Title: A Little Pain
Summary: At the age of 7, there were a few things Hinata Hyuga was sure of. One, her father, Hiashi Hyuga, was the strongest shinobi she knew. Second, just the thought of her having to one day make decisions for her entire clan terrified her beyond belief. Third, her younger sister Hanabi, at the age of 2, was very easy to impress.
Hinata Hyuga never wanted to lead her Clan and when she is stripped of her title and essentially an outcast in her home, she finds solace in the brief comforts of a pink-haired girl named Sakura. Though little did Hinata know that losing her heiress title would send her life spiraling down a path of self discovery, bravery, and the realization that changing yourself is a possibility is the most powerful jutsu of all. But... perhaps stopping yourself from fainting whenever you happen to be around your crush is a start. And convincing the entirety of Konoha that it's first all-kunoichi team won't be a complete and total failure should be prioritized before any of that.
[;';]
Author's Note: As some of y'all might have guessed within this 10 minutes of posting, I'm just quickly uploading all three chapters I have currently available on AO3 onto here so that you guys have some substance to really go down into it and catch up with the AO3 audience.
Hinata's developed her feelings for Sakura and we're officially starting off with the start of Naruto's actual story.
Chapter 2: Seven Years a Student
"Now listen here, Naruto." Iruka Umino's voice rung out, the exasperation in his voice clear as day.
In front of him, was Naruto, the village's number one knucklehead himself.
Or at least, Hinata felt her chest lurch a bit as she watched her classmate get scolded by their sensei -again-, that's what their classmates had dubbed him. It had been five years since her first day at the Academy, and if there was one thing that had stayed the same, it was the fact that Naruto was still constantly finding himself in trouble.
Hinata held back a sigh.
It was routine now for Naruto to find some way to disrupt the class and end up the center of attention. This time, he apparently graffiti'd the Hokage Monument.
Ironic for a boy who wants to become Hokage so badly. It was almost laughable. But still, Hinata found she didn't mind the disruptions so much. She looked over the boy who had on his typical orange and blue jumpsuit. He still worked just as hard as anyone else, definitely a lot harder than Hinata did.
She grimaced.
She may have decided to change when she was nine years old, but that was easier said than do-
"That's it!" Iruka's voice broke Hinata from her train of thought. He sounded livid. "We're having a pop quiz on the Transformation Jutsu, right now!"
Hinata felt her heart drop into her stomach. "What?" The class exclaimed at the same time and Hinata had to agree.
She hated tests where you had to demonstrate the jutsu you knew in front of the whole class.
Collective groaning and loud whispers filled the air as people began reluctantly shuffling to the front of the class, Hinata last of all. Painfully shy with a strong hint of cowardice. That was Hinata Hyuga at age seven, and that still Hinata now at age twelve. Don't worry. The Hyuga girl tried to soothe herself. Maybe it won't be that bad. It won't be that bad. A few hand seals and in a few seconds it would be over. She got through it once after all.
Still, Hinata released a shaky breath, it didn't make the anxiety of waiting for her turn any easier.
"Ugh." Hinata looked over to her right to see it was Shikamaru, hands shoved deep into his pockets, that groaned. He had some of the highest grades in the class, but he was still as lazy and withdrawn as Hinata remembered him to be in the beginning. "Thanks a lot, Naruto." His brown eyes were sharply locked onto the source of the sudden pop quiz. And like seven years ago, his hair was still slicked back into the same spikey pineapple-esque ponytail Hinata remembered. She couldn't picture him with any other hairstyle.
"Seriously." Ino added, her hands on her hips and blue eyes just as filled with irritation. "We're always paying for your screw ups."
Naruto only scoffed in return, "like I care."
Hinata felt a mixture of sympathy and admiration for the boy. She still hadn't approached Naruto in their seven years at the Academy, but she had observed Naruto's confidence long enough. Despite the amount of trouble he found himself in on a daily basis, he never let it hold him back. He brushed off daily sneers with self assuredness and constantly announced to anyone who would listen of his goals. That one day, he'd be Hokage.
Hinata felt a spark of envy.
She wished she could be that way.
Don't. Hinata shook her head and brought her lavender gaze back to Ino. Since the interaction the two of them had when they were nine, Ino had gotten even prettier. Her hair was butt-length, always held up high in a ponytail save for a large strand of hair that drifted over her right eye. She was still sassy and even more confident than Naruto at times, at least it seemed that way. And thanks to her, Hinata no longer encountered the three bullies from before who had mostly grown out of bullying (physical bullying at least). But like the vast majority of the classroom's female population, Ino had a large crush on-
"Sasuke Uchiha." Hinata jolted when she heard a name finally called but sighed quietly in relief when she realized Iruka hadn't called for her and that it was Sasuke who made his way toward Iruka at his own pace.
"There he goes."
"Isn't he gorgeous?"
"He doesn't even need to take this test." Ino's voice chirped smugly above the rest.
Almost immediately murmurs began buzzing, but it was to be expected. It was Sasuke Uchiha, class prodigy, class heartthrob, and the sole survivor the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Hinata glanced down at her feet, feeling a negative feeling prick her chest. She never really liked Sasuke growing up and she still didn't.
