Disclaimer: Don't own anything but my copy of the first vol. of the Naruto manga. Naruto and all it's characters belong to that guy that created them... I think... Anyways, I don't own them!

A/N: Okay, everyone. This is my first fanfic, written mostly on a lot of motivation, but no inspiration. ;P I liked it, though, and since we have summer holidays here, I thought it was about time I started to write something (I think I've been a member here for a couple of years now... without publishing anything on this site.Heehee). I might have invented something along the way, not knowing if it's true (how often is there aJounin exam and things like that), but things follow the manga timeline other than that - no mention of the anime, since I haven't seen all episodes. Anyways, enjoy this drabble-like, reflection thingy one-shotof mine :-) (And don't forget to review, please!)

Reflection

When she had graduated from the Academy to become Genin, her Father had not been proud like most other parents. In fact, he had kicked her out of the mansion and practically disowned her by calling her a loser and saying that the Hyuuga didn't need her. She had been sad, but not shocked; it had been coming for a long time now.

She was lucky; Kurenai-sensei had taken her in and let her stay in her apartment. She had watched over her, supported her, helped her and just been there for her unlike any other person had ever been. Until then, that is. They were paired into teams of three and she had been teamed up with Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. In the beginning they had all shared a mutual dislike for each other – or at least, Kiba and Shino had; Hinata didn't really dislike anybody, but she wasn't exactly happy with her team.

Fortunately, things change, and so do people. Where as Team 8 had been unsure about the whole "Team" thing at first, they quickly learnt through their shared training and missions. They grew on each other, slowly, until they all knew it was right; they couldn't have a better team, Hinata was sure. If Kiba hadn't been there, the team would have simply been too silent. If Shino hadn't been there, their team would have been too brash. And if she hadn't been there… well, if she hadn't been in the team, there wouldn't be a team, cause Shino and Kiba would have killed each other long ago. Slowly, they stopped disliking each other. They didn't necessarily love each other, but at the time of their first Chuunin exam, they were all accepted by one another with all their kinks and strangeness.

At the end of the exam – at least, the end of her exam – Neji-niisan had almost killed her for her belief in the ability to change destiny and the words she had said to him about it. But to her, it didn't matter; Naruto-kun had cheered for her, and even though she lost her fight against Neji-niisan, she felt as though she had won something far more important. Hope, motivation and the acknowledgement of Naruto-kun. He had even fought for her in the finals – well maybe not only for her, but she was part of his motivation, just as he had been hers. The thought made her happier than ever before, even with the problems in her clan, her injuries and her cousin being beaten – as she had been told later; she had (un)fortunately not been able to see the ending for herself.

After the Chuunin exam, she had been accepted back at the Hyuuga Mansion, and she was glad, but not happy. Just to come back showed how much she had changed since she had been kicked out, but to her Father she was still a burden and she herself did not think that she had reached her goal yet. She had to become even stronger and not give up. Maybe then she could become Head of the clan and she would have not only the ability to change her own destiny, but other destinies as well. She could make sure that nobody would ever suffer as Neji-niisan had in these years.

Things had slowly improved in her life since then; Kiba, Shino and she had become a strong and confident team, learning each other's strengths and helping one another with improving their weaknesses. She and Neji-niisan had started talking again – they even trained together once in awhile (seldom, but still). And after she had gained more confidence in herself, it seemed that her Father gained a bit of confidence in her as well.

Things were looking up for her, she thought herself as she looked down upon the paper in her hands.

Application for the yearly Jounin Exam:

Applicator's name:

She smiled slowly and brought her pen to the paper. 'Applicator's name? Hyuuga Hinata.'

She was sure. She was confident. She was ready.