Growing Up...
Kurenai and Jiraiya's Mischievous Plan
"So... this is the girl Naruto mentioned during training..."
"He mentioned her?"
"Yes... we were speaking of precious ones. He didn't say who, only saying 'she'," Jiraiya smiled lightly as Kurenai stood beside him. Standing there in the cover of the bushes, he and the young Jounin watched.
The small Hyuuga girl lay on the ground, her chest rising and falling slowly as sweat strained face nuzzled into the grass. Logs lay around the field tore to shreds; trees stripped of bark and half torn from the ground.
"She did this all herself?"
"No.. Shino and Kiba have been training here as well, but as you can see. She hasn't rested since she heard about the Exams. Look at her poor little hands..."
Even at a quick glance, it was seen. Hinata's knuckles red, and bruised. Palms scratched and cut, her finger tips dark with blood and burnt with chakra.
"What has she been doing?" Stepping out of the brushes quietly, Jiraiya knelt beside the small Hyuuga, gently holding the sleeping girl's hand in his.
"Killing herself with her training. She is doing this all for Naruto. She talks to herself all day. 'I can't let him down. I have to make him proud of me...' that is all she thinks about..." Kurenai joined Jiraiya at Hinata's side.
"Her fingers are burnt... her hands look like they are about to bleed. She definitely does need a good rest," Jiraiya smiled lightly as he stood, gently picked Hinata up in his arms. "I'll take her to Tsunade-hime... she will heal Hinata good as new,"
"Thank you Jiraiya-sama," Kurenai smiled as she ran her hand lightly through Hinata's hair. "Can you do one other thing for me?"
"Possibly..."
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The sun rose over Konoha as the birds awoke throughout the village. The songs of the Konoha birds moved over the small village. Naruto grumbled lightly in his sleep as he rolled over, drawing his blankets over his shoulder tightly. Moving slowly through the air, floating above Naruto's head a leaf fell, lightly taking its place on Naruto's bare forehead. Quickly a firm hand fell, smacking Naruto in the forehead.
"AHH! What the hell?!" Naruto sat up rubbing his forehead quickly, blanket falling off his body. Looking up quickly, he saw the grinning old face of Jiraiya. "Dammit! How do you people keep getting in here?!"
"You left the window open," He chuckled as his rests his hands on her waist.
"Why did you hit me?" His hand fell from his forehead, a small bruise hidden beneath his bangs.
"Because the leaf didn't work,"
"Get out..." Naruto sighed lightly as he tossed the leaf away, laying back down.
"Your precious one... her name is Hyuuga Hinata, am I right?"
"She is only one of the people I fight for... why do you bring her up though?"
"Put on your clothes, something you need to see," He smirked lightly as he tossed the orange jumpsuit at Naruto.
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Tsunade yawned loudly as she stretched her arms over her head. Busty form wrapped in a white robe she lead Jiraiya and Naruto through the large spacious apartment atop Konoha Hall. "She's in here... I gave her a drug that will keep her asleep for a few more hours since she woke during the night a few times,"
Sliding open the shoji door separating the hall and sitting room laying on a small futon Hinata rest peacefully. Her small hands wrapped in bandages from fingertips to mid forearms.
"Jiraiya, did you contact Hyuuga-sama and explain to him Hinata's situation?"
"Yes, though he didn't seem to give to much thought to the matter. His training of Hanabi seems to be the most important thing to him at the moment,"
"Situation? What situation?" Naruto looked up to Tsunade curiously as she sat down on a small cushion. As if on queue Shizune stepped from the kitchen with a tray of tea and biscuits, setting it on the table she sat beside Tsunade.
"She will be alright, but I am not to sure that I can allow her to participate in the exams..."
"Why?" He glanced back over to Hinata, his fists balling slowly.
"She burnt her hands pretty badly. Forcing all her chakra into her hands and releasing it at once. Her hands are pretty bad. If I let her participate, she could injure herself further, and would be in extreme pain no matter what," Tsunade sighed softly as she took a small sip of tea.
"She can take it... you have to let her, no matter how much pain she would be in. She would be in twice as much pain if you didn't let her," Naruto pounded on the table as he stared Tsunade down.
"Do you know why she burnt out her hands, Naruto?" Jiraiya placed his hand firmly on Naruto's head. "She was training so hard for you..."
"For me?"
"From what Kurenai has told me, Hinata has felt the same pain you mentioned since she fought with Neji. She wanted to make sure she didn't disappoint you, that she could prove to you show could change just as she promised you last time..."
Naruto's hands fell open as he felt weak, staring back to the sleeping form. "Hinata-chan..."
"Naruto... stay here with Hinata. When she wakes up, talk with her. If she wants to continue I will allow it,"
"Why do you want me to ask her?"
"Because if it's one of us, she will say no since that is what we want to hear,"
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"So, how did it go?" Kurenai smiling lightly as she sat with Jiraiya at a small sake stand. A small cup in her hand as the bottle itself rest before Jiraiya.