He had always been aloof and distant from the rest of the class, similar to Hinata herself but- there was a large amount of squealing and Hinata looked up to see that Sasuke, of course, had performed his jutsu perfectly and was a perfect replica of Iruka.
"Well done, Sasuke. Excellent as usual." Iruka smiled, making a few notes on his clipboard.
With a poof, Sasuke headed back to his spot in line with a 'hn'.
Hinata saw Naruto make a sour expression and she didn't have to hear the blond to know that what he was grumbling to himself wasn't anything positive. Naruto didn't like Sasuke either though that was more for the 'rivalry' the two boys shared. They were polar opposites in terms of skill and ability and no one seemed to let Naruto forget it, even if Sasuke himself hadn't made any comments about it. Never seemed smug or anything. But still, Hinata didn't like him either. Not for the sake of a rivalry but…
"Sakura Haruno."
All thoughts of Sasuke ceased when Hinata heard the next name their teacher announced, a small smile appearing on her face as she stared right at the pink-haired girl making her way to the very front of everyone. Her red ribbon bounced with each step and each step was confident, loads more confident than the meek seven year old who hid her forehead with greasy bangs. Hinata's heart started fluttering, a warm feeling entering her chest. Do your best, Sakura-san!
"Transformation Jutsu!" Then with a poof, Sakura disappeared and in her place stood another Iruka, a perfect replica.
Iruka nodded in approval. "Good job as well, Sakura."
Hinata had to stop her smile from getting any bigger. Shikamaru may have been tied with Sasuke for highest grades in the class, but as far as the girls, Sakura was completely unmatched. And Hinata had been hopelessly crushing on her since she was nine. I'm so happy for you, Sakura-san. It wasn't just Ino who had appeared that fateful snowy day back when Hinata was nine, Sakura had shown up first and given her some of the most inspirational words she had ever heard in her short life.
Sakura turned back around, jade green eyes bright and wide like her smile. Hinata felt weak. Then Sakura opened her mouth- "Did you see that, Sasuke-kun? I did it!"
All the good feelings Hinata had felt faded into a dull pang instantly.
That was the reason Hinata didn't like Sasuke. She liked Sakura, but Sakura liked him. It was probably life's way of rubbing Hinata's poor luck in her face.
"Shut up, you're annoying." Sasuke's response was cool and with that, Sakura's smile vanished and she looked at her feet before walking back solemnly to her spot in line.
Anger flared in Hinata's chest this time and she shot Sasuke a sharp look though he didn't notice. It wasn't just envy that made her dislike the popular Uchiha, he was a jerk, plain and simple. And no one seemed to even care. Don't talk to her that way. Hinata wanted to say aloud, but she bit her tongue and just felt guilty.
Sakura stood up for her all those years ago and she still hadn't returned the favor.
But the thought of invoking the wrath of Sasuke's rabid fangirls was right in the back of her mind. So she kept quiet and just clenched her hands into tight fists. Then Hinata heard Ino smugly murmur, "She should have known that Sasuke was going to ignore her. He doesn't like girls with pink hair."
There it was, Hinata glowered silently. A giant change since Hinata and her classmates were all nine, Ino and Sakura were no longer friends. She looked at Sasuke again. Hinata had a small idea as to what the source of their dissipated friendship could be.
"You guys don't know what you're talking about." Naruto muttered loud enough for Hinata to hear. "Sakura is the coolest, that jerk Sasuke doesn't deserve her attention."
Hinata's feet shifted awkwardly. She agreed with the comment, but the fact is, Naruto had a crush on Sakura too. She had noticed the moment she had turned nine and started glancing at Sakura in class that Naruto had too and she felt a bit crestfallen. He was more obvious about it, loud about it. And Hinata was just the quiet girl in the class who Sakura only talked to once who didn't even stand out in class.
Hinata sighed.
"Next!" Iruka called out. "Naruto Uzumaki."
Thank goodness, it wasn't her name.
Hinata's face was still flushed even a half hour after the fiasco with Naruto and his Transformation Jutsu demonstration.
Only Naruto would do something that outrageous.
Hinata took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. At least it got everyone out of class early, Hinata's turn skipped completely. Crazy at it was to see a bare, female version of Naruto, it at least worked out in her benefit.
She sitting on a bench in the heart of the village, far away from the Clan Compound, and in front of a dango shop. She wouldn't be heading home just yet. It was still too suffocating, much more than when she had been heiress. And this bench had become her own private heaven away from the Clan when she wanted to think. Moreso when she wanted to avoid lavender eyes that were all probably filled with disappointment no matter how much time had passed since her defeat to Hanabi.
It wasn't as if she had to train either, Hinata grimaced and her hands tightened around the cup of tea she was holding.
In her father's words, there was no need to dedicate extra training to a failure, she would get everything she needed at the Academy. So she could spare a few moments to try and relax from the… Naruto incident.
"Hyuga-chan, if you keep making that face it'll get stuck."
For the millionth time that day, Hinata jolted with a start and raspy laughter followed from an small old woman. "Didn't mean to frighten you, dear!"
