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 3: Three Man Cell
"I'm officially a genin!"
HELL YEAH; SHANNARO!
Sakura Haruno grinned widely and waved her hitai-ate in the air, her hair spread widely across her blankets. Finally after what seemed like ages, she was a ninja. No longer was she Sakura Haruno the Academy student, but Sakura Haruno the kunoichi.
She gave a small squeal as she projected herself into a sitting position.
Her grades? One of the highest in the class, right after Shikamaru. And the test to see if she'd graduate? It might sound arrogant, but it was probably the easiest test Sakura had ever taken. Honestly, I figured it would be harder than that . Like a 50 question exam about the history of Konoha, why the shinobi came along, or the rules about being a shinobi. Sakura had memorized them all.
But hey, why should I even complain about getting an easy test? A small voice inside Sakura seemed to say. And Sakura agreed. She was a kunoichi now
It was about time.
The smell of beef wafted through the air, downstairs her mother was preparing hamburger steak. A rare treat in the Haruno household but a meal to celebrate Sakura's graduation. It was a good day.
Now all that was left was to wait and see who her teammates would be. That was some of the most basic information Sakura had learned about being a ninja.
Every graduate of the Ninja Academy would eventually be placed on a team of three with one jonin instructor to teach them the rest about being a ninja in practice.
Sakura couldn't stop the wide and dreamy grin on her face.
It would be a dream come true if I could be on the same team as Sasuke-kun. Her jade green eyes dazzled. If there was any chance to impress Sasuke, being on the same team was it. Sure he barely seemed to pay attention to her in class; he barely seemed to really pay attention to anyone. But Sakura was pretty sure it was due to the population of girls in the classroom. With that many girls trying to get your attention, Sakura would probably block them out too.
But being on the same team?
He'd have to notice her then!
"Wow, Sakura, I never noticed how good you were at chakra control!" Sasuke would say, black eyes wide with surprise.
"W-well I can totally show you how I got this good at it!" Sakura would say back.
With the one on one focus and practice, they'd get closer and eventually start dating and then Sakura could totally rub it in that porker's face once and for all.
We could totally even get married if things go super well! Sakura was squealing all over again.
She wouldn't even care who her other teammate would be as long as she knew Sasuke was on her team. And he especially shouldn't be on the same team as Ino. At the very least, the gods could be that nice to Sakura if she couldn't be on the same team. Like, no other girl. Just put Sasuke-kun on a team of guys. Sakura pleaded. It was rough trying to get the attention of one guy when literally every girl in your class had a crush on him.
Feeling a bit anxious, Sakura ceased all thoughts of team placement and stood up. I should just try on my forehead protector.
That would be a great distraction.
In a few small strides, Sakura was standing in front of her room's full body mirror she'd received on her eleventh birthday. Jade green eyes, bright pink hair, large forehead; all the characteristics that made up one Sakura Haruno.
Gone was the shy girl who hated her forehead.
Sakura then quickly discovered, her hitai-ate covering her forehead was not a preference of hers.
"But… you can still see my forehead?"
"Well duh! If you just keep covering it up, everyone's gonna wanna make fun of it. Show it off!"
Sakura took off her hitai-ate with a shake of her head.
That memory wasn't important. And it had zero effect on Sakura's opinion on wearing her hitai-ate over her forehead like it was typically meant to be worn. But it isn't like it has to be worn on my forehead. Sakura decided. Plenty of the genin in her year were wearing it more like stylish accessories instead of the traditional place to wear it.
Ino had already started wearing hers like it was some kind of belt instead of a forehead protector. "I doubt anyone else will be wearing it like this!" The blonde had bragged. "It's just something that helps me stick out."
Sakura made a face but then she attempted wrapping the blue cloth of her protector around her waist before promptly stopping herself. It did nothing for her red qipao and Sakura wasn't changing her entire kunoichi outfit of choice because she wanted to wear her hitai-ate as a belt. So Ino could keep the style; Sakura would find one of her very own to rock with.
A bracelet?
No, too impractical. She'd be worried about it falling off in the middle of her daily life.
Necklace?
It felt too out of place.
….
Anklet?
Sakura only considered that idea for two seconds before shaking her head. That just sounded really stupid.
"Ugggh." Sakura placed her face in her hands in frustration. It's just a hitai-ate, not some S-rank ninjutsu skill. She looked back at herself in the mirror scanning for any place she could try placing her hitai-ate.
Hmmmm.
Her eyes met with the reflection of her red ribbon. The one Ino had given her years ago.
Back when they were still friends.
