Thank you, all of you who have followed, favorited, and/or reviewed this story! Glad you're all liking it. Now as is my tradition, I will answer reviews, and then get on with the chapter.
The Guest who wanted me to write more: Of course I will make more! I will continue each story I have until the end as long as I am able. I don't want to be one of those people who leaves stories unfinished. And thank you for liking the story!
Like it (Guest): I'm glad you like it! Thank you! But what do you mean "even if it turns out to be Spider Man in disguise"? I take it you don't like Spiderman? Not that I'm a huge fan of it (I like some of the movies but that's about it)—I'm just curious if that's what you meant. And I'm not sure how it would be Spiderman in disguise. Naruto's not gonna start slinging webs all over Konoha. He climbs buildings with his claws and runs across roofs, but no web-slinging. And honestly, I'm not familiar enough with the whole Spiderman story and all his enemies to keep this story close to that even if I wanted to, which I don't. I'm gonna try to be fairly original here. Hope you continue to like it! ^^
thor94: Thanks. Minato and Kushina will be doing some stuff on the side, but it will be important to the overall story. Naruto and Kurama will meet again, but I don't know if Kurama will live with him. Not saying it won't happen, but I'll have to really think about how Naruto's going to hide a horse-sized fox in the middle of the big city. Hahaha.
MYK-ON: Thanks! Hope you like this one as well. ^_^
Shadow (Guest): You asked me not to kill off Minato and Kushina. Well, I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this: I like happy endings, and I consider real life to have enough sad. Fiction shouldn't be super sad in my opinion. So hopefully that alleviates your concerns without spoiling anything. :)
Chewie Cookies: Thanks! And it's dudette, by the way. I am in fact a lady just for future reference. :) Probably should write out my profile sometime, but that would take time away from writing new chapters. Can't do that to myself or the awesome people who are enjoying my stories. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, this wouldn't be a fanfic. This would be an alternate canon story to the original ninja story (which would have a few changes as well).
Now for Chapter 2!
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
The three bullies stared down the blonde boy standing between them and the girl they had been tormenting moments earlier. The leader got to his feet with a feeling that his face was fractured slightly as the other two backed away from Naruto a bit to stand closer to their boss.
"Don't get so cocky just 'cause you managed to get a sucker-punch in, coward," the boss snarled.
"Coward? You guys are the ones pickin' on someone who isn't even fighting back. What's more, you made her cry! You guys are lower than garbage, ya know!" Naruto shouted as he crouched into his fighting stance.
"Pah! I can't believe you'd even defend one of those stuck-up Hyuugas!" the boss scoffed. "Boys, let's show this idiot the error of his ways."
He cracked his knuckles menacingly, but Naruto just smirked. The two lackeys rushed at the blonde, one swinging high at his face while the other aimed for his stomach. Naruto ducked under the first and grabbed the second's fist, which he used to pull the bully forward and land a punch square in his face, breaking his nose. As he fell to the ground, the hero-to-be swiftly turned back to the first lackey in time to block a kick.
Naruto held the guy's leg and pulled him upwards and off his other foot. The bully fell backward, and Naruto rammed his fist into the guy's stomach as he went down. With one bully on the ground holding his bleeding, broken face and the other clutching his stomach while coughing up a little blood, the whisker-faced young man turned to face the boss, who wasn't looking too happy with the situation.
"So what're you gonna do, big guy?" Naruto taunted. "Thought you said I was the coward here."
"Grr! You obnoxious little maggot! I'll take you down myself!" the boss roared. He charged at Naruto and threw a punch. The hero-to-be just moved his head to the side and grabbed the boss's arm. Then punching the arm, Naruto broke the upper-arm bone with a resounding crack, and the boss fell to his knees, screaming in pain.
"You little bastard! You'll pay for this!" he shrieked while holding his broken arm.
"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you morons get outta here before I make your day worse?" Naruto said coldly.
The three bullies shakily got to their feet and began to limp away. However, before they were out of sight, the boss turned back and shouted, "Don't think this is over! We'll get you for this!"
Then he and his lackeys were gone.
"Idiots," Naruto grumbled. Then he turned back to the girl, who was still kneeling on the ground and staring at him, wide-eyed. He made his way back over to her and offered his hand to help her up as he asked, "Are you okay?"
She gave him a barely perceptible nod and took his hand, and for a moment, they just stared at each other.
The Hyuuga girl had long indigo hair that reached her waist except for her bangs which framed her face. Her skin was like porcelain aside from the light dusting of red on her cheeks, and despite her baggy purple T-shirt, it was easy to see she was well-endowed. But what Naruto noticed most of all was her eyes, which looked like two lavender pearls. He found himself getting lost in them as she stared back.
The girl in turn saw Naruto's wild golden locks, tan skin, strong jaw, and well-toned body as well as the whisker-marks that she couldn't help but think of as adorable. But like Naruto, she noticed his eyes most of all. They were like two ocean pools that she was more than happy to drown in.
Naruto was the first to break the stare. "S-Sorry," he muttered while blushing as he pulled her to her feet. She immediately yelped in pain and fell forward onto Naruto's muscular chest, causing her face to look more like a tomato. The blonde boy held her up in his strong arms as he blushed redder as well. However, his concern overrode his embarrassment, and he asked, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
The Hyuuga girl looked up at him and quickly jumped back when she saw how close his face was to hers. She limped on her right foot and nearly fell again, but Naruto held her up by her arms. "I-I-I'm f-f-fine," she stuttered in reply, though in the back of her mind, she was happy her old habit of fainting when she got too nervous hadn't decided to resurface now. "I-I th-think I j-j-just h-hurt my a-ankle."
