Hello and I'm back with the next chapter. This chapter is a little bit on the childish, happy side with a bit of bitter side humor. A bit cute but also alot more mature than you would expect from a nine year old's birthday. I thank those who have already reviewed and appreciate your generous compliments. Really, that makes me feel good, to put it simply. But thank you very much. And without further ado, here is the second installment of Konoha's Legacy.

Chp. 2 - A Royal Celebration

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The morning breeze blew through the windows of a luxurious room, filled with exquisite art and furniture, as well as a small blonde boy. Naruto felt the breeze, even as he lay half asleep, and pulled the gargantuan bed comforter over him, huddling into a fetal position for warmth. He had come to know that the month he was in, as well as the next two sucked so much. Yes, even the month of his birthday, which happened to be exactly this day. The breeze seemed like an ominous omen to the boy, the chill he felt being the cold, clammy hands of doom. It was almost that time, that time he would be asked to awaken and then be forced with ungraceful tact. Naruto sucked in his breath and knew he was going to regret awakening today but he had to grace his parents and the guests with his presence after all. It was like his birthday was some festival as all the nuts and whackjobs seemed to come out of hiding, the most sinister and evil of them lurking around every corner, waiting with malicious intent to wish him a 'happy' birthday. The only problem was, how could he have a "happy" birthday if all he ever did was greet and thank people, be courteous in the largest sense of the word, and act like a young gentleman. For christ's sake, I'm fucking eight-wait nine-years old.

As he gripped the comforter, he sucked in his breath and bit down on the hem of the material, trying to refrain from quite verbally slaughtering the english language. The use of such 'inappropriate' words would seem most un-gentlemanly and his parents would continue to frown upon him as he continued to disgrace his father and the family. The pride with which he took in his heritage could be seen as such an inspiration if the guy wasn't a total idiot. But Naruto did respect his father and his desire for family honor and he felt that he needed to be respectful, for no matter what, he was an Uzumaki. But back to the reaction of his gripping of the comforter, the boy was now clenching his fists, but not into a fist, afraid to put pressure on his tender skin.

The skin of his hands looked much like raw fish. The pinkish raw coloration that the skin held was enough to almost make him sick right on the spot and the pain wasn't helping too much either. He could see where his hands were burned and scarred, and even some disturbing patches where the skin looked like it was melted off. The pain reminded him of his first day after beginning that damn exercise.

That same day where he mastered the water walking exercise, the same day he met that young girl and enjoyed her company as they talked away. When Jiraiya returned, he had a peculiar looking scroll in his hands and he set him off to begin the exercise. It was terrifically awful and magnificently painful on his poor hands. The activity entailed him focusing chakra into his hand which was pretty easy to do. Then he had to start spinning it and thus the fun began. The stamina training had paid off, as did the building of his chakra stores, but that was why he ended up suffering. He apparently had so much chakra for his immature body that the chakra he was pumping into his hand was too much and therefore was causing him harm. Despite all his controlling exercises which should've made this easy, he could not seem to get the desired reaction that Jiraiya was trying to teach him. The way he showed him was by doing the first two steps and then stepping up to the water, he started to spin his chakra which gathered water into his hands which he continued to spin until the water stayed in his hands and in a perfect form, the form Jiraiya chose was one of a disc. The water was spinning with the chakra so fast that the water was taking the form of a disc. The explanation of why this was so important to accomplish was because that was one of the most difficult things to perform with this technique: giving it form. Giving the swirling chakra a form was the most beneficial way to turn the exercise into a technique for attacking. The countless times he attempted it had been painful and apparently not just to him. He noticed that Hinata, who was still watching him at the time, seemed to blanch when his hand started to sizzle as if his skin were cooked bacon. He was also disturbed by this and couldn't help but curse the old man for teaching this to him. Yes he could've stopped…but he was too much like his father. If his father was an idiot then Naruto was a complete dumbass.