Hinata sighed, "I was thinking and didn't hear you, Tamura-san."
Tamura, the same old woman from when Hinata had first gone on a leisurely stroll around Konoha that had given her a cinnamon roll. Hinata had been a frequent customer to the dango shop ever since. Tamura had long since been retired from her time as a kunoichi of Konoha, a few scars maring her wrinkly face but she was still as a kind as ever, constantly seen with a large smile on her face. Hinata loved her dearly like she was her own grandmother.
"And what are you thinking about?" Tamura asked, taking a seat beside the younger girl. "Young people like you shouldn't have much to worry about when you're still in the Academy."
"Graduation." Hinata lied.
Tamura's eyes sparked. "Ah it's that time already? I remember my own like it was yesterday." She sighed nostalgically, looking as if she weren't even in the present. "Of course I got saddled with the most stress inducing teammates, only the gods know why." She chuckled. "Kyohei and Yukio were always making things a competition with me and teasing me because I was the shortest. Boys."
"Boys." Hinata repeated.
"Of course now I'm starting to miss all that bickering. Crazy as your teammates might make you, Hyuga-chan, you'll never have another connection like it. Try to get along with them, you never know what could happen." Tamura sighed, closing her eyes probably remembering moments Hinata couldn't even dream of experiencing. She remembered the older woman telling her of how she had lost all but one of her teammates in battle, Kyohei and their sensei dying in the Second Shinobi World War. Yukio later died of old age. "At least Yukio's children still comes to see me. They love hearing about the old days." Tamura opened her eyes and Hinata gave her a warm smile.
"I love to hear them too."
Tamura grinned in return. "Now don't you forget this old bat when you finally become a genin. You'll be busy but still come back and visit and I'll make you all the cinnamon rolls you want. So stop by after the graduation ceremony and there will be an entire tray ready for you."
"I don't know if I can eat that many." Hinata couldn't fight a small giggle.
"So bring a friend, dear."
"... I don't have any friends to bring over."
"Hyuga-chan," Tamura deadpanned. "You won't make any with that attitude. Stick out your chest, hold your head high! You're beautiful, child. You'll get someone's attention, like a cute boy."
But I don't want to get a boy's attention. But Hinata didn't dare say that out loud.
Same sex relations weren't exactly a normality in Konoha. It wasn't a norm in the entirety of the Land of Fire. But from Hinata knew, Konoha had more of a standpoint of tolerance. Shinobi could do what they want with the constant danger they put their lives in, but it just needed to be private. But that didn't mean the older generation like Tamura and beyond would be okay with it if Hinata ever told her the truth.
And even if she was the Clan's disappointment, Hinata was at least expected to marry and have children. This she knew from passing by and hearing fragments of conversation.
"Hyuga-chan?" Tamura's voice brought Hinata back to reality.
"... I'll try to be a bit more confident."
Tamura beamed. "Good. That's all you can do."
Hinata stood onto her feet. "I should head back home now, Tamura-san." She gave the woman a small smile. "I'll make sure to stop by after the graduation."
"Train your butt off for that test!" Tamura flexed a gangly arm, no longer well-muscled like during her days as a shinobi. "And try to come back with a friend."
Hinata continued smiling, but it was strained. She doubted she could make that happen. "I'll try." And with that, she walked away. At least Tamura was right about one thing- she would need to train in order to past the test. Ninjutsu or taijutsu, Iruka said the subjects the class would be tested on could go either way.
[;';]
"You're later than usual, Lady Hinata."
Hinata didn't look Kou directly in the eye. "I took the long way home."
"You shouldn't stay out so late, Lady Hinata." Kou scolded gently. "What if something happened?"
"Sorry…"
"..." Kou released a small sigh. "Well as long as you're alright, I suppose it's fine. You are going to be a genin soon, so I suppose I shouldn't be so overbearing." Kou was still particularly difficult for Hinata to approach, he had especially had high hopes for her to take over the Clan. Hinata hadn't been able to look him in the eye ever since. "Did you have a good day at school?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"... I'm going to change clothes now, Kou. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, Lady Hinata."
Hinata sped away as quickly as she could without making it obvious she was running away from the situation. One day she'd be brave enough to look Kou in the eye, and one day she'd stop being haunted by the past of losing her birthright. But today, decidedly, wasn't that day.
She closed her room door quietly then sank into the desk chair in her room.
One day.
Hinata waited a few moments, then she opened a drawer to pull out a dark wooden box, still in new condition. It was a gift from Mother when Hinata was six. A pretty box with lilies engraved on the top. "A beautiful box to place precious things that belong to a beautiful girl." Tomoebi had said, voice as sweet as honey. And precious things Hinata did keep.
She gently traced over the lines of the box before gingerly opening it as if it contained a thousand treasures. Though really… the box just contained a small scarf. Hinata smiled as she caressed it, memories filling her. The scarf was a bright red, like the qipao Sakura enjoyed wearing for her kunoichi outfit and it had millions of pink blossoms sewn into the fabric. They were cherry blossoms, Hinata could tell from the branches.
