In which Fuu tries to gather intel, Yagura and Han talk, and Naruto makes a friend.
Warning for juvenile double entendres.
O-O-O-O-O
Ever since Yagura told her about the Takigakure missing-nin, Fuu had been on the hunt for intel.
For the past two months, she had scoured through all the books in the school library. However, she had found nothing promising, and she saw no one who fit the description of the man Yagura had seen. She wanted to ask Takumi, but she couldn't think of how she could broach the topic. After her search had come up empty, Fuu considered her last remaining option: breaking into Hisen's office to search through the archives.
It was the middle of the night and the village was quiet, with only the wind to break the silence. A thin blanket of snow covered the ground and she could only see using the faint light from a nearby lantern.
Fuu squinted at the second-story window of the administrative building. She had tried teaching herself how to stick to the walls with chakra, but her control was terrible and she pushed herself off the wall instead. She had also tried scaling the old-fashioned way, but the wall was too smooth to climb using her arms and legs.
From the window, she looked at the tree behind her. It stood tall a few feet away from the building, one of its branches extending close to the window. She would have to jump from the tree to Hisen's archives.
As silent as possible, Fuu climbed the tree and balanced perfectly on the branch. She gauged the distance to the window. If I get a good head start, I can clear the distance.
She took a deep breath and jumped.
While in the air, she smiled to herself as she neared the window, believing her mission accomplished. However, when she extended her hands to grab onto the ledge, she missed her target and she fell to the ground.
She swallowed a scream when she landed painfully on her knees. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes but she bit her tongue to keep herself from making a sound. Gingerly, she looked at her injuries. She breathed out a sigh of relief. Her knees were skinned, but the snow numbed the pain.
Fuu took a few seconds to rest. Her bijuu healed her quickly and a minute later, she had mostly recovered. She took a deep breath in and out before standing up. She winced but made no other noise.
Fuu climbed again and balanced on the branch. She walked as close as she dared to the edge before jumping. She felt a rush of victory but she failed yet again, falling through the sky to land painfully on her snow.
Determined, she tried again and again, failing miserably each time. Increasingly frustrated with each attempt, she huffed to herself, caring less and less about staying silent.
It was only at her tenth attempt that she realized that she was not alone. As she readied herself to jump, she heard someone clearing their throat from underneath the tree. Concentration broken, Fuu lost her balance and tumbled to land face down at the feet of the intruder.
With a wince of pain, she looked at the person standing over her. He was not much older than her. He looked familiar and she took a second to recognize him as the boy that had been in Hisen's office years ago.
The boy was older now, a teenager. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest as he glared at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked disapprovingly.
With a groan, Fuu sat up and rubbed her knees. She racked her brain to come up with an excuse to explain the situation but came out empty.
"I'm just... uh..." Fuu fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "Practicing my jumping skills."
"In the middle of the night?"
"Shinobi don't always fight in the day," she rationalized. "Besides, I should ask you the same question. What are you doing here?"
"If you must know, I'm going home for the night," he said. "I live near here. Also, don't try to shift blame. The most suspicious person is you."
Fuu bit her lip and looked at the other boy again. She examined his face carefully. He had bags under his eyes that could only come from extreme exhaustion. His clothes were torn, most likely because of shuriken or kunai. Despite his angry posture, he held himself gingerly, leaning on his left leg to stand.
"Why are you so beat up?" Fuu asked in a weak attempt to redirect the conversation. "Did you just get back from a mission?"
To Fuu's surprise, the other boy flinched and he tapped one finger on his forearm in a nervous gesture. Fuu pressed her advantage.
"How did you get those injuries?" she asked.
The boy sighed before glaring at her again and answering. "If you must know, it's from training. Suien-sensei pushes me to be the best that I can be. Takigakure, despite not being one of the five great villages, has a reputation to maintain for producing capable shinobi. If I wish to become a jounin of renown, I must-"
"Suien is your sensei, too?" Fuu interrupted incredulously, her mission momentarily forgotten.
"Too?" The boy raised an eyebrow.