Sakura made quick work of holding her hitai-ate in one hand and pulling her red ribbon apart gently with the other before placing it down at her desk. With that, she added her hitai-ate in its place, metal plate on top to proudly show off its leaf symbol.
There was a pause, but Sakura felt satisfied looking at her reflection now.
Much better than anything Ino probably could have thought of.
There was almost a bit of hilarity.
A forehead protector headband… worn as a headband.
Sakura giggled at her own bad joke.
Still officially a genin.
When the giggles subsided, Sakura looked back at her discarded ribbon laid out gently. That's right, she was a genin.
Basically an adult in her own right.
There had been even younger graduates that Sakura knew of in history before the Third had made it official that there could no longer be genin younger than the age of twelve in their genin ranks.
She picked up her ribbon tenderly.
There was no place for something as childish as a ribbon in being a ninja.
So I guess it's time to say goodbye now, old friend.
Sakura went over to her closet and crouched down to pull out an old box. It was a bit heavy, a lot heavier than Sakura was really accustomed to, but she moved it without complaint. Inside was just a bunch of things she found herself no longer caring for as she got older. Like an old deflated ball, some old books she no longer enjoyed reading, some picture frames.
….
Against her better judgement, Sakura lifted the top most picture frame to reveal that it was just an old picture of her and Ino. They had both gotten ice cream in this picture and were grinning happily, Ino had an arm wrapped around Sakura's shoulder in the photo, Sakura's cheeks stained pink. It had been blamed on the heat of the summer. Sakura wasn't sure who had taken the photo. Probably Ino's mother or father if it was during one of the many nights Sakura would spend the night at the Yamanaka Compound for one of their many sleepovers. Living in a relatively medium-sized house with her parents who were from no notable clan of Konoha, Sakura had loved going over to the compound Ino lived in which was essentially its own little village in all of Konoha.
There they could play around in the family's garden, the flowers grown for the flower shop Ino's parents ran. Ino deftly made flower crown after flower crown with the blooms they could use and Sakura would always watch in awe, feeling like her heart had been in her throat.
Sakura's brow furrowed, clenching the photo tightly. Why are you thinking about that now?
"Is there anyone you like, Sakura?" Ino, age eight, giggled quietly during that particular sleepover, they were supposed to be asleep right now.
I do. Sakura's heart felt like someone was squeezing it painfully. "Um... well I like-"
Sakura placed the picture back into the box face down and shoved the box back into her closet without placing her ribbon in it. Her grip around it tightened even further before she headed out of her room and down the stairs, the dinner hitting her senses quickly. "Mom, I'm gonna go out really quick!"
Mebuki Haruno gave her daughter a skeptical look. "Now? But I'm almost finished cooking." For a brief moment, Sakura wondered which of her parents she looked most similar to. She definitely didn't have her mother's honey blonde hair and darker green eyes. But it wasn't like she had her father's blue eyes and faded pink hair that used to be a lot more red she was a toddler.
Both then.
"Yeah but I wanted to tell a friend congrats really fast since we both graduated." Sakura replied. She looked over at her father who was sitting at the dinner table fiddling with an old clock that had started to act funny. "Dad, I'm trying to be a good friend! Convince Mom to let me go?"
Kizashi Haruno's eyes crinkled as he grinned. "Hi 'I'm trying to be a good friend', I'm Dad." Then he guffawed as if he had told the funniest joke in the universe.
Sakura's lips pursed.
Oh my gods, he is literally the worst how are we even related!?
Mebuki looked unamused herself and rolled her eyes. "Honey, please. Spare us."
Kizashi wiped an invisible tear from his eye. "It was a good one, you just don't have taste."
His wife sighed before looking back over to Sakura, "Just be quick so you're dinner doesn't have to be re-heated."
"Thanks, Mom." Sakura was exasperated, but made quick work of going to the door to slip on her sandals. Her father might have seemed cool when she was younger, but Sakura would be the first to admit that it was nothing but a basket case of irritating when he did nothing but make dad jokes when she asked him for things. If he ever went more than one hour without making some kind of corny joke, Kizashi would lose it and explode. At least that was Sakura's theory.
That aside, Sakura set out on a quick pace to the Yamanaka Flower's. Sakura had helped out a few times when she was a child (she's an adult now that she's a genin, she's allowed to say this sort of thing). It was the flower shop Ino's family had run for generations. Sakura always found it strange that it wasn't ran by some branch family, but Ino's father had said it always fell on the shoulders of the Clan's main family to run the flower shop.
