Chapter 4: Hinata's Pain.
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, obviously.
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Naruto and Shino were stunned by the look of utter despair and loss that was in Hinata's eyes. They saw none of the joy or happiness that was usually present in her eyes. All they saw was pain, despair, and an utter lack of feeling. Her eyes almost appeared dead. They were at a complete loss of what to do or what was wrong. Hinata failed to answer any questions that either of them asked. She simply kept her head down and refused to say anything. Naruto and Shino were equally confused and sad. What could have happened to their friend to cause such behavior?
Neither Hinata's demeanor nor her attitude changed throughout the day. She didn't talk to either of the boys at lunch, or during class. Her efforts in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu were abysmal; it was as if she had no will to even try. Any questions that the boys asked were met with silence or a sob of grief. Naruto tried everything he could to cheer her up, but all of his efforts had failed. When the day came to an end the boys knew as much then about her behavior as they did at the beginning of class, absolutely nothing. When it came time for the children to leave, the boys noticed that Hinata hadn't moved an inch.
"Hinata, aren't you going to go home?" Naruto asked.
Hinata said nothing but she seemed to shrink even further into herself.
"Hinata let's go." A voice called out.
The boy's turned to see a beautiful woman with long black hair and ruby red eyes. She was dressed in what appeared to be white wrappings that went down to just above her knees. Her top looked like a white vest over a fishnet shirt that had one sleeve cut off and the other sleeve was blood red and came down to her wrist. Neither of the boys had ever seen her before.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked suspiciously.
"My name is Kurenai Yuhi. And I'm here to pick up Hinata." She said. Hinata walked up to her without raising her head and walked out with the woman who seemed to be trying to comfort her.
"Shino, what the heck do you think is wrong with Hinata. I mean she didn't say a word to us all day." Naruto asked perplexed and saddened by his best friend's actions.
"I don't know Naruto. There is probably more to the situation than we understand. We can only be there for her, give her space, and hope that she either gets over what troubles her or asks us for help." Shino said.
"Yeah I guess." Naruto replied, not at all feeling good about the situation or the inability to do anything about it.
Hinata's behavior did not improve for the rest of the week. It actually became worse. She began sitting away from Naruto and Shino and began to avoid them at lunch. Naruto and Shino were deeply worried about their friend but were still hoping that she would soon resolve her problem or ask them for help. Sadly, neither of this two options happened.
By the end of the week Shino had had enough. "Naruto, I think that you should talk to Hinata." He said.
"What do you mean? I have been talking to her the whole week." The blonde boy said.
"Whatever is happening with Hinata does not seem to be getting better. I think that it's time for someone to break through the wall she is erecting around herself and help her." Shino said.
"I thought that you said we should give her space." Naruto said.
"That's because I was hoping that she would have changed by now, but that is not the case. Drastic measures must be taken." Shino said.
"Why me though? Why do you think that she will respond to me?" Naruto asked.
Shino was silent for a moment. He knew that Hinata liked Naruto, anyone with half a brain could see that. He had also decided to say nothing about it as he thought that it was her secret and her decision when she told him. Thus he didn't want to tell Naruto that she would most likely respond to him because he was her crush.
"If the women who picks her up can't get through to her then it must be you. You have known her longer and are closer to her than I am." Shino said trying to cover up the truth.
"Fine, but what if she doesn't respond?" Naruto asked.
"Then you must make her respond. Normally I wouldn't dare invade someone's privacy like this but if something doesn't change then we could lose her as a friend." Shino said with a hint of worry in his voice.
"No! Hinata is my best friend and I won't lose her!" Naruto said.
"Then I suggest that you hurry up because she is leaving." Shino said.
Naruto saw that Hinata was leaving and hurried after her.
Shino watched his friend run off. "Help her Naruto, you are the only one who can."
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"Hinata! Wait up." Naruto yelled as he ran after his first friend.
Hinata did not stop. She actually began to run from Naruto.
When Naruto saw this he became angry. He was not about to let her get away and continue to do this to herself and her friends.
