Rating: M

Pairing: Naruto/Hinata, and more as the story progresses.

Author's Notes: Hey there, everybody! I'm sorry it's taking so long to update my stories. But I am swamped right now. Between the work I do at school, the homework the send me home with, and the sheer lack of time to be creative, I am kinda stuck. That's why I called on Zentary for some help. He sent me stuff for the chapter, and I put them in. And while he sent me the material, I added changes to it. But don't take it as me getting lazy, please don't. I sent him the main gist of the chapter, he wrote about 90% of it, and I added and conditioned it. I did it so that I could give all my loyal readers something, before they started losing interest in it. Please don't think ill of me for doing do. But please, enjoy the chapter. Review, and thank Zentary for his help. PEACE!

Chapter three: Strange Girl

"What did you want to talk to me about, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked, as he walked up to his sensei. He didn't have a clue what she wanted to talk with him about. Privately, no less. He looked at his sensei's face, and frowned in confusion. Kurenai had an eerily serious expression.

Leaning against a nearby tree, Kurenai let out a tired sigh. "I wanted to talk to you about your tenant," Kurenai said. And a split second later, Naruto's confused frowned turned into one of panic. He looking around frantically, looking to see if anyone was around. Kurenai continued. "I know it's probably not an easy subject for you. But sooner or later, this subject would have come up in a less pleasant way."

Naruto looked down at the ground and shifted uneasily. "What do you want to know?" he asked, not bothering to look up at his sensei's face. He sounded distant, quiet. This matter obviously made him uncomfortable, and Kurenai saw that. "I mean, I don't really know much about the fox myself. It's not like we talk." Naruto didn't look up as he talked. He just stared at his feet.

Kurenai now regretted bringing this subject up, but she had to get it out of the way. "I know it must have been hard for you," she said, placing a hand on one of his shoulders. "I know what you went through was very difficult. You didn't deser…"

"How would you know what it was like for me?" Naruto asked, his voice beginning to become louder as he spoke. "How would you know what it's like to be ignored all your life for a reason you couldn't understand and still don't understand? I don't get it! It's not like I was the one who attacked Konoha! He's just stuck inside of me!" Naruto went silent for a moment. He realized how loud he was getting. He looked around again, hoping that no one else heard his angry, revealing rant. Then, he went back to looking at his feet. "I've lived alone all my life. Only a few people will even talk to me, let alone look at me."

Personally, Kurenai was heartbroken. She only knew Naruto from what Iruka spoke of him. And from what his old sensei told her, Naruto was just a lonely, hyperactive child who was looking for MUCH-needed attention, just like he had. So defensively, Kurenai waved her hands in front of her. "Look, Naruto, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to sound as if I knew what it was like. I'm sure no one could even imagine what you went through. I just wanted to talk to you about it and to show that it doesn't bother me that you hold the fox." Kurenai watched as her blond student let out a sigh of relief. This was good, so she continued. "So Naruto, are you able to contact the fox in any way?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I can't. I wouldn't even know what he looks like if it weren't for a picture I saw once."

Kurenai noticed how uncomfortable Naruto looked talking about the fox. But she had to ask. "Naruto, are you going to tell your teammates about him?" Kurenai had a feeling she knew what his answer was already.

"No!" he cried. "Why would I tell the only friendly kids my age about a demon being inside me? It's the reason so many parents won't let their children near me. If they knew, they'd be terrified of me, and would want to be transferred to another team or something."

Kurenai decided now was the time to change the subject. "Okay, okay," she reassured, placing her hands up defensively again. "You don't have to tell them about it. I was only asking is all." Relieved, Naruto sighed, and took a seat on a nearby bench. But there was still one more question his sensei wanted to ask. "Naruto, what do you think of your two teammates?"

Grateful that she changed the subject, Naruto scratched the back of his head and thought about it. "Well, Shikamaru is really lazy," he began, stating the obvious, "and almost always answers your question with a smart-ass remark. But, I guess he considers me a friend, since he doesn't go out of his way to make me feel bad about myself. He may be a wise-guy, but he's a wise-guy to everybody. And Hinata..." Naruto paused to think about what he thought of the white-eyed girl. "Well, I'm not sure. She's nice and all, but it's just hard to get to know her."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why is that, exactly?"

"Well, every time I either talk to her or get near her, she turns red. I'm wondering if she's sick a lot or something."

Kurenai chuckled at how clueless he was. "Does she only turn red around you?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment before responding. "Well yeah..." Then it hit Naruto. "She's allergic to me!"