Night started to settle in as the sun was setting on the horizon and Naruto said his farewells to Hinata, who did the same. Naruto hoped to see her soon which he noticed caused her mouth to hang open slightly and a red taint to form on her cheeks. When he returned to the same spot the next day, however, she was not there and did not appear, which actually depressed him. But he focused on the exercise, which left the same results but this time he passed out by noon from the pain. The same thing happened again the next day, a little later mind you, for he passed out at 1 p.m. this time.

Now here it was, the day of his birthday, and he was miserable from the searing pain in his hands. If he had stuck with just one hand the whole time, then that one hand would be nothing but a skeleton by now. No matter how much he didn't want to seem weak to others, a tear managed to fall from his eyes because of the wretching pain. He heard the familiar sound of sandals but it wasn't emphasized from supporting the large frame of the hulking man who trains him but it was light and temperous. Crap, its my father, I should've known he'd be the one to wake me up. He tried to sit up and get out of bed before his father could begin but it was too late.

"Wake your ass up, boy! It's time to grace the day with your handsome, exquisite smile, my son. Don't be shy, it's your birthday!" His voice boomed so loudly in Naruto's room that it left echoes, despite the fact that it was large and there was a freaking window open. Did this man realize that he almost broke his own son's eardrums? By the way he flashed his goofy smile, that was a 'hell no.' Naruto had a rather large bead of sweat falling from him out of sheer embarrassment of his father. Like it was said earlier, Naruto believed his father to be an idiot and here he was, proving Naruto's theory to be ever so accurate. The bright green ceremonial robe his father wore was an eyesore to the still sleepy Naruto, standing out too much with the wild blonde hair his father possessed. That bastard was responsible for passing down a gene so annoying, Naruto wanted to punch him almost every morning. He couldn't get his hair to do anything, it was so unruly and so unkempt, Naruto feared he might end up looking like a hobo, but at least it could be trimmed and that was the only thing saving his father from an alarm clock upside the head right now. That and the fact that anything he touched sent tremendous tremors of pain through his arms and to the section of his brain that processed that stuff, which sent a signal to his vocal cords to begin a tirade of verbal assaults that would make anyone flinch and would probably make his mother's ears bleed. Back to his father, though, who was beaming at him with a smile that was infectious on every level of its meaning. You might smile from seeing it and yet you might also develop an ulcer. The robes went all the way down to his feet, which were covered with a pair of black sandals. In summary, he was unique alright.

Now he was awake and would have to get up and get dressed and by doing so, his father would see the damage he had done to himself and hell would probably break loose. Doesn't really matter, the faster this day gets done, the better. It was a shame that he felt he couldn't enjoy his special day but it just wasn't looking too optimistic right now. He got up, slumping his arms down to hang at his sides as he walked over to the dresser, only to be put in a headlock by his father who, despite having a somewhat average bodyframe, was unfathomably powerful. Last time Naruto sparred with his father, Naruto's punch was blocked and with a simple flick of the wrist, Naruto was sent sailing through a tree. His father didn't apologize, just smiled, laughed at him, and said he just doesn't know his own strength. Now Naruto was stuck in a head lock and couldn't do anything about it.

"Damnit dad, that hurts. Can't I get some peace on my birthday instead of having to deal with crap like this!"

"And miss out on the chance to turn you into a sour puss, no chance. You really need to take these things in stride, Naruto. It'll make you better in the end. Laugh once in a while, your mornings will be a lot brighter."

"Kinda hard to smile in the morning when I'm in pain, in a headlock, and was forced to wake up early" Naruto managed between gritted teeth as he struggled with his father.

"If you didn't use so much chakra in your hands, then you might not hurt yourself so much." Before Naruto protested, he continued. "I know, I know, but it isn't the amount of chakra you use, its the velocity of the spin which gives it it's form. You have enough time to perfect it in your life. Four years...should be sufficient, if I'm correct."

Naruto stopped squirming and processed the information...all of it. Four years? He couldn't mean...He was released from his father's death grip and looked up, seeing his mother standing at the doorframe out of the corner of his eyes, but paying the most attention to his father.