Hinata ran faster and faster to try and avoid Naruto. She eventually found herself at one of the numerous training grounds. Naruto came up behind her and grabbed her.
"Please let me go Naruto." She said softly without lifting her head or turning toward him.
Naruto noticed the lack of –kun at the end of his name and was surprised to find that it hurt him slightly.
"Not until we talk Hinata." He said firmly, not releasing his hold even slightly.
"We have nothing to talk about Naruto." Hinata said in the same tone as before.
"Like heck we don't! You have been acting weird all week. You don't talk to me or Shino, you don't even try during training, and worse you have even started avoiding us! Tell me why!" Naruto yelled.
Hinata flinched at his tone but otherwise didn't respond. Naruto was becoming angry. He turned Hinata toward him and lifted her head.
"Tell me." He said firmly with a bit of a tremor.
Hinata looked into the eyes of the boy she had a crush on and saw the pain that he was feeling because of her actions.
"Okay." She said quietly dropping her head once again.
Naruto released her slowly, in case she tried to run. Hinata continued to look toward the ground while she spoke.
"Naruto, you and Shino are the best friends that I have ever had. You both are smart, caring, and strong. I know that one day you both will obtain your dreams. You will become the Hokage and Shino will become a great clan leader." Hinata said.
Naruto looked at her in awe. She believed in him. She truly believed that he would become Hokage. He had never heard Hinata express her feelings so openly before. His mood changed as Hinata continued, however.
"That's why I have begun to avoid you Nartuo. I don't want to hold you back from your dream." Hinata said with a tremor in her voice.
Naruto was confused by her words.
"What do you mean Hinata? You never hold me or Shino back. You are our friend." He said desperately wanting to understand.
"I will eventually Naruto. I am a failure. I fail at everything that I try and I can never do anything right. If I continue to be around you I will only become a burden and I don't want to burden you." Hinata said in an incredibly sad voice, with tears in her eyes.
Naruto could only look at her. 'What could be causing her to say these things? Who told her this crap?' He thought.
"That's not true Hinata. You have never nor will you ever be a burden." Naruto said.
"But I am a burden Naruto. You should leave me alone and focus on your dream. I will only slow you down." She said in a defeated voice.
Naruto was becoming enraged. "Who put this crap in your head Hinata! Why do you think that you are failure and a burden when you clearly aren't!?" he yelled.
Hinata didn't flinch. She didn't do anything except ask one question.
"Naruto, what do you know about the Hyuga clan?" she said very quietly.
Naruto wondered at the strange change in topic but answered her question.
"The Hyuga clan is one of the most powerful clans in Konoha. They possess the byakugan, which is a very powerful dojutsu said to be on par with the sharingan. Your clan is said to possess the all seeing eye and are able to see through any illusions." Naruto said.
"You are right except for two things Naruto." She said.
"One is that there is a division in the clan. There are those of the main house how are in control and those who are in the branch family. The branch family members are under the main house members and must obey their commands. The branch family is branded with a seal that keeps them in submission. It is called the caged bird seal. It is placed on all those of the branch family so that when they die the byakugan is sealed and so that if they get out of hand the main house can use the seal to cause them extreme pain and possibly death." She said.
Naruto once again was confused. He didn't see the point of the seal. It seemed to be only an excuse for those of the main house to be a bunch of bullies. Even the explanation of protecting the byakugan was faulty. If the clan was worried about the byakugan falling into the wrong hands then they would put the seal on every child.
"I still don't see what this has to do with you Hinata. I already know that you are the heiress of the Hyuga clan." He said not sure where she was going with this.
"That is the second thing that you are wrong about Naruto." She said as she finally looked at him and took off the medical tape. "I am no longer the heiress, nor am I a Hyuga any longer." She said as she presented the cage bird seal on her head to her oldest friend.
Naruto was shocked beyond words. 'Hinata has the cage bird seal on her head?! She is no longer a Hyuga? What the heck is going on?!' he thought.