"Oh. Well, here. Let me help you over to a bench," Naruto offered. She nodded and held onto his arm as he helped her limp over to the nearest seat. Once she sat down, he said, "There. Now, do you mind if I take a look at your ankle?" She shook her head, and he knelt down and lifted the end of the left pant leg of her jeans up enough to show her ankle. Due to his grandmother being a rather successful surgeon—as well as having numerous injuries during his rambunctious childhood—Naruto could tell right away that the ankle was most likely sprained, but not broken. "Hmm. It's already starting to swell. Tell you what, if you come with me back to my house, my grandma could take a look at this and help make it better. What d'ya say?"
"Um, w-who is your g-grandmother? A-A-And w-who are y-you b-by the way?" she asked timidly.
Naruto sweat-dropped. "Oh, right. Sorry. My name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. And my grandma's Tsunade Namikaze."
The girl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Th-The Tsunade N-Namikaze? Th-The best s-surgeon in the L-Land of Fire?"
"Yup! The one and only!" Naruto replied proudly with a happy grin. "I bet she could have you feeling better in no time, Miss...?"
"O-Oh! I-I'm sorry! M-My name's H-Hinata H-Hyuuga," the bluenette answered with a small bow of her head.
"Ah, well, nice to meet you, Hinata!" Naruto said cheerfully as he took her hand and shook it. "So do you want me to take you to see my grandma?"
"S-Sure. I-If it's not t-t-too much t-trouble, that is," she replied quietly as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"No trouble at all! But I'll have to carry you," Naruto told her, blushing slightly again.
"W-What?!" she squeaked.
"W-Well, you can't walk there, and I don't want you to have to hobble all the way there, ya know. I live at least three blocks away," he answered quickly.
Hinata's face was crimson again, but she nodded. "O-Okay, I-I g-guess."
Turning away from her as he still knelt on the ground, Naruto said, "Okay, just climb on my back."
Struggling to keep conscious, Hinata slid from the bench onto Naruto's back, putting her arms loosely around his neck as he grabbed a hold under her knees to make sure he didn't grab too high-up on her legs. He wasn't a pervert like his grandfather Jiraiya. Then the blonde stood up and started the walk home with Hinata riding piggyback.
A few minutes of silence passed before Naruto decided to break it. "So, Hinata," he began. "Do you go to school here or are you homeschooled?"
"I-I go to s-school a-at Konoha High. I-I-I'll be a s-sophomore this y-year," she answered.
"Really?! Awesome! I'll be a sophomore this year too," Naruto told her, briefly looking back over his shoulder at her and smiling.
Hinata gave him a small smile in return. "M-Maybe I c-could sh-show you around then," she offered shyly.
With a nod, Naruto replied, "You would? Thanks, Hinata. I'd really appreciate it. I've never been to a big city school before."
"I-I-It's the l-least I can do f-for you s-saving me. Th-Thank you v-very much by the w-way," she said quietly as she unconsciously tightened her hold around his neck a little bit, bringing herself a little closer to him.
"Hey, don't mention it! I can't stand seeing someone being bullied, and I'm just glad I got there before they could do anything more, ya know. But if you don't mind my asking, what happened exactly?"
Hinata's gaze fell to the side toward the ground. "I-I was t-taking a walk through the p-park when I t-tripped a-and the ice cream I w-was eating l-landed on th-that guy's shirt. I-I stood up to ap-pologize, b-but my ankle hurt s-so bad that I y-yelled. Th-That's when he p-pushed me down and—"
"Ah, okay. I saw everything after that. You don't have to tell me anymore," Naruto interrupted her gently, not wanting to make her have to think about that again right now. "Those guys are real jerks, but don't worry, Hinata. You just stick with me, and I'll knock the teeth outta anyone who tries to hurt you!"
Hinata smiled at that for a moment, but it faded as she asked, "N-Naruto? W...Why would do that f-for m-me?"
"Huh? Well...I don't know. I mean, why not? Friends help each other, right?"
"Y-Yes, they do."
"And you wouldn't mind being friends with me, would you?" Naruto asked nervously, afraid that she'd say that she did mind. He didn't want to go without friends like he had in his hometown.
"N-No! I-I w-wouldn't mind th-that at all!" she quickly reassured him. "Or more than that once I get to know you better," she thought with a blush. "I-I just d-don't know why y-you'd want to b-be friends with m-me. I-I'm n-nothing special."
"Oh, I don't know about that. So far, I know you're pretty, nice, and shy—all good things as far as I'm concerned. And I would like to hang out with you and get to know you better," he grinned at her with a blush of his own.
"He thinks I'm pretty?" She smiled as well while her blush deepened a little, but asked, "W-Why is b-being shy a g-good thing?"
Naruto shrugged. "Well, it's better than being brash and loud like me. I know I tend to get on people's nerves." He chuckled dryly.
"A-Are you k-kidding? I-I think I would rather be l-like you. I-It'd be better th-than being n-nervous all the time," she said sadly.
"All the more reason for us to hang out then, ya know!" Naruto replied, trying to cheer her up. "Maybe our attitudes will rub off on each other and balance each other out."
She nodded. "M-Maybe," she said, and they smiled at each other.