Kurenai face palmed at Naruto's outburst, while said idiot crossed his arms across his chest, thinking that he figured it out. 'Is he serious?' she wondered. Kurenai thought about it for a moment. Kurenai knew Naruto was pretty much alone his entire life, so he probably didn't learn about what love was or anything like that. 'I guess hinting at it won't work at all,' she decided. 'He just doesn't understand. Well, I guess that makes sense, seeing as he doesn't understand that Sakura doesn't like him at all… at least from what Iruka told me. I guess its up to me to push things along slowly.' Kurenai decided not to flat out say it. He has to figure it out on his own. Mostly because he probably wouldn't know what to think of it at this point. Although, she planned on helping the both of them get closer. "No, Naruto, Hinata isn't allergic to you," she said, trying her hardest not to laugh at his 'allergy' theory. "Maybe you'll understand when the time comes."

Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Is that all you wanted to talk about, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yes, that's all I wanted to talk about," she answered, as she stood up from the tree. "You can go now. Just be sure to show up tomorrow at the specified time. Alright?"

"Alright, Kurenai-sensei," Naruto agreed before running off. Naruto ran into Hinata and Shikamaru, who were waiting for him down the road. "Oh, hey guys! Why are you waiting for me?"

"Well, it's troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, "but Kurenai-sensei said we should get to know each other better. So let's go get something to eat and get to know each other." Shikamaru wasn't really doing this to get to know them better. He thinks he knows all he needs to know. Also, the fact that he knew Hinata was extremely shy around Naruto was a problem that needed to be solved.

"Sure, why not? But where should we go?" Naruto asked.

"Well, there's that ramen stand you always go to, so why not there?" Shikamaru looked at Hinata. "How about it, Hinata?"

"S-sure," she replied, glancing at Naruto. And as if on cue, the girl blushed and looked away when her blond teammate looked at her.

"Off to ramen!" Naruto shouted excitedly, not being bothered by Hinata's nervous actions.

Hinata giggled at Naruto's enthusiasm, while Shikamaru mumbled something under his breath. They walked off to the ramen stand, with none other then Naruto leading them. On the way there, Shikamaru was thinking of ways to get Naruto and Hinata to interact. As they were nearing the ramen stand, Shikamaru got the idea to use his Shadow Manipulation Jutsu to make Hinata interact with Naruto. And thankfully, Hinata was walking in the shadows of the buildings by the road. So, Shikamaru got behind Hinata, performed the required hand signs, and did it. All of a sudden, Hinata stopped dead in her tracks, causing Naruto to look back at her.

"Hinata, is something wrong?" Naruto asked, as Hinata's body began to tremble.

'W-why can't I move?' she wondered. Then, Hinata's eyes widened as she started walking closer to Naruto against her will. Naruto watched in confusion as his shy teammate walked towards him. Then, she stopped right in front of him. All of a sudden, Hinata's arms flung open, she leaned forward, and HUGGED Naruto, tightly. Both Hinata's and Naruto's eyes went wide. He had never been hugged before, so Naruto couldn't help but stare at Hinata. Hinata's face went sunburn red, before she passed out. A few seconds later, Shikamaru released Hinata from his hold, causing her to fall forward. Naruto caught her and held her up. She was surprisingly light, he thought as he leaned her against a building. Naruto turned and noticed a shadow retracting back to Shikamaru. He recognized the Nara Shadow Jutsu, and scowled at his "lazy" teammate.

"What the hell, Shikamaru? Why would you make Hinata do something against her will?"

The Nara smirked, and hunched his shoulders. "What? I was just helping the both of you out," Shikamaru replied.

'What does that mean?' Naruto thought, looking from Shikamaru to Hinata in confusion. Seeing his teammate STILL not catching on, Shikamaru rubbed his temples in annoyance.

'You are such a dumbass, Naruto,' he thought. "Well, make sure she gets home. I'm going to go take a nap or something," Shikamaru said as he turned around and gave Naruto a wave goodbye.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted. But it was too late. Shikamaru quickly rounded a corner, and was gone. 'WHAT THE HELL?' He thought, scratching the back of his head. '"Helping the both of us out?" What is he talking about?' Naruto created a shadow clone and used it to get Hinata on his back. He carried Hinata piggyback style back towards the Hyuuga compound. Hinata's arms wrapped around Naruto's neck as he began to walk down the street. He was a little disappointed that he wasn't getting ramen, but he figured that his teammate's welfare was more important than food, even ramen. 'Why does she keep fainting like that?' he wondered as he arrived at the front gates of the Hyuuga estate. Naruto noticed two guards at the entrance. He slowly walked up to the entrance, getting both of the Hyuuga guards' attention. But just when he was about to talk with one of the guards, another person walked out of the estate.