"Number one, it is later than you think it is and therefore you already have guests, so lets get you dressed. Number two," he bent down, ruffling Naruto's hair, and looking him right in the eyes with the piercing blue eyes. But they were gentle and were sparkling with...pride? Naruto had seen that look before and he was wondering what he was going to say before his father continued. "You will be attending the Ninja Academy in a weeks time." Naruto's eyes sparkled with happiness that was so contagious, he heard his mother giggle. "Happy birthday, my son. I'm so proud of you." Naruto leapt at his father, excited beyond belief. His hands hurt when he wrapped them around his dad but he didn't care, his happiness and joy was too great and overpowered the pain, possibly the only thing that could overcome the pain. His father broke the hug, told him to get dressed and they would see him in the common room. Naruto nodded and went to getting prepared. He figured he could make himself more presentable now that he was in such a great mood. He felt he could even stomach those cold bastards' fake smiles. After taking a quick shower, he put on a dark green ceremonial robe, which was similar to his father's robe, and unwrapped the bandages that were already on his hands, rewrapping them in new bandages which his mother had given him when she saw the injuries a couple of nights ago. Now he was ready and did a quick five minute meditation session, getting himself prepared to greet everyone and receive his gifts and wishes of happy birthday.

He walked down the hall, a quick left turn, making a right turn onto the second hallway, and made his way into the common room, which was already bustling with noise of people. As he entered the room, everyone turned to see him and all busted out simultaneously "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NARUTO!" He was almost knocked off his feet and left reeling from the assault, until he felt someone mussing with his hair. He looked in the direction to see Old Man Sarutobi standing there with a happy grin on his face. Naruto embraced the old man, knowing that he didn't mind him being there, one of the few elder people of nobility he actually enjoyed the presence of. Sarutobi wished him a happy birthday and whispered that he had a special gift for him. He heard that all the time from most of the elders that gave him gifts, but coming from Sarutobi it actually meant something. Naruto broke away from the old man, planning to find his father and start with the whole greeting and gesturing thing until he saw a familiar figure standing in front of his father, with light purplish robes, long hair, and, Naruto was pretty confident about this, white eyes. He walked to the man and his father, stood before them both and bowed respectfully to Hyuuga Hiashi. An odd thing happened though as the man, who looked serious and as stuck-up as it comes, chuckled at him. "That will be all of that for today, young boy. It is your day and I have given you a gift that I think should be suitable, as has my daughter."

"Hinata? She's here?" He was actually very interested to know if she were here. This caused the Yondaime's eyebrows to raise. Looks like my boy has made a friend quite quickly.

"Yes, she sort of 'insisted' she come here." He looked like he rolled his eyes when he said that. After he spoke, as if by magic, Hinata appeared from behind Hiashi, with a small smile on her face as she looked at Naruto. Hiashi moved to give his daughter less cover to hide behind. "Don't be shy, Hinata, come on and say hello to the guest of honor." She clenched her fists but managed to look up at him in the eyes and smiled again, giving a small bow as well.

"H-Happy birthday, Naruto-kun."

"Thank you, Hinata-chan."

'Chan?' 'Kun?' Hmmm...didn't know those two were that friendly. He thought it was interesting how all his plans seemed to have unexpected, yet very convenient, positive outcomes. Maybe their presence together in the academy would boost their performance. He would have a discussion about it with Hiashi later over a cup of tea. Then the ominous, yet benign, presence was felt of a familiar figure. Heh heh heh, he made it. Naruto will get a kick out of this. He saw that Naruto had noticed it too, for he managed to break away from his and Hinata's gaze and turned to look in the direction and saw the shaggy dark hair, long robes with the red fan on the back, and familiar red eyes of one Uchiha Itachi.

