G3F\\\Gaiden of the Three Failures

The first main character snippet, just for fun. Set sometime during chapter 15.

Disclaimer: I don't own NARUTO.

Gaiden of the Three Failures

Sidestory: Slam

Hinata ヒナタ

His hand was bigger than mine; a strong, heavy palm and thick but graceful fingers, sweaty with the summer that hung in the air, dwarfed my own delicate-looking hand as we clapped them together. My face warmed in the simmering air. He had just wiped his hand of perspiration, but now the heat pressed between our crossed palms was quickly generating more.

"Well, before we get too slippery…" Naruto hinted with a grin.

"H-huh? Oh – hai…" I stammered.

This was silly, I thought as we moved our arms loosely one way and the other, testing it. No, not the test, but this whole – this! How had this idea even come up? Silly, the whole thing!

Though he would normally have considered it unbecoming of a gentleman to challenge a lady so, his intentions obviously resided not in a boast of superiority but rather the casual fulfillment of honest curiosity. It was a simple game, after all, and there was no pretending I wasn't a bit different from the average girl; thus he had offered, as a friend and equal, the good-natured challenge to a harmless test of strength, and by his code that was perfectly acceptable.

Still…

"Ready, Hinata?"

"Um…" I nodded with a nondescript grunt. Forget it. I'll just do my best.

"Okay!" he said, "Ready!

"Set!

"Go!"

THAM!

My lips parted. I blinked, studying the hand that had been immediately slammed knuckles-down on the tree stump between us.

Naruto's larger hand.

"A-a-anou… Were you…?" I bit back the thought, face flushing bright.

"Ready? Trying?" he filled in contemplatively, rubbing his neck and forcing a rigid smile. "Why, yes, I was."

I stammered a bit and finally withdrew my hand, mutely. He massaged knuckles that I really hoped weren't bruising too badly.

"W-well." He coughed in embarrassment. Oh, gods – I'd embarrassed him. Neither of us could seem to find enough places to avert our gazes from each other. "Th-that Ookami family is really something else, huh?"

"I'm sorry!" I squeaked abruptly, ducking my head.

"Hey, none of that! You won, fair and square. It was just kind of… wow."

"Y-yeah…"

"Still…" He met my eyes tentatively, cheeks pink, a finger flicking at his whiskered cheek. "Never speak of this again?"

"Deal."

End Sidestory