It kept them humble and was a reminder of the Yamanaka's humble beginnings in the village before becoming a major powerhouse in Konoha politics.
Not that working at the shop made Ino any more humble than Sakura was stupid.
Small details.
Sakura picked up the pace when she noticed the sign of the shop. Even if they hadn't been friends for what felt like years, Sakura knew that at this time Ino had to still be helping out.
She slowly peered inside to nonchalantly confirm her guess and lo and behold, Ino was at the front desk looking as bored as ever beside her mother. Ino definitely had received her father's looks as Ino didn't have her mother's dark brown hair that was always wrapped neatly in a bun or her mother's light brown eyes. "Um, hi Mrs. Yamanaka!"
Chiaki's eyes lit up in pleasant surprise while Ino just gawked. "Sakura-chan, is that you? It's been ages!"
Sakura ignored Ino's look and smiled, "I was just wondering if Ino could come out for a moment so we could talk? I can't believe we finally graduated."
Chiaki smiled widely and gave Ino a shooing motion of sorts. "Go go, talk to your friend!" She was already beginning to take off the apron Ino wore that was covered in grass stains. "Honestly, it's been a while since we've seen your face, Sakura-chan. You should stop by more often. The last time I saw you was when your mother had ordered a bonsai tree." And Sakura begrudgingly had to go to the shop to pick it up and tolerate Ino's face for five minutes.
Sakura just gave a polite chuckle. "I'll try but now that I'm a ninja I might be a bit busy."
Motherly as ever, Chiaki's face turned into one of concern. "Please be careful? Both of you." She laid a hand on Ino's shoulder. "It's a dangerous profession and I don't want either of you being harmed excessively."
Ino rolled her eyes, "Mom, don't be ridiculous. It's gonna be fine."
"I still worry about your father when he goes on missions and he's been a jonin for years, Ino." Chiaki scolded.
Ino just shrugged her off and Sakura felt irritated. Chiaki was a very cool, lenient parent who was always regal as she was polite. Ino should at least be polite when it came to something like this. "We'll be careful!"
Chiaki smiled. "At least one of you tries to not worry an old lady."
"You're not old, Mom."
"After twelve years of raising you, I certainly feel like it."
"Mom!"
Sakura snorted and Ino quickly whipped her head over, blue eyes cold. "Now you two run along and have fun! This is a big moment for the both of you." Chiaki said warmly. "Who knows what will come of you two being ninja."
Sakura tried not to think about it in a moment this serious, but she couldn't stop the briefness of it. Maybe romance if I'm placed on the same team as Sasuke-kun. But she pushed away all thoughts of Sasuke as she and Ino walked out of the shop. "Mom, do I need to come back here when we're done or can I just go back home?"
"Just go home, dear. I'll be closing up soon."
Perfect, now there was no rush.
Ino glanced over at Sakura, "So what do you want, Billboard Brow? I know that we just graduated but I could honestly do without seeing you on days where I can avoid it."
Between gritted teeth, the pink-haired girl growled out, "It wasn't like I wanted to see you, but this is important."
"Then spit it out."
"Come with me to the Academy then."
The walk to the Academy grounds stayed silent and Sakura stopped herself many a time from placing her hand on her kunai pouch that contained her ribbon, but would soon be carrying her weapons. She was going to make this a quick break.
Clean.
Easy.
Simple.
It felt like months passed until they finally had gotten to the Academy grounds which was empty since it was a weekend, but Sakura guessed there were probably teachers inside anyway. She stopped walking finally and Ino took a few extra steps forward before looking back at Sakura, arms crossed. "So? What did you want?"
Sakura took the quietest deep breath she could muster before finally reaching into her kunai pouch and extending the ribbon forward. "Here."
Ino stared at the ribbon for a moment like Sakura was trying to give her some alien artifact. "... What are you doing?"
Sakura took another deep breath and held her ground. "I'm giving this back to you, Ino. I don't need it anymore."
Ino looked up at Sakura, surprised as she scanned her over and saw where she was wearing her hitai-ate. Then she made a face. "That's supposed to be for your forehead, Sakura." She pointed at her own forehead to make an emphasis. "Seriously, I shouldn't even have to tell you that. You should just keep it so your hair doesn't get in your way during missions." Sakura decided to ignore the fact that what Ino was saying made no sense because she herself wasn't wearing her hitai-ate on her forehead, but she decided not too.
"Like I said, Ino, I don't need it anymore. And I don't need you telling me what to do anymore like I'm the same crybaby from years before." Sakura said, eyes sharp. "This isn't about Sasuke-kun or anything like that, this is about me being a kunoichi and moving on from that part of our lives." That sounded mature, like something an adult would say. "I'll wear my hitai-ate on my forehead when I can finally face you head on as a kunoichi." Sakura added. "I'm not losing to you anymore."
