When Hinata awoke, she didn't see Naruto again. Instead, it was Kiba, and they were in a hospital.
She was sore- that's all she could tell, and she didn't dare move. Kiba raised a brow as he began to realize she was awake. "Oi, Shino! Get in here!" He called out. She leaned her head back again as she tried to recall her memories. It was hard, though, she was drowsy and felt light headed. Soon enough her sensei and other teammate were in the room looking very relieved.
"What happened?" She tested her ability to talk.
Kurenai looked away briefly, "Hinata, you fought your cousin in the preliminaries. You were doing well, but…" she sighed, "he hit you and you went into cardiac arrest. That was yesterday- the medical team treated you and you'll be alright as long as you take it easy for a while."
She remembered it clearly now, and was tempted to ask, "Where is Naruto-kun?" but refrained, for she didn't want to trouble her team.
"Hinata…are you an idiot?" This remark made her look over at Kiba, whom didn't wear his normal jacket and had Akamaru resting soundly on his shoulders. "I told you if you had to fight Neji, to forfeit immediately! It wasn't worth it!"
He was cut off by Kurenai placing his hand on his shoulder and shaking her head. Kiba huffed.
She looked away in guilt. Kiba grimaced.
"Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt again."
"I agree." Shino nodded.
Kurenai looked at Hinata, who seemed to be becoming more and more aware. "Hinata, you did extremely well. I'm so proud of you…now you just rest up, you deserve it, okay?"
She simply nodded before her and Shino said their goodbyes before leaving to train for the finals of the Chunin Exams- in which they explained they had a month to practice for. Kiba, however, stayed. It's not like he could leave the hospital anyways, his ability to move was still fairly weak and didn't have a reason to, anyways. He wasn't going to become a Chunin anytime soon. Besides, he would prefer to keep Hinata company. Hinata eventually gained the strength to sit up, which worried him. His attempts to make her take it easy did not reach her, and besides, her legs were stiff. He set Akamaru on the bed before letting her lean on him for support. The inside of her chest still hurt, along with her abdomen area. The medical nins were not too advanced, but they did save her life and managed to get her out of critical condition. Her body could easily handle the rest.
Kiba gritted his teeth, "Naruto told me everything that happened, Hinata." He paused for a moment, watching her intently as her eyes shifted downwards, "Why'd you do it? You know you don't have to prove anyone wrong, especially him (Neji)." His voice was unusually soft.
Her fist clenched as she looked down. Kiba awaited her answer, but eventually realized she was crying. "Crap! Did I make her do that?" He thought, a sense of guilt washing over him. She was no hero- not by a long shot, though she held the determination of one. Even so, people like her could break easily under the right conditions. Akamaru whimpered as Kiba contemplated over what to do- comfort her?
"Hinata, why are you crying?" He finally asked. He honestly wasn't too good at words. Even with her lack of response, it didn't take him long to figure out. Although he didn't understand why, what he could understand is that even though her cousin nearly killed her, she finally got people to acknowledge her. Kiba never had to deal with such things, for he had a scary yet loving mother and sister, his buddy, Akamaru, and of course his friends. Though, it must have been life changing. Sighing once again, he gripped both of her arms gently, "Please don't cry."
He hugged her. It was comforting and affectionate, like a brotherly type hug. Not to tight, for he was afraid to hurt her.
She continued crying into his shirt.
Neji was harshly scolded for not taking mercy on his cousin by Hiashi and a few other members of the Hyuga. He was 'destined' to serve her, and if you ended up hospitalizing her you're probably not doing a very good job. He gritted his teeth through the lecture as he recalled the match. How dare she accuse him of suffering- of being weak? That trait is something that is destined for certain people, and it certainly wasn't him. He denied her words, he was utterly disdainful.
She made him sick.
