Summary: She easily lost confidence in herself, failing miserably every time. However, when he appeared, she seemed to react only to his encouragements, and his alone.
Pairings: Naruto/Hinata
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei.
As Time Passes
Bringing Out the Best
A frail girl with opalescent orbs stared ahead of her, straining her eyes. Behind her was a tall, cold man, with the same eyes as she, her own father. She was his eldest daughter, heiress of their Clan, the Hyuuga Clan.
"Otou-sama, there are seven poles," said the small girl softly as she looked up at him. Activating his Byakugan, he looked ahead. A frown crossed his face as he looked back down at his daughter.
"Hinata, there are twelve poles set up there," said her father, Hiashi, coldly. Hinata's face darkened slightly as she looked down, embarrassed at her mistake. "Activate your Byakugan and look at the same direction, counting the boulders this time," he commanded. Hinata nodded slowly and did as her father told her.
Hours later, Hinata curled up beneath a tree, shielding her from the bright afternoon heat. Her head was lolling against the tree's trunk. Her father had left her there, telling her to practice using her Byakugan. Her pearl orbs snapped wide open when she had heard the leaves rustle.
"Wh-who's th-there?" stuttered Hinata as she looked worriedly towards the east. No answer came as a blonde boy with ocean blue eyes appeared, donning a plain black shirt and gray shorts. "Wh-who a-are y-you?" stammered Hinata, her apprehension lessening for she recognized the boy. He was her classmate, most likely seven years old like herself. The boy looked at her with a curious look on his face.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konoha!" boasted the young boy, a glow of pride on his face. Hinata nodded slowly as she took this information in. "And you? You are?"
"Hyuuga Hinata," she whispered shyly, a slight fear in her eyes. Perhaps, he knew of her family's disappointment in her.
"Oh, okay!" he said cheerfully as he sat down beside her. She smiled at him before looking back down on the forest floor. "What's wrong, Hinata? Can you tell me?" asked Naruto as his face creased with concern.
"It's nothing, Naruto-kun," said Hinata softly as she looked up and smiled at him, "I-I'm probably just tired."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"Otou-sama is training me today."
"Well, I won't be a bother to you anymore. I'll just go now." Naruto made a motion to stand up and walk away but he felt a weight drag his arm down.
"W-wait Na-Naruto-kun! Co-could y-you a-approach me f-from a-any di-direction a-and I-I wi-will tr-try t-to gu-guess y-your
position?"
"Okay then." A smile appeared on his face as he offered his hand to help her up. The blush on her cheeks only reddened further.
Fifteen years later, Naruto was still the only one in all of Konoha to bring out the best in the head of the Hyuuga Clan, his fiancée, Hyuuga Hinata.
- Owari -
A cute one-shot that's a Naruto/Hinata one. No need to explain.
In any case, these stories aren't going to be long, since they're the type devoid of any major storyline. If these one-shots inspire you to write any more, by all means go ahead.