Sakura gestured to the ribbon again. "So here."
"..." Ino stared for a moment before she finally grabbed a part of the ribbon that was dangling from Sakura's hand. "Fine. When we're both facing each other in battle, we're gonna see who the real kunoichi is."
"Fine."
Sakura pushed down any welling of emotion that she had. Ninja and emotion did not go hand in hand together.
[';']
Ino sat at the dining room table with and laid her head on her arms, red ribbon balled haphazardly in her hand. Her mother was chopping carrots for a stew, back turned but she didn't ask who it was.
"Ino, dear, how did your time with Sakura-chan go? Excited to finally be kunoichi together?" Chiaki's voice was warm, the sound of vegetable chopping rhythmic. "You must be so excited."
"Yeah, Mom." Ino tried to stop her voice from shaking as much as possible. "It's great." She clenched the ribbon even tighter, ignoring the tight feeling in her chest.
Everything was absolutely perfect.
"Honey?" Chiaki sounded closer. "Is everything alright?"
"Yep."
"... Is it about, Sakura-chan?" Chiaki pressed gently, lifting her daughter's head. Ino stubbornly refused to let any tears fall and shook her head. "Are you telling me the truth?"
"Yeah, Mom." Ino wiped away the wetness, leaving her eyes damp. "I'm fine. Just letting it sink in that I'm gonna be going on missions and stuff."
"Oh, Ino." Chiaki gave Ino a tight squeeze and rocked her gently in her arms. "Things will be fine, like you said. I'm sorry if I gave you a scare earlier, that was just me being a mom."
Ino couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "You're always a mom."
"Well maybe a little." Chiaki laughed a bit herself. "You're going to be a great kunoichi, Ino. You deserve every bit to be out there doing missions for the village even if I worry that you might get hurt. As long as you try your hardest to be safe, that's all I can ask for." She gave Ino another squeeze and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks, Mom." Ino sniffled. "You're right, I'm gonna be a great ninja."
"That's the spirit!" Chiaki stood up. "I hope that you don't let my worrying scare you away from your decisions to go on missions."
Ino grinned in return. She didn't want her mother worrying anymore. "It isn't. I'm Dad's daughter after all and if he taught me anything, it's how to totally knock someone out with a sixteen hit combo!"
Chiaki placed her hands on her hips and sighed, "Your father just might regret ever teaching you that one."
"Hey it isn't like I ever used it on anyone outside of training!"
"Don't go around doing it to anyone because you're a ninja now either."
"I'm not that immature, Mom. I'm sophisticated, a woman."
Chiaki began laughing instantly. "A woman!"
Ino's face flushed red. "I am! I'm basically an adult by status!"
"Well as long as you're living under my roof and eating the food I prepare, you're still just a twelve year old."
"Mom." Ino groaned.
"Now wash up before your father gets here so you can help me with chopping the rest of the vegetables."
When Hinata had announced to her father that she had graduated from the Academy, there was no warm and congratulatory tone.
Just expectancy.
"I see." Hiashi said, eyes closed. His tone gave nothing away. Surprise. Disappointment. Pride. "Your missions as a genin may get quite dangerous. See to it that you don't bring further shame to the Hyuga name."
"Y-yes, Father."
"Now leave my quarters. I am working."
"... Yes, Father."
"Hopefully you will make some progress and catch up to your sister." He added suddenly. "She's doing exceptional."
Hinata shoved her face into her pillow. That last part had been a jab, whether it was intended to be encouragement or not.
It had now been a day or two since her graduation and she didn't feel any sense of pride in her accomplishment. She had gotten the expected congratulations from Kou and Natsu, both of which who reminded her how dangerous being a genin could be and that she should be extra careful and rely a lot on her teammates.
Tomoebi had smiled and caressed the top of her head before repeating the same thing. "Don't be afraid to rely on your teammates for protection, Hinata." She said. "It can be frightful being on those missions and there's no need to recklessly put yourself in danger when you can avoid it." Hinata had just smiled and nodded silently, but her stomach felt like it had a lump of coal in it.
No one told her to train hard or grow in strength.
Just to be mindful of her teammates and to stay away from the brunt of the action.
