This is 3 years after the last chapter, so yeah not a big jump but current age for Naruto is nine and a half, plus I listened to the one hour version of the hanging tree while doing this entire chapter (more than once).

THank Animaman for become my Beta who has been so nice by getting this back to me in less then 12 hours.

Disclaimer: do not own Naruto never will this is purely for fun.

Friends with a Pale Eyed Princess

After the project that Naruto and Hinata had worked on the Hyuga princess and Naruto had become fast friends whenever kids would pick on her at school Naruto would try and defend her which normally ended up with him being a little bruised from the kids being much older than him. Recently though even the older kids weren't walking away without bruises and that was the ones about (need to be a bit specific here) Naruto didn't mind though he and Hinata were inseparable and often sat together in class. After Naruto had broken through her shell after 4 months, her stuttering had almost completely stopped when it was just her and him. She was very motivated and strong as Naruto started to include her in training session he held in secret. Not knowing where to train had been the hardest thing to figure out, but Cat, his self-appointed sister, quickly rectified that when she told him about the training ground she had found back when she was a genin. It was out of the way and in a sector of the village not many went to. He and Hinata had made it their secret place. This was where he learned her true strength and was truly astounded by what she could do. He had asked her why she did not show this at school her answer was she didn't like hurting people but since Naruto had asked her to stop holding back she wouldn't pull any punches or palm strikes since she didn't want him mad at her.

(Flashback)

Naruto and Hinata were sparring and Naruto had been using the beginners form for his hero's taijutsu which proved to suit him perfectly unpredictable like a storm that would destroy anything it touched. Hinata however seemed to be mostly defensive to be honest she hadn't thrown a single punch or anything at him deflecting him and evading most of his attacks. Naruto knew the Hyuga where taijutsu masters that were taught at a young age and was starting to get mad that his friend wasn't fighting back even though he had landed some solid hits.

"Hinata you're holding back. No one stands there and defends like you do, without knowing how to fight back, show me what you got Hinata. I can take anything you dish out it's time to let yourself shine!" exclaimed Naruto. Hinata eyes narrowed dangerously before she jumped back going through several hand signs.

"I can only use the Byakugan for five minutes but I will now show you what no one else has seen I will show you my true self." Stated Hinata as her pupils suddenly became visible, veins in her temples bulged visibly and the once timid girl who stood before him was replaced by a cold girl Naruto had never seen before. Who knew such a dark person laid inside Hinata when she truly cut loose?

Before he knew it Naruto was engaged in a dangerous battle of taijutsu with the Hyuga heiress that was now hitting tenketsu points, Naruto noticed this. To think Hinata at this age could see them this put Naruto immediately on the defensive. Every hit was another point closed every glance blazing with chakra. Naruto immediately upped his speed to match Hinata now going at speed and strength no six year old should be able to go at.

Naruto couldn't believe what was happening his friend was fighting so fiercely, he was being pushed beyond what he had ever been, and as seconds ticked by she only seemed to become even fiercer.

Naruto traded blows with Hinata and they both battered and bruised fell to the ground after the five minutes Hinata fell to her knees panting.

She had never felt so free was the only thought going through the Hyuga heiress mind as she turned to lay panting next to an equally bruised smiling Naruto who was panting as well before he laughed. His laugh becoming infectious, which made Hinata bust out laughing to. Their laughter echoed in the empty training ground Naruto could feel his stiff limbs aching from the chakra points that had been hit. He found his chakra becoming colder and his chakra points slowly started to unlock.

Naruto stood up and flexed his arm after the cold sensation his arms felt great. Hinata meanwhile just stared in shock tenketsu didn't just unlock like that it normally took half a day to have them unlock themselves.

"You're extremely lucky you must have some powerful chakra to be able to unlock your tenketsu like that." Stated Hinata with a rather tired voice as she stood up, "Today has been worth it." And she vowed that she and Naruto would now train together every day after school, if able.

