A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this one. It was my birthday yesterday, so I was a little busy lol. Hope you all enjoy this one. As with the last chapter, I'd like to set a review goal. This time, let's aim for 60 reviews if possible :) (just a sentence or two)

Time for chapter 4

Enjoy!

Iruka raised an eyebrow as he made his way into the classroom. Things were, for the most part, as they usually were. Shikamaru Nara was out cold, Sasuke Uchiha was the physical embodiment of darkness, and Choji Akimichi was three-quarters of the way through a family-sized bag of chips. The only thing about the scene he had just entered into that stood apart from the daily average was a subtle shift in positioning from one student in particular. Instead of sitting a seat to the left of Sasuke, Naruto was now sitting in the upper left corner of the room to the left of Hinata Hyuga. The sight forced the instructor to suppress a laugh.

Hinata was clearly over the moon at the new development, and Naruto was seemingly unaware of it. Her cheeks were practically glowing red, her lips were pulled into a shy smile, and her eyes were routinely drifting in his direction. No concerted efforts to disguise her sentiments whatsoever, and previous occasions suggested that she was entirely incapable of any kind of subtlety. Despite it all, Naruto remained uninformed. At that thought, Iruka sighed and shook his head.

'You'd be smart to catch on, Naruto. You've got the richest girl in town pining for you' he thought to himself. Once he had moved on from that line of thinking, Iruka began instruction. The schedule was fairly lax by normal standards, as two of the usual four classes had been turned to study periods due to the expected arrival of the Hokage for a meeting with the instructors during the corresponding hours.

In spite of that fact, Iruka instructed as he always did. Slowly, concisely, and as engagingly as was possible with a group of reactive twelve year olds. Throughout the first of the two classes set to take place that day, the instructor spent much of his subconscious energy on observing Hinata. Her unexpected interest in the boy now sitting next to her had been obvious to Iruka for several years by this point. In fact, he likely could have charted the stages by which the heiress' fixation had developed. Initially, she did little more than smile at his often obscene attempts at humor. From there, that smile developed into suppressed giggles. Eventually, she began to steal glances at him from across the room.

As time went on, those glances developed into prolonged gazes of longing. Fortunately or unfortunately, Hinata was much unlike her kin. She was blatantly lacking in social confidence, quite awkward, and extremely shy. The negatives of this reality were obvious. Those traits prevented her from ever taking legitimate steps to engage with Naruto, who was unlikely to be socially aware enough to take notice of anybody who didn't simply slap him in the face. Beyond that, her timid demeanor limited her ability to properly converse with him to begin with. On the positive end, her natural disposition for gentleness was far, far more compatible with Naruto's confrontational personality.

All of the stages of development seemed to have led up to the current situation she seemed to be in. While not entirely certain, Iruka's intuition and observation pointed to a shift in the dynamic between the pair. Had it been several months prior, Hinata would have likely been unconscious after thirty minutes of being in fairly close quarters with Naruto, but now she was as close to calm as she likely could be in his presence. She still found ways to stare throughout class, but she was holding herself together in a way Iruka had not thought possible. He almost felt proud of her as he dismissed the class for their ten minute intermission between first and second hour.

The final class before lunch hour was much the same as the first. Iruka instructed in standard fashion, occasionally glancing at the pair of interest off in the corner. One particular occurrence during the second hour, however, was quite humorous. During a daily quiz which the students had been warned of the previous day, Iruka had opted to patrol the room in order to prevent cheating from taking place. As he passed by Hinata, he caught sight of her notebook. The pages were filled with two things: Class notes and small, smiling sketches of Naruto's face, many of which were rimmed with hearts. Despite his best efforts, Iruka couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he walked by.

If the look on her face as he passed was any indication, she was no fool. On some level, Iruka felt a degree of guilt for embarrassing her in such a way, but as a whole, she had put herself at risk by exposing the pages to begin with. If anything, she was lucky that Naruto was blissfully unaware of the world around him eighty percent of the time. A simple glance to his right would lay Hinata's not-so-well-kept secret bare.