They continued on in a companionable silence until they reached Naruto's house, and Hinata observed it as they approached the door. The house was nowhere near as big as the mansion she lived in, but it was still a decent-sized home. From the outside, she could tell it was mostly one story—the second story was maybe one or two rooms at best, and she was correct in her assumption as the second story consisted of Naruto's bedroom and his own bathroom. There was another bedroom besides Jiraiya and Tsunade's on the ground floor, but it had been converted into a study for Jiraiya. It was smaller than the room they gave Naruto anyway, and the upstairs room would give the boy a bit more privacy—something they knew most teenagers desired and appreciated greatly.
Coming in through the front door, Hinata looked around some more. They were in a small foyer with the doorway to the living room to their left, the dining room to the right, and the hall leading to the rest of the house in front.
Naruto closed the door with his foot and announced, "I'm home!" before taking the girl over to the living room. He let her down gently off his back and helped her sit on the couch, lifting her injured foot and placing it on a pillow on the coffee table. "You should keep it elevated," he explained, even though she knew what he was doing. She had had sprained ankles before. Naruto looked at her and asked with a smile, "Comfy?"
"Y-Yes, th-thank you," she answered with a shy smile.
"Okay then. I'm gonna go find Granny. Just wait here," he told her and left the room, turning to the right to go down the hall.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya came out of the dining room and saw the blue-haired girl sitting on the couch in the living room. He grinned and thought, "Hey, hey! Naruto's first time out in the city since he got here, and he already found himself a pretty girl. That's my boy!" he let out a quiet, but perverted, chuckle. Controlling his grin, he walked over to the girl. "Hey there!" he greeted her.
Hinata looked up in surprise. "H-Hello, s-sir," she returned the greeting. She assumed the large man with long spiky white hair tied in a ponytail and the unusual red lines coming from beneath his eyes to his jaw was Naruto's grandfather. He was wearing a long-sleeved light-green shirt underneath a red vest, black pants, and flat wooden sandals.
"I take it you're a friend of Naruto's?" he asked.
"Y-Yes. M-My name's H-Hinata Hyuuga. N-Naruto s-saved me from some b-bullies in the p-park, and brought m-me here so Dr. Tsunade c-could look at my a-ankle," the shy girl explained.
Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment. "So he not only found a pretty girl, but he even saved her. Hehehe! I could totally use this for my new book! I gotta get her to tell me the story before Naruto gets back." He held out his hand, which Hinata took and shook it as he said, "I'm Jiraiya Namikaze, Naruto's grandpa. Nice to meet you, Hinata." He smiled at her. "So, my grandson saved you from some bullies, huh? Please, tell me about it," he requested as he sat in a chair next to the couch and took out a notepad.
"O-Okay..."
Meanwhile, Naruto found Tsunade in her home office further in the house. He barged in without knocking much to the annoyance of his grandmother, who was sitting in her office chair working on her computer.
But before she could express her irritation, Naruto said, "Granny! Come with me to the living room! I need you to help my friend."
"Your friend?" she asked as she stood up. "What friend is this, and what's wrong with them?"
"Her name's Hinata, and I met her in the park," Naruto explained. "Her ankle's hurt, so I carried her back here, hoping you could help her. Please, Granny?"
Tsunade nodded. "Of course, Naruto. Lead the way." She grabbed a first-aid kit and followed her grandson to the living room.
Naruto was mortified when he walked back into the living room and found his grandfather taking notes in his notepad as Hinata relayed the story of how Naruto saved her. Getting over his shock, the boy walked up behind his grandfather silently and ripped the notepad out of his hands and started tearing up the pages.
"Oi, Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" Jiraiya shouted as he jumped up from his chair.
"Not letting you use me and Hinata for one of your pervy books, that's what!" Naruto yelled back.
"What?! That's not what I—"
"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade roared as she interrupted her husband with a punch to the head. "That's the only thing you use that notepad for, so it's no use lying! Don't use our grandson for that!"
Jiraiya rubbed his head and pouted. "Moh, Tsunade!" he whined. "You should hear the story! It would be so perfect for my new book!" In a dramatic voice, he continued, "A young man, new to the city and feeling lonely, wanders through a park and hears a young woman scream. Rushing to see what the matter is, he finds her surrounded by thugs, threatening to take her virtue. Valiantly, the young man takes down each brute, and the young woman runs to him as she declares her love for him for saving her. The hero then sweeps her off her feet, kisses her passionately, and then—"
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Naruto screamed, his face completely red now, and he was beyond mortified. Meanwhile, Hinata lost the battle with consciousness and fainted as Tsunade face-palmed. "That's not what happened at all! I just helped her from three guys who wanted to beat her up! Not do what you said they were going to! AND SHE AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, Naruto. I was just taking a dramatic flair on the story," Jiraiya defended himself.
Tsunade sighed and smacked her husband upside the head. "Jiraiya, if you're done embarrassing our grandson and his friend, don't you have something you should be taking care of right now?" She glared meaningfully at him.
"Oh, right!" he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. He looked at the unconscious girl before turning to leave. "I'll go do that now. When Hinata wakes up, tell her I'm sorry for making her faint."
Once he was out of the room, Naruto sighed, and Tsunade let out a small chuckle. "It's not funny, Granny!" the boy pouted.
"Like heck it isn't," she laughed again. But then she cleared her throat and became a little more serious as Naruto glared at her. "Alright, come on, gaki. Let's wake your friend up and fix her ankle."
