Eternal Rivals: Yin and Yang

by Zipzapdoowoop

For millennia, 2 lineages have controlled the history of the continent. The world is kept in constant war. Death, suffering, and anguish are mixed in with instability. However, the birth of the last 2 of the bloodlines will transform the crowded continent of today into the barren wasteland of tomorrow. *Split-Personality Naruto*, *Byakugan Naruto*.

18. Chapter 13: Blossoming Lilac

I've been gone for a while. I know, and I'm sorry. This last month has been full of... extraordinary circumstances, to put it lightly. Don't ask.

Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to some slight world-building and the building of the relationship between Hinata and Naruto. This establishes Hinata's goal too. She didn't really have one in canon, and I felt I needed to give her something to give her purpose other than being Naruto's wife. I also tease an ability I'll give Hinata. I just want a strong Hyuuga Clan.

Review: Good chapter. But I have expected Naruto would chose alternate path. Hope you update soon..

Answer: And Nithi Velu, about Naruto choosing a path. Remember this, at this moment and time, Naruto is what, 12-13 years old. He's still young, dumb, and naive. He won't, I repeat, He WILL NOT walk the same path he did in canon, but again, he'll learn things as he matures. He needs to see things, do things, and end things by himself before he's convinced that his way is wrong. Give it time. This is a story that brings realism into the fold. People don't change their life's purpose at the drop of a dime.

I'm done. If I think about more to say, I'll let you know in the next update.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and let's get on with the story.

General narration

"Talking"

Flashbacks

'Thinking'

Narration

"Yami speaking"

"Bijuu talking"

'Bijuu thinking'

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OCs.

---

When Naruto is escorted out of the Hyuuga Compound, he can't help but let his mind wander off into the empty current that is his train of thought. He stares at the ground, and he fidgets every so often, still feeling Yami's nails digging into his trachea. He still feels the phantom pains, but the sensation is real.

'Phantom pains' felt like an oxymoronic nonsensical phrase that people used to describe remembering what something felt like. Something that didn't exist. That's what he thought, but he was so, so wrong. It's very real, and it's awful. Kind of like sleep paralysis, except that just like with Phantom pains, for him, the phenomenon is real. His demon is a giant 9-tailed fox with a temper the size of Goliath.

What was he thinking about again?

His tangent was broken when he spots a familiar shade of indigo hair lurking behind a tree inside the compound.

"Oii, Hinata! How are you?"

Hinata quickly folds into herself and hides deeper behind the tree.

Naruto feels a vindictive hand shove him so hard he almost falls. "Owww! What the hell?!"

The guard stares fiercely at the blond. "Don't address Hinata-sama so casually, Gaki. Move along. Your time is up. Leave this compound, and don't cause needless disruptions."

Naruto massages his left shoulder where the shove landed. "Fine, but you didn't have to be so rough! I was on my way out anyway, dattebayo!"

The Hyuuga guard sneers in disgust. "I will be as rough as I need to in order to follow Hiashi-sama's orders. Especially when it pertains to you, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto growls at the guard. 'Great. Another piece of shit who hates me for simply existing. Why can't I ever catch a break?'

The guard narrows his eyes dangerously at the blond. "And now you are growling. How typical that an uncouth mannerism like that could come from an animal."

Naruto bears his teeth. "You got something you want to say?"

Hinata briskly walks between the guard and the object of her admiration. "U-um, excuse me, Naruto-kun, Hideo-san."

Naruto and the now-named Hideo look at the person who put themself in the middle of their conflict.

Hideo bows in subservience. "Hinata-sama! It's an honor to be graced by your presence. I was simply getting rid of a nuisance before you intervened. There is no need for you to get involved, my Lady."

Naruto frowns deeply. "Nuh-uh! Hinata, this bastard was treating me like a pest before you showed up! I haven't done anything wrong, dattebayo!"

Hideo frowns himself. "Hinata-sama, your father, Hiashi-sama granted Uzumaki-san permission to enter the compound on official business. Now that his time is up, I am escorting him out of the compound. I am merely doing my job."

Naruto scoffs. "Real damned dedicated, aren't you?" He states sarcastically.

Hinata, being as meek as she is, doesn't have the strength needed to set the record straight. So instead, she does what she can do to resolve the situation. "Hideo-san. I'll escort Naruto-k, I-I mean, Uz-Uzumaki-san out of the c-co-compound on your behalf."

Hideo's eyes widen. "Hinata-sama, no. It's my duty to serve the Main Branch. Don't burden yourself with needless effort on your behalf. Don't worry about something so beneath you, Hinata-sama."

Hinata would usually concede defeat by now, but seeing the way the guard treated Naruto lit a small, minuscule flame in her heart. "N-no, Hideo-san, I insist. Please, go back to your post. I-I will take it from h-here on out."

Hideo bows fully toward Hinata. "If you'll excuse me then, my Lady." The guard leaves and makes his way back to his post.

Hinata lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Naruto's face nearly splits in two from how hard he's grinning. "Wow, Hinata. I didn't know you had that in you. You took control of the situation so easily and in a peaceful manner. That was so cool, dattebayo!"

Hinata's face heats up into a harsh rosy color. Hinata suddenly feels light-headed. "M-m-me? C-cool? N-Naruto-kun thinks I'm… cool?"

Naruto chuckles. "Well, yeah! I can count on one hand the number of people that have stood up for me. And I know how shy you are, so for you to go out of your way to do that for me… that makes you the coolest."

Hinata's face explodes into a tomato-red color. She clenches her eyes shut, trying to will the darkness tugging at her wakefulness away. She feels like she's gonna faint!

Naruto looks around the compound in confusion. "Uhh, Hinata. So, where is the way out? This place is huge!"

Hinata suddenly remembers the excuse she gave for intervening in the prior conflict. She shakes her head violently, trying to desperately stay awake. "R…right. Th-the exit. Follow me… N-Naruto-kun."

Hinata gets her breathing into a manageable, but still unstable level. She forms her hands into fists to ease away at her jitters of being so close to Naruto-kun.

Naruto looks keenly at the Hyuuga heiress. "You know, I've been wondering. You implied earlier with… Hideo… that you wanted to talk to me about something. You have me all to yourself now, so what is it?"

Hinata squeaks in surprise. The hair of her neck stands on end, and she feels a surge of Adrenaline rush through her veins. "I-I…I…" When she thinks about it, Hinata understands that what she wants to know is far too personal to ask on a whim. She can't ask Naruto that so fast, or else she'll scare him off, and he'll never want to talk to her again, and he'll hate her forever, and they can never have their happy ending together…

Or, she can work her way up to the question, but she needs to hang out with Naruto in order to do that. But asking him out is so embarrassing, and she feels like she'd die on the spot if she did that.

So it's either she embarrasses herself in front of the person she admires most, or she can never know the answer to her problems. It's sink or swim…

"Naruto-kun… I wanted to know if you…"

Naruto quirks a brow. "If I… what?"

Hinata starts to shake. "If you…"

Naruto steps into Hinata's personal space. "If I?"

Hinata feels like she's about to cry. She just can't do it! It's too much and too fast.

Naruto sighs. "Hey, don't worry about it. If you are not ready to tell me, then we can talk some other time, okay? It's no big deal."

Hinata nods in shame.

"So, would you mind pointing me the way out, Hinata?"

Hinata points toward the direction of the exit.

"Alright. Thanks, Hinata!" Naruto smiles at her and walks off.

Hinata looks down at her feet. She failed, again. She wanted to know what made Naruto so special. She wanted to be someone worthy of admiration too, but she failed at even taking the first step. At this rate, she'll never change, and her goal will forever be out of her grasp.

Her goal…

Her… goal…

HER GOAL!

Hinata runs in the direction of where Naruto went. When she catches up, she yells out to him. "W-wait! Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turns around and sees Hinata running after him.

Hinata stands in front of him with her cheeks puffed out. She seems to be trying to force the words out rather than wait until she's ready. "I… I wanted to ask if you… if you would l-like to g-go h-h-hang out w-with… m-m-m-m-me?"

Naruto's eyebrows shoot up to his hairline. "What?"

Hinata can feel her throat seize up, but she pushes through. "Y-you know… g-going out together… as f-friends."

Naruto's mouth gapes open. "W-what? Y-you think we're friends, dattebayo? Do you really?"

Hinata feels scrutinized right now, like a deer caught in the torch lights of a carriage. "W-well, I hope so… Aren't we?"

Naruto looks at the ground to hide his face from Hinata. He can feel a wide, painful grin start splitting his face in two. He has another friend and one who considers him one too! He has another honest-to-God friend! Today was a great day.

Hinata pokes her index fingers together. "W-we could go watch a movie… or um… eat some sweets in a bakery… or go to a game stall… o-or w-we could buy some r-ramen f-from Ichiraku. Whatever you want, Naruto-kun."

Naruto raises his head and looks Hinata in the eyes. His smile softens but remains wide and pure. "Yeah, of course, we can. We're friends now." Naruto suddenly gets a glint in his eye. "Actually, let's go now!" Naruto grabs Hinata by the hand and drags her along with him.

"W-wait! Naruto-kun!" Hinata's face explodes into a red gradient, similar to red spray paint or the splatter of blood. All she can fixate on is that she is holding hands with Naruto.

Naruto laughs at Hinata's expression. "Don't be so shy, Hinata. There's no time like the present, right? I'll make sure this is the most fun day of your life, dattebayo! We'll do everything!"

Hinata's eyes become swirls as she tries to work through the sudden wave of vertigo working on her body.

…

Naruto brings Hinata to the village center. Today is Saturday. It's the first day of the weekend, and it's when most people have a day off. The amount of people busy roaming the streets looking for some fun is staggering, so it's only natural that a few vendors would look to take advantage of the situation. People selling hats, accessories, food, snacks, and entertainment consume entire streets of space.

Naruto brings Hinata to a stall where you can throw a small metal pellet at some bottles and win a prize as long as all bottles are knocked over. There was a fee to pay, but Naruto has enough saved up to splurge today.

"Hey Hinata, this looks like fun. Wanna give it a go?"

Hinata's face lights up with a small smile. Naruto can see how fidgety and excited the girl looks. She seems raring to go, except suddenly, she becomes crestfallen. "I-um… You took me here unexpectedly, so I-I had no time to grab my wallet."

Naruto's eyes widen. That's right. He gave Hinata no time to get ready. He pretty much dragged her out here with no regard for what she was doing at the moment. "I see."

Hinata clasps her hands and looks at the ground. "I-I'm sorry f-for ruining your fun, Naruto-kun."

The girl's gaze instinctively travels back to the stall, specifically a small orange fox plushy behind all the big, flashy prizes. She stares at the plushy with longing. Her eyes quickly go back to the Earth at her feet. Her sadness grows to the point that the girl looks on the verge of tears.

Naruto smiles. "Hinata, I didn't ask anything about if you had any money. I asked if you wanted to have a go at the game." Naruto takes a few coins out of his pocket and presents them to Hinata.

Hinata staggers back, feeling dazed. 'Naruto-kun is paying for me… l-like a d-d-date?!'

"I-I c-couldn't p-p-possibly ask you to go o-out of your way." Hinata panics about her unsure stuttering, which only worsens her stuttering.

Naruto walks up to the counter. "Hey, boss, one go for the pretty Hyuuga right there." Says Naruto while pointing at Hinata

"W-w-what?!" Hinata shrieks at the sudden, mortifying attention.

The shopkeeper chuckles. "Alright missy, have a try. But just a warning, you aren't allowed to use Ninjutsu or any chakra tricks."

Naruto runs back to Hinata and puts the pellet in her hand. He pushes her toward the stall and sets her in front of the bottles.

Hinata gulps. "O-Okay, Ojii-san." Hinata looks at the small pellet with trepidation. What now? Naruto-kun already spent his money on her turn, and it'd be rude of her to waste the opportunity. She has no choice but to try her best.