Once the second hour had concluded, the students flocked out into the outside property of the academy to eat their meals. On a hunch, Iruka decided to observe the student body from the roof of the building. What he saw confirmed said hunch. Naruto was seated across from Hinata at a picnic table underneath the shade of a nearby tree.

'Well now, that's definitely a good thing. Both of them could use a friend' Iruka thought to himself with a smile. As he watched them, another presence appeared on the roof behind the instructor.

"Good afternoon"

Iruka glanced back over his shoulder to identify his new roofmate. Once he had put a name to the face of the man, the instructor whipped around and bowed low.

"Hokage-sama. I didn't expect you to arrive so early" he said respectfully as Hiruzen joined him at the edge of the roof. The old man stared out over the small yard and then looked back to Iruka.

"At ease, Iruka. No need to be so formal. We aren't in a professional setting quite yet" he said. At his words, the chunin relaxed and straightened his posture once again.

"Is there any particular reason you've decided to be so early, my lord?" he asked. The Hokage gestured out to the children below, who had still yet to notice the pair observing them from above.

"I enjoy watching the next generation. A healthy variety of personalities in this year's bunch, don't you think?" he replied. Iruka nodded and scratched the back of his head.

"That's an understatement if I've ever heard one. It can be a little overwhelming on the worst of days, honestly. All in all, though, I still enjoy this job" he said. Hiruzen chuckled to himself and straightened his traditional hat.

"I'm glad to hear it. There are few men with the patience required to instruct young ones for as long as you have. This year in particular has been fascinating to read student reports on. Lots has happened from the sounds of it" he said. The instructor laughed a bit.

"I guess so. Nothing too terrible, which is good. Naruto's jokes can be a little distracting, but none of them are destructive, and Shikamaru clocking in more hours of sleep in a single week than I have in the last year has honestly become endearing" he said humorously. Iruka then noticed that Hiruzen's gaze was focused on one particular part of the yard below them.

"You've noticed it, haven't you?" he asked the elderly leader. Hiruzen nodded and kept his eyes on Naruto and Hinata, who were engaged in something resembling a conversation.

"Do you have the faintest idea of how this came to be?" he asked. The instructor shook his head and sighed.

"I spent most of today trying to figure that out. She's been head over heels for him for at least two years by my estimation, and he's been too near-sighted to notice. On top of that, she's a social dunce. Something wild must have happened" he admitted. The Hokage smiled as Hinata appeared to laugh happily at a remark made by her blonde companion.

"Or they were simply put into a situation that required them to interact. Given their respective personalities, it wouldn't take much for the two of them to become friendly with one another" he suggested. Iruka furrowed his eyebrows and considered the possibility.

"I doubt that, honestly. Naruto has spoken to her before. He even told me once that she was 'weird' and 'gloomy'" he pondered. Hiruzen stifled a laugh.

"He isn't exactly wrong. She does very little other than stare at him from what I've gathered from the student reports. That's a little bit strange, even you have to admit. She's a sweet girl behind all of that, but you'd be hard-pressed to figure that out just by watching her" he pointed out. There was then a spell of silent observation. After a minute or two, Hiruzen spoke once again.

"I do hope that this seeming friendship holds and develops. Naruto...hasn't been in the best place of late. He needs support from people other than you and I right now" he said, his tone both hopeful and regretful. Iruka eyed the old man skeptically.

"What's the problem? I know he's had issues with self-loathing in the past, but he's gotten over them pretty quick" he asked. The Hokage pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose.

"I think he's starting to piece together what exactly he is, if you know what I mean" he replied. Iruka winced and glanced back at Naruto, who was eating a rice ball Hinata had given to him.

"Yeah, that'd do it. Do you think it's starting to speak to him?" he asked. Hiruzen stared straight ahead and pulled at the sides of his robes to adjust them.

"I certainly hope not. He isn't mentally strong enough to stave him off yet. Not that outright possession has ever been a trademark. Still, though. I worry" he said. Hiruzen then sighed.

"A depressing note to end on, but I think we should prepare for the meeting" he said tiredly. Iruka nodded in agreement and disappeared into a puff of smoke to begin preparations. Now alone on the roof, Hiruzen cast one last glance towards the pair of unpopular children.