"What do you mean Hinata?" he said fearing the answer he was sure was coming.
"I have been banished from the clan Naruto." She said with a pain and grief filled voice. "My father put the seal on me and kicked me out. He said that I wasn't even worthy of being in the branch family because I was so weak. Kurenai-sama adopted me and took me in. Hinata Hyuga is dead, I am Hinata Yuhi now." She said with a tears streaming down her eyes.
"That's why you must forget about me Naruto! I am nothing but a failure! The whole clan thought so. No one gave me a compassionate look, no one tried to console me. They all looked at me as if I was nothing. As if all they saw was a burden that needed to be disposed of. So please Naruto don't let me burden you, please just leave." She said and she broke down and began crying.
Naruto was frozen where he was. 'She was treated by her family the same way the villagers treat me.' He thought. He saw the same look of desperation, grief and pain in her that had plagued him for years.
Naruto instantly went from sad to anger. 'How dare they do that to Hinata! They kick her out; destroy whatever little faith she had in herself and put the caged bird seal on her head!' Naruto was livid. He desperately wanted to break some heads, but he was able to bring himself under control when he realized that his anger wasn't going to help Hinata. Though, he promised himself that one day he would find the ones responsible and kami have mercy on them.
Hinata continued to weep as she felt two warm arms pull her into an equally warm chest. She realized that Naruto hadn't left as she expected him to do. He had stayed and was now comforting her. This would have normally caused Hinata to faint but instead she wrapped her arms around his body and cried out all of the grief, pain, sorrow, and loss that she felt.
Naruto simply stood there comforting her. He didn't say anything as nothing needed to be said. She just needed someone to hold her and let her let it out. He knew what she was feeling and knew that all she needed was the comfort of someone who cared.
When Hinata's cries had slowed down to silent weeping, Naruto pulled back and lifted her face to his again.
"They're wrong." He said simply.
"What do you mean Naruto-kun?" she asked.
"They are wrong. You aren't a failure. They are all idiots if they believe that." He said smiling slightly at her usage of –kun.
Hinata was shocked. How could anyone say that? The Hyuga clan was one of, if not the most prestigious clan in Konoha. How could they all be wrong when they possessed the eyes said to be able to see everything.
"How could they all be wrong Naruto-kun? They have the byakugan." She said in confusion.
"So what? If they can't see what a great person and ninja you are then they are not only wrong but blind." He said with a smile.
"They can't all be wrong Naruto-kun. I must really be a failure." She said once again dropping her head.
Naruto could see that he was getting through to her but she was going to need a little more convincing.
"Hinata follow me." He said as he grabbed her hand.
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Naruto took her to the Hokage Mountain and they stood on the fourth's head.
"This is where I come to think and just away from it all Hinata." He said.
"Why did you bring me here Naruto-kun?" she asked.
Naruto looked out at the village, once again allowing himself to remember how many people despised him.
"I know exactly how you feel Hinata." He said at last.
"Almost everyone in this village, except for a select few, hate me." He said as Hinata gasped at his comment.
"They all look at me with scorn and hate. To them I am nothing but a stain that needs to be erased. Parents tell children not to play with me. I am called monster and sometimes demon. I am picked on, ridiculed, and have always been told that I will never amount to anything." He said with an emotionless voice.
Hinata was in tears as she heard how Naruto was treated by their own village.
"Why? Why do they hate you Naruto-kun?" she asked as he turned to her.
"I don't know why Hinata. But that isn't the point. Do you think that they're right?" he asked her seriously.
Hinata was shocked that he would ask such a question. "No! You aren't a demon or a monster!" she yelled.
"But the majority of them think so." He stated.
"Then they are idiots! They don't truly know you and don't know what they are talking about. You aren't a monster!" she said.
Naruto smiled at her. "And you aren't a failure." He said softly.
"You are Hinata Yuhi, you are my best friend, you are the best female ninja in the class, and you aren't a failure." He said strongly.