Hinata takes a deep breath and slides her foot back to get in a good throwing position. Even without her Byakugan, she was always pretty good with her aim. Hinata rears her arm back and takes a step forward. She swings her arm forward and releases the pellet.

*Clink*

The pellet hits her target. Hinata hits a bullseye on the first attempt. She smiles at her accomplishment, but…

The bottles sway back and forth a bit, but in the end, they barely move from their spot. Only the bottle at the top manages to tip over, and even then, it barely crawled its way off the tower formation.

Hinata frowns in disappointment.

Naruto pats her on the back. "Hey, that was a great shot Hinata! You aimed the pellet perfectly, and on the first try! I wish I was as good as you are when it comes to marksmanship."

Hinata preens at the praise. It's true. She is great at marksmanship. Even in the Academy, she was great at all the activities that required aim, like kunai and shuriken throwing. She rarely ever missed the target. Unfortunately, she always came second to Sasuke, but to be fair, that kid was good at everything.

"Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." She blushes prettily.

Naruto marches up to the counter. "Alright jii-chan, I'll go next, and I'll win this stupid game, and I'll win that prize right there." Naruto points blatantly at the fox Hinata was eyeing earlier. "I'll win it for you, Hinata, dattebayo!"

Hinata blushes up to her roots. Her mortification could not be any worse, but she can't help the genuine smile that forces its way onto her lips, nor could she ignore the butterflies fluttering intensely in her stomach.

Naruto pays for his pellet and he sets quickly. His eyes narrow on the bottles. He swings his arm back wildly and snarls as he releases the pellet.

The metal ball zooms in the air in a straight, perfect line. It has so much speed that nothing could stop the thing without being destroyed for its efforts.

*Clink* CRASH*

A loud crash is heard, along with the high-pitched shatter of glass breaking and falling to the ground.

When Naruto looks at his handiwork, he grimaces at what he sees.

The only bottle he tumbled was the top one. Well, more like he destroyed it, and the pieces of it came to fall off the tower. The ball continued and smashed into one of the spare bottles behind the tower, resting on a separate shelf. The pellet went onward and hit the wooden wall of the stall, and smashed through that, leaving a small, perfectly round hole in the middle of the wall.

Naruto chuckles nervously. "Ahahaha… sorry."

The shopkeeper rubs his forehead to ease away at his building migraine. He sighs heavily. "No, no, don't worry. Only two bottles broke, and the hole can be easily covered up."

Naruto breathes a sigh of relief.

He goes up and pays for one more pellet. "Hinata, go again."

Hinata tentatively takes the pellet and goes back to her spot.

Naruto walks up to her and whispers in her ear. "The way I see it, you may have a near-perfect aim, but you lack power. I have high explosive strength but I lack surety in my aim. I think that you need to focus solely on exerting a lot of pure, raw power into this next swing, and hope that your latent marksman-like talent will do the rest."

Hinata is slightly bewildered at Naruto's…. Intelligent language. It's not that she thinks he's dumb or anything, but it's just not Naruto's thing to talk so… well.

No matter. Naruto sounded serious, so she'll take whatever advice he gives her to heart. "R-right!"

Hinata takes a deep breath. She looks intently at the middle of the bottle tower. She needs to get that spot perfectly-no! Naruto-kun said that she needs to focus on power. Power, right.

Hinata takes a step back and rears her arm back. She takes half a step forward with her other foot, and she swings her arm out with the velocity and motion of a whip. She releases and the pellet zooms forward.

The pellet hits the center of the bottle tower. The whole thing wobbles and sways before at last, the bottle on the bottom falls, and with that, the whole thing comes crashing down.

Glass bottles fall to the ground, and the following cascade of crashes and high-pitched shrieks from the glass makes a symphony that yells out her success for the world to hear.

Hinata gapes at it all. She… she did it! She really took down the bottle tower!

The shopkeeper claps. "Congratulations, missy. You took down the tower! Take your pick out of these wonderful prizes!"

Hinata immediately ignores the giant stuffed elephants, tigers, birds, etc. And she ignores the trains, cards, and flashy metal contraptions in favor of focusing on the small, orange fox.

She points at it earnestly. "I would like that one please."

The shopkeeper is left stupefied at this unexpected. and frankly odd choice. "Huh? Really? I've been wanting to get rid of that old thing for weeks now. I guess everyone has different tastes." He grabs the fox and hands it over to the girl.

Hinata snatches the plushy and hugs it into her chest. She hides her smile with the fox's body.

She bows at the shopkeeper and runs off behind Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto beams. "No problem."

Suddenly, Hinata's stomach growls. She burns up and hides her face with the plushy.

Naruto laughs. "Ahahahaha! Don't be embarrassed, Hinata. I haven't eaten anything either. Let's go see what these food stalls have to offer."

Hinata helplessly allows Naruto to drag her off to find a snack.

…

Naruto walks around looking for a snack for himself and his new friend. He watches Hinata keenly. Since he doesn't know her that well, he's going based purely on Hinata's reactions rather than his own knowledge of her tastes.

He smirks when he sees her nose twitch when they near a Yakitori stand. He gets in line with her and they wait in comfortable silence.

Hinata bites the inside of her cheek in order to build up the courage to speak. "N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto looks at the shy girl. "Yeah?"

Hinata pokes her fingers together while making sure her face is hidden by the fox plushy. "Th-thank you. For the fox."

Naruto rubs the back of his head bashfully. "Hehe, no need to thank me, Hinata. You took down the bottle tower. That was all you, so you fully deserve your new fluffy companion."

"No! I mean that if it w-weren't for you p-paying for me, and if it weren't for your advice on what to do, then I-I would have never won Kitsune-kun." She smiles gently and bows slightly to show her appreciation.

Naruto can't help but feel a little flustered at that. Such honest, genuine kindness and gratitude are a luxury for him. Experiencing it is a new, overwhelming, scary, yet welcome feeling. "Well, I can't deny that, but in the end, I did nothing special. It's your abilities and talent that got you through. I did give you advice, but it was your choice on whether to follow it or not. So yeah, Kitsune-kun is here with us based solely on your own effort, dattebayo."

Hinata blushes slightly at Naruto's teasing for naming the fox. She didn't mean to blurt it out, but Naruto's teasing doesn't hurt her. It seems to be done out of affection rather than malice.

She doesn't mind it at all, actually.

When they finally get to the counter to place their order, Naruto stiffens at seeing the person manning the stall.

He doesn't actually know the old man's name, but this person is one of the meanest people he's ever known. He's made his childhood difficult for him, always refusing to serve him, and always going out of his way to put him down and insult him. This man is someone he would rather never have to deal with… but Hinata wants Yakitori, and this man is serving it.

Naruto takes a deep breath. "Two sticks of Yakitori, please."

The old man stiffens at hearing a voice he knows all too well. "Tch. So you're back, you mangy vulpine."

Naruto frowns. "Two orders of Yakitori, please." Naruto takes out the money and places it on the counter.

The old man sneers. "And what makes you think I'd ever serve you, you filthy animal?" He swats away the coins. "And I don't want your filthy money!"

Naruto's eye twitches violently. He crouches and picks up his money. "Look, it's not for me. I was only inviting my friend out for a snack. If you're not willing to serve me, then at least make sure she gets served." Naruto moves out of the way to show a very annoyed-looking Hinata.

The shopkeeper's disposition makes a 180. "Oh, Hyuuga-sama! It'd be my pleasure to serve you. But a word of advice, stay away from that kid! You don't want to be associated with trash like him."

Hinata's eye twitches. A deep frown sits on her face.

Naruto places his money back on the counter.

The man takes two skewers off of his grill. He looks at Naruto sharply. "That'll be 100 Ryo."

Naruto gnashes his teeth. "What?! But the sign says 1 skewer for 30 Ryo and 2 for 50. What gives?!"

The man looks at the boy neutrally. "Yeah, that's true. But that is for people. Animals pay double. You're lucky I'm even letting you buy my food. It's only because Hyuuga-sama has graced my stand, and you are paying for her."

Naruto fumes. He pulls 50 extra Ryo out of his wallet and slams them on the counter. He snatches the skewers and grabs Hinata's hand. He runs away from the stand while dragging the girl with him.

…

Naruto finally stops running when he reaches the park, which is far from where the stand is. He hyperventilates to try and calm himself down. He's never felt so humiliated before. And it was done in front of an audience.

And worst of all, he was humiliated and demeaned in front of his new friend.

Speaking of which.

Naruto takes a deep breath and forces a fake grin on his face. "Sorry, you had to see that, Hinata. Here, take your skewer."

Hinata takes the skewer and stares dully at it. She doesn't feel like eating it anymore. She looks at Naruto and sees that he hasn't touched his food either. "What was that just now, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto flinches. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Hinata looks the boy in the eyes. "That man was saying such horrible things about you. H-he treated you like you weren't even a person. Why?!" She demands.

Naruto looks down at the ground. He sees a shadow move in front of him, and his eyes naturally follow. He sees a kid running around with a ball at his feet making his way toward his friends.

The kids run up to him with grins. "Oiii, Yuta, don't kick the ball so hard next time. It nearly fell in the river!"

The now-named Yuta grins sheepishly. "Ah, well, it was an accident. It won't happen again! How about we throw the ball instead of kicking it?"

When he reaches his friends, he kicks the ball at one of his friends' faces. "Tag, you're it!" Yuta and the others run off before their friend can react.

The downed boy gets up and growls. "Heyl That's cheating! I wasn't ready!" He picks up the ball and runs after his giggling friends.

Observing this, Naruto's false grin cracks, breaks down, and crumbles, making way for a very real despondent smile. He remembers whenever he tried to play with kids his age when he was younger. How people would reject him at every turn. How people would find any excuse to not let him join. How they'd recoil in disgust whenever he tagged someone in the off chance he was allowed to play tag. How other kids would kick the ball at his face, and instead of saying tag, they'd gang up on him and keep kicking the ball at him.

An aura of misery surrounds him and embraces his entire being. He remembers Hinata's question. "Why?" Why did the shopkeeper treat him like he was less than a human?

"I… I don't know. I've always been an outcast. I've been treated like an outsider my entire life. It's typical of the village pariah. But there are few who have ever treated me as bad as that man." A frown forms when he remembers all the cruel words the man has poisoned his mind with.

Hinata grabs Naruto's shoulders. "But why? Why does he treat someone as honest, cool, and kind as you are like trash? Why is it that someone as great as you has to go through so much hardship, but scum like him live happy, normal lives? I don't get it!" The girl is on the verge of tears.

Naruto shakes his head. "... I don't know. The world is not fair. That's all I have."

Hinata's bottom lip warbles.

Naruto smiles reassuringly at her. "But don't worry, Hinata. I won't let it get to me. I get called stuff like that all the time! I'm used to it, dattebayo."

"But you shouldn't ever get used to mistreatment, Naruto-kun! If you keep taking it and let him do that to you, then it'll never stop! He'll keep doing it because he sees that you do nothing about it! He'll think it's okay! I won't let that happen! Won't you do something about it?" Hinata cries. There's a small spark forming a flame in the deep recesses of her mind.

Naruto chuckles bitterly. "I've tried, already. But who would ever believe me, the village outcast, the pariah over a reputable shop owner like him? And even if they did… insulting someone isn't actually illegal."

Hinata looms over Naruto. She exuded the aura of a clan heiress at that moment. "But the refusal of service is. That is completely illegal."

Naruto shakes his head. "I know, but even that won't work. He makes the case that my deplorable reputation would hurt the image of his business. Pretty much, he applies to his right to defend his private property. And since his property generates revenue for the village… there's nothing I can do." Naruto puts his hands over his face and rubs his eyes.

Hinata considers what Naruto just told her. She can't lie, she knows that private property laws play a huge role in Konoha and its politics, it's part of the reason why clans have so much private power and why they are allowed to have clan-exclusive secrets, but she never expected it to be that significant.

She smiles sweetly at Naruto. A little too sweetly. "If the civil and legal outlets of this village refuse to punish that man for his transgressions, then I suppose we must take matters into our own hands, right Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shivers.

