Prompt from xxTerror33xx
Characters Naruto x Hinata / NaruHina
Naruto-verse
Song: Hero Artist: Skillet
Story Rating: K
Hero by Skillet
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losin' my faith today
(Fallin' off the edge today)
I am just a man
Not superhuman
(I'm not superhuman)
Someone save me from the hate
It's just another war
Just another family torn
(Falling from my faith today)
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero (save me now)
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me (just in time)
I've gotta fight today
To live another day
Speakin' my mind today
(My voice will be heard today)
I've gotta make a stand
But I am just a man
(I'm not superhuman)
My voice will be heard today
It's just another war
Just another family torn
(My voice will be heard today)
It's just another kill
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero (save me now)
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me (just in time)
I need a hero to save my life
I need a hero just in time
Save me just in time
Save me just in time
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
We're in the fight of our lives
(And we're not ready to die)
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I've got a hero (I've got a hero)
Livin' in me
I'm gonna fight for what's right
Today I'm speaking my mind
And if it kills me tonight
(I will be ready to die)
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero (save me now)
I need a hero to save my life
A hero'll save me (just in time)
I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for what's right
Who's gonna help us survive
I need a hero
Who's gonna fight for the weak
Who's gonna make 'em believe
I need a hero
I need a hero
A hero's gonna save me just in time
…
A young, small Hinata shivered and closed her eyes, not wanting to further entice the bullies who were poking and prodding her, calling her a "monster" because of her byakugan. Tears began to well up and she cried, thinking to herself that she needed a hero to get out of this. I need a hero to save me now she silently pleaded as the bullies knocked her to the snow covered ground. She was losing faith that anyone would come to rescue her.
"Hey stop!" a powerful voice rang out. Hinata opened her eyes and stared up at a young boy her age with blonde spiky hair. "I am Naruto Uzumaki! Fight me if you dare!" the boy called, pointing an intimidating finger at the three bullies.
Hinata's bullies laughed at him, and then laughed harder at his miniature shadow clone attempts. Hinata watched in horror as her hero was beat up by them. They even tore apart his scarf. But, he was a hero nonetheless. He had come to save her when no one else would.
Hinata kept the red scarf as a memento. It was her small trophy, a reminder that she had a hero. A hero who wasn't afraid to stand up to her enemies to defend her. A hero who took a beating for her. A hero with an incredible amount of strength and courage. A hero who fights for what's right. A hero who fights for the weak. A hero who she would fall deeply in love with.
…..
Hinata worked hard in the Academy, but it wasn't always easy. In fact, it was difficult, really difficult. Especially when everyone expected big things of her as the next heir of the Hyuga clan. Every skill that Hinata lacked, her cousin Neji made up for tenfold. He was so strong and brilliant, everything seemed to come easily to him. His harsh attitude towards her and his brutal teaching methods did not make things easier on the sensitive Hinata. She was quickly losing the will to continue, and had little drive to become a ninja.
Until, of course, her hero unknowingly saved her again. Naruto Uzumaki was dead last in the Academy, he failed so many times at everything he tried. But Hinata watched him secretly as he trained in the training grounds. After hours, endlessly, relentlessly, Naruto trained and worked himself harder each and every time. His constant determination to become stronger was awe inspiring. Hinata could not look away from him. He was the sun, guiding her path in a bright and brilliant light. Watching him work himself insistently and consistently, with unwavering confidence, gave her hope that she too could someday be strong.
He was her hero. No doubt. At another time in her life when she sought guidance, he was there for her even without knowing it. She needed a hero who could make her believe. Witnessing Naruto fight to become stronger each day made her believe that she could do it too. It gave her the courage in herself to press on and train harder, even though she failed at her missions. It gave her the inner strength to realize that she too could be somebody, and change her fate. She was not going to be a failure.
…..
All her training was finally going to be put to the test in the chunin exams. Hinata was matched up against her own cousin, Neji. Neji stared her down with cold, hateful eyes. She never understood his hatred, but she was fearful of it all the same.
Neji and Hinata both used the gentle fist, moving swiftly across the ground with dance-like deft movements. Neji held nothing back as he slammed palm after palm at her, clouded with fury at his destiny in the lower branch of the Hyuga clan. Hinata slowly felt the urge to give up overpower her, and just when she needed a hero, Naruto called out to her again, revitalizing her. He was cheering her on from the crowd, his voice rang out louder than any other.
"I never go back on my word, because that too is my nindo, my ninja way, and you can't take it from me," Hinata muttered out through panted breaths as she stood up from the ground. She could sense Naruto watching her closely.
The fight went on, Hinata got up again and again, listening as Naruto cheered her on. His words saved her, and gave her the courage to stand up to her powerful cousin. But Neji was too strong, he knocked her out again with another blow, and this time, Hinata did not get up.