(End flashback)

Naruto yawned and stretched as his alarm went off next to him. He sighed at the annoying buzzing machine that woke him up so early in the morning until he turned it off and stretched his arms out to the side. His actions being protest by every muscle in his body as if they were telling him to go back to sleep.

As he made a healthy breakfast for himself with what little skill he had in the kitchen thanks to Cat. His favorite breakfast was a western style one of scrambled eggs with some cheddar cheese tomato onion and some bacon mixed together. The smell of cinnamon wafted through his apartment as he took out a pan of cinnamon rolls from the oven. Naruto placed two on each plate and two in a bag he set on the counter. Orange juice was placed at the table in two places along with the plates of eggs. Naruto heard a knock on the door and knew just who it was.

Hinata stood there smiling brightly at Naruto as she was let into his apartment. "Good morning

Naruto." came the happy voice of Naruto's best friend.

Hinata, having gained confidence ever since she and Naruto had begun hanging out, now sported a lavender long sleeved shirt that hugged her young body. A simple lavender choker hung under her neck. Black ANBU styled pants, with tap on the bottom, along with black shinobi sandals, completed her new look. Her once baggy hoodie and pants now long forgotten.

"Good morning Hinata. Are you hungry I made breakfast and cinnamon rolls?" Said Naruto as stars entered Hinata's eyes at the name of her favorite confection.

Naruto no longer wore his jumpsuit after Hinata had started doing his clothes shopping since no one would refuse the Hyuga Princess either because she was really polite or because she could basically destroy a business with one bad word about them. He now wore a short sleeve blood red shirt with what looked like a picture of a light blue snowflake on the back of his shirt. He wore a black headband on his head, where his future shinobi headband would be, and black ANBU pants with black shinobi sandals.

Naruto quickly sat down with Hinata who was already biting into her first cinnamon roll. A sigh of content left her as the still warm pastry hit her taste buds. Naruto really was a good cook now that Cat had taken a little time to teach him. He was an incredibly fast learner, and it truly showed, as after only a few lessons, he could cook several things on his own, which prompted Cat to buy him a cook book.

Naruto and Cat didn't talk much anymore for some unknown reason to Naruto she had stopped coming around which greatly saddened Naruto as he miss his self-appointed sister. She was the closest thing to a mother he had but seven months ago she had stopped coming just before his ninth birthday. He almost flinched at the memory of his ninth birthday and ran his left hand against the light scar on his right arm. Hinata of course noticed this and frowned just after his ninth birthday Naruto had taken an extended leave of absence from the academy not that it really mattered to most. However for her it had been an agonizingly slow two weeks he had been admitted to the hospital and the Hokage had banned anyone besides hospital personnel to his room as a matter of fact he had been in the ICU for almost two days before he had been cleared to leave the ICU. He was still in the hospital just stable now. It had taken almost two weeks for Naruto to heal but even when released Naruto refused to tell anyone what happened even Hinata. She however had seen his back one day and there were patches all over his back and chests that now bore scars. Needless to say Hinata was upset and after that day Naruto no longer took off his shirt while they trained together seeing the looked Hinata got when she saw his scars. It wasn't that she looked at them with disgust it was the look of concern and worry that bothered him he didn't want her to worry herself over him.

The two of them chatted lightly over breakfast before leaving for another boring day at the academy.

(Academy)

Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Kiba all sat on the top of the academy building. Hinata handed Naruto a small bento and he handed her the last two cinnamon rolls from this morning this was a normal occurrence Hinata would give Naruto A bento he would give her two cinnamon rolls which she would always give him one and they would eat lunch with their friends.

Kiba would always say they acted like a couple, and would spout out the normal nonsense about them kissing under a tree, or something such though, while Shikamaru watched clouds, Chouji ate chips, and Shino would enjoy his lunch, while watching bugs fly by or run across the roof.

They were the clan heirs and the misfits at least to everyone else that didn't know them. But here they could be who they were with no judgement with friend and that was enough for them it seemed.

Out of the group Hinata and Naruto were the only two that couldn't be there true selves and while they considered this group of people to be there friends they knew that eventually that might not be the truth.