Hinata was brought to tears over his declaration, but these were no longer tears of sadness but of joy. She was once again wrapped in a hug by Naruto and this time gladly returned the affection.
'He doesn't think that I'm a failure.' She thought with glee.
Naruto looked over at the village as he continued to speak to her.
"You know a wise man gave me some advice in this exact spot." He said as she looked up at him.
"He told me not to worry about what the villagers think of me and that I shouldn't strive for their acknowledgement. He told me that the only people whose opinions should matter to me are those that truly care and know me. Hinata, can you think of one time that your clan had encouraged you, or showed they cared?" he asked.
Hinata thought back but all she saw was the ridicule they gave her. She was never praised after her mother died. She was put down and her confidence and spirit almost crushed.
"No" she said to Naruto.
"Then I want you to think about all those that care for you." He said.
Hinata's thoughts went to Iruka, Shino, Kurenai and most of all Naruto. None of them had ever thought of her as a failure. Naruto and Shino had befriended her. Iruka-sensei always encouraged her. Kurenai had adopted her and opened her home to the young girl. She now saw that they were the ones that truly mattered to her. She didn't need to worry about what her clan thought as they never wanted to give her a chance. A smile appeared on her face as she pulled back from Naruto.
"You are right Naruto-kun. My family never cared for me except my mother who died. My father was always cold, and my sister took after him. I was never given a chance. They made their minds up about me and refused to change them." She said.
"And that's why you shouldn't concern yourself about them anymore. They gave you up so they have no say over you." He said.
"I'm sorry for the way I have been acting Naruto-kun." She said.
"No, I am the one who is sorry Hinata. My goal for being the Hokage is so that I can protect everyone that is precious to me. I swear to you that I will find a way to get rid of that seal Hinata-chan." He said.
Hinata could believe it. She thought that Naruto would have left her or called her a failure, but neither of those things happened. He believed in her and said that he would protect and free her from the seal.
Naruto released her and looked out over the village.
"HEY MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI AND I WILL BECOME HOKAGE TO PROTECT AND DEFEND ALL THOSE PRECIOUS TO ME!" he yelled at the top of his voice.
Hinata smiled at Naruto's actions and stood beside him.
"MY NAME IS HINATA YUHI AND I WILL BECOME A GREAT KUNOICHI ONE DAY!" she yelled.
Naruto turned to her with a smile. 'You already are a great kunoichi Hinata.' He thought.
They both looked over the village as the sun began to set and Naruto took Hinata's hand as they watched the village bathed in the last rays of the sun.
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Kurenai Yuhi was one of the best female ninjas in the village. She was recently made a jonin and was quite proud of her accomplishment. She had known Hinata since the girl was young and she had escorted her to the academy. She hated Hiashi Hyuga and the entire clan with a passion for what they done to the girl. Not only did they treat her like scum for the first 12 years of her life but they had the audacity to brand her with the caged bird seal and kick her out into the street because they thought that she was weak. Kurenai had adopted the girl to give her a place to stay as well as to comfort her. However, Hinata was like a statue to her. She didn't say much of anything and continued to call her Kurenai-sama despite being told repeatedly to call her Kurenai-nee-san. Kurenai had been told about Hinata decline in the academy but couldn't get through to the girl. She feared that the Hyugas had finally broken her spirit.
Right now Kurenai was waiting for Hinata to get home. She had had a mission and couldn't pick her up from school. It was getting late and she was beginning to worry when the front door opened. She saw Hinata walk in and immediately saw a difference. Hinata was holding her head high and there was a smile on her face.
"Hinata, where have you been?" Kurenai asked.
"Gomen Kurenai-nee-san but I was with Naruto-kun." She said with a smile.
Kurenai was shocked. Hinata was speaking again, called her nee-san, and admitted to being with Naruto.
"Oh really, well what happened between you two?" Kurenai asked with a slight smirk.
"I-it wasn't l-like that Nee-san!" Hinata stuttered as she began to blush.
Kurenai just laughed. It seems that whatever happened between them had solved Hinata's problem and brought her from the brink of despair.