Hinata might have phrased it as a question, but based on the tone of her voice, this is an order.

Wow. He had no idea Hinata could be so scary.

"Y-yeah, right. You're right, Hinata." Naruto chuckles nervously.

Hinata beams at him. She fidgets a little and pokes her fingers together. "S-so, do you have any ideas, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto ponders carefully, but for only a second. He grins devilishly and chuckles maliciously. "Fufufufu…Yeah… I think I might."

Hinata pales slightly. 'Oh wow. I never thought Naruto-kun could be so scary!'

She smiles nervously. "A-Alright. Whatever you decide to do, I'll help."

Naruto grins. "Yatta!"

Before they leave, Hinata stops her friend. "Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looks back. "Yes?"

Hinata takes the skewer out of his hand. She walks over to the trash can in the center of the park and throws both meat skewers inside. She seemed to be satisfied after doing that.

Suddenly, she remembers the effort Naruto went to get those. "W-wait, I forgot Naruto-kun paid extra for those skewers. I-I'm s-so, so sorry, Naruto-kun!" Hinata bows deeply.

Naruto chuckles. "Hahaha! Don't worry about it. I didn't have much of an appetite after what happened."

Hinata breathes a sigh of relief.

Naruto picks something from the bench and walks up to Hinata. "You forgot this." He presents her with the stuffed fox.

Hinata gasps. "Kitsune-kun! I thought I had you in my arms!"

Naruto snickers. "You forgot him on the bench. Don't worry. As long as I'm here, you and Kitsune-kun will always be safe, dattebayo!"

Hinata giggles into her hand. "Yeah, Naruto-kun is really strong!"

Naruto grins. "You know it!" He grabs her hand and they run off to prepare their vengeance on the shopowner.

…

Naruto takes Hinata back to the village center. He sneaks with her in the shadows and the alleyways where no one will see them. At last, he and Hinata jump up into a large tree a few blocks off of the stand. Up there, they can keep a visual on the store, and no one will know of their plans since they are too high up for anyone to hear their voices. "Alright, I have an idea, and I have it all planned step-by-step, but I have no idea where to start. Step 1 is the hardest. I need your help, Hinata."

Hinata blushes prettily hearing that. '"I need your help, Hinata.." That felt so good to hear. Naruto-kun needs her expertise with his plans. How glorious.

But naturally, Hinata's nature slowly corrupted what she heard.

"I need you, Hinata." Hinata nearly chokes on her own breath when that thought crosses her mind. Naruto-kun needs her?.. In what way? She is ready for most things but…

"I want you, Hinata."

Her cheeks light aflame. 'No! I'm not ready for that yet! What are you doing to me, Naruto-kun?'

Naruto snaps his fingers in front of Hinata's face. "Hinata? Is everything okay? You started turning red like a cherry and giggling all creepy-like. Kind of like when Kakashi-sensei reads that pervy book of his."

Hinata quickly looks away to hide her shame from Naruto. 'H-how did he know I read that book?! Wait, no, no. What am I doing? He's asking me for honest help, and here I am objectifying him. I'm not a good friend.'

Hinata bows deeply. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto waves it off. "Mah mah, no big deal. Just try paying attention, okay?"

Hinata nods.

Naruto clears his throat. "Alright. I've been thinking. That shopkeeper makes my life miserable, because of two things. One; He knows that few people will come to my aid, because of my shitty reputation. And two; He knows that if someone does, there's nothing they can do against him. He's reputable and trustworthy, so people will always take his side."

Hinata nods. That's been established already, but why mention it again?

Naruto smiles mysteriously. "That made me understand something about him. The shopkeeper cares about one thing above all else. Reputation! He cares more about reputation than even money, dattebayo!"

Hinata's eyes widen. 'Reputation! Of course, it all makes sense! Someone as vain and spiteful as that man would have something so shallow and superficial as his motivation.'

Hinata then frowns in confusion. "But Naruto-kun, wh-what do we do with that information? W-we know his motivation is reputation, but… now what?"

Naruto smiles sadistically. "That means if we want to have true vengeance, then we need to attack the one thing that matters most to him above all else. We attack him where it hurts. We need to damage his good image, and give him a dubious reputation."

Hinata feels goosebumps form on her arms. Naruto is giving off a very dangerous aura at the moment. "A-a-and h-how do we d-do that?"

Naruto rubs his hands together and chuckles like a villain. "His food and his stand gave him a good image, and it can just as easily give him an equally negative image." Naruto smiles at Hinata. "I recently found out that my Henge is different from most. Rather than it being Genjutsu cast on top of me, my Henge makes me literally transform into what I want, dattebayo!"

Hinata has stars in her eyes. "Really?! How did you figure that out?! You need to teach me sometime! You are so cool, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto blushes at the praise. He chuckles bashfully. It's curious, really, that Hinata didn't stutter while praising him. He decides to move on, however. "Anyway, since I can do that, I wanted to try and transform into the most disgusting thing that turns everyone off, regardless of standing. I wanted to transform into a cockroach and make it seem like the shopkeeper has a roach infestation!"

Hinata shivers. Naruto can be really evil when he wants to be. "Th-that's actually v-very messed up, N-Naruto-kun. You can r-ruin h-his business for good. Y-You'd b-be messing with his l-livelihood."

Naruto frowns. "What? I thought you were going to help me with this? Are you going to bail on me now of all times?"

Hinata's eyes widen. She did say she was going to help Naruto-kun with his…prank. 'Yeesh. If this is Naruto-kun's idea of a prank, I don't want to know what his idea of torture is.'

Anyway, it'd look really bad if she suddenly decided not to help only after he revealed his intent. She doesn't want Naruto to have a bad image of her or think that she'd rat him out, so she resolves herself. "No, no. I'll s-still help you, N-Naruto-kun. What do you need m-me for?" She reluctantly folds on the matter.

He sighs in relief. "I want you to use your Byakugan and help me find a gap around the sides or the back of the stall big enough for a roach to pass through, but small enough where no one would notice me and my clones. Then, I need you to go back on the line for Yakitori, and when you go to take your order, pretend to spot a roach, and react hysterically. Leave, and watch the fun from afar. Do you think you can do that?"

Hinata gulps. Her part is much bigger than she thought it'd be. The entire prank pretty much falls on how well she can act out her part. If she fails, the prank falls flat on its face. "Y-yeah, I-I can d-do it, N-N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiles. "Alright! Let's go, Hinata! Look at the stall and tell me what you see."

Hinata nods hesitantly. She performs the seals needed to activate her Doujutsu. Suddenly, her vision turns black and white, and she can see 360 degrees. She narrows her eyes to focus on the stand. She can see the holes on the side of the stand from where nails used to be, but they are too small for a fully-sized roach to fit through.

She ignores the holes inside the stand. They are the perfect size and are hidden, but the clones need to get inside the stall in the first place.

She looks at the back of the stand and finds a few curious spots. There is a large hole in the back of the stand that is being covered up by a poster. It could easily fit a small kitten, but despite being covered up by a poster, it'd be pretty easy to spot anything coming out from behind it.

She sees a small hole in the corner where the back and the side meet. It's small enough to be obscured by the cabinets in front of it but large enough for a rodent to fit through. The only problem is that it'd be incredibly hard for anything to get past the cabinets or the stove. It's sealed off by the appliances.

At last, she spots something… strange. The walls of the stand are hollow. And the many holes inside the stand are shallow enough not to puncture the second wall leading outside. She also spots an unkept hole on the TOP of the stand with complete access to the space inside the walls. That gives her an idea. A clever idea that Naruto would be proud of.

"U-um, Naruto-kun? I-I couldn't f-find the s-sp-spaces you a-asked for. B-But I-I did find another way." Hinata had to force out the first part of that sentence. To fail Naruto so spectacularly nearly broke her fragile self-worth. But finding a different solution helped her keep some grasp of self.

Naruto frowns slightly at the first part of Hinata's sentence but raises an eyebrow in intrigue at the second part. "Another way? What is it?"

Hinata gulps. "T-the h-holes on the outside a-are either not the right size, o-or are t-too exposed. But the w-walls are h-hollow, a-and there is a hole on top of the stand that is the right size. Y-you can fit your c-clones inside, and you can crawl inside the walls and m-make your way out after." Hinata swallows greedy breaths of air to help herself calm down. There was a point where her nerves made her stutter on every other word. She needs to keep a level head and not make a fool out of herself.

Naruto's eyes widen in surprise at Hinata's suggestion. He gets in a thinking pose. "Instead of forcing my way in, I can work my way inside inch by inch." He has a small smile on his face as he slowly faces Hinata. When he makes eye contact, his face splits into a massive, goofy grin. "You know, you are really smart, Hinata. You need to stop underestimating yourself. You are one of the coolest people I know, dattebayo."

Hinata's eyes widen. The words that came out of Naruto's mouth sounded so foreign to her that she couldn't comprehend them. She doesn't even blush at the praise. All she feels is confusion, the type that makes you feel stuck.

Naruto's grin takes on a darker tone. "Now, it's time. Hinata, get in the line and get ready for your part. Good luck, and thank you."

Hinata smiles weakly. She's happy to be counted on by Naruto, but she feels equal parts guilt in her role in potentially permanently damaging someone's business.

No matter. It's what Naruto-kun wants, so she'll try her best to make everyone happy. She'll just have to react in a way that hurts the man's image badly enough to where he learns his lesson, but gently enough to where he can still recover his image only after working for it.

Now, how does she go about doing that?

Ehh, she has no time to prepare, so she'll have to figure it out as she goes. 'I need to improvise as well as Naruto-kun does. But he makes it look so easy. Can I really do that?'

…

Hinata gets in line and pokes her fingers nervously. She has no idea how to go about doing this. She will potentially play a big role in ruining someone's business for good. As the heiress of the wealthy and prestigious Hyuuga Clan, she knows better than most how delicate reputation is, and how profitable it is. The Hyuuga Clan makes most of its revenue from products that are held in high regard because of word of mouth. She could only imagine how devastating something like this would be to the Tea Brewers of her clan, and how bad an infestation would be to those who grow their tea.

Hinata takes a step forward as the line advances. She reminds herself to appear natural. She needs to act like her usual self and order another stick of Yakitori. When she sees the Naruto-kun roach clone, she'll need to react in near hysterics. If she is too passive in her reaction, people will still be put off, but his business will only take a slight hit. If she reacts too hysterically, there is an equal chance of people not taking her seriously, or that the business is forever ruined. So yeah, near hysterics works.

Hinata can see that there is only one person left in front of her. She looks around, hoping to find some sort of resolve, She can't do this!

In the corner of her eye, she spots a familiar mop of blond spikes. She spots Naruto hiding behind a tree, giving her a reassuring smile and a wink.

She blushes and smiles softly herself. She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and calms her nerves. When she opens her eyes again, they are burning with regretful resolve.

Finally, it's her turn on the line.

The shopkeeper's eyebrows raise in surprise at seeing the Hyuuga heiress back again. "Hyuuga-sama? Back so soon?"

Hinata's lips twitch at the false respect. She can see this man doesn't see her as someone of reverence.

She bites her tongue though and fakes a gentle smile. "Y-yes. I-I went back h-home to get my wallet. Y-Your food is v-very good. I would l-like one more stick, please." Her gentle tone of voice and typical nervous mannerisms makes Hinata's statement seem genuine.

The shopkeeper smiles. "Coming right up, Hyuuga-sama. This one is on the house, seeing as you learned your lesson and started distancing yourself from that filthy creature posing as a person."

Hinata's eye twitches violently and her smile becomes strained. Thankfully, everyone was too preoccupied to notice.

When the shopkeeper turned around to collect the skewer, Hinata looked around the stall to see if she could spot an insect. Unfortunately, she sees nothing.

The shopkeeper turns back around and hands the skewer to Hinata. "Here you go. Tell everyone what you think." He smiles arrogantly.