(Later that Evening)

Naruto and Hinata laid underneath the stars together looking out over the vast cloudless night sky. Hinata laying her head on Naruto's chest exhaust like they always were after the training sessions together the two looked out at the stars relaxing their aching bodies. Hinata had started to lay her head on him recently he didn't mind it and to be honest wasn't complaining. Being in close contact with her made him feel calmer and happier so he just laid there happily gazing up at the endless sky.

"Naruto why did your mother leave?' Asked Hinata cautiously as she didn't know the specifics behind what had happened and most of the time Naruto didn't talk about his biological family.

"I honestly don't know Hinata. I guess my mother just got sick of me reminding her of my dad, or maybe she couldn't deal with looking at me because the Kyubi was sealed inside me. To be honest I'm at a complete loss as to why she and Hitomi left me. I Thought I would always have them there but one day she was gone replaced by a cold woman that could no longer look at me." Stated a saddened Naruto as he remembered painful family memories.

Hinata knew how hard it was to have a parent that had become cold after Hinata's mother had died her father had become a distant cold and distant person. Where he once was a happy and loving father a strict cold and mean man seemed to take over his body. Hinata had mourned not the loss of one parent, but both. The day her mother died, became the day the man that had once been her father, stopped being her father. He was cold and foreign to her in so many ways it was hard to explain.

Naruto and Hinata decided to just lay underneath the stars that night, until it became cold and they started a small campfire. This had all been happening for a while now. The all seeing eyes of the Hyuga as powerful as they maybe were often blind to their heiress Hinata had snuck out so many times it was almost like she lived with Naruto.

Naruto stretched and brought out his back pack in it he removed a map of the elemental Nations. Hinata knew all too well where Naruto's mind was at this point, as she and the blonde, had been discussing for a long time leaving this land of hateful and ignorance behind, and this had been a topic they had more than once researched. The land of Swirling Tides where once his mother's clan had lived Hinata's blood boiling as always at the very thought of the woman.

"This is where the land of Whirling Tides is and as far as I know has been abandoned for some time now the only structure as far as I could find out was an old Kiri outpost that has long since been abandoned around the time the civil war started." Stated Naruto as he circled a chain of islands that circles a rather large island, in the middle markers for whirlpools all around the island, as if daring sailor to travel to the island.

"Is there no way to bypass the whirlpools we will be hard pressed to make it to the main island with the defenses to the island being mother nature herself trying to rip through the boat we will have to obtain passage on." Stated Hinata rather darkly this was Hinata's more analytical side that Naruto liked to call her vice commander mode. Naruto had once praised her about it and all she did was blush.

Naruto smiled at Hinata's answer showing her vice side again, meaning she was taking this seriously, as ever the whirlpools had always been a topic of great of concern for Naruto and Hinata.

Naruto then took out a worn and weathered looking book, before he turned to a page in the dimly lit training field they were currently in. After stopping and skimming a page he handed it to Hinata whose eyes widened slightly this was a detailed account on how to deactivated the defensive whirlpools. What was even more shocking it was in Kushina's handwriting.

"I thought you destroyed all your mother's things the night you left that places." Stated Hinata, in a very matter of fact tone, as she read on, memorizing every detail her Byakugan active as she read. Whenever she read with her Byakugan on, she found she had a photographic memory, something rare in her clan, but not unheard of.

"I thought I had but it was in a hollowed out book of fuinjutsu that I took I didn't know it was in there until a week ago and since my mother used to live in Uzushio I decided to take a quick look through it this is a detailed account of the whole village it inner workings not to mention a detailed archive of Uzumaki Fuinjutsu thought all lost in the combined force attack of Kiri, Kumo, and Iwa." came Naruto reply causing Hinata ask she continued to read. After two more minutes she had gathered all the info she needed.

