Introductions

"What comes next is far more difficult," Iruka announced to the class, holding the papers that decided their destiny in his hands, "now you are only genin and grouped into three-man squads, lead by an elite ninja. We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities."

The students hung to his every word, some exchanging grins, bright determination gleaming in their eyes. Naruto attempted to scuttle closer to Sakura, who quickly shot him down a glare. He stopped his not-so-subtle attempt at getting closer, but his thoughts were undeterred by her anger.

Sakura Haruno was the girl Naruto liked. A lot. She had pretty pink hair and a really nice smile. She wasn't from a famous clan and neither was he. Well, truthfully Naruto didn't know much about his family. The only thing he did know about his parents was that they might have died when the Nine-Tales attacked the village, but no one would tell him for sure. No one ever spoke to him about his family or relatives. No one ever really spoke to him about anything. He often conjured ideas of his parents at night, but they ended up dark and depressing so he stopped his pondering. Naturally, Naruto assumed Uzumaki was a common name. Rare even, since he never met another Uzumaki in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Even though Sakura liked Sasuke, Naruto was determined to win her affection; he was no stranger to competition with the famous Uchiha. Naruto shot a glare at the raven-haired boy who was always the cause of his annoyance. Sasuke was always so cool, unlike him. Always winning fights, always getting the highest marks; unlike him. Naruto didn't understand what make Sasuke so much better than him. Was he jealous? Denial was Naruto's automatic answer. To him, Sasuke was simply overrated. If Sakura liked him and not Sasuke, then Naruto would finally have won something against him; Naruto promised he'd never lose again to Sasuke Uchiha!

Sakura scuttled closer to Sasuke, who shot her a warning glance. Undeterred, she smiled at him (which he promptly ignored). Her grin remained bright, after all she was sat the closest to Sasuke!

'I hope I'm with Sakura,' Naruto wistfully thought. As long as he wasn't in Sasuke's group, he didn't care much.

"Team Seven," Iruka announced, "Naruto Uzumaki-"

Naruto's head perked up at the call of his name. The class of freshly graduated genins were sat on the edge of their seats. What unfortunate soul would have to be on the same team as that jinx their parents told them to avoid? The stupidest boy in the class who barely scraped a pass? Everyone knew Naruto was a hopeless cause, he was all bark but no bite.

Sakura Haruno prayed her name wouldn't get called out. If she was on the same team, then she was completely and utterly doomed!

Hinata, who sat at the back of the class, listened eagerly. It was silly to feel hopeful but she clasped her hands together anyways.

"-Hinata Hyuga-"

Hinata froze, shock ringing in her ears. Her name echoed repeatedly as she zoned out. Some of the class snickered and the other half silently sent their condolences. She was actually on the same team as Naruto? Her bubble of happiness popped as she watched Naruto flop in disappointment. She tried to ignore the sting. It was no secret Naruto liked Sakura, even though she (and the rest of the girls in the academy) only had eyes for Sasuke Uchiha. Unlike the others, Hinata didn't pay special attention to him. His standoffish personality reminded her too much of her family's austerity.

"-and Sasuke Uchiha."

Hinata's pearlescent eyes widened. She gasped audibly, suddenly attacked with death glares on all sides from girls who had previously looked at her with pity. Sakura and Ino balled their fists, lamenting their horrible luck.

Naruto's head fell harder on his desk at the name of his arch nemesis. Great. Just freaking great! Not only was he not on the same team as the girl he liked, he was stuck with none other than Mr Popular-I'm-Too-Cool-For-You. He should have expected it since he had rotten luck his entire life.

As for the other girl, the name Hyuga rang a bell, but Naruto couldn't pin-point where he heard it. And Hinata was probably the only person who was never mean to him. Maybe it his luck wasn't entirely rotten. His memories of the pale-eyed girl were vague and he wondered if they had ever talked. He threw a look at her over his shoulder, observing how her face changed colour once their eyes met. She whipped her head away automatically.

That's right, she hardly could look a him, never mind talk. She was a weird one.

"They better not get in my way," Sasuke could only mutter to himself. Sasuke merely glowered. A loudmouth knucklehead and a girl he didn't even knew existed. It was a recipe for failure; something that was not an option for him.

"Your luck's run out," Ino snorted behind Sakura, "too bad, Forehead."

"Shut it, Ino-Pig," Sakura growled, glaring at the blonde. Her inner-self wailed in despair. Why was the universe separating her from her soul-mate?