Hinata reluctantly takes the skewer. When it's in her hand, she finally realizes what Naruto intended to do. She mentally smirks, knowing she can't reveal her true intentions while having an audience.

Her eyes widen and her face pulls back in equal parts disgust and horror. "A-a-a… A r-ro-roach! O-o-o-on my…" She drops the skewer and points at it dramatically. "A-a-a r-r-roach o-on m-m-m-my f-f-food!"

The people in line and in the area all stop what they are doing to look at what the honorable Hyuuga heiress is so stressed about.

They see a huge roach standing on the girl's dropped skewer, hissing angrily at any who come near its meal.

Everyone's eyes widen in disbelief.

"There's no way! The old man has roaches?"

"His food has always been super clean. Have the standards dropped?"

"How can he in good conscious sell something so foul?"

"I came here last week and got the stomach flu soon after. It must've been his dirty food that caused this."

Murmurs, rumors, and gossip flood the crowd as they stare at the roach in disbelief.

The shopkeeper looks to be on the brink of an aneurysm. "That's impossible. I try my best to keep this shop as clean as can be! I get inspected weekly! There must be a mistake!"

The crowd whispers harshly among themselves. There seems to be a divide between the people that want to jump on the chance to put down the old man, and those who have trouble doubting the old man's quality.

Suddenly, everyone's attention is stolen by a familiar whiskered blond sneaking into the stand, trying to steal a fresh skewer from the grill.

The old man seethes. "You! It must've been you! Everything was fine until you showed up today! It must've been your filthy scent that attracted that vermin to my reputable establishment!"

Naruto looks at him quizzically. "You know, it's immature of you to blame someone else for your shortcomings. I shower every day. And from the smell of you, I'm not surprised you have roaches in your store." Naruto grins maliciously.

The old man sees red. "SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU FILTHY VULPINE!" The man swings a heavy punch at Naruto. There are gasps of outrage at seeing the old man take a swing at a child.

The blond dodges and jumps out of the stall back into the street before the hit can land.

The old man's punch is heavy enough to break the wall of his stand. When he pulls his fist out, the wood planks holding onto his arm break off the wall, showing the hollow gap inside.

When the gap is made, a legion of hundreds of massive, hissing roaches swarm out and scurry into the stall and onto the street.

Hinata gasps at the scene. She looks at the approaching swarm with wild eyes. She shrieks. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" The girl quickly turns pale and faints.

Naruto runs in after her. "Hinata!" He gets on his knees and carries her in his arms in a bridal carry. He taps her face to get a response. "Hinata! Are you okay? Answer me, please!"

Naruto's desperate pleas grab the attention of the crowd. They glare at the shopkeeper. "Look at what you've done! Look at the state of Hyuuga-sama! I'm never coming back here again!"

The crowd collectively runs away from the stand, leaving the owner alone with his mess.

Naruto runs away from the scene with Hinata in his arms, still tapping her on the face. "Hinata! Hinata! Answer me!"

Hinata opens one of her pale lilac eyes and looks into Naruto's worried sapphire. She smirks teasingly and even giggles quietly. She closes her eye again and pretends to go limp.

After that, Naruto grins widely. Hinata went above and beyond what he expected of her. She really is so much cooler than even he thought she was. Now knowing how manipulative Hinata can be when she wants to, Naruto can't help the slightly manic smile plastered on his face. Hinata can be pretty damn terrifying when she wants to be. But that makes this so much more fun!

Hinata mentally giggles at what she and Naruto just did. 'Oh my God! The old man's face when he saw the swarm of bugs was priceless. Naruto-kun's plan was genius.'

She then remembers her previous feelings about the prank before she did what she did. 'At first, I was worried about what the damage would be. I was going to take it easy on the old man, but hearing the way he talked about Naruto-kun, and seeing him try to hurt him… I couldn't let any of that slide. That man wasn't going to get any mercy from me.

Besides, that man has already built up decades worth of goodwill in the community. He should recover. And if not…' Hinata smiles wickedly. She oozes malice and sadistic pleasure at the retribution they got on the shopkeeper. 'If he doesn't recover, well… that's not my problem.'

Naruto looks down and sees Hinata's evil smile. He can't help but feel a shiver run up his spine. 'Okay, maybe Hinata being scary isn't as cool as I thought it'd be, dattebayo.' He mentally laments.

...

Naruto carries Hinata toward Ichiraku Ramen. When he gets near the stand, he places Hinata back on her feet. "I know our appetite was gone after the incident earlier, but enacting an elaborate revenge mission on someone has to have made you hungry. I mean, I'm fine, but this is for you, Hinata." Naruto smiles confidently at her.

Hinata looks at Naruto in slight awe. 'Naruto-kun looks really cool when he speaks with his typical undying confidence and charisma.'

Naruto's stomach growls angrily. His smile falters, and he blushes in mortification.

Hinata giggles into her hand. 'Then again, he wouldn't be Naruto-kun without his lame, goofy moments.'

Naruto rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Let's just go inside."

They walk side-by-side into the stand. Naruto takes his usual seat in the stand, with Hinata shyly sitting next to him. She rests Kitsune-kun inside the hood of her jacket.

Teuchi looks to see who walked onto his stand and smiles. He sees his favorite customer and… the Hyuuga heiress? "Ah. Naruto-kun. You are late for lunch." When he looks closer, his eyes open just slightly in surprise. 'So that really is the Hyuuga heiress.' Teuchi clears his throat. "What can I get for your lovely friend? What might your name be, miss..?" He drones out expectantly.

Hinata fidgets nervously. "H-Hyuuga Hi-Hinata. N-Nice to meet you, Ichiraku-san."

Teuchi smiles kindly at the meek girl. "Such lovely manners. I hope you can rub off on our resident knucklehead. God knows he needs someone to help keep his head on straight."

Naruto bristles slightly. No, it's more of a pout with a bit of a grimace. If anything, his youth and more feminine features make him look cute. "Hey! There was no reason to tell her that, Jii-chan, dattebayo!"

Teuchi chuckles goodnaturedly. "Alright. What would you like?"

Naruto turns to his guest. "Hinata. What ramen would you like?"

Hinata swirls her fingers around a bit. "I-I haven't had r-ramen in a long time. I don't remember the taste. C-c-could you o-order f-f-for me, N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto thinks about it. Hinata is someone who comes from money. She has grown up enjoying the finer luxuries life has to offer. She'd probably appreciate something milder in taste, so Tonkotsu Ramen is out of the question. And sadly, by extension, his beloved Miso Ramen is not an option.

So that leaves him with 2 of the big 4 left. Salt ramen and Shoyu. There is nothing wrong with salt ramen, but it reminds him of… Sasuke. That is a wound too fresh to pick at.

That leaves Shoyu. Soy sauce is a familiar taste to everyone, so Hinata should appreciate something both light and familiar. Shoyu it is.

Naruto smiles confidently. "Alright. Give me 2 extra-large bowls of Miso Ramen with extra pork, and 1 extra-large bowl of Shoyu with extra pork!"

Hinata smiles gratefully. She hasn't had ramen in years, and she has never gone to Ichiraku before, so she's grateful Naruto took the burden of placing the order. She couldn't handle the social pressure of making a choice in an unfamiliar place.

The children start making conversation.

"So, Hinata, how did you feel about our prank?" He asks expectantly.

Hinata giggles. "I-it was a lot of fun! We did something so shinobi-like for s-s-such a small thing. It's almost ironic since I-I haven't had a mission where I've had to use infiltration techniques yet."

Naruto bellows out a laugh. "Hahaha! I know exactly what you mean! Maybe it's because of circumstance, but I haven't had the chance to take on any stealth or infiltration missions yet. Those are the coolest ones too! I wanna take a mission where I have to save a princess from a hostage situation or a mission where I need to blend into the ranks of an evil underground organization, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaims with stars in his eyes.

Hinata's giggles grow in intensity. "You have such an overactive imagination, N-Naruto-kun. One day y-you'll have the chance to b-become a hero known by all!"

Naruto grins. "Yeah! I save the day and a country by saving their princess. Then I can get a big kiss from a pretty princess. Who knows, maybe the pretty princess would end up liking their hero! It's straight from a fairytale."

Hinata's cheery demeanor sours. "Hmph. Maybe it's a good thing that they are reserved for higher-ranking officers. Those missions are more delicate, so it makes sense that those with more experience would be in charge of them."

Naruto feels a spark of indignation. "What? You don't believe I can pull it off, Hinata? I thought you had faith in me!"

Hinata panics. "I-I'm s-s-so s-s-s-sorry, N-Naruto-kun! Wh-what I mean i-is th-that you can take on a m-mission of such importance when you are more experienced. You need to be ready." Her face explodes into an unnatural shade of red from a mix of shame and mortification.

Naruto ponders deeply. "Hmm, I guess you are right. After all, other lives would be at stake." He turns to look at her to thank her, but his eyebrows shoot into his hairline seeing her unnatural color. He then looks at her quizically and with a small, growing smirk. "You really are so weird, dattebayo."

Hinata shakes her head to rid herself of the turmoil. She can't handle all this teasing. She's overwhelmed, and she can feel that she is going to faint if she doesn't find something to change the topic.

Thankfully, the Gods decided to have mercy on her that day. Two bowls of steaming ramen are placed right before them. Hinata's nose twitches at the enticing smell.

Naruto's attention is immediately stolen by his first love, and his forever lover. Miso Ramen. He salivates aggressively to the point that he starts drooling right on the counter.

He turns to his right to make sure Hinata is as excited as he is. Ramen is great, but nothing is better than seeing someone be converted to the wicked wiles of the food of the Gods. He wants to see her eyes widen in euphoria and ecstasy. He'll drink in every moment of it, and he'll treasure it. Seeing his new friend, someone important to him in such pleasure would bring him untold happiness. He could die feeling fulfilled.

Well, he would. Except… Hinata isn't touching her food.

"Hinata? Why aren't you eating? Do you not like ramen?" Asks the now concerned blond.

Hinata jerks back into awareness. She starts to panic. "N-no, it's not that. Don't w-worry about me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto fully turns his body to give her his undivided attention. "You know, we are friends now, so you can tell me anything you want. I trust you enough to do so. I hope you trust me enough to do the same, dattebayo."

Hinata looks down in slight chagrin. "I-it's just that… I g-get embarrassed when people s-s-see me eat. It makes me worry th-that they'll think I'm gross, or that I eat weird."

Naruto's eyes widen at that. Do people really feel self-conscious about how they eat? Something so normal, and human? He's never thought of that before. Thinking back on it, is that why people give him such nasty looks when they see him eat ramen? Because he eats "grossly?"

He taps Hinata on the forehead. "You have a point. People give me the stink eye whenever they see me eat ramen. I never questioned it, but it makes sense. But you know what? Eating is something that everyone does. Everyone gets hungry, and we need food to live. Cooking, and eating are human things, Hinata. There's no reason to be ashamed of the way you eat."

Hinata folds in on herself a little. "I-I guess. But what if they l-look at me weird? What if they judge me for being sloppy?"

Naruto grins brightly at her. "Well, if they judge you for doing something as natural as eating, I want you to remember two words. 'Fuck them!' Fuck what they think, dattebayo! Enjoy eating whatever you want, however you want!"

Hinata looks at Naruto with a shamefaced blush and awe. Shame for bearing witness to Naruto's crude tongue, and awe for his mentality. Is it really that easy to live unburdened by the way people view you? To simply not care about what they think, and leave it at that?

"Repeat it with me, Hinata. If they judge us for being ourselves, then fuck them!"

Hinata gets out of her ruminations and giggles at Naruto's choice of words. "Tee-hee-hee! Yeah, f-f-fu-fu… Fuck them!" She whispers.

Naruto gives her a thumbs up. "You got it! Now, fight against that shame. Join me and enjoy the food of the Gods!"

Hinata nods.

Naruto slaps his hands together in a prayer motion and waits for Hinata to join him.