Fuu nodded. "Yeah, Suien-sama was my main teacher before I enrolled in the Academy. He was always really mean to me! If I didn't know any better, I would've thought he wanted me to fail! Once I started going to school, I only had to see him on Sundays for training but that stopped after a while."
"Wait... your teacher? Who are you?" The boy's frown deepened.
With a smile, Fuu finally stood up to introduce herself. "My name is Fuu!" she said. "Nice to meet you."
She bowed her head politely, but the boy in front of her was speechless. Curious about his reaction, she lifted her face to meet his eyes. Her heart sank into her stomach.
"You're the jinchuuriki," he said. On his face was the same look she had gotten from all of her caretakers and teachers except for Takumi.
"So what?" she asked, clenching her hands into angry fists. She wondered how a random boy could have learned about her status when it was supposed to be a secret inside the village.
The boy swallowed. "My father told me about you. He said a bijuu can destroy an entire village in a few minutes."
"I'm not a bijuu," Fuu answered testily. "I'm Fuu. Just cause I have a bijuu sealed inside of me doesn't mean I will destroy the village. Besides, who is to say my bijuu would destroy Takigakure, anyway? I bet my bijuu is really nice but since no one has ever talked to it, everyone thinks it's evil! Did you ever think about that?"
"W-well, perhaps, but still..."
Fuu huffed in anger and turned her gaze to look at the trunk of the tree instead. She pouted. After years of living alone and spending her days with her friends, she had almost forgotten how it felt to be judged for her mere existence.
Yagura, B, and Yugito were always telling her about their tailed beasts. They were friends, able to commiserate with one another about anything. One day, Fuu hoped to have the same kind of relationship with the Nanabi.
The boy in front of her cringed at her reaction. "Sorry, Fuu," he said apologetically, sounding sincere. "My father told me to be nice when we met but-"
"Wait, your father?" Distracted, Fuu turned around to look at the boy with new eyes. "Who's your father?"
"The Village Head, of course," he said proudly. "I will take his place one day, so I have to be as strong as I can."
"Oh!" Fuu stared at the boy in a new light. He probably has access to the library already! I can convince him to let me in!
"So... what's your name, anyway?" she asked, trying to make herself sound impressed.
"My name is Shibuki," he said. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too!" Fuu said with a wide smile. He's my key to the archives, I just know it!
Shibuki huffed impatiently. "So are you going to finally tell me what you were planning to do or not?" he asked.
"Well, you see, the library in the Academy is not very complete." Fuu decided to tell part of the truth. "And I want to learn more about the history of Takigakure and its most important ninja. But since I don't have access to the archives yet, I wanted to get information from Hisen-sama's office."
"Why didn't you ask my father if you could use the archives?" he asked.
"I thought he would say no."
Shibuki sighed. "He would have," he admitted. "Still! You can't just try to jump through a window! Wait until you graduate and you will have free access then. What do you have to know that's so important, anyway?"
The identity of a Takigakure missing-nin that might be hunting for me or the other jinchuuriki I talk to in my head. However, Fuu knew she couldn't say anything about that and she bit her lip instead. She tried to think of a reasonable answer, but her mind was blank.
"I guess I don't need to know about it now," she lied.
"That's right!" Shibuki scolded her. "Wait for graduation! Or ask your teacher about it if you can't wait. I'm not going to tell Dad about it this time, but if I see you trying to sneak in again, you're going to be in a lot of trouble!"
Fuu sighed and nodded before waving goodbye and making her way home. She wasn't giving up yet. She just needed a plan for how to get in. Shibuki is the key.
O-O-O-O-O
Han meandered towards the Tsuchikage's office. Onoki had summoned him and he was anxious to know what he wanted so he could go home. Most likely another stupid mission to fight or kill someone.
He turned and walked down the hallway that led to the Tsuchikage's office. To his annoyance, the door was closed. With an impatient sigh, he stopped at the corner and leaned back on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed.
As he waited, Han let his mind wander. He hoped whatever Onoki wanted, it wouldn't take long. He wanted to go to the market and buy ingredients for dinner. He was torn between making grilled fish or stir-fried pork.