'I don't know if you're fully prepared to delve into what you may or may not discover about him, Hinata, but I wish you the best of luck'

Hinata smiled with satisfaction as she examined the origami bird she had made for herself. It had taken roughly ten minutes, which was a personal record for the young Hyuga. It was far from elaborate, but it was clear in shape and identity. As she admired her work, her seatmate glanced to his right and turned his attention away from the notes he had decided to attempt to understand.

"Did you make that?" he asked curiously. Hinata flinched at his sudden question, but quickly pulled herself back together and nodded. She then presented the bird to him proudly.

"Y-yes, I did. It isn't p-perfect, but I t-think I did well" she said humbly. Naruto examined the craft for a few moments before replying.

"Yeah, that's really good. It actually looks like a bird. Last time I tried something like that, I just ended up getting paper cuts" he said. Hinata responded by unfolding the bird and laying it out on the desk in front of them. Naruto frowned.

"Doesn't that take a lot of work?" he asked. The heiress shrugged her shoulders and slowly began to recreate the animal with the paper.

"M-Maybe, but I w-want to s-show you how to make it. We c-can't have you c-cutting yourself, can we?" she explained with a smile. The blonde laughed a bit.

"Yeah, guess not. Try to go slow. I'm dumb with this kinda thing" he admitted. Hinata shook her head and went through the bird-making process step by step.

"N-Nonsense. All you need is p-practice, Naruto-kun" she assured him. Over the next several minutes, she slowly reconstructed the origami as Naruto watched intently. Once she was finished, she set it in front of Naruto.

"Okay, finished. Y-your turn. D-do your best to m-make it the w-way I did" she urged him. Naruto eyed the paper for a few moments before going to work. It took only a few moments for Hinata to spot a mistake. His small screw-up invoked a habit Hinata had developed while teaching her sister the very same concept. She reached out, took hold of Naruto's hands, and began to guide them through the steps.

"F-fold it to the l-left, Naruto-kun. N-not the right" she corrected as she moved his hands to fix the blunder. It was the rare twinge of red on Naruto's cheeks that snapped HInata back to reality. She immediately pulled her hands away and turned pink.

"F-forgive me. Just a h-habit. It w-won't happen again" she murmured awkwardly. A few moments passed in which nothing was said, sending Hinata's confidence spiralling downwards. After a few minutes, however, she felt a tap on her shoulder. The contact caused her to glance up from her lap.

"Did I do it right?" Naruto, who was holding up a near-perfect replica of the origami bird, asked hopefully. Hinata shook herself of her stress and examined the craft, finding no visible flaws.

"E-excellent work, N-Naruto-kun. It looks p-pristine" she praised him with renewed joviality. Naruto grinned and admired his handiwork.

"You set me on the right track, so you deserve some credit" he said. The heiress glanced down at his hands and then back to her own.

"Y-you aren't angry that I touched your h-hands without y-your consent?" she asked. Naruto frowned and shook his head.

"No, why would I be? You were helping me" he replied. Hinata relaxed slightly and released the breath she had been holding. Deciding it would be best for her body temperature to change topics, Hinata asked a question.

"W-why did you decide to s-sit with me today?" she asked. Before the blonde could open his mouth to answer, the young Hyuga hastily spoke again.

"N-not that I mind. I'm q-quite p-pleased, really" she added quickly. The moment she had finished the sentence, she mentally kicked herself for the second half of the statement.

"Well, you're kinda my only friend, so I figured I should sit near you. That way I have somebody to talk to" Naruto said honestly. A wave of mixed emotions washed over Hinata at his response. On one hand, she felt elation at his reference to her as a friend, but on the other, a great deal of sadness at the fact that she was his only confidant and companion.

"Well, y-you're absolutely w-welcome to sit n-near me. Please never h-hesitate to do so" she replied as firmly as she could. Naruto's expression softened slightly.

"Thanks for that, Hinata. I appreciate it. Not sure why you're being so nice to me, but I'm not complaining" he said a bit more quietly. Hinata gazed at him and fought the urge to touch his face.

'I could give you the longest list of reasons imaginable, you wonderful boy' she thought to herself as Naruto gathered himself once again.

