Chapter Three : Matsuri Whisper Of The Demon Child, Naruto & The Taijutsu Kid

Sunagakure

Gaara spent the last month as an official genin of the sand village and was officially the youngest in its history. In that time he did ten d rank missions five c rank and one b rank mission guarding wind noblemen and his family crossing through the notorious area of the land of wind a trip necessary and dangerous but became more so for bands of missing-nin and thieves Gaara had the most fun with on that mission and was saddened that he'll no longer get to kill missing ninja when the mission ended. Gaara also killed his first sensei though he has yet to even threaten Baki who became the jonin in charge of squad two. During this time Gaara only killed seven people an all-time low record of murder in his lifetime. Gaara also meets with a young man named Kabuto who meets with him on behalf of a legendary snake sannin Orochimaru who wanted to give his support to Gaara to become the next package Gaara told the four-eyed man to leave him alone or else, to witch kabuto told him he'll stay in the village for five months in case Gaara changed his mind. Given time to think Gaara had to admit the idea of using the snake sannin to kill his father was intriguing but he much preferred his siblings take over as kazekage. Gaara watched the people go about their lives from the east side of the kazekage castle he looked at old bricks laid during the foundation of the village. In his heart, he hated the village but for what the fifth kazekage

down on the people walking the street and he was reminded of the fire ants who once were bold enough to attack his feet. The people look like ants in the street and Gaara knew he could crush them like bugs if he so wished but today Gaara felt no need to kill as if shikuku was satisfied with the missing ninja he killed just a few days ago. "Gaara sama, Kazekage sama has asked for your presence," a girl said behind him Gaara knew she was a new servant from her voice. Gaara turned to see the most attractive girl he ever laid his murderer's eyes on, yet she haven't shown her whole face, she wrapped her face in white bandages.

she smiled at him, not in a nervous way but as if the girl was happy to see him. His concept of a red flag was people not too scared to glare at him, having no preconceptions about what to do when a girl even one of the servants in the kazekage list of estates never once for a second would smile at he not even for the freedom some of them lacked. Then he asked what her name was, "my name is Matsuri , Gaara sama I was, I'm new to working that the castle" Gaara for once in about seven years the jinchuriki smiled back at her showing off his unbrushed slightly yellowing teeth and nasty breath that made her nose crinkle causing the redhead to feel for once self-conscious and not homicidally minded afterwards. which he did ask himself why while Gaara raised his hand to cover his mouth and breathed out smelling something so bad he thought something crawled into his mouth and died three weeks ago had he slept in that time. Matsuri bowed and turned to leave when Gaara said "now I'll ask again, where did my father buy you Matsuri ''. She froze like the air in the desert at night "Gato trading corporation deals in human trafficking on the side, I was brought with seventy others I was the youngest and was made a maid the rest I don't know" Gaara said plainly as he walked past her "I don't care about the others, where is it you come from"

"The northern region of the land of wind, my grandfather died with lots of debt leaving it to his only son, a simple pig farmer. my family was taken from our home in the night I was separated by Gato's men and brought here, the village is Geko along the border with the land of claws."

The redhead then asked, "and where did you get the scar that makes you hide your possibly pretty face?"

"It was during my time as a slave to the Gato trading corporation, I'll much rather want not to talk about that memory please Gaara sama" matsuri wet her bandage under her eyes with her tears.

Gaara walked off in silent matsuri unsure if he felt empathy or just wanted to know about his servant. Matsuri went about her job cleaning the castle windows then she moved on to sweeping the floors. As she swept a hallway Gaara watched her work she didn't notice her audience. Once she did she smiled at him "is there something I can do for you Gaara sama".

Shaking his head he told her to return to work and left. She thought it was strange she was warned about him by other maids that he was a danger but his eyes didn't tell her he planned to harm her. She wondered what about her had his attention.