Tsunade took out some smelling salts from the first-aid kit and held them under the young girl's nose. Wrinkling her nose, Hinata woke up and saw Naruto and Tsunade watching her, her face turning red again at seeing the former.
"Hinata, I'm so sorry!" Naruto apologized fearfully as he looked at her with pleading eyes. He was sure his grandfather had just succeeded in scaring his new friend away. "He won't actually write that, I promise!"
For her part, Hinata understood why Naruto seemed so scared, and hurried to reassure him. "I-It's okay, N-N-Naruto. I-I-I'm the one w-who t-told him the s-story anyway."
"Yeah, but you didn't know he would do that. I should've warned you about him."
"I-It's r-really okay, N-Naruto. D-Don't worry about it," she said with a light touch on his arm and a smile.
He smiled back hopefully and nodded. Then Tsunade cleared her throat to catch their attention. "Hinata, is it?" she addressed the girl. "I'm Naruto's grandmother, Tsunade Namikaze, and I would also like to apologize for my husband's behavior. He's the author of the Icha Icha Paradise series, and I'm afraid he can get a bit carried away when it comes to researching new plot ideas."
"Can't believe you let him write that pervy crap anyway," Naruto mumbled, but Tsunade ignored him.
Hinata looked at the older woman, and noted with surprise out how young Tsunade looked. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties while her husband had looked to be in his fifties. Tsunade had blonde hair of a lighter shade than Naruto tied into low pigtails with her bangs hanging down by her face, and her eyes were honey-brown in color. She wore a sleeveless gray shirt that hugged her body tight and showed her rather large endowment underneath a green jacket and dark blue capris pants and low heeled sandals.
The Hyuuga girl smiled at Tsunade and replied, "I-I understand, M-Mrs. Namikaze. I-I-It's really okay."
"Thank you, Hinata," the older woman said with a grateful smile. "And you may call me 'Tsunade' if you wish. I always hated how old 'Mrs. Namikaze' makes me sound."
"But you really are old, Granny," Naruto brazenly joked, and he barely ducked the fist that was aimed for his head.
A vein bulged on Tsunade's forehead. "I AM NOT OLD!" she bellowed. Calming herself, she told Naruto to go sit while she helped Hinata. Naruto complied, sitting next to Hinata on the couch with a mischievious grin on his face. "Okay, Hinata," Tsunade said, turning her attention back to the girl in question. "I'll check your ankle now and hopefully I can help it heal faster."
"Th-Thank you, Ts-Tsunade."
The doctor confirmed that Hinata's ankle was in fact sprained but thankfully not broken. She wrapped the ankle and took two icepacks and tied them to either side of the ankle to reduce the swelling. Taking out her prescription pad, Tsunade then wrote Hinata a prescription for some pain medication that worked a little better than aspirin at reducing pain and swelling.
"I also have a pair of crutches here at the house that I'll lend to you," Tsunade told her.
"R-Really? Th-Thank you s-so much, Tsunade," Hinata smiled happily.
"No problem. Now, unless there's something else, I have to get back to work," the older woman said as she stood up from where she knelt on the floor as she worked.
"N-No, there's n-nothing else wrong," Hinata replied.
"Okay then. Naruto, let me know if Hinata decides to stay for dinner or if she needs a ride home."
"Will do, Granny! Thanks a bunch!" he said cheerfully.
With a nod, Tsunade left the living room and headed back to her office. Naruto then turned to Hinata and asked, "So what would you like to do now, Hinata?"
The aforementioned girl looked at her phone and checked the time before answering, "W-Well, I don't h-have to be home until d-dinnertime, s-so if y-you don't mind me hanging around a l-little w-while longer, I-I would like t-to st-stay..."
"Mind? Are you kidding? Of course you can!" Naruto nearly shouted in his excitement. Calming himself down a bit, he asked, "What would you like to do, though?"
"Um...y-you choose, N-Naruto. I-I'm fine with w-whatever."
"Okay...hmm... Well, you said you lost your ice cream in the park, and we have some in the fridge. Would you like me to get you some?"
"Th-That sounds g-great, N-Naruto. Thank y-you." She smiled again.
"Alright!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. "Be right back!" And with that, he rushed off to the kitchen.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
After Jiraiya left the living room, he went into his study and moved a book on his bookshelf, causing it to slide back and then to the side to reveal a staircase that led down to the basement no one but him—and his wife of course—knew about. He stepped inside and pressed a button on the wall above the first step that made the bookcase move back to its original position before heading down the steps. At the bottom, there was a metal door with three scanner locks on it—for DNA, retina, and fingerprints—as well as a keycard lock. Jiraiya unlocked each one, and the metal door slid open, allowing the white-haired man into the room beyond and closing as soon as he was inside.
A large screen dominated the far-side of the room, and computer terminals and other technological equipment were scattered about the room. Going over to one of the terminals, Jiraiya put on a headset and typed in a number on the keyboard.
"Flash, do you read? This is Sennin. What's your status?" Jiraiya spoke into the headset.
There was silence, then some crackling before Minato's voice came back through the earpiece of the headset. "Flash here. Good to hear from you Sennin. Habañero and I have successfully infiltrated and have come in contact with the insurgents. We are working to gain their trust so they'll introduce us to the leader. We'll be in contact once that happens."
"What's your time estimate on that?"