The span of a month passes extremely quickly if you're training for a death match, at least according to Naruto it does. Though, in that month, a lot as gotten done, including mild chakra control, the ability to summon power from the 9 tails, and he formed a contract with the toads. He learned this under an old pervert who called himself Jiraiya of the Toad Sages! How ridiculous! Though, he was undeniably strong…amongst other things.
The thought of that Neji guy though, it made him upset. Acting all high and mighty like that, how dare he? Furthermore, calling him a loser without even knowing him, however, thinking about it, he really didn't differ from much other people in his life. Hinata was strong, he concluded, she was amazing. There was so much potential hidden under that quiet demeanor of hers, though he did not know exactly the reasoning behind it. Besides learning the fact that her cousin was an all-out ass to her, but, did she even live with her cousin? There was so much he wanted to know, yet, he could never seem to find the time to ask her. He was too busy keeping his newly found master on track with his training; it was almost like he was the teacher here. So frustrating.
In this month, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. That was weird, neither was Kakashi! Naruto wasn't the brightest of the bunch.
In the month provided to Kiba, he was determined to uncover more of Hinata's past- to understand more of his teammate. He did not wish to be ignorant, in the dark about something that was so important to her.
He waited outside the estate for her, though he kept his distance, and when she finally arrived, he couldn't help but to raise a brow. "Are you sure you're up for this? You haven't fully recovered Hinata. I don't want you to get hurt…again." He noticed that unlike other times they hang out together, she did not wear such heavy clothing. Instead it was just a casual T-shirt; it was most likely just a precaution to her previous injuries, just how Kiba wasn't wearing his jacket.
"Yes, Kiba-kun, I promise I'm fine today. Where are we going to go?"
"Ehh…" he averted his eyes briefly, "well, I was gonna suggest we'd go take a walk or something, but maybe it'd be better if we take it easy. Want to get something to eat?" Kiba didn't even have Akamaru today, which was almost unheard of. If you saw Kiba, Akamaru would usually be on his shoulder or head, and if you saw Akamaru roaming around Kiba was surely near. He simply wanted to keep it personal, going as far as to leave his dog at home. "We can go to Ichiraku's, if you want."
She nodded reluctantly, and followed him throughout town. It was lively as ever, that was undeniable, though today it was rather annoying. They would have both preferred a quieter atmosphere, especially Hinata, who felt an aching in her chest. Yes, a physical aching which sometimes made her cough if she got too worked up. That is why it was important for Kiba to take his time navigating through the large crowd of villagers, who were content with nearly everything. It was almost annoying to see how carefree they were.
It was relieving to finally arrive, the tantalizing aroma of the salty ramen- it was mouthwatering. No wonder Naruto came here all the time, though, it was a bit ridiculous when you consider he'd eat almost every meal here. Kiba didn't feel like questioning Naruto's life style right now. Carefully he'd help her get in her seat before taking his own, and quickly glanced over the menu. There wasn't of a variety, but it was fine.
The chef greeted them with a warm smile, "Hello, and welcome to Ichiraku's! What would you like to eat?"
They both ordered, not in haste, and enjoyed the time they had without people crowding over them. Hinata leaned forward on the counter, playing with her nails or something. He couldn't tell.
"You okay? You've been quiet ever since we've left." It's been roughly a week since the preliminaries, 2 days since she got out of the hospital.
"No…I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I'm just wondering when I can begin training again."
His mouth hung open briefly before responding, "Hinata, how can you even think about training at this moment? Look at you!"
"I know." Her response was quick, and she didn't shy away, "I need to become stronger….for myself, and my family." The smile she offered was genuine.
Their food wasn't even served yet when they heard the obnoxious yelling of an all too familiar Shinobi in the background. "Yeah, yeah, just come this way! I promise it'll be good! Stop trying to- agh, come on!"
"What the hell is Naruto up to know?" Kiba asked, looking behind him. Honestly, he did not feel like seeing after nearly paralyzing him. Ugh, the horror…
Hinata asked quietly to herself, "Naruto-kun? He's really here?" It made her happy; she hasn't seen him since she lost consciousness.