Later in the hospital, she heard that Naruto had vowed to Neji to beat him in a match. He was going to fight in her honor, he was determined to knock sense into the hateful Neji. Hinata smiled to herself against the pillow, despite the pain radiating through her body. Her hero had come to her aid once more.
….
Hinata hid partially behind a wooden pillar as her hero stepped forward, admitting that he would be fighting Neji in the last round of the chunin exams. "I know you can win Naruto," Hinata told him.
His blue eyes widened with surprise at her encouragement, "Huh?"
"Remember that time when you cheered for me, I felt like –like I was able to become stronger than ever before. When the preliminaries ended, I was finally able to like myself a little. To anybody else, it might look like absolutely nothing's changed about me, but I feel different, like I'm a better person now. And I've been thinking, that it was all thanks to you Naruto." Hinata admitted, twiddling her forefingers together.
"Eh-Hinata. You really- do you really believe that's true?" He asked her. A red blush formed on her cheeks. "I may look strong to you, but all I ever do is mess things up. I act tough because I'm so frustrated, but underneath it all I just feel like I'm a huge failure." Hinata couldn't believe her ears. Her hero was losing faith!
"No that's not true!" Hinata cried.
"Hm?" Naruto looked up at her, startled.
"Even when you messed up you were always a- um, how can I say this? A proud failure from my point of view. When I look at you, you just fill me with such-such admiration. I'm not saying that you're perfect, I mean no one is…but when you do make a mistake, you have the guts to pick yourself up and keep trying. I think that courage, to keep going no matter what, is what real strength is. I just think you're an incredibly strong person Naruto!" Hinata said before moving back to her hiding spot behind the pillar.
Naruto's eyes were still wide, his mouth parted in astonishment. Then he smiled widely, "Thanks Hinata I needed that." Hinata gasped slightly. "Even though I'm completely used to being the underdog, I guess this time I was just really feeling the strain. I was really down which isn't like me at all! But I feel 100% better now!"
"I'm glad you do!" Hinata said, stepping out from behind the pillar again. Could this be? Was she a hero to him in a time of need? His morale was low, and she was able to pick up his spirits. It was a small gesture, but she felt happy that she was able to help him, even just a little.
"Alright, I'm off to the match! Thanks again!" he said as he began to walk away.
She watched him walk away, admiring his backside. Then he stopped and turned around and added, "Hinata."
"Huh?"
"I kinda thought you were –um-" what…what? Hinata's internal thoughts were racing, wondering what he would say, "-gloomy, timid, always terrified and basically completely weird." Oh… she felt her spirits deflate a little. But then Naruto continued, "but you know what? I actually like people like you!" Hinata's heart stopped at his words, and the wind slowly caressed her hair, blowing it across her face.
"Oh yeah, don't forget to come watch me wipe out the floor with Neji in the final competition," he added with a grin. A plume of smoke with a soft 'popping' noise exploded in the air, and Naruto suddenly looked frantic, "oh no! I gotta get going and fast! Oh man I'm gonna be late! See ya later Hinata!"
Hinata was rooted on the spot, his words echoing through her mind. I actually like people like you! And to think that she had given him the encouragement to restore his morale…perhaps her hero needed help too, he wasn't superhuman after all.
….
Naruto had left the village. He was going to be gone for years, out training with the legendary sannin Jiraiya, and would no doubt come back stronger than ever before. But Hinata did not feel sadness at his departure, rather, she felt emboldened by his promises. He promised to become stronger, to save his best friend Sasuke, and to one day become the hokage. She knew these goals were not out of his reach, and that he would do anything possible to attain them.
Her goal was to become stronger too, to catch up to Naruto. She was always a step away, a breath away, from Naruto. She was tired of hiding in the shadows, she wanted to become stronger to someday prove to him that she could be powerful too. She wanted to stand by his side against his battles, and help him as a friend.
So Hinata got to work on training with her teammates Kiba and Shino. She practiced with her cousin Neji, who's heart had also been changed by Naruto. For three years, Hinata practiced hard and focused to become a better shinobi. She gained confidence in herself, mastering abilities that she would never have dreamed possible if not for Naruto. She had a hero within herself, her internal dialogue constantly telling her to push on in order to reach Naruto's level.
/
Naruto looked up at Pain from his position on the ground, with a metal pole sticking forth from his hands. "What are you? What do you want? Why are you doing all this?" he asked. He was beginning to lose hope at that moment. The entire village was wiped out from this man standing before him. How was he possibly going to defeat him?
"You ask why? Sometimes things happen randomly, and the reason only becomes apparent afterwards. These circumstances…well perhaps, I can try to explain it to you." Pain said.
"What I want is to create peace and bring about justice," he added. Naruto gritted his teeth, unnerved by this man's wrongful view of the world. But Naruto was just a man, not a superhuman. He was stuck on the ground, listening to this hateful view of the shinobi world, unable to get up and fight. He was in need of a hero.