"At best, I'd say three to four months, but they are highly suspicious of everyone, including each other. And with good reason."
"I see. Well, good luck, and stay safe. Oh, and just so you know, the Kit is doing well, Flash. He already made a friend," Jiraiya told him.
There was a pause before Naruto's father replied, "Thanks, Sennin. That's a relief to hear. Tell Kit we'll be in contact as soon as we're able. Flash out." Minato ended the call.
Jiraiya removed his headset and smiled before entering what he had learned into the terminal in front of him.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Hope you like chocolate, Hinata. Guess I shoulda asked you first," Naruto said as he came back into the living room and handed the girl her bowl. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"N-No, N-Naruto, this is g-great. Chocolate is m-my favorite," she replied with a smile before taking a bite.
Naruto sat next to her again on the couch and sighed in relief. "Really? Awesome! It's actually my favorite too." He flashed a foxy grin at her.
"I really like that smile," Hinata thought wistfully as a blush crossed her face.
"She's really cute, especially when she blushes," Naruto thought with a blush of his own.
The two quickly looked away from each other, suddenly finding their bowls very interesting. An awkward silence fell for awhile with the only sound being the clinking of metal on glass as the two teens continued to eat their ice cream.
But never being one to stay quiet for long, Naruto broke the silence. "So, Hinata...you like video games?" he asked.
"Hm? O-Oh. Y-Yes, I d-do. M-Most of the g-girls at school th-think I'm a n-nerd because I p-prefer to play v-video games r-rather than chase b-boys," she told him.
"Yeah, you know, I don't get that. Girls at my old school were like that too—flirting with all the guys all the time and thinking video games are stupid. I'd prefer a girlfriend who liked playing games with me rather than just sitting there watching me play and then whining that I wasn't spending any time with her," Naruto ranted a little.
Hinata looked at him for a second before asking, "B-Bad experience?"
"Heh. You could say that," Naruto said dryly. "I've had a few girlfriends in the past who were like that. I'm not saying I'm the perfect guy or the best boyfriend or anything, but with each girl I dated, I did my best to spend time with them and get to know them better. But the problem that usually caused me to break up with them—or vice versa—was they always wanted me to do what they wanted to do and never what I wanted to do. And you'd think it was the end of the world with them the way they acted when I just wanted to play a game for awhile instead of hanging on their every word. Gets annoying, ya know?"
Hinata giggled at his grumpy look, but then her expression became sympathetic. "I-I can sympathize. I haven't had m-many b-boyfriends, but the few I d-dated thought I was w-weird because I like to play video games."
"Seriously? What morons! They have no idea how lucky they were!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata blushed at his implication. "Uh, I mean, um... Th-They were lucky to have a girlfriend who likes to play video games. I would love to have a pretty gaming-nerd for a girlfriend..."
Of course, this only caused the poor girl to blush even harder. "He-He thinks I'm pretty?! He'd love to have a girlfriend like me?!"
Needing at least a slight change of subject, Naruto quickly said, "So, Hinata, would you like to play a game? I can go get one of my consoles to play on the TV down here."
"W-Well..." she looked at her phone again and frowned in disappointment. "S-Sorry, N-Naruto. I have to get back home. M-My father will be angry if I'm late."
Naruto was disappointed as well, but tried to cover it with a smile. "Okay. I'll go tell Granny, and we'll take you home." He grabbed her empty bowl and stood up.
"W-Wait, N-Naruto," Hinata said as she grabbed his sleeve. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Um, i-if you want, I-I could give you m-my number and t-text you later. M-Maybe I could show y-you around and introduce you t-to some of my other f-friends."
Naruto grinned happily. "Sure! Sounds great, Hinata! Here's my phone," he replied and handed her said object. "You enter your info into mine, and my info into yours while I go tell Granny you need a ride home."
"O-Okay!" she smiled at him and began trading contact information while he took their bowls to the kitchen and then went to find Tsunade.
Several minutes later, Tsunade, Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya, who had tagged along after a quick apology to Hinata for earlier, pulled up to the front of Hinata's house in Tsunade's car. They all got out—Naruto hurrying to help Hinata, who was trying to get used to her crutches—and walked toward the stairs that lead to the massive front door.
"Wow..." Naruto thought as he looked up at the house. "So this is what a mansion looks like." The house was indeed huge—at least 30 bedrooms and an equal amount of bathrooms, and large enough to contain a ballroom and dojo inside. Surrounding the estate was several acres of open, well-maintained ground with a few trees here and there, one of which was particularly close to one side of the house. "Living here...she's practically a princess. Wonder why she'd want to be my friend," the blonde teen thought a little dejectedly.
As the four of them started walking up the stairs, Naruto saw Hinata struggling to make it up each step with her crutches. "Hinata, would you like some help? I could carry you to at least the top of the stairs," he offered.
"N-No, that's okay, N-Naruto," she politely declined, even though she really wanted to say yes. "I-I'm going to have to get used to this u-until my ankle heals anyway. B-Besides, i-if my father s-saw you carrying me, h-he might get angry about it."
"Ah. Overprotective, huh?" Naruto asked.
She sighed. "Y-Yeah. Y-You could say that."
The four of them entered the mansion and stepped into the massive foyer that had marble floors and a rather large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was also a large staircase opposite the front door and several other doors leading to different rooms and hallways branched off the foyer. The four were soon greeted by the butler, who was rather shocked to see Hinata on crutches with her foot all bandaged and surrounded by icepacks. "L-Lady Hinata! What has happened? Are you all right?" the man asked.