"What do you see a guy like that anyways?" Shikamaru asked, unable to understand the female obsession with the lone Uchiha.

"You are so beyond clueless," Ino replied, shaking her head. "Don't you get it?"

"No, I don't get it 'cos I'm not a girl," he said, deadpanned.

Ino smirked. "Jealousy's not a good look, Shikamaru. I feel sorry for whoever's gonna be on your team."

"Next Team Eight: Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame," Iruka continued, bringing Ino's and Shikamaru's attention to him.

"The creepy bug guy and the dog boy?" Sakura moaned, her head falling into her hands. She had to look on the bright side- at least she wasn't stuck with Naruto... and plus, the puppy on Kiba's head was really cute. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

"Team Ten: Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi."

Ino internally whined as Shikamaru snickered beside her. Of all the luck, she had to end up with the lazy one who could barely lift a pen and the fat one who cared only about stuffing his face. She should have seen it coming though, since their dads were all friends and all.

Naruto's hand shot up.

"Iruka-Sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same team with a slug like Sasuke?"

The class burst out in laughter, not at Naruto's interruption, but because how ridiculous it was. Naruto was the worst and to for him to think he was better than Sasuke Uchiha was so ludicrous it was laughable. He was a nobody thinking he was a somebody. Sakura balled her fist up at the insult, her face comically contorted in rage.

"How dare you talk about Sasuke like that!" she yelled, thumping him hard on the head as the rest of the girls cried in agreement.

"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating student," Iruka explained sternly, "Naruto, you had the worst."

If the best was grouped with the worst to create a balanced team, Hinata wondered why she was put in Team Seven. She wasn't an exemplary student like Sasuke, or book-smart like Sakura. Her test scores were better most of the graduating boys, so she wasn't academically poor either. Is that why she was in Team Seven? Was she the mediocre one fitted between Sasuke and Naruto? Hinata felt her self-esteem shrink smaller.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way," Sasuke said, adding the one word Naruto hated more than any other insult, "loser."

Naruto stood up, his fists clenched. "Hey, what did you say?"

"Hard of hearing?"

The class broke into fits of laughter. Naruto gritted his teeth, ignoring Sakura's scolding. Hinata was the only girl who didn't giggle, frowning at the scene. Poor Naruto, she thought. At times like these, she wished she was brave enough to speak out in support for him, but her voice always got caught in her throat.

"Introduce yourselves one at a time," Kakashi began, looking at his new students with mild interest, "say things you like, or things you hate...and dreams for the future."

Team Seven sat outside, their new sensei leaning against the rails as they sat on the stairs. His black mask covered his face and his forehead protecter concealing one eye. The only visible part of his face was a tired eye. Hinata was certain her father requested Kurenai-Sensei to teach her. The appearance of her new sensei baffled her.

Sasuke found it all pointless. As a genin he simply wanted to begin missions and getting stronger was his only concern. He loathed all the needless chit-chat.

"Why don't you tell us things about you, so we know how it's supposed to work?" Naruto said, his eyes squeezed together in confusion. Along with the symmetrical whisker-like birth mark on his face, he bore an uncanny resemblance to a fox.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake," the Jonin said, his voice casual and deeply thoughtful, "things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. Dreams for the futures... never really thought about it. And hobbies..." The three genin leaned in, listening carefully. "I have lots of hobbies."

Hinata looked unsure, Sasuke rolled his eyes and Naruto's shrugged.

"You first." Kakashi gestured to Naruto.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka-Sensei got me at the Ichiraku noodle shop, but I hate the three minutes you have to wait for after you pour the water in the cup, and hobby is eating different kinds of ramen, and my dream is to be the greatest hokage and then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treating me like someone important!"

Hinata couldn't help but frown at the last part. The village's hatred didn't diminish his fire. She couldn't understand why, but one thing for sure was that she was in awe of his confidence. He had no one and even though people shunned him (for a reason no one would say), he was determined to prove himself to everyone. And she, raised with a reputable household name and given highest standard of training since she took her first steps, couldn't land a hit on her younger inexperienced sister in a practice match.

He's grown up in a very interesting way, Kakashi inwardly said. It was a skill itself that Naruto was able to express his love for noodles in one breath. It was almost surreal that the ramen-crazed boy was the son of his legendary teacher.

