he said. "The Forbidden Scroll has been taken from the Hokage's Chamber."
"What!" Iruka said in shock. "Who would do such a thing?"
"It was that de…" he paused looking and glanced at Hinata who was standing to the side listening silently. "It was Uzumaki Naruto. The Hokage has requested all available hands to find him but as you well know he is very good at hiding. Will you help us find him, you always seem to have a knack for it."
"Of course I'll help but first I need to escort Miss Hyuga home. I had already arranged to escort her and it with be dishonourable for me not to even in these circumstances."
Hinata was puzzled by this statement but a look from Iruka Sensei told her to play along.
"Ok then, when you finish escorting Miss Hyuga please join the search." Then he left.
"Iruka Sensei what was that all about?" Hinata said.
"Hinata you have to help me. I need to be the one to first find Naruto. Can you use your Byakugan to find him?" Iruka Sensei said in a panicked voice.
Hinata didn't know why Iruka Sensei was so scared but she had to do her best to help. From the way the Ninja said Naruto's name she knew that he did not like him and maybe that was why Iruka Sensei was so frantic.
She closed her eyes and brought her hands together in the familiar seal of the Hyuga.
"Byakugan" she said and the world around her transformed from mundane colours to the bright and vibrant chakra filled world that she loved to escape too.
She could see so much with her family's bloodline limit, for nearly 3600 and a range of just fewer than 50 meters.
It wasn't enough she could not see him anywhere and even if she moved around Konoha it would still take a longer time find him.
She knew despair then and all of her feelings of inadequacy rose to the surface.
"Hinata" Iruka Sensei said "you have to believe in yourself, not just for your own sake but for Naruto as well. You're the only one who can help find him. I believe in you and so does he…."
All of the negative emotions that were coming to the forefront were suddenly eclipsed by the truth. She strained then with the powers of her bloodline pushing them further than what she had ever tried. For him she would not fail.
She felt the barrier in her mind, the wall she had to overcome in order to save Naruto and she tore it down in an instant and suddenly in the distance she saw the beacon of his enormous chakra. She focused her vision to that specific point and with an exhausted voice she spoke.
"He's 3 km due east at an old abandon cabin."
The joy and the strain of finding him were too much for her and she felt utterly exhausted. She leaned against a desk and gently slid to the floor. "Please save Naruto-Kun…."
Iruka Sensei nodded and set off immediately.
Her last thoughts before exhaustion completely overwhelmed her were of the fact she had seen 200 identical chakra signatures… and they each were of Naruto.
END OF CHAPTER 1