Hinata didn't need anyone to say it out loud. She knew no one in her clan had expected her to become a great ninja in any capacity. She was just always going to be Hinata, the Main Branch's weak link. It was all she could really focus on and what could mainly be heard throughout the echoes of everyone talking about how exceptional Hanabi had been doing in her training in both the Academy and with Hiashi. She was the prodigy of the Main Branch, her skill closely catching up to that of Neji's.
Hinata hadn't seen Neji since her announcement of being an official ninja of Konoha.
Hanabi had given a meager "Congratulations, Hinata-neesama. Be careful"
There was no celebratory dinner like Hinata had heard some of her former classmates talk about what their parents would probably do for them now that they've graduated. The closest Hinata had gotten to that was eating the cinnamon rolls Tamaura had made for her that day. She had invited Naruto along with her as well.
Yet the blond had turned her down, saying that he wanted to start training for the new term so he could really wow Iruka's sandals off.
She had just made her first friend- was Naruto her friend?- and now she was promptly going to be leaving him behind and would more than likely, rarely see him due to being a kunoichi.
Unfair.
All Hinata could think was that the situation was unfair.
At the very least and Naruto could have been on a team with each other and she could perhaps learn from confidence. He was always confident even when others thought he was being too much. Better to be too much than too little in Hinata's opinion.
Then maybe Father would… Hinata trailed off her train of thought. She wouldn't finish that sentence.
She'd just have to prove it to herself and the clan that she could become a strong kunoichi that the village could count on.
One that everyone in the whole Land of Fire could count on.
Even if she wasn't a prodigy or anywhere close to Neji's skill level, she could improve just a little bit, right? Hinata tucked her knees into her chest. It didn't have to be how her grandfather had told her. Not everything had to be predetermined.
Hinata released a shaky breath.
She'd become a great ninja and she wouldn't have to rely on anyone on her team. Not her jonin instructor or her teammates.
She would be able to protect herself.
[';']
Hinata hound found herself with a pleasant surprise upon entering her old classroom in the Academy.
"Yo, Hinata-chan!" Naruto stood up with a wave before heading right to the classroom's backdoor entrance. Upon his forehead, a gleaming hitai-ate. "Look who managed to still graduate!" He shuffled it around, as if to make sure Hinata could get the best possible look at it's authenticity. "Me!"
Hinata clapped her hands together softly with a smile. "I'm so happy for you!"
She took a seat close to the door and Naruto sauntered behind proudly. "I was actually starting to worry for a bit, but I knew it would be enough time before Iruka-sensei realized what a waste it would be to let me not graduate."
Hinata gave a nervous giggle and did her best to ignore the eyes she could feel in her and Naruto's direction. She could hear some murmuring, probably gossip about the newfound development in the class but she decided to ignore that too. She could be brave, daring. She could ignore the gossip. Everyone gossiping about quiet and gloomy Hinata becoming friends with the loud and rowdy Naruto Uzumaki was a lot better than the alternative of being aggressively harassed by Sasuke's many fangirls.
"I hope you have a good team." Hinata said, eyes warm. Maybe she and Naruto could be on the team after all.
Naruto's twinkled back at her. "It would be pretty cool if we're on the same team, yknow?" He said, laying his chin in the palm of one of his hands. "Cause working on missions with friends has to be pretty great!" Hinata nodded in agreement; if she could be on a team with at least one person she could consider a friend, it would be nice to match out her gloom of not being on a team she specifically wanted to be on. Then Naruto added, "But man, would I love to be on a team with Sakura-chan." A light blush covered his cheeks. "You think she'll totally notice me more than that jerk Sasuke if we were on the same team or no?"
Hinata's smile fell quite a bit at that. "A-ah um.. well…."
Right.
Mutual crush.
A part of Hinata wished that she was bold enough to outright say 'Actually, I'd much rather Sakura-san notice me than you'. And maybe, there was a universe where Hinata was bold enough to say that. Sadly, this decidedly wasn't that universe. "Um… maybe?"
Naruto pouted. "Maybe?!" He puffed out a cheek in annoyance. "Hinata-chan, you're supposed to be a lot more enthusiastic when a friend is crushing on someone."
Hinata giggled nervously again, the awkward feeling swelling up. S orry, Naruto-kun. It's just… Hinata quickly scanned over the room. There was an obviously missing head full of pink hair in the room. I like Sakura-san too. Not that she was telling her first friend that. Even if he wasn't bothered by her preferences, he'd certainly be upset about Hinata liking the same person as him. Heck, Naruto hated Sasuke and Sasuke didn't even return Sakura's feelings. "Sorry…"
Naruto was smiling again though, like he was completely unbothered. "Don't worry about it, I'm pretty sure that Sakura will eventually be awoken to my greatness and fall for me any day now!"