It wasn't long before the blond came charging in, gripping the wrist of an older male. "Come on, come on. It's right here!" He looked rather annoyed. He was followed by a tale male whom had an eccentric appearance, fitted with waist-length, spiky white hair, and red lines that ran down from his eyes.
His name was Jiraiya, and he was just as eccentric and flashy as his appearance suggested, although, he too looked annoyed.
"Listen Naruto, I have a bunch a research I need to be getting to so if you'll just let me-."
"No! If I let you go you'll never come back, just eat with me! I promise it's good." Naruto huffed. He didn't even realize the other two were there.
"Shut up, will ya?!" Kiba finally huffed, "You're not the only one in here, bonehead!"
This made Naruto quickly turn around, his annoyed expression replaced with a grin. "Oh, hey Kiba…and Hinata! Sorry, it's just.." As he felt the tug on his hand he turned around again, "Where do ya think you're going? Just sit down!"
Defeated, the older male sat down with a sigh, next to Naruto, who sat next to Kiba. "Sorry 'bout that…hehe…Pervy Sage won't stay focused!"
"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" He lifted up his head in a prideful manner, "I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. How disrespectful!"
"Whatever!" He stuck out his lip, Hinata laughed before cringing, causing Kiba to rub her shoulder and urge her to calm down.
The chef turned around, and while serving their food, saying, "Ah, my favorite customer! And Jiraiya, how've you been?"
"Eh? You two know each other?!" Naruto looked utterly confused.
The chef smiled "Of course, used to eat here all the time! Now what would you two like to eat?"
Hinata and Kiba ate silently, listening to them as they conversed. So much for tranquility. They may just have to move their conversation somewhere else if that was possible, or perhaps they could use the inconvenience of the situation to their advantage.
"How has your father been treating you, Hinata?" Over the loud talking of the two next to them, it was barely audible. But she listened.
"Good…I guess. He visited me a few times in the hospital when you weren't there." This struck Kiba as odd, for he spent almost his entire days with her, "and…um…he had Ko-san watch over me. That's all; he still doesn't talk to me that much."
He was about to respond before getting rather rudely interrupted, "Hey, what are you two talkin' about over there?"
The Legendary Sannin turned his attention to the two as well, which made Kiba skeptical, what were they doing in order to be noticed? He noted how the girl was one of the Hyuga, and the markings on the boy's cheeks defined him as an Inuzuka. "Oh, so you're one of the almighty Hyuga? And I see you're from the main house- so the heiress, then?" Jiraiya's smile was warm.
Her gaze shifted to the counter as she shook her head. "Huh? So some different relation, I am assuming?"
Kiba looked almost sympathetic as she spoke, "The position has been shifted down to my little sister, b-by my father…"
"Eh, but why? Is your father some kinda jerk or something?!" Naruto rambled, he was too loud.
"Would ya shut up, Naruto? This isn't really the place for it, ya know. Just wait, jeez." Kiba's patience was wearing thin by the minutes he had to spend with him.
"Kiba!" He whined, "Ugh, fine. Let's talk about it later, then!" Hinata's eyes widened, would Naruto willingly listen to her story? Kiba was about to retort with something, but stopped when he witnessed Hinata's expression. Oh well.
It wasn't entirely bad, though. Naruto had managed to get the Pervy Sage to pay for their food, which was certainly a relief for Kiba's wallet. After that, he briefly talked to Naruto alone.
"Listen. Hinata still isn't doing well, so don't do anything rash, especially near her. Got it?" Kiba raised a brow.
"What are you, her body guard? Yeah, yeah, sure."
"Naruto; I'm serious. She's suffered enough alrea-." He was interrupted by Jiraiya walking out, who was muttering something (probably over his lost money), with Hinata following him.