"That is an amazing find Naruto it has made this far easier in the long run." Stated Hinata, before a smiled worked its way onto her angelic face that would make even the devil cringe. These Smiles were reserved for when Hinata was thinking something particularly sadistic. Naruto found out this particular side to her while sparing one day when she had started attacking nerve clusters all over his body since he could unlock tenketsu at will now. He had been sore and in a large amount of pain for a week after.

Naruto and Hinata, though very young, were beyond their years in knowledge and they had learned an interesting jutsu, thanks to Naruto's older sister Cat. He and Hinata had learned the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Hinata could make one and have it last all day, but Naruto could make five and whenever they were in the academy, the clones of Hinata and Naruto would read everything they could get their hands on from the library. These ranged for diplomacy architecture and even anatomy and biology for Hinata who had started to show how good she knew anatomy after attacking Naruto's nerves. He knew she wasn't just studying that but medical book were constantly laid out around Naruto's apartments.

After Naruto and Hinata made a quick dinner over the fire of rabbit lightly season from ingredients Naruto had from him and some berries they had found in the training grounds forested area Hinata and Naruto laid down Hinata head on his chest where a particular large scar was located under his shirt Naruto flinched but soon relaxed.

Hinata frown but made no move to remove her head from his chest and slowly drifted off to sleep. This had turned into a habit, after a particularly rough day, which Naruto had to comfort Hinata through. Her father had been overheard saying she was nothing and a waste of space. That she did not deserve to be clan head and her sister Hanabi would be a better fit, as Hinata was too soft and weak, while Hanabi was cold and efficient. This had happened only a few days after Hinata's birthday by the end of that weak she was looked down upon as a failure a birds whose wings were clipped and would remain in a cage of mediocrity.

Naruto was actually more comfortable with this then Hinata thought he would be and this had prompted Hinata to do this whenever she could to be close to her precious person the person that she considered to be the only one that cared for her more than any other Naruto was her light in the darkness. She would be whatever he need her to be but sometime she would view Naruto as her Knight in shining armor and she hoped if even only slightly that one day she would be like those princesses in the stories her mother always read to her the only difference she would fight alongside her knight and not be the helpless damsel that let the knight do everything. She refused to be weak.

Naruto breathed deeply as sleep overtook him the scent of lilac and lavender overtook his senses an endless darkness wrapped him in its embrace to whisked him into a deep sleep.

The fire that Hinata and Naruto had lite long since died casting white smoke into the night. At the sound of Naruto's deep breathing she quickly took a blanket out and laid back down with him. Darkness whisked them both into a deep sleep.

(Unknown Location)

Drip….drip…. Drip

That's the only sound he could hear except for the sound of crying coming down the large pipe he was in as he walked the sewer like yet only slightly wet pipe that he was in. The crying got louder until he came upon a female that stood at five six waist length flowing blood red hair eyes as crimson as the fires of war and finger nails as sharp as knives almost like claws. What really caught his attention were the nine flowing tails behind her and the fact she was completely naked. A goddess in half human form as he walked to her to comfort her. He couldn't help but notice the fox ears that twitched when he was only a few feet away she quickly turned toward him full attention and if not for it being his mind he would have been impaled by her claw like fingernails as a wall of ice shattered sending him flying beyond her reach outside the bars.

'Leave here and let me be alone in peace you hairless monkey you how know nothing of the rage of this world of the hopelessness or loneliness of my existence." Stated the red haired woman yet Naruto moved forward once more this time she lunged at him she felt her hand swatted aside by the young boy. This was no small feat, given who she was, though she wasn't really trying to kill him much. Her next swipe came at him and he simply caught her wrist.

As he gazed into her crimson eyes and she into his blue she swiped with her available hand only for it to be caught in his vice like grip staring straight into her eyes with his own he uttered something she never expected. "Such a pretty woman shouldn't cry, when I'm sure her smile would make her so beautiful."

Then without warning he drew her in and hugged her unable to register what was happening she hugged back

(End of chapter)

Yep I'm a dick and guess what dog at my charger so this is brought to you so late due to a puppy that I hate so much yet my baby girl had to have beware the puppy dog eyes of two year olds I swear they are evil.