Kakashi's eye turned to Hinata, gesturing her to begin her introduction. He noted how he eyes drifted down and her shoulders were hunched together. It was a strange sight to see a member of the powerful Hyuga clan appear so timid. The Third Hokage wasn't exaggerating her lack of confidence. The poor girl looked as though she would pass out any minute. Kakashi hoped she didn't. That would be awkward.

"I-I'm Hinata Hyuga," Hinata said, his voice quieter than the chirping birds, "I-I like cinnamon rolls. My hobby is f-flower pressing and I don't like the taste of s-shrimp."

"And your future dream?"

Hinata's face bloomed pink as Kakashi and Naruto waited for her response. She felt their curious eyes on her, waiting for her response. Sasuke glanced sideways, his bored gaze lazily watching her. Not out of interest, but if he was stuck with her for the next few years, basic information was necessary. After all, he didn't even notice she was in their class all this time. Her short hair barely brushed over her shoulders. They had a hue of dark blue just like his.

"W-well...I want t-to be a great ninja like my father," she stammered, her face bright red now as she hid behind her hands.

If there was something Kakashi felt when the girl stated her dream, it was pure pity. The Hyuga clan were excellent shinobis, many of which quickly promoted to jonin-level. From what Kurenai Yuhi informed him, Hinata was on the verge of her title as the heiress to the Hyuga clan being stripped from her and handed to her younger sister. Kakashi knew Hiashi Hyuga to be a stringent man, but to think he would alter their clan's tradition of the eldest inheriting power and subject his first-born to the Caged Bird Seal was brutal to say the least. It was no wonder the girl had no concept of confidence in her abilities. Kakashi was determined to change her meek attitude.

Naruto ignored the uncomfortable feeling stirring inside him. There was no reason to be jealous of someone just because they have parents, and it was useless to ponder about his own. They were either dead or abandoned him as a baby. Naruto didn't know which was worse.

"And the last one," Kakashi said, his attention on Sasuke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and don't particularly like a lot of things." A dark expression overshadowed his face, "what I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan's dignity and destroy a certain someone."

Hinata raised her eyebrows, not expecting such a morbid introduction. His goal would explain why he always did the best in the class.

"Gee, I hope he doesn't mean me," Naruto muttered as he leaned close to Hinata, who had just healed from her nervousness turned a light shade of pink again at the proximity to the blond.

"Just as I thought, you each unique and have your own ideas," Kakashi said, his gaze lingering on Sasuke. "The first mission is tomorrow."

"W-What kind of mission, Kakashi-Sensei?" Hinata asked, worry swirling in the pit of her stomach as the announcement. She felt sick. And faint... not a great combination.

"A task the four of us will do together." Kakashi sighed at as they threw questioning looks. "A survival exercise," he clarified.

Somehow, a miracle occurred and Hinata had survived so far. Tired, starving and scared, but she still stood on her two feet. Newly formed Team Seven had one chance left to get the bells from Kakashi-Sensei otherwise their path to becoming true shinobis was over. She couldn't imagine the weight of the shame she'd face if she were to return home as a failure. It wasn't an option.

"I won't fail," she vowed, her hand clutching the headband dangling around her neck.

Hinata brushed the dirt off her cheek. Watching Naruto take on a jonin like Kakashi Hatake head-on and Sasuke's tactical approach made her realise how much catching up she had to do. Even with her taijutsu, Kakashi evaded her attacks with such ease that the years she spent training felt useless. But seeing Naruto's relentless efforts and Sasuke's constant attempts instilled a foreign tenacity she didn't have before. Why should she stand back and let them do all the work?

And yet, the task made no sense! Why would there be only two bells and three of them? It was as if the universe was telling her that being a kunoichi was not meant for her. Granted, the genjutsu hadn't affected her much thanks to her Byakugan, but seeing Naruto battered body call out to her for help, disturbed her more than she ever imagined. After fighting the genjutsu, Kakashi complimented her ability to evade the illusion faster than the others. It made her smile a little, but she barely got close to the bells.

Kakashi-Sensei was just too fast, too strong! There was zero chance of her winning against the likes of Sasuke and Naruto. Hinata tried and aim to grab the bells when Kakashi was distracted, futile as it was. Sasuke had even involved her in one of his plans, but to no avail. He dodged to two effortlessly, all while reading a book.

Hinata also found out how exhausting it was to train on an empty stomach.

Kakashi-Sensei perhaps wasn't as evil as Hinata thought as he announced a short break. She and Sasuke were rewarded with a lunch. Tired breaths came to a slow halt as Sasuke took a bite of his food. Hinata hesitated, her eyes gazing at poor Naruto tied to the tree trunk. His stomach grumbled loudly as he let out another complain. Guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders, unable to take a single bite of her meal despite her hunger.