As he was debating the nutritional benefits of each option, the door to the Tsuchikage's office opened. Han turned to look, expecting an Iwa shinobi to come out. Instead, a familiar man wearing a black robe embroidered with red clouds closed the door behind him.
Unlike the last time, Han took a careful look at the man's appearance. He had red hair that curled slightly at the tips and a hazy, dreamy look in his eyes with a smirk on his lips. He was short, only a few inches taller than Roshi and carried himself with an air of arrogance. On his left thumb, he wore a purple ring.
Han narrowed his eyes as the man walked down the hall, memorizing every detail for later. The man approached slowly, looking satisfied with himself. When he reached the corner where Han awaited, the man stopped and looked up.
"Waiting for the Tsuchikage?" the man said with a smirk. "Don't worry, he's free now, Han."
Han felt an involuntary shudder run down his back. He scowled at the man but he didn't respond. The man sneered and gave him a long and calculating look before walking away. If he knows my name, what else does he know? Their organization is looking for Roshi, do they want me too?
Han waited for the man's footsteps to disappear before humming thoughtfully to himself and walking down the hall into Onoki's office. He closed the door behind him.
"Han," Onoki said.
"Tsuchikage-sama," Han responded, forcefully polite. "Who was that man?"
"Oh, him? Just a friend from Sunagakure," the Tsuchikage answered nonchalantly while waving a hand in front of his face. "He did me a favor. An expensive favor, but what else is there to do."
Han forced his face into a neutral mask. Only his eyes were visible with his armor, but Onoki was a crafty bastard who could smell insurrection from a mile away.
"I see," Han answered. "In that case, how may I be of assistance, Tsuchikage-sama?"
"I just wanted to remind you that the next chuunin exams will start next month. Make sure you're ready for them."
"Of course, Tsuchikage-sama." Han felt relieved. He had been expecting a long-term mission. Babysitting clueless genin was a lot more fun.
With a small bow of his head, Han left, trying not to look hasty.
He went to the market, ignoring all the glares and murmurs as he bought his ingredients. At home, he cooked and ate, unable to enjoy the meal as his mind ran a mile a minute. What does that man know about me? Do they want jinchuuriki for some reason? Or do they just want to collect bounties on our heads?
Han worried about the situation for the rest of the evening and late into the night. Determined, he flipped through his collection of bingo books for hours. He frowned when he found the profile of the red-headed man. Underneath his picture, he read the description: Sasori of the Red Sand. S-Rank Missing-Nin. Run on sight.
Han sighed. The last time there had been a "run on sight" order had been with the Yellow Flash. What the hell is Onoki doing getting favors from S-rank Missing-Nin?
He appeared in the empty Room after midnight when everyone else had already gone to sleep. He walked to the Door marked with the kanji for the number three and opened communication.
'Yagura, we need to talk.'
Yagura woke up immediately at the mental contact. 'What is it?'
'I saw that red-headed man I told you about before. Come to the Room and I can tell you about it in more detail.'
A few seconds later, Yagura's physical manifestation appeared in front of him, looking disgruntled but alert.
"Couldn't this have waited for tomorrow?" he complained. "I found a nice pile of dirt to sleep on."
Han sighed. Is this the thanks I get for spying on my own village for him?
"No, it could not," Han answered testily. "But I have cause to believe that this organization is looking for jinchuuriki."
"Why do you say that?" Yagura asked curiously. "Also, can you sit down? I'm gonna get a crick in my neck if I have to look up at you for the entire conversation."
"This is a mental projection of our physical bodies, Yagura. You can't get a crick in your neck by looking up," Han complained but did as told, anyway.
"Thank you," Yagura said as he flopped down onto the floor. He sighed in exhaustion and waved his hand lazily to motion for Han to speak.
"I saw a young male that appeared to be in his early 20s," Han said with precision befitting a mission report. "He had red hair that curled slightly at the tips. I approximate his height as 162 to 165 centimeters tall, with a weight of 50 kilos. Slight body. He wore a long black robe with red clouds embroidered upon them and a ring on his left thumb, although I could not make out any markings on it."
Yagura nodded at the description and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, now there's another missing-nin to look up," he complained.