It was the same scarf Sakura had given her years ago that snowy day and it was a fitting scarf for a girl named Sakura.
It had been forever since the day Hinata officially met Sakura and yet every time she looked at the scarf, it felt like yesterday.
She could still feel the cold air around her though she was dressed snugly in winter clothes and had on two scarves, one for her neck and the other wrapped around her face to keep the cold out since Sakura believed she was starting to get sick. The scarf was a bit itchy, but it was warm and smelled fragrant. Hinata had went home with hope warming her chest and right away she placed the scarf in her box for safekeeping as to not ruin it.
It was still in mint condition, but it had long since stopped smelling of flowers.
Hinata sat awkwardly in her seat.
It had been about a week since the incident that took place near the Academy where Sakura and Ino had rescued her from the small group of bullies who gleefully picked on girls. One solid week. And Hinata hadn't talk to them since.
This sucks. Hinata sighed, glancing over at Sakura from her seat in the back of the class. They were supposed to be reading out of their texts about lost villages in the Land of Fire, and Sakura's eyes were glued to the page. She had always been studious, Hinata felt admiration surge through her. I wish I could talk to you, Sakura-san.
It had been a week since Sakura had told Hinata that she could change as long as she wanted to.
Hinata sighed again.
She had tried to catch Sakura's attention, to thank her again. Just to try and see Sakura smile again. But every time it Hinata worked up the courage to walk to Sakura after class, Ino would appear, hands on her hips, to whisk Sakura away.
'Sakura, let's go to my place.'
'Sakura, my mom wants extra helpers at the shop, want to come?'
'Sakura-'
"Sakura-san, do you want to get cinnamon rolls together?" Yeah. Hinata could say something like that. Take Sakura right to the dango shop ran by Tamura and they could talk and laugh all afternoon, and Ino could too. But Hinata would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that the vision of being at the dango shop laughing and eating cinnamon rolls only seemed to include her and Sakura. It could be something we do as just us sometimes. Maybe we could even play at her house together. She couldn't really imagine bringing Sakura over to a stuffy compound.
Sakura suddenly looked over her shoulder and jade green met lavender.
Hinata's cheeks flushed and she looked back at her textbook. Suddenly, the history of Kinu Village was very interesting.
Hinata felt her face redden as she remembered the awkward exchange.
The moment class had ended, she bolted out not wanting to see if Sakura would confront her. But maybe I should have. Hinata fingered the scarf wistfully. That might have been an awkward exchange turned friendship had she stayed and waited to see what would happen.
Now they were going to be graduating in a week and they'd be too busy with missions to be able to properly establish some kind of friendship.
Hinata sighed in the present.
They would graduate from the Academy and be placed in teams of three, and Hinata knew there was no chance that she'd be lucky enough to be teammates with Sakura. Naruto would have more luck than Hinata when it came to that. The teams were always divided into terms of gender, two boys, one girl. And as far as Hinata knew, that was the way it had always been and always would be.
"What? Really?" Hinata's mouth hung a little after hearing what Tamura had to say about team placements.
"Yessiree." Tamura chortled. "Annoyed my pants right off. I wanted to be on the same team as Nadeshiko, my best friend. But there's always got to be a dash of femininity to balance out the men. I guess they think too many kunoichi on a team is a recipe for chaos."
Hinata closed her box. I just hope you really like your team, Sakura-san. Sakura deserved a great team. And… I hope that I can become a great ninja. Maybe not the Hokage, that was Naruto wanted to be. But Hinata hoped with all her heart that she could be a great ninja.
[...]
"Alright, everyone. Today we are going to finally have our graduation test."
Hinata inhaled shakily, her nerves rising.
"Unlike previous tests, when your name is called randomly, you will have to proceed to the room next door where I will be with another instructor you should all be familiar with. You won't have to worry about your classmates watching you perform, just the two of us." Iruka continued. "This time, we'll be scoring everyone on their ability to perform the Clone Jutsu."
The Clone Jutsu…. Hinata sighed in relief. That was a jutsu she could do.
Hinata glanced around the room discreetly to see the reactions of her classmates.
Sakura looked fairly confident.
Ino about the same.
Sasuke looked aloof and uncaring as usual.
Naruto looked like he had just woken up to his worst nightmare and Hinata bit her lip. As talented as Naruto was at the Transformation Jutsu, he was equally as untalented in the Clone Jutsu. But maybe he's gotten a little better? Hinata at least hoped that was the case. If Naruto could produce at least one good clone, he'd be okay.
Against what her grandfather would advise, Hinata silently gave Naruto her best wishes.
If anyone could be a better shinobi than her, it would be Naruto (even with all his joking and pranks).
Then again everyone could be a better shinobi than her if they tried hard en-
"We'll be going in alphabetical from your surnames, so try to behave while we're in the other room." Iruka interrupted before Hinata could dive deeply into a pit of self criticism. "You'll also be getting your results back today, so after the test don't leave."
The tension in the room really started to settle in.
"And then we'll be coming back in next week so you can all be settled into your three-man teams." Iruka said with a smile. "After that, you won't be coming back to the Academy anymore. You'll all be full-fledged genin with new sensei to help guide you until you're all ready to go on your own missions."