Hinata felt guilty for wishing that day to never come.
"Maybe."
That's when Hinata heard the slight rumble of thundering footsteps and she looked behind her at the door to suddenly see two bodies trying to shove their way through it.
Sakura and Ino.
Speak of the devil.
"Goal!"
Both girls eventually shouted before glaring at each other as they panted. "Looks like I beat you again, Sakura." Ino did her best to smirk as Sakura gave her a disbelieving look.
"What are you talking about? My toe was in the door at least a centimeter before yours, so I win!"
Hinata felt tense and she tried her best to fight the blush that she knew was going to start forming on her cheeks any minute now. It had just been a long while since she and Sakura had even been this close to each other. Hinata quickly whipped back around to twiddler her thumbs, that was a lot more interesting than being caught gawking at her longtime crush.
Naruto, in contrast, had no problem letting his blush be seen as he stood up. "Sakura-chan, good morning!"
Sakura didn't sound as pleased, "Hi, Naru- wait, why are you here? Isn't this an explanatory meeting for graduates?"
A proud 'haha' came from the blond boy beside Hinata and she could easily picture him making some kind of pose as he gestured to his new hitai-ate. "Yep! That includes me now." He said proudly. "Iruka-sensei realized it'd totally be dumb to not let me graduate when I'm a shinobi of many talents!"
"Well congratulations." Sakura said, but her voice wasn't that enthusiastic. "I just- Ah!" Sakura suddenly let out a displeased cry and Hinata instantly looked behind her shyness be damned. Sakura's face was one of outrage. "Ino, you porker, what do you think you're doing!"
In the midst of the conversation, Ino had made her way over to the desk Sasuke had placed himself in. "Just asking Sasuke-kun if he'd mind letting me sit with him, of course." Ino said, tongue sticking out smugly.
Conversation with Naruto abandoned, Sakura stomped over to Ino in protest and Hinata could feel her heart sinking. She might not have been all that surprised, but it never really stopped hurting when Sakura so clearly liked someone else. "No fair, you pig, I beat you so I should be the one sitting next to Sasuke-kun!"
"Oh buzz off, Billboard Brow!"
Just like that, the chain reaction started.
"Well if that's the case," some girl with spiky hair, Rin, stood up. "I should be the one sitting next to Sasuke-kun, I got here first!"
"No, I did!"
"Actually I got here way before any of you guys, so I should be the one sitting next to him!"
Hinata saw Sasuke give the girls fawning over him a passing glance before closing his eyes and facing away from it like it wasn't even there. Naruto tsk'd at the same time Hinata could feel her own sense of annoyance. "Why does anyone even like this jerk?" Naruto grumbled and before Hinata could open her mouth to even say anything, Naruto was storming over to where the action was taking place.
Hinata's expression turned into one of worry. Don't get into anything too reckless, Naruto-kun.
However, bold as Naruto was, he crouched down right in front of Sasuke-
On the desk itself.
He glared at Sasuke, Sasuke glared back at Naruto.
And the other girls, well, they made it quite vocal that they didn't appreciate Naruto's not so tiny micro-aggression. Naruto looked back over at them for a brief second before his gazed returned to Sasuke, the intensity so thick Hinata could practically see lightning shooting between them.
Then it happened.
Hinata was paying too closely attention to the boy sitting in front of where Naruto was crouching, but whatever he had done had caused Naruto to go leaning forward. Hinata could feel her own eyes widening in surprise at Naruto and Sasuke's lips had connected in a less than willing kiss.
The shrieks of the fangirls hit the air almost immediately as Naruto and Sasuke quickly separated from each other, coughing and gagging.
"Naruto."
Naruto's expression of disgust quickly turned into fear as he saw the deadly looks he was being given. "I-it was an accident, yknow." He tried to placate them. "Seriously!"
That… sadly did not save him from the inevitable beatdown.
The next thing Hinata knew, Naruto's… corpse (?) was being plopped down beside her as Sakura took her seat next to Sasuke, Ino sitting on the other side. They then proceeded to glare at one another.
…. I guess there could be worse starts? Hinata looked over at Naruto gave him a sad smile. "Rough day?"
"Ugh." Naruto groaned. "Out of all the people to lose a first kiss to." He whined. "It was supposed to be with Sakura-chan."
Naruto sadly didn't have to wallow in self pity any longer as Iruka had finally entered the room, just barely missing all the chaos. "Alright, alright, time to settle down!" He was focused on the papers in his hand, thumbing through them carefully. He didn't bother looking up and the few students that remained standing, scurried to whatever seat was left available.
