Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor the fictional characters except my own. I do not own the pictures either, but I own the plot.
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"Hinata, what happened to you? I thought you were doing fine," Sakura asked shocked as she looked at the short-haired girl. Never in her life would she have thought about Hinata being a part of Naruto's family. The girl had a huge crush on the blonde. Or had had a crush on him as she found out that they are like family. It was mutual.
"Are you sure about that, Sakura-chan? Was I happy? I know that you must know it the best. You were the one who observed your classmates. You saw their suffering but kept quiet. Why was that? Was that due to some past experience you had?" Hinata questioned her as she walked closer to the pinknette. Sakura swallowed. What was she supposed to say now?
"Hinata, I-," Sakura struggled with her words as she didn't know what to tell the girl who was standing in front of her. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything? I'm sorry I didn't help them when I had my own problems? No, she couldn't tell her that. She wasn't supposed to talk at all. Girls like her should do as they were told to do.
"It's ok, Sakura. You weren't the only one who was observant. All of us were. Sure, we had different reasons but in the end, we found each other. Though I do not believe that this is the end." The pinknette just nodded her head. Was she relieved about the piece of information she got or did she feel even worse?
But she was just a kid. What was she supposed to do? Sakura looked at Hinata for a second before she began to ask herself how Hinata ended up here. How did she manage to be part of all this? Was the girl just like Sakura?
Hinata chuckled as she saw the questions inside Sakura's head. It was too easy to detect what the girl was thinking about right now. What else should she think of if not for how the hell Hinata was like her? The pink-haired girl shook her head. She was back but very confused.
Why was Hinata laughing? Did she accidentally speak her thoughts? Hinata began to laugh even harder as she looked at Sakura's blushing face.
"It's ok, it's ok. You didn't say anything."
"But-"
"Don't worry. I could see it on your face. What else could you have thought about? Sasuke Uchiha?" Hinata mused, and got no verbal answer back. Sakura looked kind of hurt, disgusted, and red too? Was that normal? Probably not but was it normal for kids their age to be able to kill other people without mercy?
Yes, it was expected of them.
The two girls continued to talk very much oblivious to the rest of the other family members' existence. It was quite funny to watch but the extra wheels felt stupid. So, they did the only logical thing they could think of. They left the two alone so that they could talk to each other. Naruto was heading towards his room as he ignored the two girls talking in the living room like they owned the whole house. Which in fact, the short-haired girl partly did. She helped build this house that they could call home.
"You know. I think I should tell you something about my past."
It was early November as the tragedy happened. Hinata and Hanabi's mother died on that day. It was awful. Everyone cried for that woman. Some more and some less but in the end, they all cried the same. That's when their lives got a living hell. Hinata was trained harder than she used to be trained. Her father was grieving and let his stress out on his daughter. She was the oldest which resulted in her being the best which she wasn't in his eyes.
Hinata was a shy girl, very much like her mother, and Hiashi hated it. Hinata resembled his wife so much. Every time the man looked at the girl he recalled his happy times with his wife. It was just a reminder that he lost his wife whenever he looked at Hinata. The woman had died due to some criminal trying to kidnap Hinata. The woman wasn't able to defeat the men and died.
Hiashi couldn't take the fate that encountered his wife. He couldn't let Hinata die the same way due to her not being good enough, not being strong enough. But over the year he began to change. He changed for the worse. The man wasn't like he used to be. He was cold-hearted and held so much hate against Hinata. Against the girl who was a constant reminder of what he cannot have. What he had lost a few months ago. No one recognized him again. Not after what happened with his wife.
Hinata tried her best but she was a shy and timid girl. She wasn't brave enough to stand up to her father. She loved him. But it soon turned into hatred. The poor girl couldn't take her father's treatment anymore. The kids outside her house were also mean. They always bullied her because of her eye color but it was normal. Every Hyuuga had these types of eyes. Neji had them too. Neji was a sore theme for Hinata. She loved that boy but he was trapped.
Trapped in her father's poor excuse of a plan to make Hinata stronger. The boy had lost his father not too long ago and now had to bear the hatred radiated from Hiashi. Neither the girl nor the boy did anything wrong. Regardless of that, they still had to suffer due to somebody else's grief, hatred, and feelings.
Once, as rainy as Kami-sama allowed the weather to be, Hinata was outside. She played a little bit before she was bullied again. There where she was, boys were pushing her down and laughing at her. They were mean, saying mean things and such. Hinata hated it. She hated them. The dark-blue-haired girl had enough and shouted. She yelled and tried to stop them from bullying her but they didn't stop. They continued until the girl tried to push them away.
A huge mistake.
The guy Hinata pushed away fell and hit his head. Hard. Hinata was shocked. What did she do? She knelled towards the boy and tried to help him back up but the other boys attacked her. It was her end. She was going to die.