Teams.
There were already some whispers about who would end up on Sasuke's team.
All of which were from the other girl's in the class.
Sakura's voice wasn't one of them, but the excited gleam in her eye was easy to see as she glanced over to the boy.
Two boys, one girl.
Hinata sighed and fiddled her thumbs.
Sakura had a higher chance of being placed on the same team as Sasuke than Hinata had of ending up on the same one as her.
Hinata sighed again and shook her head lightly. Just as long as Sakura was on a good team, Hinata wouldn't be jealous. (But there was a tiny twinge in Hinata's chest that hoped that whoever Sakura got placed with, it wasn't Sasuke. He was a jerk that didn't give Sakura the time of day.)
That aside, the thing Hinata hoped for the most was that it would feel like forever before her name would be called.
(Decidedly, once the names started being called, it simultaneously felt like it was taking forever and that it was going too fast and Hinata just wished that she had the ability to time jump to when the test was over just to see if she had failed or not.)
(Hinata did not fail. She could at least have that accomplishment to give back to her Father.)
(In fact, a lot of her classmates had passed.)
(Naruto had not.)
...
"He didn't pass? Really?"
"Pff right? Dead last loser, I'm not even surprised."
"Yeah, my mom said not to go around him. Might be why he didn't get chosen to become a ninja because none of the teachers want him around other kids too."
Hinata looked over at her former classmates, a sinking feeling in her chest become heavier and heavier with every moment. How could anyone have such ugly personalities? She looked through the crowd to where Naruto was located, looking utterly defeated as he sat on a swing. It was a strange sight, abnormal even. Seeing the loud, boisterous Naruto sitting on a swing in the shade by himself like she did all those years ago, quiet and frowning. Hinata's hand gripped tightly on her hitai-ate; she hadn't put it on yet, it was nestled deeply in her pocket.
While a large handful of them had head home to announce to their families the results of their test (Sakura, Sasuke, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, and some others), a large amount had stuck around the Academy grounds to show off their bounty from passing the test that allowed them to become official shinobi of Konoha. Proudly wearing them or shoving them in each other's face.
All while Naruto sat there to see it.
Not that it had stopped anyone from playing their unofficial game of 'Let's Make The Dead Last Feel Bad'.
And Hinata had seen a few instances enough to know that it wasn't just their classmates that were like this. It was the entire village. And no one was standing up to them the way Sakura and Ino had done for her all those years ago. Hinata looked at her feet. She couldn't fight off an entire village even if she wanted. Hinata squeezed at her forehead protector again as her lavender eyes looked back over at Naruto again.
"..."
Hinata's heart staccatoed as a small idea entered her mind.
"..."
She took a deep breath, then she finally took a step forward.
Sakura-san was probably scared when she tried sticking up for me, right? Hinata thought, trying to build her confidence. Stop being a coward for once, Hinata. With each step, Hinata could feel her nerves rising. I can do this too. Even if it isn't much, this is something I can do too. Each footstep she took sounded like a loud echo in her ear.
She could do this!
"Um!" Her voice came out, barely audible and shrill.
As Naruto looked up at her, an eyebrow raised, Hinata wanted to kick herself in the ankle.
She cleared her throat, then tried again. "U-um…"
"Hinata? What are you still doing here?" And potentially not partaking in his indirect beratings?
"I... " Hinata tried not to falter under his direct gaze. She was going to have this conversation with him. "I just thought.. Maybe you were sad." In a few milliseconds, Hinata wanted to kick herself all over again. Of course he was sad!
If the blue-eyed boy was upset with her statement, he didn't show it. "Nah, I'm alright." He grinned, but even Hinata knew it was forced and weaker than it normally would be. "They even said they'd let me try for next year. So it isn't like anyone here can get too cocky. I'll be catching up super fast in no time!"
Hinata tried to give a reassuring smile, "I'm sure you'll make it then."
"Of course I will! I'm the great Naruto Uzumaki, I can't just give up!" Naruto raised a clenched fist. "Same for you too! Cause this is just a warm up for you to get in as many missions as you can before I rise and steal the show! I'll do so good, Gramps will probably retire early and just let me take over after just a few months of me being a genin."
That got a small giggle out of Hinata despite the situation at hand. Even in times like this, no one could outshine Naruto in optimism and effort.
"Hey, where's your headband?"
Hinata's previous convictions left her and she glanced away. "I…"
"You should wear it, yknow?" Naruto press, sounding almost scolding. "It's supposed to show off your pride as a Konoha shinobi." When Hinata pursed her lips, Naruto gave a dismissive wave. "You don't gotta act all guilty just because I didn't pass, yknow. Just go ahead and wear it! Show it off!"
Hinata's feet shuffled and she finally pulled her forehead protector. The metal looked a bit smudged from the sweat from Hinata's palm, but she tried to not let that bother her. "Then… I want you to be the first to wear it then." Before she could convince herself otherwise, Hinata shoved it into Naruto's hands and took a step back.
The surprise on Naruto's face was nearly palpable. "Wh-what? Are you serious? But you should be the first one to wear it!"
