I don't own Naruto or Hinata or anything related to that anime! Don't sue me! It really wouldn't be worth the effort, me is broke!

As for when this story takes place, this part occurs just after the second part of the Chunnin exam, during the training month before Neji and Naruto, but on no particular day. -.-"
Update: I thought I'd checked this with spell check, but it turns out I didn't, as people seem to have noticed. . now there shouldn't be as many mistakes!

Update2: A HUGE thank you to TimeShifter16 who took the time to proof read this, and correct my awful grammar!
The night was quiet; not even a breeze disturbed the silence. Whereas most people were asleep by now, she stood looking at herself in a full length mirror. She sighed; wearing nothing but her nightie, she examined herself. She used a candle to illuminate the room slightly; she dared not use the room's lights in case someone was to wake up and notice she wasn't asleep.

"Why isn't there any change?" she muttered as she exhaled. "I've been training hard, but it doesn't seem to be having any effect. He would never notice a girl with a body like mine..." She sighed again. She brought her arms in front of her chest and with her hands made the gesture for the transformation technique.

"Henge!" she called out softly, afraid to make her voice too loud. As the dust began to disperse and settle around her, she looked up in the mirror to see the person she admired.

"Naruto...-kun..." She said, blushing slightly. Using the technique, she had altered her physical appearance to that of the village's noisiest ninja. The orange outfit he commonly wore looked brown from the lack of light. She brought her hand up to the reflection of her face on the mirror. She had longed for a picture of him to look at when she felt down, but as she was too nervous to ask him for one, this was the only way she could see him. She stood there silently for awhile, with a million thoughts rushing through her head. Eventually a tear escaped her eye, she was able to see him...but this wasn't what she wanted; she wanted to be with him. The candle burnt out and she was left in the darkness; the overwhelming emotion she was currently feeling causing her to deactivate the technique. She turned around, and, leaning up against the mirror, she slid downwards to the floor. She pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, burying her head into her thighs, and the only sounds audible throughout the night were that of her cries.

It was about midday, and, having no 'missions' that needed her attention, she had resumed her training. She was doing her best, but her concentration kept wandering off to thoughts of him. She wanted to know if he even recognized her from the other girls. He'd spoken to her, but what did he truly think of her?

Finishing her reps of punching the training stump, she wiped the sweat from her brow. It was a typically hot day in Konoha; she was wearing loose clothing that wasn't the most flattering of things, but it was easy to move in, despite being soaked through with sweat. She looked up to the sky; the sun was glowing overhead, indicating it was time for lunch, and, obeying the growls of her stomach, she sat down on a nearby felled log and unwrapped her lunch, which consisted of a few rice balls.

However, sitting down just allowed her mind to wander further into her thoughts. She was now experiencing self-doubt and despair, as she decided that no matter how hard she worked, she'd never be able to tell him the things she wanted to. All she wanted was to be with him. Tears started trickling from her eyes again as she bit into the rice ball; however, she was startled out of her thoughts as a nearby voice called out her name.

"Hinata-chan?"

Surprised, she instinctively twisted her body to face the voice without thinking. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned crimson.

"N...N..Naruto-kun!!" She gasped; then, feeling the tears falling down her cheek, she turned away in embarrassment, wiping her face.

"Umm...." Naruto closed his eyes thinking to himself, "Boy, why does she always act like this? And why is she even out here?" He walked over and sat on the same log; looking at her, he noticed she had once again moved her head so that it was facing away from him. "So whatcha been up to?" he asked for a lack of other questions. He could see her trembling slightly as she turned her head so that he could finally see her face, but she was still just looking at the ground.

"Training" she said quietly. Naruto barely heard it, but he was used to this from Hinata, and had grown accustomed to it. "I..." she started to say something, but it just turned into a series of "umms" and "erms". Naruto was used to Hinata acting like this, but he didn't know how to deal with it well. He looked at the stump, noticing it was stained with something red. He knew it was blood, but what puzzled him was that it seemed fresh. He peered down at Hinata's hands and was surprised to see them so scuffed and bloody.

"Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, causing her to jump and turn around in surprise. Naruto took her hand in his, raising it nearer his face, and inspecting the wounds; Hinata sat in shock feeling her heart faster and faster; so much blood had rushed to her cheeks that she began to feel faint. "How hard were you training? Why'd you carry on if you'd beaten your hands up so much?" Hinata was barely able to think, let alone respond to him. Looking away again, she regained some composure and timidly replied.