"Itachi-san, you came!" He ran at the Uchiha teen and stopped right in front of him, as Itachi knelt down and started to mess with the blonde boy's hair. He had a genuine smile on his face too, which made Naruto brighten up more. The only person Itachi really cared about a great deal besides his younger brother was Naruto. The boy was a complete opposite to the stuck-ups of the great clans and was truely genuine with his feelings. Itachi actually wouldn't have minded to oversee Naruto's training if it weren't for the fact that he had so many family meetings to attend and then the fact that he was a high-class superior-level ANBU, so he was away and busy a lot of the time. But if he ever got the chance to come by and visit Naruto, he would. He pulled a double time in his most recent mission to make sure he made it back in time for Naruto's birthday, which meant a great deal to the boy. He reached inside his robe and pulled out a package and handed it to him, the dark red packaging giving it an eerie look but so tempting. He looked to his father, who gave the nod and he began to open it.

"I realized how much you liked your gift last year and so I did my best to get something that you would like for this year." What the wrapping covered was a small box. Upon opening it, there was a thick piece of parchment, but he quickly realized it was just because it was folded into many squares. Once he unfolded the paper, which ended up being quite big, he saw that it wasn't just any paper he was holding but a scroll, and this scroll had many notes jostled down everywhere. Giving a look of minor confusion, he looked at Itachi who smiled at him. "That scroll there is all of my notes, from when I was younger. Follow those notes, as well as the guidelines set on it, and you should be able to learn to use somewhat simple techniques that upon mastering, can be used in complex patterns and skills. I believe you will benefit the most from receiving this than my younger brother will." His statement about his younger brother had actually quelled a doubt that was brewing inside of him. He didn't want Itachi to give these to him and not to his little brother but if Itachi thought that Sasuke would be fine without them then who was he to complain. Naruto rolled up the scroll and put it back in the box, beaming the whole time.

The conversations and laughter continued, occasionally hushing every now and then, as someone else handed Naruto a gift. New clothing, scrolls, shoes, a comfy jacket, a new set of kunai and shurikens, and some more furniture. It finally came down to those that mattered. Itachi had to leave, after giving a quick briefing on his mission, wishing Naruto a happy birthday and that was probably the last time he would see him in a month or so, maybe longer. He had yet to receive gifts from Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Hinata (well, the Hyuuga's in general), his mother, and he knew his father wasn't done. Sarutobi walked up to him and handed him a large package, which he opened up, revealing a pair of bracers. They were made of an exquisite design, the steel parts smooth and unbelieveably fine, yet lightweight. It looked like it was worn like an elbow pad but across the forearm and he noticed that there small holsters on the inside portion, which was explained were for kunai that could be accessed a lot more stealthily than for reaching for one out of a holster. Naruto smiled at the old man and received a hand messing with his hair again. I swear, what is so addictive about my hair.

Next up came Jiraiya, who explained to the whole crowd that he had lost a bet with him and therefore Jiraiya owed him a jutsu, a good one, which he emphasized. "Therefore, my boy, my gift to you is teaching you the Kage Bunshin." Alot of mumbling went on with that announcement and he felt himself becoming red with embarrassment. Was it his plan to try and impress everyone with the fact that I was going to be learning a jutsu or was he trying to embarrass me? He quickly jerked to attention when Hiashi walked up to him. The man who seemed so cold before now seemed less stern. Could he actually be soft under that face?

"I was told by your father that you really haven't been given any assistance in taijutsu, so here you go young one." Naruto took the small package and unwrapped it, which was a book that was filled to the brim with taijutsu steps and procedures, stances and maneuvers, and styles that benefit the young, growing ninja. He smiled with gratitude towards Hiashi and bowed, receiving a bow from him as well. Naruto smiled also at Hinata and thanked her until Hiashi, who had gone back to her side, nudged her towards Naruto. She walked towards him, with a small wrapped package in her hands, and Naruto realized that she had gotten him a separate gift. She handed it to him and he unwrapped it, revealing an amber colored jar with a dark substance inside. Naruto took the top off, being careful not to put too much strain on his hands. Getting the lid off, he was assaulted by the scent of peppermint, as he saw a dark green colored gel was inside the jar. "If I may ask, what is this stuff Hinata-chan?"

"I-If you would take off your bandages, I will show you." Naruto raised his eyebrows at her but did so, very reluctantly, and revealed his disfigured hands for all who could see to lose their lunch. Hinata again blanched at the sight, becoming an even paler color than she already was. She tentatively reached into the jar, putting some ointment on her fingers.