"Hey, Pervy Sage, I'll be right back. Okay? You can go do your 'research' in that time, but be ready to train again!" Jiraiya more than happily obliged, which worried Naruto. He'd just have to deal with that later.
"What a sweet girl." The Sage mumbled while walking off.
"D-Do you want to go someplace quiet?" Hinata offered.
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I can barely hear ya! We can go by the academy…no one should be there today." He was right. It was the weekend, no school for the children today.
All in agreement, they headed there. Kiba repeatedly had to explain to him that they were injured, and they had to take it slow. Hinata just smiled, trying to walk faster, then Kiba would discourage her and she'd slow down, then the whole thing would start over again.
But they did eventually arrive, and it was peaceful. After that though, it got a bit awkward. Hinata kept fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as Naruto looked at her.
"Hinata, you said you were an heiress, right? What happened?" Kiba wanted to hit him over the head for being so insensitive, but refrained. Instead, he paid close attention to Hinata, whose facial expression had changed.
"Y-yeah…it has to do with my family history…I-it's complicated, Naruto-kun." She looked down again, as if she were trying to conceal her presence by doing so.
He grinned obliviously, "I'll listen. Besides, I want to know what that guy's deal is."
"He's my cousin." She averted her eyes again, "We a-aren't on good terms because of our family history…My father's and his are twins, that's how we are related." Even Kiba didn't know this, so he listened closely, "M-My father was born before, so he was put into the main house, and Neji's father in the branch house. The branch house's job is to protect the main house…though; brother Neji is much stronger than me. I-I think that's why he resents m-me so much…" She paused momentarily to inhale slowly, "My father is Lord, so I was supposed to be the heiress…but I'm too weak…"
"Who says your weak?" Naruto asked, "Who can say you're weak after last week!?"
She smiled slightly, "There are many people in my clan who are stronger than me…like my cousin…and my sister…"
"They may be stronger than you, but don't ever consider yourself weak!" Hinata's eyes widened as she looked up at him, "if they are really stronger than you, then use that as an excuse to get better!"
Kiba hit him over the head, "Naruto! What did I say earlier?!" Naruto gripped his head, groaning.
Hinata smiled, though. It truly made her feel better, "You're right, Naruto-kun…T-Thank you."
The two boys turned around hastily to find her smiling, which made Kiba relax and Naruto grin. "Yeah, so get better! Then maybe we can train together…" He laughed, "And, I'll kick that Neji guy's butt. Okay?"
She nodded before breaking out into a coughing fit. Naruto watched as Kiba tried to calm her down, and remained in silent anger. Neji would pay for that.
That's why in the next 3 weeks, he took training a tad bit more seriously, and it may be why he expended the effort to drag his master back to the training fields each day. He always kept that image of Hinata in the back of his head- that symbol of strength. It helped him push himself further.
The night before the chunin exams, he couldn't sleep, not at all. He was too preoccupied with the fact that he would be facing someone who was even stronger than Sasuke tomorrow, someone who could literally kill you just by touching you. It was nerve-wracking; it was terrifying, in fact. But he would change Neji, he would save him from himself.
Naruto never went back on his word.
The next morning Neji awoke especially early for warm-up training with Tenten. Why had he chosen her? It's pretty obvious, she wasn't Lee and Guy.
They went through their typical routine of taijutsu, she quickly wore out. Not even a scratch had he got, which sometimes bothered her. It was just like battling against Temari- maybe she should invest with close range fighting styles?
"That's enough." Said Neji, he didn't want to wear himself out before the match.
She was panting, resting her hands on her knees for support, "Perfect, Neji." He would never admit it, but she often gave him the praise he often craved. "You're fighting against Naruto, right? I'm sure it will be easy…are you okay?"
He didn't face her, just simply nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."
She bit her lip as she followed him, though, something didn't seem right. Although she had utmost confidence in him, she was lying about her thinking it would be easy to beat Naruto. This girl was anything but ignorant, and watched him closely. Though she doubted Naruto could win, maybe he had a chance.
