Hey party people.

I want to quickly clear something up, Kakashi was only teasing Naruto by calling Hinata his girlfriend, and Naruto just didn't react to it. They're six. Not yet you feisty people.

I like the setting up of the turmoil in Hinata's young, little heart. I know she's only six but it's great to have the years of build up in a story. I also love the emotional and sweetness of Naruto in this chapter. Pretty weird huh? Last chapter he was eating people.

Well enough gabbing and more writing. Here's what you have all come to see chapter nine!

Oh yeah, (insert DISCLAIMER here): I do not own Naruto (sob) for If I did the Manga would have already told us about where Naruto's heart lies; WITH HINATA duh….

Chapter Nine: Young Emotions

*With Jiraiya, Kakashi and Shikaku

"Sensei, we did as you've asked of us, but I don't like it" Jiraiya said was he folded his arms over his broad chest.

Hiruzen took a drag off his pipe, "I know you do not like what it is I am making you do. But, I would rather him be loyal to us and wandering the nations than him think of us as the enemy and become a most powerful and destructive foe."

"I understand that, Hokage-sama. Why did you make us do it though?" Shikaku asked the aged Hokage. He did not understand the logic behind placing such a seal on Naruto and the Sand Jinchuuriki instead of just bringing them home. He knew that there were unseen threats out there and it was no place for a couple of Jinchuuriki children.

When Shikaku used his Shadow Possession Jutsu on Naruto and Gaara he placed a seal on the bottoms of their bare feet to track them. They would then be able to hunt them within the perimeter of the Land of Fire. They could then know where they are and head in the opposite direction. Well, to keep up their ruse of "looking" for the boys of course.

"We need to let them run," the Hokage started, "We need to let them find their own way in this world. They need to be free, most Jinchuuriki go mad with the abuse from their Village. I will not allow that to happen to Naruto. Or even Gaara, though I do not know him." The wrinkled leader said as he took another drag from his pipe. "Is that all?"

Kakashi then spoke up, "I know for a fact that Naruto will remain loyal to the Leaf," He said that with an eye smile.

"Oh and how so?"

"Well, we have something he likes." Kakashi said as he eye smiled it up.

Hiruzen was obviously annoyed with Kakashi's beating around the bush, "Out with it Hatake."

Kakashi just eye smiled some more, "He seems to like a girl here and told me to tell her, and I quote: "Yeah, tell her everything about me and how I'm doing. Everything. All about me being a Jinchuuriki. I want her to know." You see, I do not believe that he wouldn't be loyal after such a passion."

"I see." Hiruzen said as he smirked.

"He seems to have a flirting crush on the little Hyuga girl."

Jaraiya turned to Kakashi and sighed, "It just had to be a Hyuga. Which ones the lucky one?"

Kakashi eye smiled again as he said in a creepily cheery tone, "the Heiress of course."

"How troublesome." Shikaku said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Jaraiya laughed, "That's just like his father, either go big or go home."

Hiruzen just laughed at his student's frolics. It was turning out to be a pretty good day.

The Hyuga Mansion*

All through out the clan house was the sound of sparring. It seemed very intense and rigorous. There was a scream as a girl fell to the ground coughing up blood.

"Hinata you have disappointed me once more" a very strict man said as he stood straight and looked down at the small girl with uncaring eyes and a face devoid of any emotion, "You are six years old, you should be stronger than this. Your cousin Neji is progressing faster than you and he is from the branch house. Your sister, Hanabi has already had a small discharge of her Byakugan and yours still has not activated. I am ashamed to call you my daughter.

Hinata was broken inside. This was the worst her father had ever spoken of her. She felt like a loser, a failure. She felt so alone. She hadn't seen Naruto in so long and was worried. She wondered what had happened to him.

Hinata slowly stood and held her head in shame. She was about to speak when a guard came running into the dojo, "Lord Hiashi, excuse me," he bowed then righted himself, "Master Kakashi wishes to come in."

Hiashi did not hesitate, "Send him here."

A moment passed to reveal a man dressed in the standard ANBU attire, he had seventy-five percent of his face covered and silver hair that stood on its own. "Hello Lord Hiashi" Kakashi greeted as he bowed his head.

"Hello Kakashi-san," Hiashi said as he returned the gesture.