She gently puts her hands together in a prayer motion. Together, united as friends, they give thanks for their meal.

""Itadakimasu!""

Naruto scarfs down his ramen, and Hinata takes slow, deliberate slurps of her noodles. She sips on the light, salty broth. The familiar flavor of soy sauce embraces her tongue like a warm blanket. The noodles have firmness and a good slight chew. The pork is well-seasoned and the fat melts in her mouth, coating it in its rich taste like fresh butter. Overall, it is a very impressive dish.

By the time she opens her eyes, she realizes that her bowl is empty.

It makes no sense! She could've sworn she only took a bite or three. Where did that heaping bowl go? She's still not satisfied.

"I-Ichiraku-san, two more bowls, please." She requests politely.

Teuchi nods. "Coming right up!"

When Hinata turns to look at Naruto, she recoils when she sees his ginning face not even an inch from hers. He was so close she could feel his breathing!

Naruto grins at her in a nearly predatory fashion. "So, I see you have been converted. You too are now a believer."

Hinata blinks. "Huh?"

"Hahaha! I mean the ramen! I know you love it! How could you not!" He practically bounces in his seat waiting for her response.

Hinata tries to recompose herself. She fails spectacularly. "W-w-well, i-it's v-v-ve-very good. It m-might be a c-co-contender for t-the food of the Gods."

Naruto looks at Hinata in bewilderment. "What? Ramen a 'contender'? What else could possibly compete with ramen's divine goodness?"

Hinata smiles confidently at the challenge. "Cinnamon rolls. There is n-not a single doubt in my mind that cinnamon rolls are the f-food of the Gods."

Naruto snorts. "Ha! I didn't know you could speak with such certainty, Hinata!" He grants her a teasing smirk. "I guess we'll have to go find out later."

She smiles shyly in accordance.

A few more bowls are placed in front of them.

""Arigatou!""

Teuchi laughs at the conversation between the two children. "You know, all this talk about divine food and the food of the Gods has me wondering. If there is a food of the Gods, what can be considered demonic food. What is the food of the Devils?"

Naruto and Hinata look each other in the eyes as if they were having a telepathic conversation. They smile, as they both come to the same answer.

""Yakitori!"" They yell out in unison. Their combined laughter ring out like chimes in and around the stand.

…

After finishing her bowls, someone taps Hinata on the shoulder. It's Ayame, who has returned from buying new ingredients. "You know, Naruto's favorite ramen is Miso. He's tried every ramen variety we have, and he swears by Miso. You should probably order yourself one if you want to try our best ramen. But do it soon, there is not much left."

Hinata flinches back. Who the hell was that? "U-um, y-yes, thank you. I'll think about it."

Ayame giggles and heads to the back.

Naruto slams an empty bowl onto the table. "Ji-chan, two more extra large Miso bowls please!"

Teuchi immediately serves Naruto an already prepped bowl. "I had a feeling you were going to order more ramen, so I had this ready. Enjoy while I go get your other bowl."

Naruto nods gratefully and scarfs down his ramen in less than ten seconds. Hinata's eyes bug out of her head. She never paid attention to Naruto's eating habits before, but this is ridiculous. How does he eat that much food so quickly? Where does it go?

Teuchi comes back with Naruto's other bowl. "You're in luck. This is the absolute last of the Miso broth I had. I didn't realize it earlier, so if you want more ramen, you'll have to order a different kind."

Naruto dismisses the notion. "Nah. I think that'll be fine as the last bowl."

Teuchi nods and goes into the back to get another batch of broth ready. He's pulled behind a wall by his daughter.

"Ayame, what are you doing?"

She shushes him hurriedly. "Quiet! Stay put, and watch what happens."

Teuchi shrugs. He has nothing better to do.

…

Back in the stand seats, Hinata eyes Naruto's final bowl longingly. The dark, rich broth looks really appetizing, especially when a drop runs down the corner of Naruto's mouth.

Naruto can feel someone staring at him, so he swallows and turns to see who it is. It's Hinata, except she didn't react when he looked at her. As a matter of fact, when he looks carefully and follows her line of sight, she's looking at… Oh. His ramen.

He snaps his fingers in front of her face, snatching her attention back to him. "You know, if you want another bowl, you can always order another one. Don't be shy."

Hinata flushes. "A-ah, no, no. Don't worry about it. I've had my f-fill of Shoyu."

Naruto shrugs. "Suit yourself."

He takes another slow slurp of broth. He always takes his time to enjoy his final bowl. It's a tradition for him. He maximizes and prolongs his enjoyment of the meal. He feels happiest and most comfortable when slowly embracing the warmth of a steaming bowl of ramen.

Or he would if SOMEONE WOULD STOP STARING AT HIM!

Hinata is still there, her focus zeroed in on his ramen. If she wanted another bowl so bad, then why not order it?

That's when he remembers her choice of words. "I've had my f-fill of Shoyu."

So, she wants another bowl of ramen, but not Shoyu. And she keeps staring at his extra-large bowl of Miso Ramen. The LAST bowl of Miso. 'Oh. I see.'

She still wants ramen, and he has an extra-large bowl. She probably wanted to try out his choice of ramen. 'I suppose I could share.'

Naruto moves his bowl to be in the middle of the both of them. "I can tell you want more ramen, but not Shoyu. You want Miso. Since I have the last bowl, I guess we can share it. After all, you've never tried the best ramen there is. Miso Ramen, dattebayo."

Hinata blushes up to her roots. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?! Sh-sh-share? From the same bowl?"

Naruto blinks. "Uh, yeah."

Hinata can feel panic setting in. 'Sh-sharing the same b-b-bowl as N-Naruto-kun! Drinking the same broth h-he drank and slurping the same n-noodles he has. It's like an indirect kiss!'

Naruto picks up Hinata's chopstick and hands them to her. "Dig in!"

Hinata tentatively pokes at the noodles. She gently lowers her head to hide her burning, crimson face, and to have a taste of the broth.

It's perfect. And even better, she's sharing it with Naruto-kun. It's the best meal she's ever had.

…

In the back of the stand, Teuchi and Ayame gush at the cuteness of the scene.

"Oh, my GOOOODDD! That was sooo cute!" Squeals Ayame.

Teuchi wipes a tear from his eye. "Our little boy is finally growing up."

---

Naruto and Hinata walk out of the stand feeling satisfied. Well, Hinata does. Naruto is on the verge of tears. 'I finally understand Iruka-sensei's pain from paying for my ramen, dattebayo. I've never had a bill that big before. Hinata ate as much as I did. Gama-chan has never felt so light. Will he ever recover?'

Hinata hums contentedly. "Ano, Naruto-kun? D-do you still wanna test out our bet? Is ramen the f-f-food of the Gods, or is it cinnamon rolls?"

Naruto winces at the hit his wallet is going to take, but he can't deny his interest. "I am curious. I never back down from a challenge anyway, and I never go back on my word, so you got it, Hinata!"

Hinata hesitantly makes a slow effort to grab Naruto by the hand. When their pinkies make contact, she reflexively flinches back. However, Naruto's hand snaps to seize her own.

He looks down at their linked hands and rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "I don't know where the bakery is, so you'll have to lead us. What do you say?"

Hinata hides her face inside her coat and gives a small, imperceptible nod in confirmation. She takes the lead and drags Naruto to the bakery. While walking, she makes a hard, deliberate effort to control her breathing. If she loses concentration even once, she'll faint. If she faints then the best day of her life will end prematurely.

…

Naruto walks out of the bakery carrying a large box of a dozen cinnamon rolls. Hinata walks behind him with her hands clasped neatly at her waistline. She looks at the back of Naruto's head with a small, genuine, compassionate smile. 'Naruto-kun really is the best.'

Meanwhile, Naruto mourns in silence. He spent every last coin and bill left in his wallet on the treats. His Gama-chan is now on life support. Time will tell if he'll ever recover from the hit to his balance.

Naruto looks back at Hinata, carefully analyzing her face. He sees the genuine smile on her face and he sighs. 'Well, if she's happy, then I guess it was worth it. I'm glad I could make your day, Hinata.'

He truly is. Making his friends happy makes him happy.

He clears his throat. "So, uh, where are we going to eat these?"

Hinata stops walking and freezes. '... Where are we going?'

She shuffles nervously under Naruto's intense gaze. "I-I… I didn't think about that. I-I'm so sorry, Naruto-kun."

Naruto deflates a little, while mentally facepalming. "Ehehehe… right." He then thinks carefully about places he knows in the village. Where would be a good place to hang out all alone?

His eyes widen when he gets a perfect idea. "You know what, I know exactly where to go, dattebayo! Follow me, Hinata!"

Naruto runs off before Hinata can react to what he said.

When her brain finally catches up to his words, she'd already been left behind. "Eh? W-wait, Naruto-kun!"

---

Naruto led Hinata to the Hokage Monument. He jumped up the side of the mountain, using chakra to stick to the jagged rocks. When they finally reach the heads, Naruto jumps onto the head of the Yondaime and takes a seat on the edge.

Hinata follows suit and sits next to Naruto. They open the box of warm, gooey, sticky sweet treats. In Hinata's case, she's practically inhaling her dessert. But Naruto, he eyes the bun suspiciously.

"So, are you sure that these… pastries can match ramen in divinity? I don't buy it!"

Hinata glares cutely. "No! You m-made a bet, Naruto-kun! You can't quit now!"

Naruto frowns. He did sorta imply a binding promise, and he never goes back on his word. He shrugs. 'Eh. it's not like anything can really compete with ramen, dattebayo.'

He dismissively takes a bite, figuring that this would be a one-and-done thing.

How naive he was.

His eyes widen, and his pupils dilate. He takes another bite of the sweet treat. Then another, and another, and soon, he's licking the sugary icing off of his fingers.

He looks to his right. Hinata is beaming at him. Not in a snobby 'I told you so' kind of way, but in genuine happiness at seeing someone she cares about having a good time. It honestly warmed his heart.

He pouts and looks away from her. "So uh… maybe you weren't exactly wrong."

Hinata's beaming smile twists into an uncharacteristically teasing grin.

Naruto pouts further. "But you weren't right either, dattebayo!"

Hinata's smirk wilts. Her happy face rots into a sad frown and teary eyes. "D-d-do-does N-Na-Naruto-kun n-not l-li-like my fa-favorite treat?"

Naruto immediately realizes he fucked up. And he panics. "No, no, no! It's not that, dattebayo! Please don't cry! I-I mean that cinnamon rolls and ramen are in the same league, but ramen is still better! Cinnamon rolls aren't the food of the Gods, dattebayo!"

Hinata's frown turns watery. Her lips tremble.

Naruto knows he's in deep shit. "I-I-I mean, w-well, Ramen is the food of the Gods, but Cinnamon rolls are a close second! Yeah, that! They are the food of the Demi-Gods, dattebayo! I-I liked your treat very very much! It's great! It's the best dessert I've ever had, and I don't like sweets! Yeah! Cinnamon rolls are now my second favorite food, dattebayo!"

Hinata's heartbreaking expression immediately fades to make way for mirthful eyes, and a teasing smile. She covers her mouth with her Kitsune-kun to block the chuckles. "Tee-hee-hee-hee~! Hehehehe~! N-Naruto-kun!" She can't stop the endless flood of laughs escaping her lips.

Naruto burns up in embarrassment. "Hey! Y-you did that on purpose! You… you were teasing me…" He realizes.

Damn. He needs to remember that despite her reserved nature, Hinata has a manipulative streak to her.

They keep the good atmosphere going with the exchanging of jokes, funny stories, and simply talking to each other like old friends.

The sweet treats might've helped with the fun mood, too.

…

Soon, hours pass by, and the sun will set soon. Naruto stares at Hinata as he thinks about how to bring up the topic.

He decides that he's never been known for his subtlety, so he'll be direct. "Earlier today, I could tell you wanted to talk to me about something. Don't get me wrong, I had fun hanging out with you today, but I don't think this was your goal, was it?"