Though, by the time Neji had finished training, Naruto had just woken up! Was he hopeless?
Hinata had agreed to meet Kiba on the training field in the morning. As she stood in front of the wooden post, the voice behind her still scared her.
"Hey, Hinata! Are you doing alright, now?" He was actually happy to have run into her; she was just the person he needed.
They conversed briefly; Hinata explained to him how she was beginning to like herself more. She even reassured him he could beat Neji.
"Ya know, Hinata," he began as he was walking away, "I used to think you were weird and gloomy, but, you know what? I really like people like you!" Her face burned red as he walked off, much to Kiba's questioning as he arrived. She quickly urged him to hurry there, and the two did.
As they arrived, the Chunin exams were just beginning, and fellow chunin were discussing Naruto's disadvantage. Kiba couldn't help but laugh at this, "I thought that too," he thought, "but if you're going to underestimate a guy like him, prepare to pay for it."
Naruto faced Neji who seemed to be overwhelmingly confident. Again, when the match began, he began with a psychological approach. Little did he know Naruto was the most stubborn, thick-headed kid in the village, and he preferred to settle things with fists- not words.
Hinata sat away from her father, who sat next to her younger sister, for obvious reasons. Hiashi even encouraged Hanabi to pay attention, for such a prodigy was rare, even in the Hyuga.
Naruto started with a typical approach- Shadow clone jutsu, which was a jonin technique, the one that 'defined' Naruto.
Once that was defeated, Neji continued pushing 'destiny' onto him. How people like Naruto were destined to be weak forever, how the only destiny everyone shared was death.
"I'm not good at giving up, you know?" He kept creating more shadow clones. It was troublesome.
The first time Naruto outsmarted him, everyone surprised, even Kiba was cheering at the top of his lungs. It made Hinata happy; maybe he could change her cousin.
Though, her worrying eventually overcame her and the physical effects began to show through her coughing.
Neji was able to regain the fight quickly through Gentle Fist Style: 64 Palms. It was unheard of, a branch member surpassing the main house. Kiba and Hinata watched in disbelief as they watch Naruto surely get beaten to his death. With all of his chakra points hit, he was almost not even able to move.
Hinata broke into another coughing fit.
"Damn." Naruto cursed, remembering how Hinata stood before him, even how Lee stood before Gaara in their times of weakness. That alone should be praised. To this point, Naruto was doing many things in order to get acknowledged around the village. People still looked at him wearily, or chose to avoid him, though some have warmed up to him. Not a person turned his back to him after he got up again, though. Neji looked at him with disregard one second, surprise the next. He noted how his eyes were the same as his cousins. Would he be another not to accept fate?
Hinata couldn't take it anymore, and couldn't help but to tremble as she coughed up the red substance in her hands.
"Hinata, you ok- Hey! You're bleeding!" He looked frantic as he tried helping her, and had no choice but to accept the help of a strange ANBU member.
Neji tilted his head, completely unaware of the events going on above him. "Continuing will get you nowhere; I have no grudge against you."
"Oh yeah? Well I do!" Naruto was still working on fixing his posture. "If you're so strong, why, with your eyes that can see everything, did you keep mentally attacking Hinata who was trying so hard to stand up to you? Insulting her, immediately deciding her fate like you're special. I don't know exactly what happened with your family, but people like you I will never forgive!"
Neji's brows crunched up, "Fine then, I'll tell you about the Hyuga clan, how we're destined to hate."
Kiba hovered over the unconscious girl as the ANBU member was did something beyond his understanding; however, it seemed to help. This was happening as Neji explained in full detail the Hyuga clan to Naruto. It was hard to make sense of, especially for Naruto, who was a strong believer in equality. Neji offered a much better explanation than Hinata, though. Hinata was kept in the dark about certain things. It was a bunch of crap in Naruto's eyes. Only the weak would give up and accept their fate, not those who chose to go against and more so change it. After Naruto patiently listened and gained a better understanding, the fight continued.