"I'd never get....stronger.. if I.." Hinata stopped again, blushing intensely. She didn't finish her sentence, but Naruto felt he knew what she was saying. He looked back down at the blood leaking from her bruised knuckles; using the sleeve of his jacket, he gently wiped some of the blood up.

"Hinata...You want to become strong too?" he asked her. She noticed the usual energy in his voice had disappeared and been replaced with a much more serious tone. She couldn't bring herself to answer; she just nodded slightly, barely moving her head.

"But why?" he now inquired. No one had asked her this before, but she had run the answer through her head plenty of times. There was a brief silence as Hinata took her hand out of Naruto's and turned away again. Silently, she slowly summoned some courage, while Naruto looked at the back of her head, although he wasn't really focusing on it. After a few deep breaths, she looked up at the leaves on the nearby trees.

"Because....I.." she paused again, but was determined to finally say this to him. "I want...someone....to notice me." Naruto was slightly taken aback by this. Naruto had constantly been trying to improve his ninja skills so that he could compete with Sasuke. All he wanted was Sasuke to acknowledge him as a good ninja...Hinata just wanted someone's acknowledgment as well. Hinata looked back at the ground and this time, Naruto did the same. Neither said a word as an awkward silence lingered in the air. It was suddenly broken by Hinata, who had suddenly burst into tears, but before Naruto could question, she started blurting out her troubles.

"Neji said that I should just forget training and being a ninja. He said I have no hope of being a ninja because we just depend on the branch family to do all our fighting for us." She had burst into tears and couldn't hold herself back now. Naruto had no idea how to react in this situation, but he cursed Neji's name for doing this to his own family.

"Neji...you ..asshole" he muttered. Naruto looked at her with sympathy; all his life people had been telling him to give up, and that he had no hope of achieving his dreams. He knew the pain of it well enough; he could barely handle it himself. He'd always been alone, without anyone there to reassure him other than his former instructor Iruka, but for the longest time he knew that whenever he felt like Hinata did right now, he just wanted someone to hold him and tell him it would be OK. However, how could he do it to her; how would she react? Any time he'd even attempted it with Sakura he'd ended up battered and bruised.

Hinata continued to cry and Naruto felt his heart sink. He took one last gulp and closed his eyes. He leaned in closer to her, and, slowing raising his arms, he gently wrapped them around her and pulled her close to his chest. He put his cheek on the back of her head and whispered,

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan...Sorry that you have to feel such pain, I've know what its like, and I wouldn't wish it unto anyone...especially not you" Hinata had become completely paralyzed, stunned at her situation. She was actually in his arms! Was this a dream? The tears had stopped almost instantly from the shock. She couldn't respond; she just wanted this moment to last forever. "I...I never had anyone when I was alone, and no one was willing to help me." He paused. "I don't really know what I can do to help, but if you'll let me I'll do my best!"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed himself away, so that he could she her face. He smiled. Seeing his smile gave her all the courage see needed; she wanted to always see that smile, it comforted her, it made her feel that she was noticed...by him.

"Naruto-kun.....thank you" she bowed her head. Naruto stood up and stretched.

"If you want, I'll help you train; after all I'm the village's best ninja!" She noticed the energetic Naruto had returned. That was what she loved about him, his undying confidence and self-belief.

"Train?" She responded in her typically quiet voice.

"Yeah! Umm...unless you want something else from me?" he asked with his eyes closed.

"Ahh! No!" She looked away in embarrassment again. Blushing, she looked over her shoulder slightly, "I...I would like that." She looked away again. Naruto laughed a little, although he found it a little irritating at times, he liked Hinata like this; she wasn't noisy, and she never got angry at him like all the other girls. It was then that he realized that he had a soft spot for Hinata, one that he didn't even know existed. He smiled and looked up at the sky; using the sun as a guide he assumed that it was getting past lunchtime.

"Well I was going to train here, but I'm gonna go back to the village. There's a lunchtime special on ramen!" he shouted. Hinata looked up at him, and his eyes met hers as he looked down at her. "I'll see you later, OK? See ya!" he called as he started running away in the direction of the village.

"N..Naru..." she quietly called as he ran off, but it was too late; he wouldn't be able to hear her. Why couldn't she shout louder? She sighed, wishing that he would have asked her to go with him. Looking down, she noticed her rice balls; picking one up, she took a small bite out of it as she pondered to herself.

"Just training ... " she sulked slightly as she wished it could be more. But it changed into a smile "Training....with him!" Smiling, she took another bite, and looked up, noticing clouds that formed a shape that she was certain resembled....him.