Hinata recoils and shrinks into herself. 'H-how did he know?'

"You're really easy to read, dattebayo. It wasn't hard." He states matter-of-factly.

Hinata's lips quiver. She bites it to stop it from moving involuntarily. She needs to build up her courage and think. Knowing Naruto, there is no getting out of this conversation. But how should she put this

She clenches her fists at her side. She takes a deep breath, and at last, she speaks. "I… I've always admired you, Naruto-kun. I… I always used to watch you. I admire the way you c-carry yourself, a-and your confidence."

Naruto blushes a little at the praise. "Ehehehe, well, I guess I'm pretty cool."

Hinata withdraws into her jacket from the nerves, but she pushes forward. "But w-what a-always amazed me was that you never once, not ever let what someone said keep you down. I was a-always in awe at your ability to overcome adversity and constantly prove people wrong."

Naruto's blush darkens. "H-hey, I… you are too nice to me, Hinata." He has very little experience with compliments, so he has no idea what to do once he receives one.

Hinata ignores Naruto. She's still in the middle of pouring her heart out. Her cheeks are puffed up from the strain of summoning every last bit of effort in her breath. "S-so because of that, I-I've always envied you. I k-kept thinking to myself that your strength was something I wanted for myself. Y-your strength is something I aspired t-to have."

Naruto is left frozen. Silent. Astonished. Someone as special as Hinata, as respected as her, someone… too good to be associated with him… she envies him.

Hinata clenches her fists and a vein bulges above her eye. "So p-pl-please, Naruto-kun… p-please tell me what is the source of your strength?!"

Naruto's bewildered state has him focused on what was said earlier in the conversation. "Wait a second, you envy me? Hyuuga Hinata, heiress of the honorable Hyuuga Clan envies Uzumaki Naruto, the village pariah? You envy my strength?"

Hinata keeps her eyes shut. When he says it like that, it sounds absurd, but it's the full, honest truth. She nods in affirmation.

Naruto's lips are set in a thin line. "Why? What do you have to envy? You live in a large Compound surrounded by your family. You have money, education, prestige, and a secured future. What could you possibly want from a nobody? A poor, stupid, worthless loser like me?"

Hinata flinches as if struck. "You're wrong. I-I live in a large, empty Compound surrounded by family th-that hates me! I live in wealth that I can't touch! I'm n-not allowed to learn the things I want! I'm looked down upon by the higher-ups of my clan, and no one wants me t-to succeed!"

Naruto is taken aback by Hinata's outburst, but he doesn't say anything. He's still looking at her skeptically, not entirely sure whether to take her seriously or not.

Hinata notices this immediately. It stings, being doubted by the one person she respects most in the world, but she supposes it's typical for a loser like herself. "I…I envy everything about you, N-Naruto-kun! You may be a nobody to the villagers, but you know who you are! You are m-more assured of yourself than anyone else I've ever met! You are poor, but you have more guts th-than anyone else to p-persevere! Even if you are stupid with the things t-taught at school, you are so sm-smart in all the things you want to be good at."

Her vigor dies down, and a suffocating aura of self-pity wafts on top of the head of the Yondaime Hokage. "A-and… you are a p-p-proud l-loser. Y-you know wh-where you are now, and exactly where you want t-to be. You keep on going even wh-when there's no guarantee you'll succeed. E-even if your road ends in f-f-failure, you won't quit. And here I am, without a g-goal of my own. I quit before I even try. U-unlike me, you are not a worthless loser!" Sniffles and restrained sobs drone out in the lonely evening air. The sounds of heartbreak and emptiness make both children feel all alone in the world, despite being not even a foot away from one another.

Hinata tries her best to not start bawling, but she feels so miserable that despite her best effort, a few traitorous tears run down her cheeks.

Naruto stays silent. What can he say to that? He believes her now, sure, but what worth does that have? His friend is hurting, and there he is sitting there, doing nothing to help her. What does he do? What does he say? "I'm… I'm so sorry, Hinata."

She sniffles and wipes the tears wetting her cheeks

Fuck. What else could he say besides that?

A wave of self-depreciation hits Naruto. "You know, despite how it may look, I'm not anywhere near as strong as you think I am, dattebayo."

Hinata bolts up and rushes to him. She refuses to acknowledge such a ludicrous idea. "You are wrong! Y-you're stronger than anyone else in our class! You've improved more than anyone else! You were the only one able to match Sasuke! How can you say you are not strong?"

Naruto frowns bitterly. "Yeah. well, guess what? Sasuke isn't here. He was always one thought ahead, one inch quicker, a pound stronger. He had an answer for everything, dattebayo! He defeated me, and I failed my mission. There is only one reason. I simply wasn't strong enough."

Hinata's eyes narrow. The look she gives him is a mix of doubtful and daring. "E-even if that is true, you've improved faster than anyone else I've ever seen. You gain strength b-better than anyone. S-so I ask of you," Hinata bows deeply. "P-please! Show me how to get stronger!"

Naruto hushes up. His jaw is clamped shut. What does he do now?

Suddenly, the image of a highly effeminate. ice-using boy flashes in his mind. The words of wisdom beyond his years, and the valor he had to live by every word he spoke. His claim of strength was existing for the sake of others, a notion he now lives by. It rings true in his heart.

This girl -his new friend!- is as desperate as he is for strength, but why? He needs to understand why she feels this way. "I might not understand what it is like to be you, Hinata, but I can empathize if only a little. You want to be strong for yourself. But… why? Why do you want to be stronger?"

Hinata looks up at Naruto in disbelief. Based on the trajectory of the conversation, and past experience, she expected flat-out rejection. But no, Naruto is far too kind to abandon someone in need. It's just the way he is.

But even so, It's hard to open up about this. She hasn't told anyone before. "I…" She takes a deep, calming breath. "I have a s-sister. Her n-name is Hanabi. Hanabi-chan is only eight years old. She just entered th-the Academy."

Naruto nods. So Hanabi must be the same age as Konohamaru and his little group.

Hinata continues. "Even though she just entered the A-academy, sh-she's already stronger than me. She's been stronger than me e-ever since I started the Academy. She's a genius."

Naruto winces. To have always been weaker than your own younger sibling, and one that much younger… yikes. "You must be very proud of her though. As her Aneki, you should be happy for her, dattebayo."

Hinatas smiles. She nods animatedly. "Y-yes, of course! I'll always be h-happy for Hanabi-chan. But…" She loses her smile. "Hanabi-chan only responds t-to strength. She only respects those she thinks are stronger than herself. And I'm… not."

Hinata's demeanor darkens. Sorrow fills her being, nearly drowning her in her own pity. "She h-hates me! She's been told by the higher-ups in the clan to look down on me. She internalizes e-every rumor about me, She listens to every bad thing about me, a-and ignores all the good I can do."

Naruto smiles sadly. Maybe he judged too soon. Everyone has their own story.

Hinata's look turns hopeful. "Hanabi-chan o-only listens if she respects you, a-and she only respects you if you are strong. So please, N-Naruto-kun, show me how to be strong, so I c-can save my relationship with my imouto." Hinata bows once more. She prostrates herself fully to emphasize her willingness to listen.

Naruto takes a deep breath. "You and I are more alike than I thought, Hinata."

Hinata looks up perplexed.

Naruto runs his hand through his messy hair. "Your situation with your sister… it's not the same, but it's similar to me and Sasuke, dattebayo. You want to get stronger so that you can save your relationship with your sister. I want to get stronger so I can save Sasuke from the clutches of the snake pedo Orochimaru. Our motives to get stronger are pretty similar."

Hinata's eyes widened marginally. "S-so w-will you help me?"

Naruto groans. "That's the thing! I can't teach you or tell you how to get stronger. All I can do is… uh… what's the word?"

Hinata deadpans.

Naruto snaps his fingers in realization. "Yes! I can only be a guide that leads you to find your path. To be honest, I didn't always carry the beliefs I do now. Someone once told me something that opened my eyes. Do you wanna know what they said?"

Hinata scoots in closer. "W-what?"

Naruto smiles softly. "He told me that 'When a person has something precious that they want to protect, then they become genuinely strong.'"

Hinata's mouth gapes into a small "o". Her eyes flicker to and fro, trying to understand what the words mean. Finally, her movements still, and she smiles. "I-I think I g-get that. S-so you mean to say that as long as I-I want to protect my relationship with H-Hanabi-chan, then I'll become truly strong?"

Naruto gives her his typical goofy grin and a thumbs up. "You got it, dattebayo! It's the same with me. As long as I want to protect my bond with Sasuke, then I'll become as strong as I need to be."

Hinata smiles happily. She may not have gotten exactly what she wanted, but this talk gave her enough.

Suddenly, Naruto's smile crumbles away, revealing a deep, dark frown. His eyes narrow at her in an intimidating fashion. "But don't think it's so easy, Hinata."

She gulps. "W-wh-what d-do y-you mean, N-Na-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto brings his face close enough to Hinata's that their foreheads touch. He looks her deep in the eyes. "Even if you try your hardest, you can still fail. You can become so powerful, and still end up right where you started. You can try, and try, and try, and try a thousand times, and all your effort can be meaningless. Even if you succeed, Hanabi could end up resenting you for surpassing her. Are you ready to endure that kind of pain? To possibly try, and try, and try for the rest of your life, and never reach your goal? Are you willing to fall down, get back up, fall, get up, and fall over and over just for the chance that maybe this time, you'll succeed?"

Hinata freezes. Going through such a thing… it sounds horrifying.

Naruto jabs a finger at her chest. "Such an existence is absolute torture, Hinata. Are you prepared to spend the rest of your life in hell if it means that the chances of you succeeding are even half a percent better? Is your imouto, Hanabi, really worth the torture? Are you willing to die if it means you achieve your goal? Are you ready to give up your life, your tears, your potential happiness all so that your sister can smile at you? Is she worth all that pain?"

Hinata looks down at the floor. Her eyes are dead and empty. Would her life really be so terrible? Could she really endure so much suffering? Would she be willing to do that for anyone?

No. She wouldn't, and she couldn't. She doesn't have what it takes. She's weak of body, mind, and soul. She could never handle so much pain all for a potential 'maybe'.

But, the person she'd do this for is no ordinary anybody. It's her own flesh and blood. Her only sibling. Her sister. Her darling sister, who as long as she can remember never once looked at her with an inkling of warmth. Who never smiled at her, and greeted her with a scowl. Her sister, who never once said a nice thing about her.

She's seen the way other people interact with their siblings. She's always been jealous of them. Jealous of their happiness. Jealous of their love, and support. She never had that. The only happy memories she had with her sister were when Hanabi was still a toddler. She used to play with her all day, and make her laugh. She used to feed her snacks, and whenever she was sad, Hanabi used to run to her for hugs.

How she wished she had those days back. How she longs for the chance at that happiness.

If she goes through with trying to recover that love, she'd have to sacrifice so much, and suffer even more. Could she go through all that just for a 'maybe'? She could give her all and still fail.

Would she do all that just for a 'maybe'? Normally, no. But this is about Hanabi. Her beautiful little sister. Her pride and joy. For her, she'd do anything.

For her.

Hinata's head snaps back up. She looks deep into Naruto's eyes. She looks at her own reflection. The searing, screeching flames of resolve burn brightly in her eyes. "For Hanabi-chan, I'd do anything. Even if it means suffering the rest of my life for a single percent of a chance at fixing our relationship, it's better than a zero. Even if it means she ends up h-hating me, Hanabi-chan is worth the pain."

Hinata spoke with so much determination, resolve, and certainty that any stranger hearing her would think of her as a Queen addressing her subjects.

To Naruto, however, Hinata said everything he wanted her to. Hinata proved herself, and he's never felt more proud.

He pulls away from her and smiles his biggest, widest smile. "Hehehe! That's just what I wanted to hear, dattebayo! Congratulations, Hinata! You have a goal, and you found your will. My work here is done." He yells out while finishing with lame jazz hands.