"Y-Yes, I'm f-fine, George. Is m-my father home?" the bluenette replied.
"Yes, milady. He's in his office. Shall I tell him you're home? And who are these people with you?"
"Th-These people h-helped me, and I-I would like my f-father to meet them. W-Will you p-please ask him to m-meet us here?" Hinata requested.
"Of course, milady. Excuse me one moment," the butler said before he bowed to them and left. Less than a minute later, he returned with another man and a boy a little older than Naruto and Hinata in tow.
The man had long brown hair that was tied in a low ponytail, and his eyes were the silvery color of the Hyuuga family. He had a stern face and wore a business suit even though he was at home. The boy who came with him also had long brown hair, but was wearing it loose at the moment. He had Hyuuga eyes as well and wore a dress shirt, jacket, and pants.
"Huh. I wonder why Hinata's eyes are lavender when it seems like the rest of her family has silver-colored eyes," Naruto wondered for a moment.
Hinata's father interrupted his thoughts as he asked, "Hinata? What is going on? What happened to you, and who are these people?"
"F-Father, this is J-Jiraiya, Tsunade, and N-Naruto Namikaze," Hinata introduced her guests. "And Jiraiya, Tsunade, N-Naruto, this i-is my father, H-Hiashi Hyuuga and m-my cousin N-Neji." The boy, Neji, bowed while his uncle Hiashi shook the Namikazes' hands and exchanged pleasantries. "F-Father, I...I tripped and was a-attacked in the park by three older b-boys. N-Naruto saved me and brought me to his g-grandmother f-for treatment."
Hiashi's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment, but his expression quickly returned to its normal stoic state. And Neji eyed Naruto with interest as he wondered just how and why the blonde boy managed to save his cousin.
"I see," Hiashi said to his daughter. He turned to Naruto's grandmother. "Dr. Namikaze, I know of your work. I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help my daughter. How bad is her injury?"
"You're welcome, Mr. Hyuuga, and it was really no trouble at all—I always make time for my grandson and his friends. Her injury should be healed in a few days, and there's no reason she can't do normal activities," Tsunade replied with a smile. "I also gave her a prescription for some pain medication that should speed up the healing process."
"Good to hear. Thank you, Doctor," he said with a small incline of his head. Then he turned to Naruto and requested, "Young man, may I have a word with you in private?"
"Huh? Um, s-sure," the boy replied as he followed the older Hyuuga into a room off to the side of the foyer. His grandparents just waited in silence with Hinata and her cousin.
Hiashi closed the door and faced Naruto, who was doing his best not to look nervous at all. "Young man, I want to hear from you how you saved my daughter."
"Um, okay. Well, there's not much to tell. I was walking through the park, I heard her scream, and when I got there, I saw three guys yelling at her and then one of them pushed her down. They said they were gonna teach her a lesson, which I found out later was 'cause she'd accidently thrown her ice cream on one of 'em when she tripped, and I decided to step in," Naruto explained.
"And how exactly did you 'step in'?" Hiashi asked as he crossed his arms.
"I beat them up, sir," Naruto answered. "I can't stand bullies, and I couldn't just stand by and watch them hurt her. So I took them out quickly and sent them limping away."
Hiashi considered the boy for a moment that seemed an eternity to Naruto before speaking again. "And what reward do you think you should receive for helping her?"
"Reward?" Naruto was taken aback. "I don't need any reward, sir, except maybe your permission to keep being her friend."
"That's all you would ask of me? I have plenty of money. Name an amount, and you may have it," Hiashi offered as he took out his checkbook.
Naruto was shocked. "Seriously?!" he thought for a second. "...Ya know, the only reason I'm tempted is just to see his face if I asked for a million-bajillion dollars. But I'm afraid he'd think I was serious." He cleared his throat as he regained his composure. "No, thanks," the blonde politely declined. "I really don't need money, sir, and a reward certainly isn't why I helped your daughter. I just want to keep being friends with her. That's all, please."
Hiashi looked him over again. "You're sure?"
"Yes, sir. Your daughter's very nice, and she's the first friend I've managed to make here. Besides that, money isn't really important to me other than having enough for the stuff I need like food and water and such," Naruto told him sincerely.
Another long moment passed...and then Hiashi's face broke out into a smile. "That's all I need to hear, young man. You have my permission to continue your friendship with my daughter."
Stunned, Naruto managed to say, "Th-Thank you, sir. But what—"
"You'd be surprised at how many people try to get close to my daughter just because she comes from a wealthy family," Hiashi interrupted while putting his checkbook back into his inside jacket pocket. "And how many boys have agreed to give up on courting her in exchange for a sum of money. Not that any of them got it. My daughter broke up with each of them as soon as she learned of their choice."
Naruto shook his head in disgust. "I don't understand how someone could do that. Like a girl just for her money."
"Then you are a rare breed it seems," Hiashi said. "But time will tell how genuine your feelings really are."
"If you mean I might choose her money later, then I'm gonna tell you right now that that's not gonna happen," Naruto replied, not breaking eye-contact with Hiashi to show his sincerity.
"We shall see. But for now, you may continue to be her friend."
"Thank you, sir. May I hang out with her tomorrow?"
Hiashi nodded. "That's up to her. If she doesn't want to, though, it'll most likely be because of her ankle."