Hinata shook her head and pressed on despite feeling the welling lump in her throat. "But I want you to wear it first! Even if it's just a few minutes, I-I want you to feel like you graduated too because you try really hard in our classes."
"..." Naruto didn't say anything, he just looked down at Hinata's hitai-ate for a few moments. Then with a shaky breath, Naruto smoothed out the cloth and decidedly wrapped it around his head. He gave Hinata another weak grin. "How do I look?"
Like a proud shinobi of Konoha, Hinata wanted to say. But what came out instead was, "It looks great."
Naruto grinned even wider. "Thanks, Hinata. For the gloomy, quiet girl in our class, you're an awesome person."
"So this is this year's list of graduates, huh?"
Kurenai Yuhi's barely registered Asuma Sarutobi's comment as her eyes followed the stack of papers being passed around by this year's selection of genin sensei. The stack was decently sized she noted, each paper just a list of candidate names in team prototypes. She could feel the tingles of pride in her chest, this would be her first time teaching her own team.
"Yes indeed." Iruka replied, pride tinging his own voice. Not for having a team to instruct, simply for the fact he had some students to pass on. But his smile faltered as his eyes drifted to a gray haired man with his hitai-ate slanted across his face to cover his left eye. "Ready for yet another genin team, Kakashi?" His voice was almost sarcastic.
Kurenai glanced over at him herself. Come to think of it, why is he constantly chosen to be an instructor? It was well known enough among the community of older shinobi who Kakashi Hatake, son of Konoha's late White Fang, was. He was the instructor who had never passed a team of genin passed their initial first official day as genin. Asuma had even started to calling Kakashi the Rookie Crusher. 'He breaks the heart's of more students than he does lovers.' He had said, and Kurenai had to agree.
Why have an instructor that constantly fails his potential students?
Kurenai glanced over at the Third.
Who knew what thoughts were going on inside of there.
Kakashi's one visible eye crinkled at Iruka's comment. "Hmmm, I wonder." He said to himself, amused as he looked over the paper in his hand. His eye seemed to flicker with surprise. "Oh? Naruto Uzumaki is one of the graduates this year?"
With that, Kurenai's focus was back on the papers as they finally came her way. Carefully, she took a page for herself before passing it on to a man named Abuto. She quickly skimmed over the paper before finding the aforementioned boy's name under Kakashi's in small script.
Team 7 - Kakashi Hatake
Naruto Uzumaki, 12 (m)
Sasuke Uchiha, 12 (m)
Sakura Haruno, 12 (f)
Well by golly, Kurenai's eyes widened. The boy did manage to graduate.
Kurenai hadn't known much about Naruto Uzumaki aside from the basics, nor was she entirely sure of her own opinion of him. But it would definitely be interesting seeing what would happen with him being his own shinobi.
"He graduated just as fairly as the others." Iruka's tone was defensive. "Is that problem?" The air seemed to raise in intensity as everyone waited to hear Kakashi's response.
"Not at all." Kakashi replied easily. "Just pleasantly surprised."
Asuma looked over his own copy of the list of teams. "No surprise to see the Uchiha boy on here." He whistled. "I'm guessing Naruto's been placed on his team for the balance system. You might have a bit of a handful." Might.
Takarai, another chosen jounin, nodded in agreement. "Uchiha is another prodigy shining through the Academy."
Like his brother. It was a thought that echoed through the minds of everyone in the room, but no one dared to say it aloud. Instead, Asuma changed the subject.
"And it looks I've got this generation's InoShikaCho, I see. That'll be interesting to work with"
Team 10 - Asuma Sarutobi
Ino Yamanaka, 12 (f)
Shikamaru Nara, 12 (m)
Choji Akimichi, 12 (m)
"Congratulations on your team." Kurenai piped from beside him quietly.
Asuma gave her a wide grin. "Same to you."
Kurenai denied the small stutter in her chest and decidedly returned her gaze to her paper. Enough stalling. Time to see the students she had been given.
Team 8 - Kurenai Yuhi
Kiba Inuzuka, 12 (m)
Shino Aburame, 12 (m)
Hinata Hyuga, 12 (f)
At first, Kurenai felt a pleased sense of satisfaction roll through her. After what felt like years, she'd finally been given the chance to mold a piece of Konoha's future next generation of shinobi. She skimmed over the names of her team again. An Inuzuka, an Aburame, and a Hyuga. An interesting mix indeed. I wonder how I could get the three of them to collaborate their styles together. Kurenai had almost begun strategizing the tactics in which the distinct clan styles of fighting her pupils were from- Inuzukas and their dogs, Aburames and their parasitic insects, and a Hyuga's Byakugan and Gentle Fist- when her gaze drifted over to the information listed with their names. "... These extra notes, they're supposed to indicate gender of the student?"
"Correct."
Kurenai looked over her student's again. Two boys, one girl. Her lips pursed slightly.