Hinata crawls closer to him. "W-wait! B-but how do I get stronger? I don't know wh-where to start."

Naruto shrugs. "I don't know. I don't have any information on your strengths and weaknesses. I couldn't even tell you what your first step should be. But, you have a goal, and the guts to never give up! That's all you need, dattebayo! Now, you need to find your strength on your own. You need to look for help. You have to find someone who can help you find your potential. That's all I have."

Hinata turns downcast. 'Th-that's pretty demoralizing.' She quickly shakes off her depression. 'No. I just need to find a teacher who will help me.'

Hinata bows gratefully. "Arigatou, Naruto-kun."

Naruto blushes a bit. He then rubs his head sheepishly. "Ehehehe. N-No problem, Hinata."

Hinata smiles at him.

"One more thing. I know you are shy. You may think it's a weakness, but I disagree. I think your shyness is part of what makes you unique. It makes Hinata, well, Hinata. You can be strong, and still be Hinata, so don't be ashamed of who you are. If I think you're awesome, then you need to think you are too." Naruto closes his eyes and grins. His whiskers stretch out and make him look like a fox.

Hinata freezes. She becomes as still as a statue. 'My shyness… isn't a weakness? I can be shy and… strong? It's part of what makes me unique, he says. Is that how I can start to feel better about myself?' Hinata hugs Kitsune-kun for comfort.

Naruto looks to the right and sees that the sun has at last set below the horizon. The night has come. He soon realizes that they've been out for way too long. He walks up to Hinata and grabs her hand. "I'll walk you home."

Hinata's head turns so fast she gives herself whiplash. "Huh? Wh-wha-what?! N-Na-Naruto-kun, i-it isn't a b-big deal. I-I c-can find my way." She explodes into every shade of crimson when Naruto tightens his grip on her dainty hand.

He shrugs off her request. "Mah mah. It's no big deal. I know where the compound is. Besides, it's pretty late. All kinds of weirdos pop up to enjoy the nightlife, dattebayo."

He drags her along, and Hinata carries the box with the last cinnamon roll. All the while Hinata clenches her eyes shut. She's doing what all young children think when overwhelmed. 'If I can't see it, it doesn't exist.'

…

Naruto takes Hinata to the front gate of the Compound. "I had fun today, Hinata. I hope you did too."

Hinata avoids eye contact but smiles nonetheless. "I-I had fun t-too, N-Naruto-kun. M-maybe we can do this again sometime?" She fidgets uncomfortably and looks down at her feet.

She feels a finger on her chin drawing her head up. She blushes darkly at Naruto's large, energetic smile. "Anytime you want! Just let me know, and I'll make sure next time is even better, dattebayo!"

"Wh-wh-wha-wha-what?!" Hinata stammers and her entire body turns an unhealthy bright shade of red. Swirls spin wildly in her eyes, and she starts getting lightheaded and disoriented. 'What do I do? Naruto-kun is too forward! This is moving too fast? What happens now? Do I get a hug or a k-ki-kiss?! What about next time? What comes after kissing?'

Hinata panics and starts hyperventilating. She averts her gaze from Naruto's eyes and shakes her head furiously. This is too much! She can't handle it!

Hinata bows hurriedly and runs off into the compound. "ThankyousomuchNaruto-kun!Let'sgoonanotherdatewheneveryouwant!"

Hinata spoke so fast that Naruto couldn't make out what she said.

He shakes his head exasperatedly. "Man, what a weird girl." He walks home, feeling content and fulfilled with the way the day went.

---

After entering the Compound, and the Main House, Hinata walks toward her room. On the way, she spots her younger sister walking toward the bathrooms for a bath. Hinata instinctually shies away from her sister's piercing gaze, but eventually, she remembers her goal and her declaration of will. Her sister would never reach out an olive branch, so it's all up to her.

Hinata forces herself to look Hanabi in the eyes. The younger girl quirks a brow in puzzlement.

Hinata gulps and forces a smile on her face. "G-g-good evening, H-Hanabi-chan."

Hanabi stops and looks at her sister with an annoyed glare. "I've told you before to stop calling me that. You don't have the right to treat me with such familiarity."

Hinata wilts. Hanabi only said one sentence, and it's enough to nearly destroy her willpower. But even then, she must endure. She has a goal.

Hinata presents the box in her hand. "I-I g-got a hold of s-some cinnamon rolls. Th-there's only one left, a-and I know they are favorites, Hanabi-ch… H-Hanabi-san."

Hanabi frowns. He turns her nose up snobbily and walks off. "Hmph!" She grunts petulantly and flips her hair sassily.

Hinata deflates. Again, another rejection. It hurts… so damn bad. In the end, she has no room to complain. She signed up for this. With a tired sigh, she walks forward toward her room.

When she makes it in front of her door, she stops. She looks behind her and sees Hanabi's door.

Despite her prior attempts, Hinata knows she's never truly tried as hard as she could to reconnect with her sister. Maybe, just maybe if she does something, no matter how small, she can prove to Hanabi that she is serious about something for once in her life.

Hinata walks up to the door and squats down to gently place the box on the younger girl's doorstep.

Feeling satisfied, Hinata smiles and goes inside her room. Maybe this tiny olive branch will lead to something.

…

When Hanabi comes back to her room with a glass of warm milk, she yelps when she steps on something hard and jagged. Jumping back, her eyes dart around looking for the potential threat to her life. She'll make quick work of anyone who so foolishly dares attack the Hyuuga Clan's Main House.

Just as quickly as she's set on edge, she relaxes. Her eyes fall to the colorful cardboard box on her doorstep. Walking slowly back to it, she looks inside and sees a cinnamon roll.

She frowns. "I thought I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with her." Hanabi slides the box to the side and walks inside her room. She closes the door and places her milk on the counter to get ready for bed.

Her milk… 'Cinnamon rolls pair really well with milk.' She can feel herself salivating at the thought. A sweet, delicious treat and warm, comforting milk before bed. 'That sounds heavenly.'

Hanabi recoils when she feels a drop of drool fall from her lips and onto her hand. She looks at the drop of fluid in disgust and grabs a tissue from the box on her nightstand to clean her hand and wipe her mouth.

She lays down and closes her eyes, but no matter what she tries, her thoughts are filled with the possible unimaginable ecstasy that is cinnamon rolls and warm milk. A delicacy she could be enjoying right now if she only opened her door and accepted the tiny olive branch.

With a frustrated groan, Hanabi gets out of bed and stomps over to her door. She opens the door as quietly as she can, so as to not draw attention to herself. She slowly drags the box inside and closes her door with the quietest of clicks.

She takes another tissue from her nightstand and grabs the gooey, sweet treat stuck to the bottom of the box.

She takes her time and enjoys the pastry with her milk. She had to force down more than a few moans of pleasure. Once she's done, she throws the tissue in the garbage. Quickly after, she lays in bed and covers her pouting face with a blanket.

'That was a dirty trick, Onee-san. This is a one-time thing. Nothing has changed. Don't assume that suddenly we're best friends. If you think even for a second that I'll ever give you a chance, you are sorely mistaken. You'll always be that weak loser for an Onee-san I've always had.'

Hanabi falls asleep with a conflicted frown on her face.

...

Right across the hall, Hinata squeals delightfully in bed. She used her Byakugan and saw Hanabi sneak the box into her room. The walls of the Hyuuga Clan compound are lined with a multitude of seals, so she can't peer inside Hanabi's room to see what she did with the box.

But considering that Hanabi hasn't left the room at all, she can assume her sister accepted the tiny olive branch. It may not mean much, but this is the first step.

Hinata hugs Kitsune-kun to her chest and smiles contentedly. 'Naruto-kun... Thank you.'

Hinata falls asleep with an earnest, happy smile gracing her face.

---

A few days later, the air in the village is lighter for most. By this point, the news of Naruto leaving the village to join Jiraiya on a training trip has become an open secret. Most of the villagers are happy that the scourge of the village is finally leaving and giving them a few years of peace.

However, for some, this is a hard, sad day. For one Uzumaki Naruto, today feels like a punch in the gut. He's dejected about having to leave his home, his friends, and everything he's ever known for. It may be for a few years, but it doesn't make it any less hard.

With a deep sigh and a heavy heart, Naruto packs a backpack for his journey. He stares at his empty closet. All that's left inside is the last remaining spare he had of his old thick orange jumpsuit.

He hasn't worn the damn thing since Nami no Kuni, but beyond the trauma the suit carries, it also holds many of his most vital, precious memories. When Iruka-sensei finally acknowledged him. When he finally graduated. When he learned his first major jutsu. Then there is his first major shinobi fight, his first time training as a shinobi, and his first friendly interaction with… Sasuke.

Naruto takes the jumpsuit out of the closet and folds it. He takes the special box his mother left him out from under his bed. He takes all the precious mementos his mother left behind and places them on the bed. He puts his old jumpsuit in the box and places it back under the bed.

Naruto takes his notebook out from his bedside drawer. He opens up his notebook and writes down a reminder. 'Ask Ero-sennin about Byakugan and training it. Also, ask about Wind-Style jutsu.' He slides the folded letter his mother left behind on the page as a bookmark.

Naruto opens his backpack. He takes the Uzushigakure headband and stuffs it in a hidden pouch inside of his bag.

Lastly, he gently takes the photograph of his mother and stares at it lovingly. What should he do? If he takes the photograph, he can see his mother every day during this trip, but there is a high risk of the picture being ruined. He doesn't have a spare frame to keep the picture safe. If he leaves the photograph behind, it'll likely remain in perfect condition, as long as he stores it right, but he won't see his mother at all while he's away. What to do?

Naruto gets an epiphany. He digs through his drawer, trying to find one of his favorite playthings when he was younger.

Once he feels it, he pulls it out of the drawer and smiles. A gluestick! 'Man, I remember when I used to rub the glue all over my hands and peel it off when it dried.' Naruto smiles at that. It may be stupid and weird, but it was fun, and at least it wouldn't kill him. 'Man, what kind of shit was I on when I was younger?'

He shakes his head. Naruto gently applies glue to the back of the photograph. He opens his notebook to the final page, specifically the hardback cover. He carefully places the photograph right in the middle of the page.

He smiles. There it is. He can see his mother every day now and in perfect condition. Well, as long as he can protect his notebook, that is.

With a melancholy smile, Naruto closes the notebook and stuffs it at the base of his backpack. He takes a deep breath and seals up his pack.

Naruto walks toward his door and steps out. Before he locks away his home of… what? 8… 9 years now?

He looks inside his apartment one last time. The dark dining room with a broken light. The kitchen and the leaky sink that never stops dripping no matter what. The bathroom with a rusty sink and stained tub. The bedroom he sleeps in, with mold hiding in the far corner where the walls meet. And lastly, the creaky floor he's walked on every day since he was four.

He won't miss this place. It's a shithole.

Naruto locks the door and walks out into the street. He looks back at the building one more time. The building he, and he alone has lived in these past few years. Not a single neighbor to pester him about being too loud, or anyone to talk to about the bad weather. Not a breath or heartbeat anywhere near him. That isolation was hell.

Finally, Naruto walks off for good. He's escaped hell, even if it's only for a few years.

…

Naruto visits the Hokage Tower to say goodbye to his Baa-chan. And there's Shizune too.

Tsunade squeezes Naruto so hard that his head nearly pops out of his body. "Ohh, I'm going to miss you, brat. Behave, okay? Don't come back until you are strong enough to fight Akatsuki."

Naruto's purple face is stained a shame-faced red from being smothered in Tsunade's breasts the whole time.

Shizune tries to pry Naruto out of her mistress's hold. "Tsunade-sama, please, relax. You're going to kill him!"

Tsunade raises a brow in confusion. She looks down and sees Naruto's skin starting to lose color. She snorts, but alas she relents.

Naruto takes dramatic gasps of air once he's freed. He pounds on his chest to reawaken his lungs.