"What is going on?"
A taller figure approached them as the boys punched the girl. The bullies looked up and started crying. So did Hinata. "Why are you bullying such a sweet girl?" asked another figure who had appeared behind the taller. The boys wanted to be the victim. If they played their role right, then they would be the winner. The blue-haired person was a girl anyway. Girls shouldn't be believed. Girls should be quiet and do as they are told.
"Why are you crying? It was you who bullied and pushed her off the swing she sat on. Why would you be the one crying? And don't you think it's unfair? The four of you against a little girl? What should we do with them, Crow-Kun?" the smaller figure asked the taller, and the boys began to shiver. Why didn't their crying help? Weren't they the ones who should always be believed in?
Maybe they shouldn't have cried. But it always seemed to work, so why wasn't it working? The boys looked at each other and then ran away. It was their only option. The two who saved the poor girl from worst turned to look at the girl. The smaller one seemed to think about something until he spoke up again.
"What's your name and what are you doing here all alone? Shouldn't you be home with the people you love?"
"I don't have such things, at least, not anymore. I don't have a mother anymore. She died a few years ago. And here I am, not having a home to return to. Sure, there's still the place where I can sleep but it doesn't feel like home. I don't want to go back anymore."
The girl's eyes widened. Why did she tell them this piece of information she had kept for herself? She looked at the two boys with fear, but comfort. Why was she telling them this? The smaller boy only grinned and took her hand. He assured her that everything would be fine. She shouldn't worry about anything else as long as he was on her side. That wasn't a promise but a fact. As long as she continued to love him as he needed, then she would be safe, loved, and welcomed. The girl started crying before she threw herself at the boy. Hinata continued crying in his arms.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
After the girl calmed down a bit she removed herself from the boy and wiped away the tears on her face. Naruto looked back at the boy who was silently watching them. His eyes didn't leave the blonde. The said blonde turned and smiled at the raven and told him that they got a new family member.
Now, it would be three of them. Unbelievable but here they were, three little children mistreated by people who had no right to do so. The children of pure evil. The shy girl looked at the older boy and taller raven. He seemed familiar. Where had she seen him before? She thought about that until she gasped. Now she remembered. It was the boy her father hated yet loved.
The boy was a genius. Why was he here wandering around with the boy who called her family? She didn't know and didn't dare to ask. However, it wasn't necessary. The blonde took her hand and suddenly they were somewhere else. Hinata didn't recognize this place. It was scary but had a warm feeling. It felt like home. Almost home. It felt like she was destined to be here. Did Kami-sama hear her prayer? She hoped she did.
"Come with me. I will explain everything to you but first of all, I need to be sure that you won't betray me. I have no use for people who are going to betray me at the end of my journey," said the blonde as he got serious. The girls swallowed her spit. She could do it. She wouldn't betray the one who saved her. Who would she be if she did?
What would her mother think of her if she did? Hinata hoped her mother was watching her and her alone. She didn't need to watch over that man who dared to call himself Hinata's father.
"I understand. How can I prove my loyalty towards you?"
Naruto looked at the girl before she turned around saying he would be back in a second. Just like he said, he came back. In his hands were a scroll, paper, and ink. He told the girl to sit and open her mouth. Hinata wanting to prove her loyalty and gratefulness did as she was told. She closed her eyes. She trusted the blonde. Why? She didn't know. Was it her mother telling her to be obedient and listen to the boy or was it the devil who tried to trick her? She didn't know and it didn't matter. She wanted the feeling of love, nothing more and nothing less. Was love too much? Was she allowed to love?
The boy looked at the small girl. She trusted him blindly. Was this a good sign? He knew. He should know it. Why else would he know who to choose? Naruto drew a few signs on the paper and created a seal. The seal would help him know how and when one would betray him. He would also know if they lied to him. Besides that, the seal gave him the ability to control and kill the girl.
Kurama was stunned as the boy asked him to teach him the art of seals. The fox however accepted the request and was both negative and positive surprised. The boy was a fast learner, but his mind was dangerous. Was he making a mistake? Kurama didn't know and didn't want to know.
As Naruto finished the seal he put it on her tongue. The girl shivered a bit but other than that, she didn't do anything.
"This seal allows me to control and kill you. The moment you betray me is the moment you die. This seal sealed your future to me. I will know when you decide to go and betray me or lie to me," Naruto informed her. The dark-haired girl only nodded her head. Heaven forbid her to enter. The blonde was finished and out the paper in the scroll. Why? She didn't know.
"Now, I can welcome you to my family. I'm sure that you have a lot of questions. However, you must wait with them until I'm done explaining everything to you. Is there somebody or something you want to save before you die?"