She suddenly looked over all the students on the list and the same pattern prevailed. For every three-man cell there was one girl to every two males. Actually- Kurenai corrected herself as she saw one team that didn't seem to have that p- And that team had three males. Why am I even surprised at this point? Kurenai fought to keep her eyebrows from furrowing. It had been this way forever, Kurenai supposed. But despite the initial rush of finally having her own students, Kurenai had to admit she could feel a slight hint of disappointment as well.
"Is there something wrong, Kurenai?"
Kurenai's gaze snapped up to the Third. "Pardon?"
Hiruzen's gaze was kind, "Is there something wrong? You don't seem nearly as excited as you were before."
Kurenai fought back a flush. "I'm sorry, sir." She bowed respectively. "Everything is fine, I'm grateful to have this opportunity."
"It's no problem to tell me the concerns you may have with this year's batch of genin." Kurenai could feel relief flood through her. "If any of the jounin instructor's have a problem, I'd like to hear them in order to avoid any future problems. You've grown a lot since you were that impulsive kunoichi, so I trust any critiques you have will be of sound judgement."
The genjutsu specialist gave quick glances at the jounin around her. "Alright then…" She started, a bit unsure but her crimson gaze was firm and she straightened out her back to eliminate any signs of uncertainty. "I won't pretend to understand the process of elimination when it comes to Iruka's or any Academy instructor's thoughts on assembling students into sound teams." she gave said man a polite nod. "And I won't act as if you don't put every hint of care as you make them. However, I can't help but think that the genders involved in the process in team selection should be given a more fair process."
Iruka blinked, surprised at her comment. "What do you mean?" He thankfully didn't sound defensive. Yet.
"For the longest time now, Konoha's teams have always seemed to lean one way. Two males, one female. And if there is a monogendered three-man cell, it's only men. Why is that?" Kurenai prodded.
Iruka opened his mouth, but quickly closed it.
"Even when it comes to instructors." Kurenai guestered to the jounin surrounding her. They were all men. "Ther amount of kunoichi selected is astonishing considering everyone in the room. I won't say that there isn't a bit of imbalance, that there isn't a slight increase in men being shinobi. But the gap isn't that big at this point. And maybe it's just me who feels this way, but it almost starts to feel as if a girl is shoehorned into a team because she's a girl and it's expected she'll be around male teammates."
A reply finally piped up from a man named, Jin. "That's just how Konoha's always assembled their teams, Kurenai. Don't look too into it."
"You can't help but look 'too into it' when you're a kunoichi." Kurenai's gaze sharpened. "Ask any kunoichi about her experiences with a team that she didn't particularly like. What's a constant is the treatment given to her that singles her out as the sole girl on the team. For instance, being given chores that would be expected of her as the girl." Like cooking the meal for the team while someone else gathered firewood for the camp or handling laundry instances. Kurenai lost count of the snappish outbursts she had with her sensei back then about those issues before being brushed off or made to do physical exercise as a punishment for arguing. Asuma and Raido were probably the only reason she hadn't spiked the man's tea.
Jin's response heavily made her consider wanting to do what she hadn't to her former teacher. "Then in the future we'll just make sure to balance out the more 'womanly' tasks evenly so the kunoichi on the team doesn't feel singled out."
Kurenai felt Asuma's hand on her shoulder and she let out a silent breath through her nose. The last thing she needed right now was to lash out on another instructor in front of the Hokage. "I just think it might be a change to start disregarding that 'this is the typical' mindset when it comes to making teams. If a particular female student's abilities and compatibility is much better with another female student than a male student, they should be listed on a team. Maybe have a team where's there just one boy. Or none. Have there be a mix up than the usual listings."
"I don't think that's such a bad idea." Asuma chirped from beside her, tone light. "It's new and it could bring a whole new set of benefits when it comes to certain missions with enemies who may overlook the strength of kunoichi. I've seen Kurenai kick enough ass in the past to know it's a very amusing result." Asuma's own ass was included in that list. Raido's as too.
Kurenai felt the corners of her lips turn up slightly. Thank you. Asuma's eyes glinted in return. She looked back at Iruka. "Can we know some of the thought processes that you had with the teams you made this year?"
Iruka paused for a moment, looking over the list himself thinking heavily. "Well for Team 10, the first thing that came to mind was simply that this year there of course had to be an InoShikaCho." To be expected. "And I knew to warn whoever had them as students should expect their families to be heavily invested in their training. With your team, I thought that Kiba would need someone like Shino, who is more quiet and aloof but curt and is no one's pushover- to keep him grounded to earth and call him out on his mistakes. Their Clans both have similar symbiotic relationships with various animal groups as well, therefore I knew that they'd be able to understand and respect each other well despite their complete differences in personality."
Despite the points Kurenai was trying to raise, she was happy to hear the amount of thought that Iruka had put in so far with the construction of her team at least. "And the Hyuga girl?"
"... Hinata is.." Iruka found himself pausing more than once. "Very shy. Delicate almost. She doesn't have many friends, if any friends in the class. I was hoping that Kiba's more vibrant personality could coax her into being more outspoken."
Kurenai paused a bit as well. "And is Kiba's personality and levels of patience truly that good for someone as shy and delicate as Hinata?"
"... Admittedly… no." Iruka sighed at last. "But with Shino, I was hoping that he would be able to real in Kiba if he was ever being too rough with her."