"I'm just kidding Hinata. Well why don't you go get washed up and rest, I'll start dinner." She said.
"Nee-san do you think that you could teach me to cook?" Hinata asked shyly.
'Some things never change.' Kurenai thought. "Of course you can help Hinata. Are you planning to cook for someone special?" she said with a smirk.
"Nee-san!" Hinata yelled as her blush intensified.
Kurenai just laughed.
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The next week came and Hinata was back to her old self, with a few changes. She would still blush around Naruto but her fainting had all but ceased. She now wore an indigo blue bandana over the seal on her forehead that Naruto had given her. She had also shed the large bulky beige coat she used to wear and began wearing a smaller indigo coat that was easier to move in and matched her head band, as well as black pants that ended just under her knees. Naruto had brought Shino up to speed on Hinata's behavior and Shino had simply said that he thought no less of her and was still her friend.
Naruto discovered that Kurenai and Anko were actually the best of friends and all four of them began to train over the weekends. They discovered that Hinata was built for the serpent taijutsu style because of her lithe form and flexibility. Hinata was overjoyed. Not only was she around teachers who cared for her but she was able to spend time with Naruto as well. Shino would actually join them when he could and the three became closer, not only as friends but also as a team.
This is the way that the academy progressed for the next six months until it was finally time for the graduation exam. The exam would cover ninjutsu, a written portion and a taijutsu spar.
The written test was given first and Naruto, Hinata, and Shino all scored high.
When it came time for the taijutsu spar, Shino was the first to go and his opponent was Ino. Needless to say that it was a quick fight as Ino didn't even want to touch the "creepy bug guy".
Hinata went up against Kiba and to everyone's surprise, except for her friends, was able to defeat the boy with a swift kick to the stomach that launched him from the ring.
Shikamaru fought Saukra and promptly gave up; saying that fighting a girl was too troublesome.
Choji fought some no name student and defeated him.
Then it came down to Naruto and Sasuke.
"Heh, you can't run away now dobe." Sauke said. This was what he had been waiting for, a chance to prove himself against a worthy opponent.
'Worthy, but still beneath me.' Sasuke thought.
Naruto didn't reply. He was sick and tired of Sasuke's mouth and felt the need to shut him up. 'Looks like it's time to show Sasuke what I can really do.' He thought.
As they got into position, Sasuke was the first to attack. He came from the left and tried to punch Naruto in the face. Naruto simply moved his head out of the way. Sasuke had been anticipating this and tried to sweep kick Naruto's feet out. Naruto once again simply dodged. Sasuke was becoming increasingly annoyed. Naruto dodged every attack he threw at him with little to no difficulty.
"Fight back dobe." He said.
Naruto simply stared at him. "Oh is it my turn? I can't believe that that's all you got." He said as he charged Sasuke looking to punch him. Sasuke put his guard up only for Naruto to change from one style of taijutsu to a completely different style in a second to kick him in the stomach.
'What the heck was that? I was sure that he was attacking with the crane style and then he suddenly switched to the lotus?' Sasuke wondered.
He didn't have time to contemplate this as Naruto was on him once again. The fight became one sided as Sasuke couldn't keep up with Naruto. Every time he tried to guess Naruto's next move Naruto would change styles and catch him off guard. It was like fighting three or four different styles at once.
Naruto ended the fight by changing from a serpent style punch to an iron fist style kick that caught Sauske in the chest and launched him out of the ring.
"The winner is Naruto." Iruka said with pride.
Everyone was dumbfounded, including Hinata and Shino. Naruto had never used the dragon style in front of them before and it was amazing. The way he switched between styles so easily was astonishing.
"Naruto-kun what was that?" Hinata asked.
"Yes I would like to know as well." Shino said.
"Well it's a style that I have been working on for the last year it's called the true dragon style and was given to me.' Naruto said slightly embarrassed.
"Why haven't you used it before Naruto." Iruka asked as Sasuke finally rose to his feet.