Konohagakure

Naruto hit the dirt hard and it took the breath out of his lungs. The jinchuriki took some time to return to his feet but once he did he threw a left hand at his sparring pather a boy a year older than him name Rock Lee. Lee was a happy student of Might Guy the best taijutsu artist in the leaf village Lee had no skill in even the simplest ninjutsu because of his underdeveloped chakra network but didn't give up on his dream of being a shinobi of the village. Lee's skills in Taijutsu were about as developed as Naruto's skills though Lee won the majority of the sparring matches and Naruto never gave him an easy win. Lee ate the fist to his left cheek then two to his stomach. As the Uzumaki tried to hit him again he heard the fox speak about how naruto will never win and was less than "half a shinobi" causing him to notice lee grabbing his arms til it was too late to react to it. Lee smashed his right elbow into naruto's face breaking his nose on the first blow then lee feed naruto a second and third then a knee to naruto's solar plexus. Guy called the fight then and there "it was a good fight but naruto you must stay focused hundred percent or you'll have a lot more or less than a broken nose, but you're in your youth and the springtime of youth is for broken noses and bones they build our character." Lee was so moved by his words the boy was nearly brought to tears. Naruto was inside his head telling the fox if he was distracted on a mission they'll be killed

"I KNOW THAT BAKA WHEN YOUR ON A MISSION I'll HAVE AN INVESTMENT IN SEEING YOU SURVIVE IT STUPID HUMAN I WISH KUSHINA WAS STILL ALIVE SHE WAS TRICE THE SHINOBI YOU EVER BE."

Guy asked if Naruto was paying attention to the lesson he was trying to teach them.

"Sorry guy sensei I was having trouble in my mind"

Guy gave a hard laugh "that's okay naruto the seas of youth are turbulent at times"

By the time the sun went down naruto's noise had long stopped bleeding and nearly fixed itself.

Though Hinata enjoyed the time she had to clean the blood off his face, it was never her favourite thing to do with the Uzumaki. Naruto enjoyed her pale lavender eyes as if they were the most beautiful thing he could see with his eyes.

"You're very sweet to wash my face like this, though I'm not a helpless child I can clean my blood up."

The Hyuga smiled and said, "I'm wiping your face off 'cause I want to spend the time with you silly, I know you're doing better than when Iruka sensei sent me."

"Am I? Haven't noticed much" the blond Uzumaki replied. Hinata's right eyebrow raised in suspicion of disbelief at her friend's statement.

"I guess cause I give too much of my attention to training and academy or you that I wouldn't notice a sense of change in my life, y'know?" he said, her eyebrow lowered itself and a grin would sprout on her face as a violet rose in her private garden.

"Find hobbies like writing or reading if you can't sit still do something like try a new weapon every day they always invent a new shinobi tool every year. What I'm saying is give time to yourself you deserve it and you'll regret it if you don't" Hinata said.

Once she was done he kissed her forehead after pushing her bangs out of the way and they embraced. Naruto then tried to find out if he could read while in the Hyuga library careful not to open a book holding Hyuga clan secrets he had no wish to learn anything about the Hinata clan that they wish not to openly share. Naruto learned he could both read books and sleep on them as well.

The next day after the academy classes naruto and lee sparred again they traded fists and kicks, They caught lags and hands the fight never really being in the favour of either of them. The months of training were showing in guy new blond student.

Lee's head was rocked by the Uzumaki uppercut naruto capitalized and pressed his knee into the right side of lee's ribs knocking the air out of his lungs as someone stepped on a whoopee cushion. As lee clutched his ribs naruto planned to bring his right elbow into Lee's back until lee grabbed naruto's lags and brought the Uzumaki onto his back like a rolled-over turtle. Lee fed a series of punches into Naruto's face who looked at them with stride before rolling on top of Lee and returning the favour. Guy shortly called the match in favour of Naruto today as Guy stretched for the run around the village. The two boy's talked about the sparring match that day. "You improving naruto I must give you the credit you earned today"

Naruto appreciated Lee's kind words with a smile "thanks lee but you're more natural at taijutsu your trice the fighter than I am really". Lee stretched his right arm over his body "you are the wrong naruto I was once a poor student til Guy sensei took me under his wing I couldn't even win sparring matches in the academy now I'm nearly undefeated well beside a Hyuga named Neji Hyuga is known as the best student of the year and I believe he will become the rookie of our year and he is my rival with nothing more than my hard work ethic and youthful power".

Naruto remembered the name Neji was Hinata's cousin member of the side branch and often wore the chip on his shoulder on his face when Hinata or Hiashi isn't around though honestly naruto only understood half of Neji's issues not that naruto could understand him.