Hinata didn't even think about it as she blurted out a name. She needed to save that person even if it meant her death. She would do everything to keep them safe. Naruto nodded his head. He could manage it. It wasn't too hard.
Naruto and the raven started to train her, preparing her for the blonde's plan. As the blonde got older his plan was moving faster and faster towards the end. The world was a wicked place to be. Hinata didn't know why she chose the boy over everything else but she knew she did the right thing, just like the blonde knew, he chose the right person. The three continued the journey and kept collecting more people to join them.
Hinata ended up falling in love with the blonde but the crush stopped the moment she realized that she wouldn't be able to love her back like that. She noticed how much the blonde clung to Itachi. She didn't understand it that time but something told her that she should give up. The blonde should do that too.
Something bad was going to happen between the raven and the blonde but she couldn't tell what. Hinata saw how much the blonde loved the raven. She wasn't even sure if the blonde had noticed it himself. The black-headed girl trained hard to be where she was now. She had gone on missions sometimes returned with scares and other times barely alive.
However, every time she did return, the blonde would hug her and tell her how proud he was. The other people around her did the same but she didn't care about that. Naruto was her light and however much she wanted, she couldn't be his moon. She could only be a star. At least, he saw her.
"And that's how I met this family."
Sakura couldn't believe her ears. This happened to her? Was the pink-haired girl even allowed to cry about what happened to her? Compared to Hinata her life was amazing she concluded. Why did she think that she was suffering this much when other people suffered even more? Sakura just nodded her head. She needed time to understand what Hinata just told her. After a few seconds, she gasped.
"What happened to Itachi-san? Didn't you say that Naruto was in love with him? And what about the massacre? It doesn't make any sense. Why would he do that?"
Hinata just smiled at her. How was she going to tell her what happened? It wasn't her story to tell but Naruto's. The girl thought about it and sighed. She told Sakura that she needed to ask the blonde for permission before she told her what happened with the Uchiha clan. The two girls chatted a bit. It was new for Sakura to be able to talk to another girl like that.
She never dared to talk as much to another person about herself as she did to Hinata and the blonde. After a while, the blonde came down with the seal, scroll, ink, and such as Hinata mentioned. Sakura was determinded. She felt at home here with them. The oink-headed girl didn't want to lose that feeling. She felt loved.
"Hinata already told you about the seal didn't she?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Let's get started with it."
After the blonde was finished he asked her the same question he once asked the black-headed girl.
"Who or what do you want to save before you die?"
Just like Hinata, Sakura told Naruto a name she wanted to save. The blonde looked almost surprised. Well, almost. He nodded his head and officially welcomed her to their family. The three of them talked about everything and nothing at the same time. While talking to them Naruto made a plan in his head how he could improve Sakura's skills.
They had to hurry the Chunin exams would arrive early. The blonde needed to make she that she was at, at least Jonin level before the Chunin exam. If she succeeded, it wouldn't take any longer to make her Anbu level. He needed to make sure that Sakura would be at the same level or even higher than Tsunade once she turned 16.
16 and not a day older.
She was currently 12 which meant that he had four years to prepare her for the upcoming fight. After a while, the people who were with her in the same room the moment she entered the house with Naruto reappeared and looked at the pink-headed girl. They knew that she was now an official member of their family but they weren't sure if they were allowed to reveal their identity yet.
They glanced at the blonde asking him in silence if they were allowed to reveal who they were. The blonde, however, shook his head no. They shouldn't tell her who they were for now. The two nodded their heads. Naruto knew what he was doing so they wouldn't question him.
Sakura saw the silent conversation and understood that she needed to build up some trust before she could be informed of everything. There was just one question bugging her. It didn't seem to let her go. Where was Itachi if he and Naruto had such a good bond? It wasn't her question to ask but she couldn't forget about it.
The next day arrived and Sakura woke up in an unfamiliar bed. She panicked until she remembered what happened the day before. She sighed happily. Was she finally free? She looked around a bit before she got up. They weren't going to train with Kakashi today. The Jonin told them that he had another mission he needed to attend to and told them to meet him in a week.
The girl walked down the stairs after she got ready in the bathroom. The pink-haired girl walked into the kitchen and saw the blonde sitting on the dining table and eating while reading a book. The girl smiled at him before she sat next to him where a plate was already prepared for her.
"Make sure to eat everything. After you're finished we will improve your skills," the blonde informed her. Sakura nodded her head and dug into the food. It was delicious. She enjoyed the food but made sure to hurry up. She didn't want the blonde to wait for her too long. After breakfast, Sakura changed into new clothes the blonde lend her. They were Hinata's clothes and fitted her amazing. The two went out to train.