"No, I already know who it is."
"You do?" Yagura asked, surprised.
"Yes," Han answered. "It was Sasori of the Red Sand. Easily the most infamous missing-nin from Sunagakure. He is rumored to use over ten puppets at once."
Yagura looked at him in surprise before speaking. "How did you figure it out?"
"I looked in the bingo book."
Yagura sighed. "Of course," he complained, voice full of bitterness. "My bingo book focuses on ninja from Kiri and Konoha. I don't suppose you have anything about the Takigakure man I saw in your magic bingo book?"
Han shook his head. "Some villages are more secretive about their missing-nin than Suna or Konoha," he explained. "I tried looking through the newest versions of the book and through the most recent bounty postings. However, I found no one fitting your description."
"So we have to wait for Fuu to figure it out, then?"
"Most likely," Han admitted. "Just don't put any pressure on her," he threatened Yagura with a frown. "She already has a lot to worry about."
Yagura rolled his eyes but nodded. "She's like, four. What kind of person do you think I am to pressure a four-year-old girl to find classified intel?"
"She's ten."
"Is she?" Yagura asked sarcastically. "I must have misheard when she was running around the Room screaming it was her birthday a few months ago."
Despite the situation, Han chuckled. He hated when Roshi was out of the village on long-term missions. With no one else to talk to, he would have died of boredom without the Room.
"So we know about three members of this mysterious group," Yagura said while counting down with his fingers. "One was wearing an orange mask and is most likely the one responsible for my brainwashing. The second is a tall, scary man from Takigakure. The last one is Sasori of the Red Sand. Their mission is unknown, but they want something from me and Roshi."
"Speaking of their interest," Han added. "The man called me by name. I believe that he was checking me out."
Yagura blinked and stared up at Han before he burst into laughter. "Checking you out? Were you wearing sexy lingerie or what?"
"What?" Han blushed as he realized what his words had sounded like.
"I mean, you said he was checking you out," Yagura replied with a smirk. "I've always been curious about your face. Are you secretly handsome under all that armor?"
"Not like that!" Han countered. "He was checking me out curiously, like a piece of meat or a target. I was wearing my full armor, anyway."
Yagura ignored his objection. "Do you think he just likes taller people, then?"
"Are you being serious, Yagura?" Han complained. He couldn't believe their lives were on the line and Yagura was focusing on a slip of the tongue.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop," Yagura said as he let out a final chuckle. He breathed out to calm himself and he stared at Han, his face thoughtful.
Han raised a brow and waited. Yagura stared at Han in silence with a serious frown on his face. Relieved, Han opened his mouth to speak.
"Anyway, I believe that-"
"So did you think he was handsome?" Yagura interrupted with a snort. "I know he was checking you out, but were you checking him out? Do I hear wedding bells in the future or is this more of a one-night-stand kind of relationship?"
Han wondered if punching Yagura was worth the headache when he woke up.
Valiantly, he ignored the laughter to continue speaking. "The first one took control over your actions with a genjutsu while the second one was looking for Roshi. I think it's likely that they are on the hunt for jinchuuriki."
Yagura snorted but calmed himself enough to answer. "Why do you think so? You and Roshi have bounties on your heads. They might simply want the money."
Han shrugged. "It's only a guess," he admitted. "But one organization being involved with three different jinchuuriki is too much of a coincidence for me to swallow."
"Oh, and how big are you willing to swallow, Han?" Yagura asked, raising a single eyebrow.
Han glared at his friend. "What's wrong with you?"
"I miss my wife and I'm sleeping on the dirt. Let me cope," Yagura answered with an exasperated chuckle before becoming serious again. "What do you think they might want with the jinchuuriki? Or do you think they care more about the bijuu attached to us?"
"We can only speculate. They could brainwash us to do their bidding. They could also extract our bijuu and use it for their own internal mission."
Yagura scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Mercenary companies tend to only care about money," he speculated. "They could try to extract the tailed beast and then sell it to the highest bidder."
"Who knows?" Han shrugged. "The only thing we can do is stay on the lookout for anyone suspicious."