Naruto shrugged. "I didn't want to use it against a comrade if I had a choice and it is a long way from being finished. I can only incorporate three to four styles at once. The true dragon style has dozens of different styles. Some of which I've never seen before." Naruto said.
"Well whatever it was doesn't matter as you have passed the taijutsu portion of the exam. Alright everyone let's go inside for the ninjutsu portion." Iruka said.
As everyone began to reenter the academy Naruto was stopped by Sasuke.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked exasperated.
"Give me the scroll for that style, I want to learn it." Sasuke demanded.
"I will answer that in this order. No, No, No, and Heck No!" Naruto said as he walked past the fuming Uchiha.
"Don't turn your back on me! You may be good at taijutsu but I am still better than you." Sasuke said.
"So what if you are?" Naruto asked, not bothering to turn around.
"You are the one keeping score. I don't care if you're better than me or if I'm better than you. It means nothing to me." Naruto said. "You're the one who feels the need to compare our skills and the one who keeps challenging me because you want to know if you're the best. I personally couldn't care less. The world doesn't revolve around you Sasuke. I don't know how long you have been waiting to fight me and I don't care. I can guarantee you that fighting and beating you were not on my top list of things to do. Get over yourself." Naruto said as he continued to walk to class.
'I will prove myself superior to you Naruto. Just wait.' Sasuke thought as he went to class as well.
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When everyone had reentered the class, Iruka began the ninjutsu portion of the class.
"Okay you all must perform a henge, substitution, and a bushin to pass." He said, looking at Naruto worriedly. Naruto, despite his vast improvement, couldn't make one decent clone.
Shino and Hinata looked at Naruto in fear.
"Naruto-kun can you even make a clone?" she asked.
"Nope." Naruto said with a smile on his face.
"Then why are you so confident?" Shino asked.
"That is a secret." Naruto said, enjoying the confused looks on his friend's faces.
'That must be why that man keeps saying it. It's kind of fun.' Naruto said.
"Shino." Iruka called.
Shino nodded to his friends and went to take the exam. He came back shortly with his ninja head band around his head.
"Good job Shino." Naruto said as Hinata nodded.
"Make sure that you do the same." He said on return. They had known Shino long enough to know that that meant "thanks".
Hinata went next and came back shortly with her ninja head band around her neck. Naruto wondered at the odd placement.
"Hey Hinata-chan, why are you wearing your head band around your neck?" he asked.
Hinata blushed. The reason was because she wanted to keep the indigo head band Naruto had given her around her forehead, but she couldn't say that of course.
"Um I just want to try something different." She said.
Naruto brushed it off as a weird girl thing and waited for his turn to come.
When it was Naruto's turn he began his descent, but not before Hinata grabbed his hand.
He turned to her and saw a blush spreading over her entire face.
"Do your best Naruto-kun." She said meekly as Shino nodded his head in agreement.
"I will Hinata-chan besides I can't be the leader of our team unless I become a ninja." He said with a smile as he walked off.
Hinata watched him go with a warm feeling in her chest. He wanted to pass so that they could be on a team together. He also wanted to pass so that he could eventually become Hokage but it seemed that he cared about them as a whole before he cared about himself. This was another reason why Hinata liked our blonde hero.
'He is so selfless.' She thought with a small smile.
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Naruto stood in front of Iruka and another teacher.
"Alright Naruto, I want you to use a henge, a substitution, and a clone to pass the ninjutsu portion." Iruka said.
Naruto concentrated and henged into the fourth Hokage. Iruka and the teacher beside him were sure that the fourth was reborn when they saw the intense blue eyes that the former leader was known for. When Naruto released the henge the teachers were shaking slightly.
"That was amazing Naruto. I really thought that I was looking at the fourth." Iruka said.
Naruto blushed slightly under the praise. "Well the fourth is my hero and I want to surpass him eventually." He said.
Naruto then did a substitution with the teacher sitting beside him.
Naruto took a deep breath and went through the signs for a clone. Suddenly ten Narutos where standing beside him.