"This is no big deal, I can go on without eating food for days, for weeks. Believe it!" Naruto cried, although his rumbling stomach once again contradicted him. His head dropped. "No problem..." Hinata looked down at her food, a pensive look etched on her face.

"And if anyone tried to feed him, that person will immediately fail," Kakashi warned, "I make up the rules, you follow them. Got it?"

Kakashi-Sensei forbade them to feed him. Hinata was taught discipline at a young age, to strictly follow the orders of the elders. No questions asked. But what sort of shinobi would stand by and let their team-mate suffer? Sasuke must have read her thoughts, Hinata thought with a mix of relief and surprise.

"Here," he stated simply, holding his food out. Hinata immediately copied him, holding out her tray out.

"What?" Naruto blurted.

"Kakashi-Sensei's gone," Sasuke replied, furrowing his eyebrows, "and we need to get those bells as a team."

"And if w-we all aren't up to o-our full strengths, then it'll make it harder for us t-to succeed!"

Naruto blinked at Hinata. "I can't take it." Hinata's confusion overpowered her incessant embarrassment as Naruto stared at her, deep blue orbs looking directly at a grey eyes. Naruto was the hungriest out of them all, it made no sense to her why he would refuse.

"W-why?"

"I can't take it because I can't move my hands!" he replied, struggling against the ropes to prove his point, "you gotta feed me!"

There it was. The scalding blush branding her pale cheeks. The sound of Sasuke's gruff voice instantly pulled her out of her daze.

"Hurry up, he'll be back any minute," Sasuke ushered the two, peering around cautiously.

Hinata lifted her chopsticks, her hand shaking. Naruto closed his eyes and opened his mouth wide, waiting for the taste of delicious rice. Hinata couldn't believe that not only she was breaking the rules, but she was feeding Naruto too. It was like scene from a dream.

As soon as Naruto swallowed one mouthful, a sudden gust of wind blew in their direction. Hinata dropped her tray in shock, shielding her face from the formidable force. It was as if the sky instantaneous turned grey, dark billowing clouds looming over the field. Kakashi, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared in front of the three.

"You broke the rules," Kakashi said, his voice harsh echoing ominously. "I hope your ready for the punishment."

Kakashi performed a series of hand signs. The clouds crackled with electricity and the ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Hinata hugged her body tightly, falling to her knees as Sasuke put his hands up defensively, a scowl on his face.

"Any last words?"

"You said there were three of us, that's why Hinata..." Naruto was lost for words, coming to the realization that they didn't have a good enough excuse. But to his surprise, Sasuke jumped in.

"We're all on this squad and we're all in it together," he stated, his tone resolute.

"That's why S-Sasuke and I g-gave Naruto our lunch!" Hinata chimed in, mustering all the courage she had left inside. She staggered back onto her feet with her fists up.

"The three of you are one, that's your excuse?"

The wind stopped.

Silence.

Kakashi breathed out a small laugh.

"You pass."

The three genins exchanged quizzical looks. The storm cloud dispelled and warm sunshine peered through once again.

"What?" Sasuke said, full of disbelief.

"Congratulations on being the first squad to succeed," he said, only his eye giving a clue that he was grinning widely. "Others fell into every trap and couldn't think for themselves."

"Are you for real?!" Naruto exclaimed, struggling against the ropes as he kicked in exasperation.

"I don't q-quite get it, Kakashi-Sensei," Hinata spoke up, lowering her arms.

"A ninja must see through deception," he said, his tone clear and sombre, "in the ninja world those who break rules are scum, those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." The image of Obito Uchiha flashed in Kakashi's mind. "Always remember that."

Hinata nodded. Naruto and Sasuke were her team now and she would never leave them. She inhaled deeply, the feeling of genuine happiness was unfamiliar to her but she liked it.

"Great!" Naruto cried out sarcastically, "can I get some food now?" His stomach grumbling louder than before.

Sasuke sighed. It was a fact he had to accept: he really was stuck with this dope. Sasuke glanced over to Hinata, who beamed at him. She wasn't so bad. He misjudged her, not he would ever admit it out loud.

A/N: I didn't mean for the chapter to be this long! Instead of going through the story exactly how it was in the anime, I will be going through key phases of the arcs, adding a different twist in them and hopefully showing better character development for Hinata in particular.