"Th-This might sting, Naruto-kun...a lot" she finished seeing the degree of the damage. Naruto took the loose tape and put it in his mouth, biting down. She began to apply the stuff to Naruto and he bit down hard, almost seeing stars. It burned a great deal but slowly, too slowly for him, it began to calm and the pain just seemed to be leaving. He felt so relieved when she was done moving her fingers across his hand and felt himself blush when he sighed in relief. Some people giggled at the display while others gave little 'awwwww's. Naruto looked at his hand and saw that his skin just seemed to be regaining its 'normal' color and the pain no longer seemed to be there. He quickly unwrapped the other hand and she put on the ointment on that hand too. When she was done, his hands felt so much better. He thanked her, she bowed to him, he bowed to her and she walked back to her father.

The next gift was from his mother, which included a great deal of blank scrolls, writing utensils, holsters, a bag to hold it all and a neat little strap that went across his chest that seemed to hold everything to him. He thanked his mother with a kiss on the cheek and his father came up behind him. Patting him on the shoulders, he turned to the crowd, smiling proudly. "Well everyone, I'd like to go ahead and announce that my boy has expressed a certain desire and I have complied. He will, in four years, hopefully join Konoha's forces as he will be attending the Academy for the next four years." There was a moment that was given so people could clap until he turned to Naruto and the clapping ceased. "My son, that is not all I wish to give you. This is, for me, a very proud moment and I'm happy for you and with this great day I wish to give you this." He handed him a scroll (what is the deal with the scrolls this year) and Naruto took it, opening it and seeing only one line on the parchment. "That, my son, is the family secret treasure. You, and only you, can read the contents. I'll explain the details later but for now, let us move to the dining room for some tea and cake, why don't we?"

The bustling of people moving to the said room was quite noisy but Naruto didn't care, right now he just wanted to find Hinata, the only person he could relate to and have a conversation with. He was ecstatic that he was going to be going to the ninja academy and it was a bonus that she would be there as well, if he was correct. He found her and joined her by her side. They talked a little, her trying to explain the medicine she used on him but he really didn't understand the full concept behind it. Just conversing about ordinary things, they didn't realize that they had ended up sitting next to each other at the massive table, with their father's seated rather coincidentally across from them. They had an interesting conversation as well, the Yondaime trying to convince Hiashi to send Hinata to the academy just a little bit early so that they could go together. The Yondaime's theory was that they might help each other out. Hiashi, after a while of sitting there, watching his daughter smile at the boy and converse with him, began to believe him and decided that he agreed that it might be the best thing. He didn't want his daughter to become dependant on anybody, especially the boy, but it wouldn't hurt for them to start at the same time. Yondaime smiled, content, and continued to sip his tea and eat his slice of cake, being a complete sucker for the sweets.

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The guests started to file out around 4 pm, which Naruto was very grateful of since his cheeks were sore from all the fake smiles he gave to the unwanted guests. As the 'unimportant ones left,' Naruto was able to spend some time with just the people he wanted to spend time with. He actually got a visit by Hatake Kakashi, who seemed to have a complex with appearing on time. The tall man with spiky silver hair and the hitai-ite with the Konoha symbol on it covering his left eye and a mask covering his lower face gave the man a mysterious feel. What amused Naruto about Kakashi was that he always seemed to joke around and was playful, like a little kid, despite the fact that he was around twenty or so. Kakashi and Itachi were in the same caliber of ninja, both joining the ANBU at an outrageously young age and being extremely powerful as two of the most feared and revered of all the Konoha nin. Kakashi gave the boy a card with a simple phrase on it: 'Times are tough, Life is Hard, Here's your feckin birthday card.' Inside the card were five notes that stated that he could eat three bowls of ramen for free, for each note, at Ichiraku. He thanked Kakashi, who, Naruto guessed, smiled back and went to the Yondaime to discuss something. His father was talking with Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Hiashi, and when Kakashi joined in, they huddled together, speaking in low voices, laughing about certain things, and taking sips of tea or sake, depending on who it was that was drinking what.