"I know you are a busy man so I will make this quick," Kakashi said in a no non-sense tone, "I have been looking for a young mind to mold. I thought that this was the best place to start considering what has happened to the Uchiha."

"Well, the only promising, moldable Hyuga is Neji." Hiashi said in an emotionless tone.

Kakashi looked at the girl on the floor, "I wanted a girl," He then looked back up at the Hyuga patriarch, "Is that Hinata?"

Hiashi just scoffed but remained emotionless, "She is worth no ones time. If you want her you can have her." Hiashi just turned away from Kakashi "You had better not tarnish the Hyuga name Hinata."

"Hai Father." Hinata said as she bowed and turned to a perplexed Kakashi.

'Did she just accept that?' Kakashi thought to himself and walked off with Hinata in toe.

With Naruto and company*

They were just rolling up to a merchant town. All of their prisoners were tied together walking behind the wagon each with a burlap sack placed over their heads. The one rescued girl was riding in the wagon with Mogoni. They had learned that this girl was a favorite servant to the Fire Daimyo's sister. She promised them that they were going to be treated as royalty in the Fire Capitol when they arrived.

Zabuza had convinced Naruto and Gaara that if they walked wherever they went that they would build muscle tone in their legs and butt, "In your butt?' Naruto had asked his sensei.

"Yes, in your butt, your butt is an important muscle to the function of your movement." Zabuza explained.

"It is," Hoshi had cut in, "Ya'll see how old I am? My butts has hard as a rock from sittin' on this here wooden bench for sixty some odd years." Hoshi then patted his butt making everyone laugh— Except the prisoners. They didn't laugh.

Zabuza sighed as he walked along side his team of young sprites. He looked at Haku who was looking at Naruto. He looked at Gaara who too was looking at Naruto. So he decided he too would look at the blond. He saw a strange look on his face. Naruto looked as if he had been told the greatest news in the world then looked confused while sniffing the air around him.

"I smell my Butterfly, but she's in the Leaf. Why do I smell her?" Naruto looked torn and indecisive. Then he looked happy again, "I'll just have to find out."

Naruto turned tail and ran into the town. Zabuza sighed, "Haku, Gaara, follow him. Keep him out of trouble."

"Hai sensei." The two boys said as they look off after their teammate.

Naruto ran for a few minutes following his nose. He needed to know what the smell was and where it was coming from.

His nose soon leads his to a merchant stand outside a teashop. He stood there and turned to look over his shoulder and saw Gaara and Haku run up to him. "Is this where your nose lead you?" Gaara asked his best friend.

Naruto nodded and turned back around. He looked at all of the items on the table, "Excuse me young man, has something caught your eye?" a busty woman asked looking at her young customers.

"No something has caught my nose ma'am. Do you have anything that smells of lavender flowers and vanilla bean?" Naruto asked in his most innocent voice with the puppy eyes for added measure.

The woman quickly picked up a clipboard and looked through the lists. It took a few minutes but she found something that she knew would please the young lad. She then picked up a locket from the table and handed it top Naruto, "This is a forget-me-not locket. This locket holds powerful aromas; this one has Lavender flower and Vanilla Bean. Here you go."

Naruto accepted the locket and sniffed it. It was powerful. He could smell his butterfly's scent. But, it wasn't her scent; it was the essence of her scent. When he opened the locket he had to snap it shut as his brain tried to calm it's self down from the high it was on right now, 'I will never forget that scent. You will be with me forever, my Butterfly. You were my first true friend.'

Gaara looked to his companion and smiled, he looked so peaceful; so content. "How much is it?" Gaara asked slapping Naruto off of cloud nine.

"Well I'll cut you a deal children, I'll have you pay 3,000 Ryo."

"What!" Naruto snapped, "That's ridiculous."

"Kid why don't you bring your parent here to do the haggling." The woman said with a pointed glare.

"We don't have parents, but we do have a sensei." Haku said as he turned to fetch him.

The woman seemed to tense at the thought of a ninja, "You can have it free of charge."

Naruto looked at Gaara and Haku and they turned to the lady, "Thanks lady." Naruto said as he smiled like a fox.

Gaara looked at the woman and saw distrust. As they turned to leave Gaara said with Shukaku laced chakra, "Leave us be."

Naruto turned to Gaara and sighed, "let's go buddy." They then left the frightened lady who was scrambling to pack her things.