"Amazing Naruto I can't believe that you mastered the clone jutsu!" Iruka exclaimed.
"I didn't." Naruto said laughing at their confused expressions.
"I have always had too much chakra and not enough control to use the regular clone jutsu so I used a shadow clone." He said.
The teachers had to pick their jaws off of the floor. Here was a genin who could use shadow clones and use it without showing any sign of chakra exhaustion that was said to accompany the jutsu.
"Who taught that to you Naruto?" Iruka asked.
"My nee-san." Naruto said simply. Anko wanted to make sure that her little brother passed the exam this time and taught him the jutsu. She knew that the reason that it was forbidden was that the user could die of chakra exhaustion if they created too many clones at once, but she also knew that this would never be an issue for Naruto as his chakra reservoir were huge and only growing larger.
"Well you pass Naruto!" Iruka said with pride on his face as he handed Naruto his head band.
A huge smile encompassed Naruto's face as he took the head band and placed it on his forehead.
"Thanks Nii-san." He said as he went back to his friends.
'Your one step closer Naruto.' Iruka thought.
'I'm one step closer.' Naruto thought as he sat down with his friends and thanked them when they congratulated him.
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As the day ended and the children were beginning to leave Naruto, Shino, and Hinata were standing together outside of the classroom.
"Let's go and celebrate! Ramen for everyone!" Naruto yelled.
"I'm sorry Naruto but I can't accompany you. I must go home and begin training with my insects with my father." Shino said as he began to walk off.
"Gomen Naruto-kun, but Kurenai-nee-san wants me home as well for cooking lessons." She said with a blush, not wanting him to know why she was taking cooking lessons.
"Oh, okay then I will see you guess later." Naruto said a bit downtrodden.
As Naruto began to walk to the ramen stand he noticed that many of the villagers were looking at him differently. They seemed to be reevaluating their opinions of him, though a vast majority of them still looked at him with scorn.
As Naruto entered the ramen stand, he was greeted by Ayame and Teuchi. They were two of the first people to treat him kindly and he was their best customer.
"How did you do Naruto." Ayame said with an eager expression.
"I passed with flying colors!" Naruto said with a smile.
"That's great Naruto so what will you have?" Teuchi asked.
"Whatever he orders is on me." Said a voice, causing the group to look at the new figure.
"What do you want, Mizuki!" Naruto said angrily.
Mizuki held his hands up in defense.
"Easy, Naruto I'm not here to fight. I am sorry for what I did to you and wanted to make it up to you." He said sincerely.
Naruto looked at him but could find nothing in his demeanor or his attitude to refute his claim.
"Fine I guess." Naruto said a bit suspiciously as he ordered his ramen.
"Naruto, you like Hinata and Shino right?" Mizuki asked.
Naruto stopped eating and looked at him.
"Yeah they're my best friends why?" He asked.
"It just seems to me that you would want to be on their team, though that isn't likely to happen." Mizuki said.
"What! Why?!" Naruto asked. He didn't want to be separated from his friends.
"Their techniques make them better for a tracking team wouldn't you agree." Mizuki said.
Naruto thought about it. With Shino's bugs and Hinata's byakugan they did seem more based around a tracking team.
"So you see they will probably be put on the same team as someone else who has tracking and recovery abilities." Mizuki said. "And you aren't known for that."
"What do I have to do?" Naruto asked.
"You need to prove that you are a good tracker or good at stealth and recovery." Mizuki said.
"How do I do that?' Naruto asked desperately.
Mizuki smiled. 'Hook line and sinker.'
"Tell me Naruto, what do you know about the Forbidden Scroll?" Mizuki said with the same smile.
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Here's chapter four and I hope that you liked it. Yes Hinata has the caged bird seal, yes she has been banished, yes Naruto will try to steal the forbidden scroll, as for what else I have in store THAT IS A SECRET! Please review. When I don't get a lot of feedback I start to think that my story isn't any good. Till next time, Kyuubi123 out.