Tsunade clicks her tongue. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. It was only a small hug."

"That was small, you stupid old hag?! I nearly died, and that was only a small hug, dattebayo?!" Naruto seethes.

A tick mark forms on Tsunade's brow. She punches Naruto on the back of the head. "Who you calling old, you stupid brat?"

Naruto quickly freezes when he realizes he used the forbidden word around Tsunade. He rubs the back of his skull to soothe the forming lump. "Sorry, Baa-chan."

Tsunade sighs. "Just make sure you try your hardest during this journey. I don't want you to die, Naruto, so please, stay safe."

Naruto nods in determination. "I will be so strong that I'll be able to protect all my precious people, including you, Baa-chan."

Tsunade smiles truly. She uses her fingers to grab Naruto by the chin and give him a tender, warm kiss on his cheek. "For luck. Promise to write me as much as you can." She grins at him.

Naruto blushes profusely, both in embarrassment and in faux displeasure. "Knowing your luck, you can have that back, dattebayo."

Naruto's snarky remark is rewarded with a smack to the back of the head. "Owww!"

Tsunade frowns, showing her irritation. "I mean it. Promise me you'll write me often. Every day if you can. And if not, then once a week. I don't want you to forget about me, Naruto."

Naruto smiles. "I promise. Besides, I could never forget you, Baa-chan, dattebayo."

Naruto and Tsunade smile at each other. They've gotten close very fast, and they've learned to understand each other. It'd be impossible for either of them to forget the other.

…

While walking around the village, Naruto says his goodbyes to everyone he is on good terms with. He says goodbye to the Ichirakus, Team 10, Team Guy, and Team 8. For some reason, he couldn't find Hinata when he went to say goodbye to her and her team.

It's disappointing, especially with their newly formed friendship, but he can't fixate on that. Hinata is her own person. She might've been busy.

At last, Naruto reaches the village gate. There, he spots Jiraiya making conversation with Kakashi, and Sakura is leaning on a tree.

She's the first one to spot him. She waves at him. "Naruto!" She runs to him so she can be the first person to say her peace.

Naruto blinks. "Hey, Sakura." He folds his hands behind his head and grins. "Have you come to see me off?"

Sakura bends over to catch her breath. "O-of course, silly." She pants and swallows needy gulps of air. "I can't have you leaving without saying goodbye."

Naruto smiles. "Nah. This isn't goodbye. I'll be back sooner than you think. I'll keep my promise to you. I'll bring Sasuke back, no matter what, dattebayo."

Sakura's smile becomes strained. "You don't have to do that."

Naruto's eyes scrunch up. "Huh? Why? I made the promise of a lifetime, didn't I?"

Sakura grimaces. "Yeah, I know, but you don't have to do that. It was wrong of me to put that on you."

"Sakura?"

Sakura looks Naruto straight in the eyes. "Don't you worry about Sasuke-kun. I'll get stronger too. I'll bring him back to the village, okay? You just focus on getting stronger."

Naruto's jaw slackens in surprise. He smiles and shakes his head. "No can do. I have my own reasons for bringing Sasuke back to the village besides my promise to you."

Sakura frowns sadly. 'I'm sorry to have burdened you, Naruto. I wasn't able to have you let go of that promise. I should've known you'd be too stubborn.'

Sakura sighs. She shakes her head and smiles at Naruto. "In that case, I suppose we'll have to bring Sasuke-kun back together, right, Naruto?"

Naruto nods wildly. "Yosh!" He gives her a big thumbs up.

Sakura chuckles goodnaturedly. "I promise to be strong, Naruto. Just like you and Sasuke-kun."

Naruto grins. "I know you can."

Sakura gives Naruto a small, tied bag.

He tosses it in his hands. "What is it?"

Sakura shuffles anxiously. "They are some snacks for the road. Homemade cookies. I hope you like them."

Naruto laughs. "Arigatou, Sakura."

Sakura turns around and runs back into the village. "Bye, Naruto! Good luck, and don't forget about me!"

Naruto waves at her. "Bye! I'll write you when I can!"

…

Once she's away from Naruto, a contemplative frown settles on Sakura's face. 'I may have promised him, but how exactly do I get stronger?'

…

Naruto walks toward his sensei and master. They have just finished whatever conversation they were in the middle of. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Kakashi sets his lazy gaze on his knuckleheaded student. He shrugs. "Nothing too serious. We were simply discussing plans for your training schedule and routine. Jiraiya-sama was asking me about your current abilities and what I've taught you, as well as any projected next steps."

Jiraiya's sharp eyes bore holes into Naruto's skull. "And based on what he's told me, I have a lot to teach you. So be prepared. I'm not going to baby you, brat. Despite what we talked about in the hospital, I'll make a true shinobi out of you. I won't allow you to remain a fool."

Naruto glares bitterly at Jiraiya, but he knows better than to say anything untoward. "Fine."

Kakashi walks up to Naruto and ruffles his hair. He eye smiles in his usual jovial way. "Good luck, my cute little genin. Become the best ninja you can be." Kakashi loses his smile, and his body language gives off a feeling of deep regret. "And I'm sorry, Naruto."

Naruto narrows his eyes skeptically. "For what?"

Kakashi sighs. "I'm sorry for not being a good teacher. I hope you can forgive me."

Naruto looks at the ground. His features are pulled back into an ugly, nasty snarl. His nails dig into his palm, and shadows cover his eyes.

When Naruto realizes his reaction, he shakes his head furiously. He surprised himself with how volatile his emotions were just then. He looks up back at Kakashi. He forces his typical wide, energetic grin. "Hahaha! What are you talking about, Kaka-sensei? You're a great teacher! You taught me how to walk up trees, a-and stuff… Yeah. there's nothing for me to forgive, dattebayo."

Kakashi stares blankly at Naruto. He sighs. "I'll make it up to you when you come back. I'll be a better sensei to both you and Sakura."

That's when Naruto remembered something. "Oh yeah, Sakura said that she wants to get strong too. She wants to help me bring Sasuke back to the village. You should go look for her."

Kakashi nods and he body flickers away.

…

Kakashi shakes his head. He's not good with goodbyes, and that was as awkward as it gets. But still, he has a job to do. And that is to be a teacher.

It's about time he started doing his job.

Now, where does Sakura live again?

…

Having seen all of that, Jiraiya winces. "Sheesh. What's the deal with you and Kakashi-kun? I could practically cut the tension with a butter knife."

Naruto shrugs. "Beats me."

Jiraiya strares blankly at Naruto. "Right. Anyway, do you have everything ready? Tools, weapons, clothes, rations, keepsakes?"

Naruto nods. "Yep, uh uh, yes, yeah, and of course."

Jiraiya's stare somehow becomes… heavy? "And have you said goodbye to all of your friends?"

Naruto becomes dejected. "All those I could find, dattebayo."

Jiraiya claps his hands together. "Okay. Let's head out now.

Naruto and Jiraiya begin walking out of the village, but soon stop once they hear a loud yell.

"W-wait! N-Naruto-kun!"

Jiraiya looks at Naruto. "Looks like you forgot someone."

Naruto looks back to see who called out to him. "Hinata?" When he squints his eyes for a better look, he can see that it really is his new friend. He smiles widely. "I was looking everywhere for you! I wanted to say goodbye before I left. What happened?"

Hinata shies her eyes away from Naruto. "I-I'm sorry."

Naruto walks up to her. "Don't be. I wanted to let you know that I'm going away for a few years. It's a journey to get stronger. I bet that when I get back, I'll be so strong that they'll practically beg to put my face on that mountain, dattebayo."

Hinata smiles weakly. Usually, she'd giggle at his antics, but today she feels lifeless.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" His worry was evident in his voice.

Hinata sniffles. "I-I'm going t-to miss you, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiles sadly. "I'll miss you too, Hinata."

She wipes a tear from her face.

Seeing a friend of his in pain hurts Naruto more than being hit with a fireball. He can't bear to see Hinata like that. "I'll tell you what. I'll write you every single day starting tomorrow. Since I and Ero-Sennin will be moving around from place to place, you won't be able to respond. But still, I'll write you every day about all my adventures, so expect to see a messenger hawk by your window every morning."

Hinata looks at him with wide, hopeful eyes. "D-do you p-pro-promise?"

Naruto grins and gives her a thumbs up. "It's the promise of a lifetime, dattebayo!"

Hinata blushes prettily. She sways happily in place.

Naruto waves at her and walks off. "Bye, Hinata!"

Hinata snaps back to attention. "W-wait, N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto stops and looks back. "What?"

Hinata stops in front of him and looks at the ground. Her fists are clenched together. There is so much she wants to say, so much she wants to do. But there is no time. Hinata presents a small container to the blond. "I-I was busy making this for you. I-it's an ointment for any injuries you get. I hope it's of use to you on y-your journey, Naruto-kun."

Naruto stares at the container with stars in his eyes. "Woah! You did all of that for me? Thank you, Hinata." Naruto bows awkwardly in thanks. He's not used to bowing, so he's not sure if he did it right.

Hinata nods. "N-No problem.'

Naruto starts to pack the container in his bag. While he's doing so, Hinata closes her eyes and begins focusing her willpower on doing this one last selfish thing. She'll wait for Naruto to finish first.

At last, once he's done. she decides on the best way to portray her intense, wild emotions.

She runs to Naruto and crashes into his chest. She places her head on the crook of his neck, and she squeezes their bodies together. "T-Thank you, Naruto-kun. For everything."

Naruto stiffens, feeling alarmed. He squints in confusion and blushes lightly. In the end, he finally understands what she's doing. Hinata is giving him a hug. A hug.

He's hugged other people before, like Hokage Jiji a long time ago, and Sasuke once or twice, but he's never been hugged before, at least not like this. When Baa-chan hugs him, it's a bear hug. It doesn't feel good.

But this… this hug is tight, tender, soft, and warm. It's filled with so much earnest emotion. It's real. Genuine. It's the first time he's ever been hugged in his life. A true hug.

This hug is something that he will treasure for the rest of his life.

Slowly, but surely, his own arms raise slowly. He wraps his arms around Hinata's smaller frame, and he squeezes gently. The hug lasts a few seconds before he hears an obnoxious, perverse giggle.

"Ero-Sennin!"

Hinata immediately let's go and jumps back.

Naruto's eye twitches violently. "Don't you dare try that with my friends, you creep!"

Hinata soon realizes the implications of what she'd done. Her face erupts into all different kinds of red, pink, and scarlet. Her brain can't handle what she just did. She's so overwhelmed that she runs off without saying goodbye.

Naruto growls at his teacher. "Look at what you did! You scared her off!"

Jiraiya waves his hand around dismissively. "Big deal. Forget her. We're already running behind schedule. We need to go, my young pupil."

Naruto pouts. "Hmph. Fine. Let's go."

The dysfunctional Master-pupil duo departs the village to start a painful, necessary journey.

---

And that's the chapter. I wanted this to be the start of some character development for Hinata. And the Hyuuga's as a whole. They have a lot of potential as a clan, and I want to make the most of it. The next chapter will be Sakura's motivations and the training arcs of everybody in the Konoha 12. I will not allow these characters to be done wrong.

I wanted Hinata's personality to be more than it was in canon Hinata being a shy girl is not a bad thing. I think it makes her unique when you consider she is a warrior, but that unique trait wasn't brought to its full potential. So I decided to add small little aspects to Hinata's personality that makes her more than the shy girl who faints around Naruto.

And I promise that Naruto's training with Jiraiya will bear more fruit than it did in the series. He won't disappoint, however, I refuse to make him some unbeatable self-inserts for all you degenerates out there. No sir. He'll work damn hard to get stronger, though. It's who Naruto is.

I will make the next chapter as quickly as I can. It's the last chapter of Naruto classic and the prologue of Shippuden.

If you have any opinions or anything you'd like to know, please, let me know.

As always, If you have any questions or concerns, even criticism, Please PM me or Review. I'll always answer.

This is Zippy, out.