This was it.
Iruka finally looked up from his papers and placed a hand on his hip. "Alright, I'm glad to see everybody here on time." He glanced over to where Naruto was and for a split second, he made a tired face as he briefly seemed to be wondering what trouble Naruto had found himself in before class. Yet Iruka quickly fell back into teacher mode. "You might have all graduated from the Academy, but things from here are just going to get harder now that you're all officially joining the field. As of right now, all of you are genin, the lowest ranking of ninja there can be and now, as we've told you multiple times throughout the years- you will be placed into three-man cells that will be lead by one jonin instructor."
Hinata looked over to Sakura again as she sent her good wishes.
"Now I won't be announcing your instructors, as after lunch they will come and pick you up specifically for introductions. So I will now begin reading off the different teams that we made based on performance and general compatibility."
Hinata's breath caught in her throat as Iruka looked back down at his stack of papers and opened his mouth. "Team One: Kenta, Ganta Azumane, Atsushi Tanaka." Hinata quickly released that breath as the aforementioned boys yelped out their pleasure in being placed together on a team. At least she wouldn't be stuck with any of the three boys who had picked on her so long ago.
"Um… good luck on whoever you get for your teammates, Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered to her friend.
Naruto smiled in return. "You too." He whispered back.
"Team Two." Hinata looked back in Iruka's direction, wondering if her name would be called this time. "Hikaru Takashi, Hanabi Kamishiro, and Agito Heiwajima." No, not her this time.
Iruka continued on with teams Three, Four, and Five in a similar fashion. Aside from Team One, they all had the typical pattern of teams that Hinata had expected she'd be placed in. Two boys, one girl.
Hinata felt her nerves beginning to unhinge. What if her team was disastrous and she was placed on a team where they'd make fun of her dormant Byakugan? She could almost hear the echoes of how Kenta, Atsushi, and Ganta would call her names. Gloomy Girl, Weird Eyes, among some of them. What would they say if they had to see her activated Byakugan which, due to a lack of intense training with her father, had to now be activated by focusing her chakra.
Her father had seemed both disappointed yet unsurprised.
Hinata closed her eyes and shook her head lightly and tried focusing on her teacher again.
"Team Six." He announced and Hinata, steadying out her breathing listened carefully for her name. "Kiba Inuzuka" She looked over at the boy, as per usual he had his dog with him and he smirked at the sound of his name being called. "Shino Aburame." Hinata glanced at the boy who was always seen wearing sunglasses. That was two boys now. "And finally, Ami Nishimura."
Hinata sighed, not sure if it was out of relief or if it was because she was disappointed her name hadn't been called yet. Ami was a girl with purple hair that was long on one side, short one the other. She was pretty notorious in their year for being a bully.
"Well at least I'm not on a team with any of them." Naruto muttered and Hinata found herself agreeing.
"I wouldn't have liked being on a team with Ami-san either." She whispered back. Ami might not have ever had the chance to pick on Hinata personally, but she'd seen from a distance how she'd torment Sakura to no end.
"Team Seven: Asahi Wataru… Naruto Uzumaki..." Naruto's head perked immediately at the sound of his name, blue eyes full of intensity. Then he whipped his head over to Sakura's direction, probably chanting out 'Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan' in his head in some kind of effort to increase his chances.
Hinata closed her eyes, as if that would be able to stop herself from hearing the name she thought was going to be called out- "and Sasuke Uchiha."
Hinata's eyes shot wide opened and Naruto whipped his head back over to where Iruka had taken his place in front of the classroom. "What?!" He shouted, immediately what followed was the cry of outrage from the female population of the class.
"What?!" The girls cried out in unison.
Iruka sweated a little, but he remained firm in choices. "Like I said, Team Seven comprises of Asahi Wataru, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha." He repeated. "I'm not going to take any compla-"
"Why would you even place someone like me on the same team as that jerk!" Naruto stood up in protest. "And that one too!" He pointed at Asahi, he was the one who had accidentally knocked Naruto forward and he looked as awkward as ever.
"Because," their teacher sighed. "Naruto, your grades are the lowest in the class in both mental and physical activities. Sasuke's is not. So to balance out the skills of all the shinobi in the class, it's always commonplace to place the lowest ranking student with the highest ranking student in order to make up for the lack of skills the lowest ranking student may have in the beginning." Naruto's face fell immediately and there were a few snickers. "And as for Asahi, I'm placing him on the team because I thought he would be a good balance to your team. Now onto Team Eight-"
"But sensei!" A girl cried out. "I wanted to be on a team with Sasuke!"