"There's no way I'm going to lose to a coward like you whose always whining about destiny. I never go back on my word!"
Now upset, Neji faced him again, "Do you think you could possibly understand? Understand what it's like to be branded with a symbol you could never rid yourself of!?"
"Yeah, I can." He wiped the blood from his mouth, "So what? Do you think you're special? Guess what, Neji, you're not the only one! Hinata has suffered just as much trying to be her best, and you just ignore her like she's trash!"
Meanwhile in the stadium Kiba was knocked out alongside his teammate. No one knew.
"Why do you go against destiny so much?"
"I was once called a loser, too."
Neji watched in what you can call sheer amazement as he was able to reopen his chakra points, and his facial expression almost changed to fear as he realized what he was doing. He was summoning the 9 tails. From that point, the battle was easily in Naruto's favor; Neji couldn't help but curse as he stared up at him from the ground.
"Ya know,I failed the graduation exam 3 times, all because it had my weakest jutsu- shadow clone jutsu." This time it was Neji's turn to listen, and Naruto almost felt happy, "Destiny this, destiny that, blah blah. You don't need to whine about stupid crap like that, because you're not a loser. Just like me."
Everyone cheered when he was proclaimed winner.
Where is Hinata? Is she watching?
Thoughts were racing through the Hyuga's mind as he was borne away by the medical team. His whole perspective on life was just proven wrong- he was just beaten by the weakest, biggest loser in Konoha. Him; Neji Hyuga, the one who'd surpass the main house. He was even further enlightened by his uncle, who came and willingly told him the truth about his father. Neji was naturally skeptical, but eventually made up his resolve to become stronger- to never lose to anyone.
To become free.
The Chunin exams went on, and things got chaotic quickly. In the span of the hour, Hinata had managed to get kidnapped, the Sand and Sound villages turned on the Leaf, and the Shukaku's jinchuriki, Gaara, was out of control. To sum things up, Neji's change of heart wasn't all just words, and for the first time, he began to see everything in a different life. Starting with his teammate, Tenten. She visited him, concerned about his sanity, and he willingly explained to her his change of heart.
She would have to thank Naruto later.
A team consisting of Tenten, Neji, and Kiba tracked Hinata, and they were successful. She was overjoyed to learn about Naruto's success and Neji's resolve, tears were shed.
Naruto, along with his team, fought Gaara.
Naruto was a boy who was deemed a failure throughout the village, yet, he never considered himself special in anyway. He no longer resented people out of this, and didn't create some ridiculous alternate meaning on why he was resented. He didn't plan to murder people out of it, in fact, he was destined to change people. It started with Hinata, then Neji, followed by Gaara, who was considered a friend. It was the beginning to his journey to figure out what love is.
Though the conflict resolved rather quickly, the consequences were severe, both good and bad. The 3rd Hokage's death was amongst these, along with Orochimaru's plans being delayed. This was accompanied by sketchy relations with the Sand and Sound, but other matters improved. What's ironic, though, out of the whole ordeal, Shikamaru was the only one to be promoted to chunin! Hah, he didn't even win the last rounds. It then occurred to Naruto that the rank of a chunin was not achieved by sheer strength alone, but rather by strategy, which Shikamaru excelled in. Besides, his battle was very heavily personally driven, that could've been it as well.
From then on, both her father and her cousin looked at her differently, almost as an indirect way of saying, "Keep up the good work."
Even once Neji offered to train with Hinata…, well it was more of his way of trying to apologize to her. He, like most males, had a hard time with words. She accepted willingly, wanting to enforce the good terms the main and branch houses were on. This time he took it slow, slow in order not to hurt her and for her to learn. She was noticeably improving, and she had a few things to teach as well. Hiashi watched them from afar, never imagining the day he'd see such a thing happen.
He smiled.
I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Thanks to Rise for inspiring me!