"Yeah, I understand. But if she can't go out, is it alright if I come here to hang out with her?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"I see no problem with it. Now let's get back out there before my daughter starts to worry that I've killed you," Hiashi replied with a small chuckle.
The two rejoined the group in the foyer, and Hinata sighed in relief when she saw Naruto was okay. But her stomach instantly twisted into knots again. "I'm sure Father just gave him The Test. Are we still friends...or..."
Naruto beamed at the girl as he stood in front of her, his smile pulling Hinata from her dark thoughts. "Hey, Hinata, your dad says you and I can keep being friends and that we can hang out tomorrow if you wanna. Or I can come over if you want to hang out but can't leave 'cause of your ankle."
Hinata blinked in surprise, and she looked from Naruto to her father, who just gave her a quick smile, then back to Naruto again. Finding her voice, she said, "Th-That sounds g-g-great, N-Naruto!" She gave him a big smile that made his heart skip a beat.
"Y-Yeah! Just text me whenever you wanna hang out tomorrow or if...ya know, you just wanna talk," Naruto told her somewhat shyly.
"O-Okay!" she replied happily.
"Dr. Namikaze, would you three be interested in joining us for dinner? I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble for the cooks to accommodate you," Hiashi proposed.
"We would love to, Mr. Hyuuga, but I'm afraid we can't tonight. I have to be at the hospital soon for my rounds, and my husband has some work to finish as well," Tsunade politely declined. "Perhaps we could take a rain check?"
"That could be arranged. Would later this week work better for you? Say, Thursday night around 7?"
Tsunade glanced at her husband, and he nodded. "That sounds great, Mr. Hyuuga. We will see you then."
Hiashi tipped his head at them and said, "Looking forward to it."
The Namikazes nodded and headed for the door with Naruto calling out, "See you tomorrow, Hinata!" as they left.
Once they were out the door, Hiashi turned and addressed his daughter. "Hinata." Said girl cringed a little and looked down at the floor as she prepared herself for the lecture she knew was coming. "I just have one question," her father continued. "Why couldn't you defend yourself against those boys? I know your skill with the Gentle Fist has much room for improvement, but still you should've been capable of fighting off three common street thugs."
Hinata hung her head even lower. "Y-Yes, F-Father, b-but I hurt m-m-my ankle when I t-t-tripped, s-so I-I couldn't f-fight back very w-well."
She flinched at Neji's derisive scoff, but her father only sighed and said, "Well, at least that boy Naruto was there to help you, so I guess it all worked out." He ignored her surprised look and continued, "You should go rest your ankle. I'll have the servants bring you your supper."
Numbly, she nodded, not sure why her father wasn't lecturing this time. "Y-Yes, Father. Th-Thank you." She managed a small smile, happy that he seemed to be acting nicer than usual, before heading to her bedroom, which unfortunately for her involved climbing more stairs. "I wish Naruto could carry me around until my ankle heals..." she thought with a blush. "Geez, calm down, Hinata! You just met him! ...But he's so handsome and sweet... I can't wait to see him again tomorrow." She let out a wistful sigh.
When Hinata was out of earshot, Neji asked, "Lord Hiashi, is everything all right? Normally, you would've given Lady Hinata the lecture she deserves for her failure."
The elder Hyuuga just sighed. "Neji, I'll lecture my daughter if I feel she deserves it, and in this case, it would be a bit unreasonable of me to expect her to fight off three bullies with an injured ankle, especially when her skill with the Gentle Fist is so low. Point is, it all worked out well anyway. Speaking of which, what did you think of Naruto, Neji?"
"He seems loud, uncultured, and a bit too brash. And...were those tattoos on his face?" Neji answered with a bit of disdain.
"Hmm... Could be. I'll make a note to ask him when he comes back tomorrow," Hiashi remarked, surprisingly unconcerned.
Neji gave his uncle an incredulous look. "Lord Hiashi, I mean no disrespect, but why did you agree to allow their friendship to continue? Lady Hinata should be in better company than the likes of him."
Hiashi glanced sidelong at Neji. "What can I say? My impression of him was just slightly better than yours, I guess." Seeing Neji expecting him to say more, Hiashi shrugged and sighed. "I've had more experience reading people than you, my nephew, especially since your training in our family's perceptive abilities is still incomplete. The boy did indeed seem loud, uncultured, and a bit too brash as you put it, but I can see he also has a good heart and was quite respectful when we chatted privately. Not to mention he passed The Test as well."
"How much money did he turn down?" Neji asked in surprise, knowing what The Test was.
"I didn't set a limit," Hiashi said simply, smirking at his nephew's shocked face. "I wanted to test the full limits of his greed. Amazingly, he doesn't seem to have any at all. Besides, he saved my daughter from being beaten—or worse—in the park. If he had named a price, I would've given it to him. Although his friendship with my daughter would be forfeit." Hiashi turned and put a hand on Neji's shoulder. "I'm not saying that we completely trust Naruto just yet. I'm just saying that he doesn't seem like he'll be a bad influence on Hinata. I do want you to keep an eye on them, though."
"Yes, sir! I will keep Lady Hinata safe," Neji replied seriously.
"But, Neji," Hiashi began, "please do so without being in their business. You can keep an eye on them without having to be in the same room all the time. All right?"
"Yes, Lord Hiashi. I understand."