When she finished she headed to the officials, the hunters from Hōzukijou. Otherwise known as a criminal containment facility commonly (or uncomonly) refered to as the Blood Prison.

Naruto walked up to his sensei, "we need to leave. We aren't welcomed here. I can feel it."

"Me too" Gaara added, "It feels so wrong."

Zabuza turned to Haku.

"Sensei, the woman we got Naruto's new locket from, she wanted to haggle with our parents. I told her we did not have a parent but we did have a sensei. She then gave the locket to Naruto for free. No price. It went from 3,000 Ryo to nothing at all."

Zabuza sighed and looked to Hoshi, "You ready to go old man?"

"Why do you keep calling me old? I ain't old!" Hoshi said in defiance. He then smiled, "Okay I'm, old." Hoshi then re-harnessed Geisha. "Ready to go. Mogoni, Sanya, get in were leaven'." Hoshi said to the two who were carrying water and food to the wagon; Sanya being the favorite servant of the Fire Daimyo's sister.

Hinata and Kakashi

They had been walking in relative silence for a few minutes now. Kakashi was leading Hinata to a secluded spot to talk.

He looked down at Hinata and sighed. She was so depressed and nervous; she was fidgeting with her fingers as she walked at his side. He needed to tell Hinata about Naruto. Naruto had asked a favor of him.

And he wanted to train the girl. Granted, it was a last minute thing and all, yet he heard the way Hiashi spoke of his own daughter from many people. It made him so angry inside. This girl was the sweetest thing in the entire world. So that's when he decided that he would train her. He wanted to do something right in his life. He would do something right, abet not to redeem himself from his past. But to prove to himself that he is not a failure.

They then arrived to the secluded spot. It was a small field with a large tree stump. This was where he came to think. Kakashi looked back at the girl standing next to him, she was smiling. It was a pretty smile. He was growing fond of her already.

"Hinata?" Kakashi asked, her smile quickly vanishing, "Come and sit with me."

"Hai" Hinata said weakly.

Kakashi sat on the stump while Hinata sat in the grass facing him.

"Hinata, there is something important I need to tell you," Hinata nodded her head. Good he had her attention. "It's about Naruto." Kakashi instantly saw a change in her demeanor as a look of worry clawed at her face. The worry then tore itself free from its restraints.

"What's wrong? Is he okay? Where is he? Why didn't he come back to the park to play with me?" Hinata asked with tears welling up in her opal eyes, threatening to spill.

Kakashi sighed as he put up a hand. She stopped talking but not worrying. "Hinata-chi" Kakashi began, "Naruto wanted me to tell you that he was fine." Kakashi saw her instantly relax, he smiled at her, "and He is not coming back to the village for a while. But he will be back so don't you worry. He had to leave. He needed to leave for his safety." Kakashi said softly as he sighed again.

"What? H-His safety? Why wasn't he safe?" Hinata stuttered out.

"He is the village pariah Hinata-chi; he is loved by few and hated by many." Kakashi said downcast, trying his best to speak his mind to the five-year-old girl.

"Why? Why do people hate Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as tears slid down her pink face.

"What I am about to tell you is top secret and can not be told to anyone. I hope you understand." Kakashi told the girl. Hinata nodded her head in wrapped attention.

Kakashi started with a question, "Do you know what happened six years ago on October tenth?"

Hinata hesitated then answered in an unsure tone, "The Nine-Tailed Fox attacked?"

"Very good Hinata," Kakashi said as he had seen delight dance across her face for a moment. "Do you know what else happened?" He hopped Hinata knew this one.

"The Yondaime Hokage gave his life for his village to kill the Nine-Tailed Fox," Hinata said with a bit more confidence.

"Good job Hinata-chi, now there is a fault in this story. You see the Fox, known as Kyuubi could not be killed—"Kakashi was then interrupted.

"Excuse me Master Kakashi? What do you mean it couldn't be killed? That's what everyone's… been… told." Hinata then adopted a thinking pose as she put her head in her hands. Kakashi was proud. She was very smart. She may not know what the conclusion was but she was on the right track.

"So, it's alive?" Hinata asked hoping to be right and wrong at the same time.