Yagura sighed and stood up, stretching his body as he did so. "Agreed. Keep an eye on Roshi. Have you told him about this yet?"
Han shook his head. "Not yet. He's out of the village on a mission and I don't want to worry him right now. I wanted to get your opinion first. We can tell the others tomorrow when they are all here."
Yagura nodded in agreement before letting out a big yawn. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "I think I'm gonna go to sleep now. The pile of dirt I found is softer than the pile of dirt from last night."
Han stood up and stretched his arms over his head. "Goodnight, Yagura."
"Goodnight." Yagura waved his hand lazily. "Oh, and there's one more thing we have to consider."
"What is it?" Han asked.
"Would you prefer a spring wedding or a summer wedding?" Yagura teased with a smirk. "It sometimes rains during spring, but summer weddings are boiling. There are advantages and disadvantages to both."
Before he changed his mind, Han called upon his chakra. Steam coursed through his arm and he punched Yagura in the face, causing the former Mizukage to fly to the other side of the Room.
"Ow, you bastard!" Yagura yelled. "Now I'm gonna wake up with a headache!"
"As will I," Han replied. He heard Yagura chuckling to himself. In the morning, both of them would wake up with migraines but Han didn't care. Worth it.
O-O-O-O-O
Naruto liked having his own apartment.
The first few days, he hadn't known what to do. He had only walked around his new home, looking in awe at everything that now belonged to him and him alone. The apartment was bigger than necessary, separated into three rooms: the bathroom, the bedroom, and the living area. The furnishings were basic and worn but sturdy and he had more than enough space for his limited supply of toys and books. The best part, however, was that Ichiraku Ramen was only a few blocks away.
Through the Room, he allowed the others to look at his apartment. Their reactions varied from harsh criticism to genuine excitement. They all made suggestions about ways to decorate his new place. Naruto listened attentively, although he knew that he would not convert his entire balcony into a greenhouse or build an ant terrarium in his room.
The only downside to living on his own was that he had to learn how to feed himself.
He went to Ichiraku Ramen many times but made sure not to order over two bowls per visit. Teuchi's ramen might be amazing, but the price added up and the instant ramen was also good. He survived for a few days eating only ramen, thinking nothing of it until he told Roshi about it.
"You're only eating ramen, Naruto?" Roshi asked, horrified.
"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Naruto frowned in confusion.
Insulted at Naruto's reaction, Roshi made it his personal mission to teach Naruto everything he knew about cooking. Since then, he had forced Naruto to prepare complex meals when he could eat ramen instead.
Thankfully, Utakata took pity on him and taught Naruto easy ways to cook at home. Unlike Roshi's more extravagant techniques, Utakata preferred fast and easy meals.
"You should always have rice and eggs at home," Utakata insisted. "If nothing else, you can have fried eggs with rice. Add a splash of soy sauce and you have a complete meal. Bonito flakes and nori are also good. You can make rice balls."
Naruto nodded in relief. He didn't enjoy cooking much. Having a few basic recipes in his repertoire was enough to keep Roshi from teaching him how to make mapo tofu or broiled pork belly.
Two months after moving in, his apartment had become a home. He didn't have to worry about being a little too loud and he could soak in the bath as long as he wanted. He ate when he was hungry and during the day he wandered the village or spent time outside.
Especially now that winter had come, Naruto enjoyed the empty parks. He could play alone with no one bothering him or glaring at him.
As he locked his apartment door behind him, he rubbed his hands together and wrapped his red scarf around his neck a few times. Slightly warmer, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked determinedly to one grove at the edge of the village. People rarely visited it and there was a swing where he liked to sit and think.
Predictably, he saw no one else at the grove when he arrived. The presence of snow combined with the distance from the village center meant that very few people would join him. That suited Naruto perfectly.
He sat on the swing. He watched the snowflakes falling, catching them with his tongue. Content, he swung back and forth, the winter chill making his face numb. He enjoyed the solitude for a few minutes before he felt the presence of new people.
He tensed, dreading any attention. Thankfully, they ignored him and Naruto went back to kicking his feet back and forth.