"Me too!"
"Yeah, change the team! It's usually one girl in the team, right!? I can be that girl!"
Iruka raised a hand, "Stop!" Finally the disruptions ended. "Asahi is staying on Team Seven due to the fact none of you girls can be trusted to balance out your priorities in being ninja as well as your crushes on Sasuke. If there were a girl in this class that showed me otherwise-" Hinata didn't know whether or not she be offended that she was lumped into the rest of the Sasuke fangirls or not- "I would have placed you on the same team, but due to your abilities as ninja coming first- I'm sorry, but none of you will be sharing a team with Sasuke."
The groans and whines of disappointment flew around the room loudly and Hinata was sure that someone had started sniffling and she felt an inkling of empathy. She knew she would be ready to face that same level of disappointment as well.
"Sorry that you don't like your teammates, Naruto-kun." She tried placating him, but Naruto just hung his head in defeat.
"This sucks. Why couldn't I at least've had you on my team if I could be with Sakura-chan." Hinata gave him a light pat on the shoulder. Neither of them would be with Sakura if it made him feel better, not that she would say that aloud. There wasn't that many students left to name off, so Hinata figured her name would be coming at some point. Towards the end. Same for Sakura and Ino who both shared mutual looks of disappointment over not being on Sasuke's team.
Hopefully they'd both end up with someone a lot better than Sasuke.
Iruka cleared his throat. "Now moving on! We're on Team Eight." Hinata turned her focus back onto Iruka. "Hinata Hyuga." Hinata felt her breath hitching again. Who would be her teammates now that she knew for sure that one of them wouldn't be Naruto? She waited for Iruka to continue onto the next name, but he hesitated. Instantly, Hinata's anxiety shot up. Were her new teammates that bad? Was he having second thoughts? Was- "Ahem, my apologies, I lost my placement there." Hinata's anxiety didn't lower any.
"As I was saying, Team Eight will include Hinata Hyuga, Sakura Haruno, and Ino Yamanaka."
…..
Hinata blinked her lavender eyes once.
Twice
Four times.
"Wh-"
"WHAT?!"
Sakura and Ino shrieked, outraged.
"I'm on a team with her?!"
What?
Iruka made a face, "Don't tell me you're not happy with the teammates you've been given either."
"Of course not!" Ino yelled, pointing at Sakura rigidly. "I refuse to be on the same team as Sakura, I don't even like her!"
Sakura nearly had a bulge popping from her forehead. "I don't wanna be on a team with you either! This shouldn't even be happening, we're all girls!"
What?
"Girls, calm down." Iruka's attempts to placate his students didn't work even a little bit. "We're trying something new with our placing of teams this year. All kunoichi cells aren't commonplace in Konoha but in Kumo, it's quite a commodity and usually the girls outnumber the boys when it comes to teams. So we decided that we should be a bit more diverse in our team placing and the three of you had the most compatibility for a team such as this."
"As if!" Ino cried.
"Ino and I are as compatible as milk and ramen, Iruka-sensei! Hinata's fine but do I have to be on a team with Ino!?"
Iruka's face grew stern. "This is the final decision when it comes to the ninja of Team Eight and that's final. Now sit down so I can continue listing out the last two teams." With that, Sakura and Ino begrudgingly sat down. They glared at each other for a few seconds, then abruptly looked away with a 'hmph!' from the two of them.
The sound of Naruto's whine snapped Hinata out of her stupor and she looked over at him. "Seriously? I don't get to be placed with either of you and it's 'cause you're on the same team?" Naruto pouted and sank lower into his seat. "This just ain't fair."
"No whining, Naruto." Iruka chirped. "Now, Team Nine. Kimi-" Hinata didn't bother listening out for the next team being listed.
I'm… on the same team as Sakura-san?
Hinata turned over to look in the direction of her new… teammates. Ino caught her looking but deliberately, Ino looked to the front of the class to glare at the board. Hinata winced a little at that. Maybe it would take Ino a while to warm up to her.
But then her gaze quickly went to Sakura.
Sakura who was no longer wearing her red ribbon, in its place was her hitai-ate. The blue of the cloth set nicely against her cherry blossom pink hair. Sakura's jade green eyes suddenly looked in Hinata's direction and Hinata felt her throat welling and her face getting hot.
Sakura looked away briefly, her face clearly set in disappointment. Though after a few seconds, she looked back at Hinata again with a small, but awkward smile.
Hinata could have fainted.
She was actually on the same team as Sakura Haruno.