Kurenai shook her head. "With all due respect, Iruka, I can't really see that working." Yes, Kurenai could admit to the potential that maybe she was wrong. "It could definitely end out being a perfectly good selection of a team. But it could just as easily pendulum swing in the opposite direction. If this Hinata is truly as delicate as you're making her out to be, she needs people on her team that are patient and less rough by nature. Outgoing, definitely. A little outspoken, sure. But having her on a team with someone with little patience and someone who is equally as aloof as her might not be properly suited to have her on the same team."
Murmurs began to arose in the room, but Kurenai kept on. "What about Kakashi's team?"
Iruka looked a little unsure of himself this time around. "Like Asuma said, Naruto was placed on Sasuke's team due to his grades and abilities. Placing them on the same team was a guaranteed balance. As for the third member of their team, I admittedly struggled with who to pick. Sakura is one of my most brilliant students and her intelligence is on par with Shikamaru's. Her control in chakra is surprisingly balanced as well compared to Sasuke and Naruto's as well. The only hiccup that could be in her placement on the team…. I suppose, her blatant crush on Sasuke. And Naruto's had feelings for her as well." Iruka finished, looking as unsure as ever with his selection of Team 7.
"A team based in a love triangle is set for nothing but disaster, Iruka. I don't think you even need me to tell you that." Kurenai tried to sound as kind as possible with her statement, but she wasn't sure that was entirely possible. "That could do nothing but cause a rift in their team and imbalance in priorities."
"I know." Iruka sighed. "But the same could be said for basically every girl in the class. Naruto's distraction of Sakura might be removed, but every girl in this class has a crush on Sasuke. He's essentially the class heartthrob."
Perfect.
Jin finally spoke up again. "Then it's pointless changing teams at this point." He gave Kurenai a pointed look, she returned it stoically. "Gender aside, it's practically a tradition in Konoha's team selection now. And even then, you have to admit that typically it's the shinobi who happen to be stronger than their kunoichi peers."
"Well maybe it's time to begin changing tradition." Kurenai replied evenly. If she had still been who she was just ten years ago, she wouldn't have nearly a fraction of this composure. "Even if it's little by little, one team of kunoichi or a team where the kunoichi outnumber the shinobi. And if I remember correctly, Jin." Her eyes flashed. "There was a time you were in the hospital for nearly a month after a close brush with an all kunoichi cell from Kumo when we were chunin." Jin's face heated up as he glowered at her, but Kurenai didn't give him the chance to reply. "Kumo's been enlisting teams with more kunoichi to nothing but for generations now and that doesn't seem to give them any problem in terms of strength in their armies. Who's to say that won't be the case here? Do you have that little faith in Konoha's kunoichi to think that they can't handle themselves on their own in battle?"
Kakashi's voice piped up from the fray after being eerily silent the entire time. His voice was uncaring, however he said- "Either way, I really don't mind how teams are structured this year or any other year. If you want to change up the teams and have a bit more variety, go ahead."
Surprise struck Kurenai clearly, but Kakashi's vote was clear.
Jin looked aghast.
Kakashi shrugged. "I just don't think this discussion is as huge of a problem as you think it." He said, eye looking over at Jin. "Sometimes you just need to go with the change of the times."
"Kurenai's suggestion has got my vote, too." Asuma grinned. "Maybe there will be other Jin's out there who will be surprised to get their fair share of ass whooping from a Konoha kunoichi cell."
"I was a chunin!" Jin snapped. "Surely you don't want to undo all of the time and effort that Iruka has put into every team he has made-"
"Then make it just one team." Kurenai cut him off. "It doesn't need to be every team, Kurenai said. "Just one team of female students. This means a few girls and boys will need to be switched around in this case. Then we can just wait and see what happens."
Green and red stared at each other, neither gaze wavering until finally the gravelly voice of the Third cut in.
"That's enough. I've heard enough points raised on both sides of the argument to make a decision." Hiruzen said, expression as calm as ever. "And I have to say I have no qualms on the suggestions given here today. It would be archaic to remain stagnant in terms of how are teams are assembled if there are better matches out there. Gender structure should have no place in how we assemble our teams." He looked at Jin then Kurenai. "But for the sake of sating worries, we'll just start with one. One team of kunoichi that would be a great match for each other out of the whole Rookie Nine. And if all goes well, I'm sure that will calm all worries. Maybe some traditions should be challenged."
Kurenai inhaled deeply, eyes widening in a surge of excitement. "Thank you, sir."
Hiruzen gave a small smile. "I expect you to raise a fine set of ninja ready to lay their lives down for the village."
"Of course, sir."
Hiruzen turned his gaze to Iruka. "My apologizes on having you look to editing the team selections you've made, Iruka."
"It's nothing at all, sir!" Iruka raised his hands defensively. "I'm always looking to improve how teams are made in order to ensure harmony and balance."
"I'm glad to hear that. Are there any students that you have in mind?"
Iruka skimmed over his list for a few heartbeats before finally looking up. "... I think I do. But there could be a mighty backlash from a few parents in making it."
"Then make it."