A sharp sob broke him out of his reverie. Curious, he let the swing come to a natural stop as he stared at the children that had joined earlier. He frowned. A small girl was sobbing, her hands covering her eyes while a group of three older boys mocked her.
"Hey Hyuuga girl, show us your Byakugan!" the tallest boy taunted. "If you can't, then just get lost!"
At his words, the girl looked down with a sob.
"Your eyes are creepy," says the shortest boy with a sneer. The two other boys laugh at his words.
"You're actually just a monster, aren't you?" said the third.
"Yeah, a Byakugan monster!" agreed the first one.
The girl squatted down on the snow with her forehead between her knees. She covered her eyes with her forearms as she sobbed pathetically. Naruto ground his teeth as he listened to the confrontation.
Whoever that girl was, she didn't deserve what they said. He had been called a freak too, and he knew the pain of those words.
"Hey!" he shouted, pointing one finger at the boys. "Leave her alone!"
"Oh yeah? And who are you anyway?" the tallest one asked with a smug grin on his face.
Naruto gritted his teeth. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna be the future Hokage, ya know!"
"Future Hokage? Are you an idiot?" one boy asked with a sneer.
Naruto growled in response.
"I'm gonna show you!" Naruto yelled as he got into a taijutsu stance Fuu had shown him.
The older boys, shinobi-in-training most likely, simply sneered at his attempts to fight. Before he could blink, the tallest boy lunged forward, punching Naruto in the nose. Naruto felt blood dripping down his face, and he fell back on the snow.
Defeated, he blinked up at the sky, willing the blood to stop and the pounding in his face to recede. He hoped his nose was not broken. It might take over a day to heal if it was. He wasn't sure if he felt more embarrassed about losing a fight or about not living up to Fuu's instructions.
As the pain slowly receded, he heard the boys laughing. At least they're not making fun of the girl anymore.
"Now let's have some fun!" one boy said. "Future Hokage, my ass!"
Naruto felt someone pulling on the scarf wrapped around his neck. Too preoccupied with the pain, he let them and felt a twinge of regret. I bought that scarf with my birthday money, asshole! He felt himself go numb from the pain, only hearing the laughter of the older boys.
When Naruto came to, the pain on his face had receded and his nose had stopped dripping blood. Furiously, he jumped up from the snow and fell into another taijutsu stance.
"I'm not done yet!" he yelled. However, the other boys were already long gone, leaving him alone with the girl.
Naruto squatted down in defeat to stare at his feet. He had eight other shinobi to teach him taijutsu and ninjutsu and he still couldn't defeat a small group of boys. He suppressed a wince as he rubbed his cheek in embarrassment.
"Are you okay?" the girl asked in a soft voice as she squatted near Naruto.
"I was holding back, ya know," Naruto explained, although he knew that he was only deluding himself. He wished he were as big as Han. No one would bother him then.
The girl swallowed nervously before talking again.
"They... ruined your scarf," she said as she held what remained of it up to him.
He examined the girl squatting next to him closely.
Despite their departure, she still seemed anxious. She had large pale eyes that were furrowed with worry. Her dark hair was cropped short to her ears while her skin was almost as pale as the snow surrounding them.
Naruto frowned. She didn't look at him with the typical dislike he was used to. It was unusual. With a shake of his head, Naruto sighed and waved his hand back and forth. The humiliation of losing a fight was much worse than losing a scarf.
"I'm sorry," she said, sounding close to tears.
"Don't worry about it." Naruto forced himself to smile despite the pain.
She didn't return the gesture and instead looked away nervously. Naruto's smile froze on his face. Part of himself wanted to back home, but the girl reminded him of Gaara: small and made to deal with forces much bigger than himself.
"What's your name, anyway?" Naruto asked as he stood up, brushing the snow away.
"Huh?" she asked nervously. "My name?"
"Yeah!" Naruto said cheerfully. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"
"Hinata Hyuuga," she said, eyes looking down nervously.
Naruto beamed at her. "Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan!"
"Thank you very much," Hinata bowed respectfully to Naruto. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Uzumaki-san."
Naruto grinned. "Don't need to be so formal, ya know! Call me Naruto!"
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked nervously.