Hizashi Hyuuga came walking out of the Hyuuga estate, only to see Naruto carrying Hinata on his back. With an arched eyebrow, the Hyuuga leader approached Naruto, and cleared his throat. "Naruto Uzumaki," he began, before giving him a respectful bow. "May I ask why my niece is unconscious? And why you are carrying her on your back?" Hizashi asked.

Naruto looked at Hizashi with question. "Your niece?"

"Yes. I'm Hizashi Hyuuga, leader of the Hyuuga clan and her uncle," he answered, before looking down at the boy in seriousness. "Now, please answer my question."

"Well... I'm not sure exactly what happened myself," Naruto replied, letting out a nervous chuckle. "When she passed out, Shikamaru left me with her and told me to take her home. But she passed out after Shikamaru used his shadow Jutsu on her to make her hug me. I still don't have any idea why the baka did it, though..."

"Hmm… I see," Hizashi replied, nodding his head. Hearing the circumstances, he wouldn't be surprised that his niece passed out. He knew about the crush Hinata had on Naruto. Anyone who even witnessed how she acted around him could draw the same conclusion. But, unlike most of the parents of Konohagakure, Hizashi didn't mind. He knew the WHOLE story about Naruto's sealing, and why the fourth Hokage chose him. So, the Hyuuga patriarch nodded his head. "Thank you, Naruto-san. Please take my niece to her room. It's through the main door, down the hall, last room on the left."

Confused, Naruto looked at Hizashi, to Hinata, than back to Hizashi. "You want me to take Hinata to her room?" he asked, taken off guard by the strange request. Hizashi turned back to him with a confident grin.

"Well, you are already carrying her, so taking her to her bedroom isn't that much farther," he pointed out. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean anything by it," the blond replied, shifting the unconscious kunoichi into a more comfortable position. "It's just that most people don't trust me with anything, let alone let me inside their house."

"I know that," Hizashi confirmed. "But I am not as ignorant as others as to the difference between the jailor and the actual thing. Now, if you would please come this way. I'll show you to her room."

Naruto was startled that Hizashi brought up his condition. Hizashi and Naruto walked through the estate until they reached Hinata's room. Naruto made a shadow clone, which helped get Hinata off his back without dropping her. Hizashi was amazed that such a young child could learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu and use it so easily. Naruto carefully put Hinata down on her bed. She grabbed the nearest pillow and cuddled with it. He noticed the pleasant smile on her face, but then he saw the tattoo like symbol that was covered by her hair. Naruto stood up and walked out of the room with Hizashi.

"Umm... I don't mean to be nosy, but what was that tattoo on her forehead?" he asked, curious.

"What is Hinata to you?" Hizashi asked out of nowhere.

Naruto was once again caught off guard by the question. Where did that come from, he wondered. "She's my teammate and friend. One of the very few I have. Why?"

"I see," he mumbled quietly, before continuing. "Well, that thing on her forehead is not a tattoo, I'm afraid." Hizashi paused for a moment. "Naruto, what I'm going to tell you is secret. Most do not know, so do keep this to yourself." Naruto nodded, despite the uneasy feeling Hizashi was giving him. "The design on her head is a seal. It's called the caged bird seal. What most do not know about it is that it can cause extreme pain and even death if activated. While many know it can cause pain, not so many know it can cause death."

Naruto stood there, eyes wide open. 'What? A curse seal?' "Why would Hinata have something like that? Is she a bad person or something?"

"Oh, Kami, no," Hizashi answered, completely abolishing the ridiculous statement. "She is the nicest and sweetest person you will most likely ever meet. Hinata was just unfortunate to be born in the branch clan."

"What? I don't understand," Naruto said, placing both hands in the air to stop Hizashi from continuing. "If Hinata is so nice, why does she have it? It sounds like this is more of a punishment than anything else."

Agreeing with the Gennin, Hizashi released a tired sigh. "It does doesn't it? But I'm afraid all branch members are branded with the mark. All I can say is that it's complicated. It's just how things have been for a long time now."

Naruto still didn't get it. "How is it complicated? Can't you just stop the use of the seal?"

Hizashi smiled. "I wish it were that simple, Naruto-san. But when you're older, I'm sure you will understand," while he was getting tired of adults telling him that, Naruto nodded. "What if you could be more then just friends with my niece?"

Naruto stared blankly at Hizashi, as if he just asked him a question with the strangest combination of words. Naruto scratched the back of his head and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Hizashi chuckled. "Never mind, Naruto-san, you will probably get it someday," he replied, before looking at the clock. "Now, run along. I've spent far too much time talking, and must get back to my work."

"Alright." Naruto quickly left the estate. He began to think of what Kurenai, Hizashi, and Shikamaru all had said to him regarding Hinata. 'What do they mean?' he kept repeating in his head, as he raced of to his favorite ramen stand.