"Well, yes and no. It is alive spiritually but not physically." Kakashi said to the confused girl. "You see, no one could kill the fox simply because the fox is made from chakra. The only way to defeat it was to seal it." Kakashi paused as he saw the hamster start to run on the wheel in Hinata's brain.

"So, the Yondaime summoned the Shiki Fujin or the Death God to seal the fox away into a newborn child. The Death God sealed away the fox's Yang into himself which is its physical form and sealed away the Yin into the newborn baby. He then took the Yondaime's soul with him." Kakashi paused again but Hinata finished for him.

"So this all relates to Naruto? Ne, he is six like me, he's an orphan and the village… hates… him" it then dawned on her as she began to cry, "He was the baby wasn't he?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes he was," Hinata then jumped up onto the rock and latched onto Kakashi, something he was not expecting. "He's suffered; he's in pain because of it. I really was his first friend wasn't I?"

Flashback…

Hinata was walking by the park with her guard. She was lonely. She wanted a friend. She looked up and saw the other kids playing with their friends. She then looked back down. She then asked her guard a favor, "Naai-san, May I please have ice-cream?" The guard looked down at her and nodded. He left at around twenty feet to the ice-cream vendor.

Hinata sat alone on the bench. She then saw a boy sit down next to her. She looked up and saw the most beautiful eyes in the world.

"Hello," Ne said to her.

"Hello," She answered.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"I'm Hinata Hyuga."

They then sat there staring at one another. They said nothing. Until Naruto, "You're pretty."

Hinata blushed and looked away shyly, "Thank you." She said as she put he hand to her mouth lightly.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Naruto asked her diffidently. He had asked that before but got a smack to the face and a go to hell by the parents as they dragged their confused children away.

Hinata was shocked that such a cute boy wanted to be her friend. So, she answered quietly, "Yes, I'd love to Naruto-kun." She then looked him in the face again and saw a dazzling smile. She then blushed once more.

"You're like a butterfly, Hinata-chan." Naruto said with such finesse. "You are my very first friend Hinata-chan."

Hinata's eyes widened a bit and said, "You're my first friend too."

"Really, but you're so beautiful; you should have many friends." This shocked Hinata. He said just because she was beautiful she should have friends.

Hinata looked at her lap, "I don't leave my home often. When I do I can not play with others because I am an heiress and that is unacceptable behavior." She then seemed to shrink into herself.

Naruto grabbed her hand, "It's okay. I will be your best friend, and even though I'm not here we are the best of friends forever," He then leaned forward and took a long sniff of her hair (from a distance not all up on her) and kissed her cheek sweetly.

Hinata was a blubbering fool after that. 'He just kissed me.'

Hinata smiled and shied forward and kissed his cheek back. Naruto blushed a bit as he expected her to pull away and not kiss him back. It was all cute and innocent for the children.

"You are a beautiful butterfly, never forget that Hime-Hinata." Naruto smiled as he stood from the bench, "I gotta go Butterfly."

"Will I see you again?" Hinata asked the blond boy.

"Of course you will Butterfly; Maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually. We will meet again." Naruto said with a smile as he turned to leave.

"Good bye" Hinata said.

"Good-bye" Naruto said with a smile. He left.

Hinata was in a good mood and accepted her ice-cream from Naai. She smiled and thought of Naruto.

End Flashback

"You are a beautiful butterfly, never forget that Hime-Hinata." Hinata said as she sighed. Kakashi just held onto the little girl and rubbed her back.

"You know he will be back right?" Kakashi asked the small girl; her cropped hair was short and two long strands framed her face they moved as she looked up at him.

"Of course he will; he told me so. I'm his bestest friend in the entire world," She said then blushed, "He sealed it with a kiss."

Kakashi smiled and chuckled and placed the girl on the ground and stood. "Do you with to train and learn under me Hinata Hyuga?" He said in a pumped tone.

Hinata smiled and said with determination, "Hai sensei!"

This chapter pretty much just set the story into motion. With the Blood Prison Guards aware that there are ninja within range, what will they do? Oh Hinata. Congrats on the apprentice-ship with Kakashi. So proud of you my little Butterfly. I think the poll is up on my page, I don't know it's my first one. So if someone could help me that would be awesome.

Also next chapter the Hokage gives news to the Kazekage and the Hōzukijou Hunter's make their grand enterance. heh what's going to happen? He HA! Till next time Ladies and Gents!

Thanks!