"Creating peace? Justice? Are you kidding? Give me a break!" he spat back from the ground, "You killed my master and my sensei! Hurt my friends, destroyed my village! After all of the horrible things that you've done, don't you dare talk about peace and justice!"
Pain went on speak about his twisted view of peace, and how he believed that through the tailed beast weapon, he could shatter the world with pain and bring about peace. He stuck in more metal poles, blocking Naruto's ability to move. He needed to snap out of this, to find his strength again…but things were not looking good at that moment. Pain was ready to grasp Naruto and take him away…
And then Naruto saw somebody rush forward from the crowd. Somebody came to save him, to be his hero. It was Hinata.
"I won't let you hurt Naruto anymore!" she yelled forcefully. Naruto had never heard such resentment in her voice before. She was determined, focused.
"Why did you come out here?!" he asked. "Just run! You can't win!"
"I'm just being selfish now," she said.
"What's that mean?" he asked her. He was shocked that she had come to his aid. "Hinata, don't put yourself in danger like this, just go!"
"I'm here because I want to be. This time, I'm going to save you Naruto. I used to be such a crybaby, always giving up before I even got a chance to start. I almost took the wrong path so many times that I lost count. But you helped me find my way to take the correct path Naruto. I have always chased after you, wanting to catch up, wanting to walk together with you forever. You've changed who I am Naruto. Your smiling face saved me Naruto. That's why, I'm not afraid to die here, if it means I can protect you. Because…I love you, I always will." Hinata said this before readying herself for battle. Naruto was surprised, to say the least. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
All he could do was watch as Hinata got up, again and again, to face Pain and try to take out the metal poles from his body. But in the end, Pain defeated her, throwing her into the air like a ragdoll. Everything was silent as Naruto watched in horror while Pain thrusted a metal pole into Hinata. Rage took over his entire body, and he blacked out. The nine tailed fox emerged, and Naruto was nearly rendered unconscious.
And yet, he was alive. He was not captured by the akatsuki. That was all thanks to Hinata, the heroine who saved him when he was down.
/
The 4th shinobi war was over, Naruto had stopped the world from being placed under an infinite dream, and had defeated Kaguya alongside Sasuke. Hinata always knew he would prevail. She wondered if he would remember, or mention, the moment where they held hands together after Neji's death.
She was standing alone at his grave, she often visited it to bring flowers and tell Neji stories. She missed him so much, and the pain of his death had not subsided in the least. Some days she was joined by Rock Lee and Tenten in mourning, but today she was alone.
Well, at least that's what she thought. She heard crinkled footsteps in the grass and looked up to see Naruto, the great hero of the war, walk up casually to her with flowers in his hand. He gave her a sad smile and then placed the flowers down on Neji's grave.
"I still wish there was something we could have done to prevent this," Naruto said.
Hinata looked at him, noticing the regret in his eyes. "It was his choice to protect us," Hinata told him, "he knew you would be the hero in the war. He couldn't let you go."
Naruto's lips curled upwards in a half smile, "You were prepared to die for me as well. Why is that Hinata?"
Hinata blushed a little, and then admitted, "I believe in you Naruto. I knew you would end the war." He looked at her with brilliant blue eyes. She added, "you are the hero of the world Naruto, you saved us all."
Naruto laughed a little awkwardly, thinking about this, "I'm just an ordinary man…I realize now that I couldn't have done it without the help of everyone. Everyone who fought in the war is a hero." Hinata agreed silently, he couldn't be more true. She didn't admit it to him at that time, but Naruto was still her personal hero. Her heart fluttered at his next question, "Anyways, I was thinking to get some ramen soon…do you want to come with me Hinata?"
Hinata looked back at him, feeling her face grow warm. She nodded, and he smiled warmly. It was the same smile that he wore through his entire life, the smile that had saved her and given her the courage to believe in herself. That smile from her hero gave Hinata the strength to realize that she too, was a hero in her own way.
….
Author's Note/Disclaimer: Most of the dialogue in this story comes word for word from the anime- I am not the owner, these words are Kishimoto's! The exception is the last excerpt where Hinata and Naruto are at Neji's grave- I put that in as a speculation- it could've easily happened. In the Shikamaru Hiden Novel, Naruto mentions to Sakura that he and Hinata have been spending time together (and this happens before Naruto the Last), so that little statement was evidence to me that Hinata and Naruto were spending more time together after the war and before the Last (their love isn't random as some shippers say, the buildup is just slow over time until the Last when Naruto realizes that Hinata has always been there for him, and he realizes that he reciprocates the same feelings for her!) -Anyways I'll get off my NaruHina soapbox haha.
Thanks for the prompt xxTerror33xx! Hope you guys enjoy, as I said before, this one pretty much comes straight from the anime with a few inserts of Hinata or Naruto's internal dialogue here and there. The song was pretty much perfect for them. As always, reviews and prompt ideas are welcome!