Shikamaru was sitting on a roof near the Hyuuga estate watching Naruto. "Wow," he said to himself. "First Kurenai-sensei, then me, then Hizashi-sama. What will it take to get it through his thick skull? If this stupidity continues, it will start becoming bothersome again." Shikamaru laid back on the roof of the building, and began watching the clouds roll by. 'On the other hand,' he thought to himself. 'Making Hinata hug Naruto and pass out was actually pretty funny. Almost funny enough to make me do it again.'

Back inside the estate, Hinata finally woke up. 'Why am I in my bedroom?' she wondered, straightening her messy hair. Hinata sat up in her bed. She couldn't understand how she had gotten home. She got out of her bed and walked out of her room, only to see Hanabi standing at the door.

"You're awake, Neechan!" Hanabi exclaimed, hugging her sister.

"Hanabi? How did I get home?" Hinata asked, looking around in confusion. She could not remember what she was doing before passing out, or why.

"That guy you have a crush on carried you home," Hanabi said with a smile.

That's when it all came back to her. Hinata turned bright red as she slowly started to remember what happened. She remember Shikamaru casting his shadow Jutsu on her, and making her hug Naruto. But she was more concentrated on the fact that he CARRIED HER HOME! "H-he c-c-carried me h-home?"

"Yep," Hanabi replied, flashing her older sister a grin, followed with a thumbs up. "He tucked you in and everything." Hearing that only made Hinata blush harder. But Hanabi suddenly remembered something. "Uncle said he wanted to talk with you once you woke up. Something about that blond boy."

Hinata was curious about her uncle wanting to talk about Naruto, but she smiled nevertheless. "Well, I shouldn't keep him waiting. I'll talk with you later, Hanabi-imouto-chan." Hinata walked out of her room and made her way down the long hallway, until she made it to her uncle's chamber. After taking a deep breath, Hinata reached out and knocked on the door twice.

"Come in," came Hizashi's voice from the other side.

Hinata walked in with a shy smile on her face. Hizashi was sitting in the middle of the floor, reading a couple of scrolls. So she walked in. "Umm… y-you wanted t-to speak with m-me, Oji-sama?"

Hiding a smirk, Hizashi looked up from his work and looked at his niece. "Why, yes I did," he answered, setting aside the scrolls her was reading. "I met a rather interesting young man just now. A young man who happened to carry you back to the estate."

Hinata blushed, looked down, and started fiddling with her index fingers. "Y-yes. Hanabi t-told me it was my t-teammate N-Naruto-kun."

Hizashi smiled at the honorific Hinata, as she tried her best to stay conscious. She was still thinking about what Shikamaru did to her. Hizashi could tell. So he continued to play as if he didn't already know who he was. "Yes, I believe that was his name. Naruto Uzumaki, is it not?"

Hinata, with her legs shaking, nodded. "Y-yes… that is h-his name," she confirmed, growing warmer by the second. "Wh-what is it y-you want to d-discuss, Oji-sama?" Hinata asked.

"Nothing really," Hizashi replied, using an uncharacteristic casual tone. While it didn't show, he was rather enjoying embarrassing his niece. It was a nice way to pick on her. "Just wanted to make sure you weren't hiding him from me." Hearing this almost made Hinata change into a completely different shade of red, almost resembling dark crimson. She was speechless. "That was all I wanted to know," he finished, reaching for his scrolls again. "If you have anything you wish to discuss, you may."

He looked up just in time to witness his niece scamper out his room, desperate to escape the embarrassment he was putting her through. He activated his Byakugan, and saw Hinata bolting down the halls, with her hands covering her mouth. That's when Hizashi allowed a hearty laugh. "Wow… that was fun," he snickered, before unrolling one of his scrolls.

To Be Continued….

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Everyone is so evil, aren't they? First Shikamaru, than Hizashi? What the hell? HAHAHAHAHA! I hope you all enjoyed the fluff-ified chapter. I know what you are thinking. 'What the hell? Why would Hizashi entrust Naruto with a secret from the Hyuuga clan? What is Mr. Alaska thinking? Is he on drugs? Is he insane?' The answers to your questions: Because Hizashi knows something no one else does, which involves Naruto and Hinata (FUI, Credit for that part of the story goes to Zentary, as well). I'm thinking that it would keep you guys guessing and wondering. No, I'm not on drugs. And not sure, I haven't gotten the results from the psychologist yet. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was shorter then the last one. Please leave lots of reviews, and check out my other stories. Again, thank Zentary for helping me out. He was a major help. Hope to hear from you all soon. PEACE!