"The first thing I want you to do is climbing this tree. However, I will throw Kunais and Shurikken at you. Your eyes will be covered too. This exercise will help you to improve your chakra control and your ability to sense danger. While your eyes are being covered your senses automatically improve. You will or rather should be able to hear the weapons being thrown at you.
You should also be able to smell the gun power of the Kunais with a paper seal. And don't forget to feel the find when the weapons fly in your direction. If needed, taste the air. Though, I believe it won't help you much," the blonde informed her.
The pink-haired girl was afraid but she didn't want to give up just yet. She took a deep breath and told him she was ready. The blonde nodded his head and put something to cover her eyes on her face. The blonde chose the highest tree there was and told her to start climbing. The girl took one good breath of fresh air before she started the exercise. The moment her two feet were on the tree she failed. The weapon hit her hand. It hurt and she fell.
"Again," the blonde told her.
Sakura tried again and again. She failed every time but she was making progress. She climbed higher and higher. Just as she was about to climb six steps up, she fell.
"Again. I want to do it again."
She got better and better but she wasn't able to climb at least 1/4 of the tree. Her body was covered with blood and her chakra was getting low. However, Sakura didn't want to give up. She continued training until late in the night. It was a wonder she didn't die due to chakra exhaustion. She climbed higher and higher but never high enough. Naruto saw that her wounds were getting worse. He decided to give her some time to rest. Hinata would be able to heal her wounds.
"After this attempt of yours, we're going to stop for a while. We need to treat your founds and make sure you eat. You can't climb up the tree when you drop dead, so listen to me."
The girl sighed. She'd been here for hours and still couldn't manage to climb 1/4 but she didn't want to give up. After she failed another time, Hinata treated her wounds and Naruto made her something to eat. Sakura was determinded.
"I can do this! I have to!"
After the girl rested for a few minutes before she continued the exercise. While Naruto trained her, he himself was training. He was throwing the weapons from a huge distance. He had to improve how far and precise his throws were. He always hit the girl but not always where he wanted to. The two continued the task day in and day out. They barely stopped.
They only did when Sakura seemed to drop dead on the floor. In the end, Hinata would heal her wounds and the blonde would cook for her. A week passed and Sakura was able to climb almost 1/2 of that giant tree without being hurt. Naruto was impressed. She was improving faster than he expected her to. The girl's parents never notice her not being him due to a clone Naruto made.
The blonde made a clone and sent it to the girl's house but besides that, he made her do a clone too. Her chakra needed to grow so, the blonde decided to torture her. Her clone being at the Haruno's helped her stay updated. She needed to know what was going on. After the week passed, the two headed out to train with Kakashi and Sasuke.
They waited for their teacher to show up. While waiting, the girl noticed things she never did. There were so many things she noticed. The girl heard the river flow which was a few meters away from her. The wind blowing east-south and the smell. She smiled to herself.
She was improving.
After a while, their teacher finally decided to show himself. He announced their task for today. They would spar with each other. Sakura would be against Sasuke while Naruto should wait before he fought against the girl. Kakashi expected the fight to end immediately as he told Sakura and Sasuke to spare but was surprised as it didn't. Sakura was watching his move carefully.
They were fighting well. And once Sakura couldn't see Sasuke anymore because her back was turned to him the raven decided to end the spar. He threw his Kunai at the girl knowing she wouldn't be able to evade him when he got in front of her. However, he was proven wrong. Sakura couldn't see the Kunai but still managed to evade it. She was happy.
She heard the Kunai coming towards her and jumped high enough so the weapon wouldn't hurt her. Instead, it almost hit Sasuke who was in front of her. After a while, Kakashi decided to stop them and call it a tie.
When did she learn to fight like this? I didn't teach them that.
Kakashi told Sakura to rest a bit before she would fight against the blonde. Sakura ran into the blonde's arms surprising their teacher and the raven. What was going on?
"I did it! Did you see it?" she exclaimed happily as she hugged him tighter.
What none of the four noticed was someone watching them from afar.
After a while, Naruto and Sakura started to spar. Kakashi tunred to Sasuke. What was wrong with the boy? Normally he would have won immediately against the girl. What was the blonde doing to the girl? Kakashi considered his choices. Should he continue his behavior or should he change? How strong did the girl become?
He stopped staring at the raven as he looked at the two fighting each other. It looked like they were fighting like everyone else but if you looked closer, it seemed like the blonde was telling her what to do and what to improve.
After they trained Kakashi dismissed the team. Everyone was going their separate ways except a certain pink-haired girl and blonde boy. The two walked towards Naruto's old apartment noticing somebody following them. It was a certain raven. Why was he following them? The girl didn't know but she wanted to. As they reached the apartment door, the two stopped and turned around. Sakura was the one to speak up.
"What do you want Sasuke?"
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Total word count 4437