Naruto beamed at her and she smiled for the first time in return.
"I hope we can be friends!" Naruto said while playing with his goggles as he awaited her answer.
Hinata blushed. "F-friends?" she stuttered. "With me?"
Naruto's heart sunk into his stomach. Does she hate me already?
"Yeah," he grunted angrily. "Is that a problem?"
Hinata blushed.
"N-no, Naruto-kun," she said. "It's just that..." she looked down at her feet and hugged the corpse of the scarf up to her chest. She swallowed nervously. "It's just that... um... I've never had a friend before."
At the confession, her face turned into a deeper shade of red, which Naruto had not believed was possible. The weight inside his stomach disappeared, and he exhaled a sigh of relief. He smiled, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"S-sorry... I've never had a friend before either," he admitted. Not in Konoha at least.
"Oh," Hinata said. The two stood together, avoiding each other's eyes as they contemplated how to break the awkward silence.
"D'you wanna play together?" Naruto finally asked. He couldn't look her in the eye, embarrassed for putting her on the spot earlier.
"Uh... what do you want to play, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, determined.
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he turned to meet her eyes again. "I dunno," he answered. "We can play ninja or hide and seek. Or I can push you on the swing. I bet I can push you really high, ya know!"
"Really?" Hinata asked before looking down at the remains of the scarf once again.
With a grimace, Naruto took it and threw it on the ground. He made a mental note to discard of it. Perhaps he would burn it. Roshi and Yugito liked to burn things.
Hinata stared down at the scarf on the ground in regret. However, before she had the chance to apologize again, Naruto pulled on her hand and took her to the swing. She let out a small surprised yelp but followed along.
Naruto laughed, and he heard a small giggle from the girl next to him. Naruto motioned for her to sit on the swing.
"So are you training to be a ninja?" he asked, pushing lightly on her back.
"My father is training me now," she answered. "But Ko-san told me I'm going to enroll at the Academy in April."
"Academy?!" Naruto yelled cheerfully. "I'm going to the Academy, too! We can be friends there!"
"I'm glad," she said, voice as she swung. "I thought I was not going to make any friends."
Naruto laughed as he pushed her higher and higher. She squealed in surprise at the height and broke out into laughter. Naruto listened to her giggles, smiling to himself at being able to make her so happy after the events from earlier.
"Higher!" she yelled. Naruto complied and Hinata let out a shriek of excitement as the winter air blew on her face.
"Hinata-sama!" a deep voice yelled out from behind them.
"Ko-san!" Hinata said as the laughter died in her throat.
Naruto stopped pushing and turned around to look at a tall teenage boy who was walking closer and closer. Like Hinata, he had pale pupil-less eyes. He glared and Naruto swallowed at the expression on his face.
In front of him, the swing came to a stop as Hinata planted her feet on the ground. She ran to the teenager and bowed her head in apology.
"Hinata-sama!" the teenager scolded. "I told you to wait for me while I finished the enrollment paperwork."
"I know Ko-san," Hinata said. Her previous cheerfulness was gone as she stared at her feet and pushed her index fingers together in a nervous gesture. Naruto frowned. He didn't know why Hinata had to listen to him.
The teenager sighed. "I know, Hinata-sama," he said. "But your father worries about you. He only wants what's best for you and the clan."
Hinata nodded obediently before turning to Naruto and giving him a strained smile. "I will see you at the Academy, Naruto-kun," she said, looking close to tears again.
"Of course! We're friends now, ya know!" Naruto placed the palms of his hands on the back of his head and forced a grin on his face.
A small but genuine smile formed on Hinata's lips and she turned her gaze back on him. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."
Hinata nodded politely at him. The teenager pulled on her hand and walked away. Before they left the grove, however, he turned his head to glare at Naruto one last time. Naruto stuck his tongue out in return.
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: (Adds Hinata to character list) I will aggressively make Hinata and Naruto BFF's with no romance between them if it's the last thing I do. I love Hinata and I love the idea of her and Naruto helping each other become better people as friends.
As always, my Tumblr is waffledogwrites. Don't be afraid to talk to be there.
Next Chapter: Naruto goes to school.