Hinata knew a few things to be true about the heir to the Hyuga clan being the strongest hair will be chosen this way, traditional things in the clan could repulse her like the sight of rotten fruit she also knew her grandfather favoured her sister and held sway in the clan should a majority agree with Tuchi Hyuga Hanabi will become the lord heiress and Hinata will be punished and placed into the Hyuga's side branch for falling behind her younger sister. To prevent that she pushed herself every day she was free in training and felt like she had little to show for it. Hiashi forbid Hanabi from practising the Jutsu she attempted to use during the spar with Hinata til ten years old giving Hinata a chance to catch up to her sister's gap of skill Hinata feared her child in the side breach growing up cold and bitter like Neji had and most importantly not being at risk of the devilish cage bird seal witch if she had the chance would remove it from all members she could. Tuchi was a man who worried about her . He was often angry with Hinata for falling behind her sister and what made her mad was how he looked at Naruto with eyes full of disgust for years. Hinata wasn't gifted in the art of the Gentle Fist much of her taijutsu was deplorable in her grandfather's eyes. The feeling was shared by much of the main breach besides a handful of main family members. This all felt like the weight of the world on her shoulders and when the weight feels like it is about to crush her again she reminds herself of naruto's burden and how even he was crushed by his but came back stronger so since naruto was stronger for his trials and tribulations so will she.

Ko watched her footing and her strikes each movement she made looking for her weakest points. She was flexible and had improved her footwork, never crossing her legs as she did at the start of her training two years ago. He felt proud of his younger cousin's hard work and was quick to point out to her father how her attitude changed after naruto entered her life but he knew Hanabi was still ahead of Hinata for now at least.

Unbeknown to both of their cousin watching the heiress Neji felt mix feeling for her she was kind but she was also a member of the main branch of the family that cause the death of his father through he didn't blame her for his death only the head of the family his grandfather and uncle Hiashi she just got the side of Neji feelings the mixture of affection and hatred this mixture of emotion cause Neji too often avoid his cousin as much as he could to avoid her and his feelings for her. He quickly notices her stances and strikes; they now match her sparring partner Fusu, another branch member like Neji. Neji wondered how the girl he thought was too kind and weak could change herself in less than a month. Was it the Uzumaki boy in her life? A pit of jealousy filled Neji like floods in the land of rivers over the village pariah the Hyuga boy felt embarrassed by himself and left.

Naruto caught Lee's right leg only for Lee to hold himself up by the arms, his palms flat on the ground and kicked with his other leg. Three days have passed since they last fought. Master Guy was out on a mission for the village and told them to train for that time.

Naruto stopped Lee's other foot with his left hand then tossed all of Lee's body weight behind him around him and threw him like a bag of potatoes .

The taijutsu kid crashed into the dirt but quickly returned to his feet, not enough damage had been done.

Later after her training, she found naruto and lee still sparring Hinata watched the match with Hanabi then she read the line in her notebook 'time to rejoice, for joy returned to the eyes of my favourite boy, I love to hear my name be called by his voice,' that was what was written on the paper she pressed her mind for what next to write and tapped the pen on the paper of the notebook. The heiress' eyes returned to naruto's sparring match. Lee ducked under Naruto's right arm and a few seconds later Lee pulled Naruto over his shoulder by dragging his arm that missed.

She took the time to think that Naruto would prevail sooner or later with Lee as the blonde hit the ground and cartwheeled away from lee. Hanabi remarked how they both seem so flexible and asked if naruto was before he came to live on the estate to which she shrugged to answer or as Hanabi saw it lack therefore of an answer Hinata shrugged and said she was not sure then returned her attention to the poem she been writing over the last few days.

'Time to rejoice. For the joy returned to the eyes of my favourite boy, I love to hear my name be called by his voice, time is now to enjoy being next to him while we sit , I love both of us he's the same I'll choose him no matter my choice, best of all he loves me but I love him more just a bit,' she indicted then closed the notebook and tied the small rope around the leather covers.

Naruto and lee had by then returned trading punches only now it seemed as if they became personal at least that's how Hinata saw the way they were fighting till she saw their faces they both were smiling which made Hinata happy. It seemed like naruto made himself a friend and she thought he deserved more friends than just lee not that lee wasn't a good enough person to be Uzumaki's friend.