'But not yet. Not quite yet' she concluded. At the conclusion of that thought, the final bell of the day rang out through the halls to signal the end of instruction. The noise prompted both children to stand up and gather their things. It was fortunate for the pair that much of the class, save for one Shikamaru Nara, had decided to study either on the roof or in the hallway, as very little of their conversation had been whispered. Once they had both accounted for their supplies, Naruto posed a question.

"Wanna grab something to eat? I'll pay" he asked. Hinata, much to her own surprise, was able to contain her urge to fall unconscious. After a brief consideration of her curfew, she happily nodded her head.

"Yes, t-that would be w-wonderful. Thank you for t-the invitation" she said. Naruto grinned and gestured for her to follow him out of the room. Once they entered the hall, Hinata sighed to herself.

'I have a feeling...that I know exactly where we're going'

Neji glanced at his uncle as they silently made their way through the wooded training grounds of Konoha. It was late, nearly midnight, and they had been walking for nearly twenty minutes. Without any prior warning, Hiashi had awoken his nephew from his sleep and ordered him to follow without question. Despite his exhaustion, Neji knew better than to complain. The true test of his self control was controlling his urge to ask the obvious question of 'why'. Seemingly reading his mind, the clan head looked to him and sighed.

"All of your questions will be answered in sixty seconds" he assured him tiredly. Neji nodded and continued his trek alongside the man. As Hiashi had predicted, it was not a full minute until they came to a stop at the edge of a clearing. The open space was a long-abandoned drilling field, and it was occupied by a single person. Naruto Uzumaki, who was without a shirt, was striking a vertical log in a rhythm.

"So, we came out here because...why?" Neji asked skeptically. The clan head responded by pointing across the clearing to the opposite side.

"Use your eyes, Neji" he ordered him. The boy nodded and allowed his dojutsu to manifest, veins and all. Once his eyes were focused, he looked where he had been instructed too. Cleverly hidden three branches up a tree was Hinata. She, from the looks of it, was also observing Naruto from afar just as they had been for the past thirty seconds.

"Well, that's certainly interesting. What reason could she possibly have to be out here? Especially at this hour" Neji mused. Hiashi gestured to the sweating blonde in the center of the clearing.

"That boy would be why. She's been taking chances slipping away at night to watch him condition himself for the past eight months" he explained. Neji raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to Naruto. After a few seconds of careful observation, the branch Hyuga snickered.

"He certainly does have very little fat on him. Perhaps she's at that age" he suggested jokingly. Hiashi cleared his throat uncomfortably and shifted in place.

"That may be part of it, yes, but I suspect there are other reasons as well" he replied. Neji studied his cousin and Naruto simultaneously in order to decipher the odd situation.

"Have you a theory, Uncle?" he asked. The older man nodded his head, though his expression lacked certainty.

"According to Ko, Hinata ate a late meal with him before returning home this afternoon. Simple logic says that she's enamored with him" he replied. Neji frowned.

"True enough, but that doesn't answer the question at hand. Unless she's bored enough to be out here for nothing more than some pleasant, shall we say, scenery, there's little to draw from here" he pointed out. Hiashi stroked his chin.

"I'm beginning to think that she sees him as some sort of role model. For all of his lack of polish, he certainly is trying quite hard to perfect the single combination he's hit that log with a thousand times. And based upon what I've heard from cooler-headed individuals, he's quite intuitive when forced to solve a problem" he pondered. Neji raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds to me like you've been asking around" he said. The clan head chuckled and motioned for Neji to follow him away from the clearing.

"A tad, but only in the last day. Any interest of my daughter's is an interest of mine, as you well know" he said. The branch Hyuga glanced back at the clearing and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are we not retrieving her?" he asked. Hiashi shook his head and continued on back towards the Hyuga Estate.

"There's no need to encite such chaos. She'd be more than a little bit miffed by our intervention" he replied. Neji nodded and jogged to catch up with his uncle.

"She can be quite intimidating when angered"

A/N: Three very different scenes, and a slightly longer chapter than usual for you guys. Tell me what you all thought. Remember, let's try for 60 reviews by next chapter :)

See you next chapter! Read and Review!