"Naruto and Hinata are at Tsunade-sama's. He is going to speak with her about the situation concerning the Chuunin Exams,"
"Thank you, Jiraiya. Without your help, Hinata and Naruto would never have this chance to talk in privacy. I really hope that she will take this chance to finally tell him the truth, before it makes her sick inside,"
"Heh... this will be very interesting to watch play out. Naruto seems to know what love means, but I think this will be the first time he will ever think of the word love becoming part of his life. As you know he grew up being hated, this will be an new experience for him... he knows what it's like to have someone special in Iruka-san and Sakura-chan but love, never before," He smirked lightly as he sipped his own sake.
"It will be the same for Hinata, all she has ever experienced in her life has been cold eyes from her family, and only friendship of Shino-kun and Kiba-kun," Kurenai smiled lightly. "I am so excited... new love in Konoha,"
Jiraiya chuckled lightly as he shook his head lightly. "This isn't one of my novel's Kurenai-chan. We don't know how either one will react, but either way, this shall be fun,"
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Naruto sniffed around as he opened the refrigerator door, rooting around a bit pig like through what little food Tsunade had. Picking a jar of sardines from near the back of the fridge he pulled it out, closing the refrigerator door. Unscrewing the lid he sniffed lightly at the fish before picking one out and chomping it in half.
"Naruto-kun..."
"Hmm?" He looked to the doorway, Hinata's small form leaning against the doorframe lightly as she looked to him with shy eyes. Blushing softly as she felt as if she was revealing a bit too much to him, her heavy coat on the floor beside the futon cushion. Her arms moved in front of her body as if in hopes on hiding the black cotton and fishnet shirt from his view.
"May I have one?"
"Oh, yeah," He grinned as he held the jar out to her. She smiled weakly as she carefully selected one, pulling it from the jar slowly.
"What is this place? Do you live here?" She slowly brought it to her mouth, taking a tiny bite of the fish.
"No, this is Hokage-sama's place,"
"Why are we here?"
"Kurenai-sensei brought you here last night because you burnt your hands so badly. Then she wanted me to stay here and take care of you or something,"
Hinata blushed deeply as she looked away, chewing lightly on the fish as she slipped the rest into her mouth. "You don't need to stay here with me... I should leave anyway, I have to go train,"
"You can't train today. Today is mandatory rest for the Exams... even your hands are hurt too badly,"
Lifting her hands she finally saw the bandages wrapped around her hands tightly. Teeth softly took in her bottom lip, chewing softly as she kept her eyes from meeting Naruto's. Her eyes filled with glistening tears. "Does that mean I can't be in the Exams?"
"Hokage-sama said that she will allow you to only if your want to, but you may injure yourself further, and it may hurt a lot to fight,"
"I'm so stupid..." Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she bit down harder on her lip. "I train and train, and now if I do go into the Exams I'll hurt myself. I shouldn't have trained so hard..."
"Your not stupid... your smarter then me, at least be happy about that," Naruto smiled lightly as he tried to cheer her up with his cheerful kitsune face.
"But I-"
"You did it for me... I don't know why though. You don't have to prove anything to me, Hinata-chan," Chomping down the last fish in the jar, Naruto screwed the lid back on, slipping the jar back into the fridge.
"But I promised you... I promised you I would change. That I would become like you, strong and brave..."
"You are strong, you are powerful, Hinata-chan. Your brave already too... if you weren't brave you wouldn't have fought Neji, and you wouldn't have pushed yourself to your limits in training. You already have changed, you don't have anything to prove in the Exams," Smiling lightly, he took a small cloth from his pocket. Grinning, he lightly took it upon himself to wipe Hinata's cheeks dry.
"But I wanted to show you... I wanted you to see that I kept my promise by fighting in the Exams," She blushed softly as Naruto wiped her cheeks, only in battle had someone come this close to her face.
"You can participate, but only if you truly want to..."
"Do you want me to?"
"I don't know... it's your decision..."
"Naruto-kun..." Blinking softly as a few more droplets appeared on her cheeks, she took a half step forward, pressing herself into Naruto's chest. Thin arms wrapping around him tightly as she buried her face into his jacket. The same as the night of Neji and Chouji's funeral, his arms slowly lifted to wrap around her small frame. "Please Naruto-kun... tell me what to do? Do I risk it? Do I risk my hands or do I wait another year?"
"I don't know, Hinata-chan..."
"I don't want to be left behind..."
"You don't to be... but you have to decide if you're going to risk it or not. No one can make it for you. Enter or not, Kiba and Shino will still make it in... for once, it's all your decision Hinata-chan. No one to think about but yourself..."
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As with all my chapters, some will like some will hate. But remember, just because of this chapter, there is no guarantee this story will be NaruHina. n.
Till next time...
Next Chapter: The Chuunin Exams Begin!