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
Later that night, around midnight when his grandmother was still at the hospital and his grandfather was asleep, Naruto put on his ninja outfit, fully intent on finally starting his life of crime-fighting. He also turned his eyes red with slitted pupils to further hide his identity. Opening his window, the Kitsune Ninja climbed out and hung by his claws from the sill. He couldn't just climb down as doing so would leave claw-marks in the wooden siding of the house, and he was pretty sure his grandparents would ask about that.
He sweat-dropped as he looked down at the ground. "Oh, why couldn't there be a tree next to my window?" he mentally whined. "Guess I should just get this over with..."
He released his grip and dropped to the ground, managing to land most ungracefully—and hard—on his butt. "Argh!" Kitsune Ninja stifled his scream of pain with his arm over his masked mouth. "Ow...! I think I broke my ass-bone!" he complained as he limped into the shadows in case his grandfather had heard anything and looked outside. "Note to self: perfect my landings."
Recovering quickly, Kitsune Ninja took off across the street and scaled the nearest building, happy that his sandals allowed his toe-claws to be out as well. It made the climb much easier and faster. He reached the roof and ran along the edge, jumping to the next roof when he got to the corner, and continuing on across more roofs, enjoying the feeling of freedom his speed and agility gave him, until he was closer to the center of the city. Crouching on the corner of a particularly tall building's roof, Kitsune Ninja observed the city.
And observed.
And observed...
Aaand observed...
He sweat-dropped. "Man, this is boring! I mean, not that I want people to break the law or anything, but I thought crime happened every day in a big city like this. Hmm...maybe I should try to get a police scanner. At least then I'd know where to look..."
Then suddenly as if in reply to his thoughts, the sound of shattering glass came from across the street. Looking down, he saw two men dressed in all black and wearing masks entering a jewelry store through the window they apparently just broke.
"Finally, some action!" he yelled as he leaped from his perch and caught the side of the adjacent building and slid down it with his claws. When he was close enough to the ground, he jumped off the building and raced toward the store he saw being robbed. However, inexperienced as he was, the new hero made a big mistake right off the bat—he rushed in without looking first.
"Stop right there!" Kitsune Ninja shouted as he jumped through the window and pulled out a kunai.
One burglar whirled around, aiming his gun at the Ninja—which made the hero rethink such a decision for the future, should he have one—while the other burglar pulled up a third man who was dressed in a business suit and looking frightened. The second burglar used the poor man as a shield while he held his gun to the man's head. However, when the two robbers saw the person who caught them was just some weirdo dressed as a ninja and armed with only a knife, they burst out laughing.
Kitsune Ninja sweat-dropped and pouted beneath his mask. "Oi! I'm serious! Drop your weapons and let that man go now!"
Gaining control of their laughter, the burglar aiming at the Ninja scoffed at him. "Or else what, freak? You gonna stop our bullets with your little knife there? Give up and go home while you still have a chance."
But the young hero wasn't the least bit discouraged, especially when he looked into the hostage man's eyes that pleading for help. With inhuman speed, Kitsune Ninja threw the kunai at the weapon hand of the second robber while kicking the first robber's weapon hand up in the air. The knife struck true, causing the burglar to drop his gun, and the hostage broke free of the robber's grasp as the masked-man held his injured hand. Meanwhile, the Ninja disarmed the first robber with a quick elbow to the face and a kick to the knee. He took the gun out of the man's grasp as the burglar fell to the floor and tossed it aside. Then he moved quickly to kick the second gun away from the other burglar before punching said bad guy in the face, knocking him out. Kitsune Ninja then retrieved his kunai and stood over the first robber, who got a good look at the Ninja's red eyes with their slitted pupils.
"Wh-What are you?!" the man gasped in fright.
The hero smirked beneath his mask and leaned down closer to the robber. "I'm the Kitsune Ninja! And for bad guys like you, I'm your worst nightmare." Then he punched the man across the face, knocking him unconscious as well. He stood up and walked over to the man who had been held hostage. The poor guy was cringing in the corner and was unsure of what the strange person who had just saved him was going to do now. Kitsune Ninja offered his hand to help the man up, and the man hesitantly took it.
"Wh-Who...?" was all the man could get out.
The Ninja smiled under his mask and said gently, "Don't worry, I'm just here to help. You the owner of this store?"
The man nodded. "Y-Y-Yes. I-i-I was just doing some bookwork when these two broke in here. Before I knew it they—"
"Hey, it's okay now," Kitsune Ninja interrupted. "I'm not the cops, so you don't need to tell me everything. Speaking of which, are they on their way?"
"Yes, I tripped the silent alarm as soon as I heard the window break."
With a nod, the Ninja said, "Then that's my cue to leave." And he headed for the window.
"W-Wait!" the man called, and Kitsune Ninja looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Thank you very much. You...You may have just saved my life." The store owner bowed.
With a humble blush that he was glad was hidden by his mask, the young hero replied, "No problem! I'm just glad I could help." Then he heard sirens coming closer and made a dash out the window. He took off down the alley next to the store and scaled the building. After seeing the cops arrive and begin to take care of the situation, he decided stopping one robbery was enough for his first night as a crime-fighter and headed for home.
Leaping up to his window—grateful that the trip up was easier than the trip down had been—Kitsune Ninja removed his outfit and let his eyes go back to the normal blue of Naruto. The blonde teenager then hid his outfit in his closet, took a shower, and then climbed into bed. Drifting off to sleep, his dreams were filled with him saving blue-haired princesses from bad guys and monsters.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
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