Naruto looked around and saw Hinata talking with his mother and he just stood there watching, smiling, not realizing that his mother noticed him. "Naruto, dear, how about you take the young girl and show her around the house while I help attend to the dishes?" His mouth dropped a little, his voice lost, wanting to protest, but sighed defeatedly and nodded, which was rewarded by her warm smile. He nodded his head at Hinata, who bowed slightly, causing him to groan, and walked over to her and continued out of the room. "I told you you don't have to be so formal with me" he muttered to her with just a little hint of agitation. Twists and turns, lefts and rights, and a lot of simple minded explanations. He explained to her that the bedrooms were meant for his family but most of them were traveling right now around Fire Country, so alot of them were empty. There were three unassigned guestrooms and eleven occupied bedrooms, though only three were in use right now with him, his parents, and Jiraiya, who decided to stay with them since he agreed to oversee his training. Hinata was impressed with the simplicity, yet striking elegance, of the house he lived in and was surprised when she saw his room. Naruto was a little uneasy with her going into his room, not because he didn't want people in there, but because his room might be offensive or unimpressive. But once she stepped in, she was in awe of all the decorative features in the room: the artwork on the walls, the specially made furniture, the wookwork that had gems made into it, and surprisingly, the bed. She actually ran up to it and jumped on it, bouncing a little to test its softness.

"Your room is a lot bigger than mine is, Naruto-kun. A lot nicer stuff too." Naruto now felt guilty that he had shown her, afraid that it was offensive to her. "Your bed is much bigger than mine and you have all the art around your room. I'm jealous."

"My room isn't all that special. I mean, come on, you have to have much better stuff than this, your family is much more well known that you should have received a lot of nice things from allies of your father."

"W-Well, my father doesn't r-really approve of me having exotic material around. I...I think he is afraid I m-might dishonor him or something." She bit her lip as he saw her feet fidgeting.

"Well...I don't know your father all that much, but if he were afraid of anything, I'm assuming he would be afraid that you would become materialistic but I don't know. My father doesn't really care since he knows I don't care about all this stuff too much." He saw her look a bit shocked that he would say that and so he continued. "All these gifts, Hinata," he said to her motioning through his whole room, "are from stuck-ups and stiffs that want nothing else than favors from my father. That's all they are and I for one can't stand that. These aren't sincere gifts, like your ointment. They are tokens given in a manner that will hopefully please my father and make him more accustomed to lending them some assistance, if required. I only keep it around so that I don't disappoint my mother. She's sweet and all, but she's dense if she thinks that these are all heart-felt gifts. I like the gifts that actually mean something, from people who are meaningful to me. Itachi, Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Kakashi, you, Mom, and Dad had the only gifts that really meant anything to me. By the way, thanks again."

She blushed and smiled warmly at the compliment that her gift had meant something special to him. "Y-You're welcome. How does your hand feel? I wasn't sure if I did it right but I had no way of testing it without an injury to test it on."

"It worked great, Hinata-chan. My hands hurt so badly, you couldn't imagine, but the pain is now almost completely gone. I only feel a tenderness where my skin hasn't regrown yet." Yet another blanched look from Hinata but she still smiled at his compliment. "So I'm going to the ninja academy too." he said to her with a huge grin plastered on his face, proud that he would be getting the chance to become one of his village's finest. Hinata smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement, secretly happy that he was to attend the academy. "When are you starting?"

"Um...I guess when father tells me so although he might make me wait till I am nine as well."

"When is your birthday, Hinata-chan?"

"U-um...D-December the 27th. W-Why?"

"Oh. No reason. It's just you knew when mine was so I figured I should know when your's was. Hey, wanna see my favorite part of the house?" She nodded and he took her hand, guiding her through the hallways and ended at a section of the house that opened up into the 'Meditation Garden.' She smiled and breathed in deep, taking in the luscious feel of the area. There were semi-tall trees and bushes and the grass was neat and trim, yet very lush. There were flowers of an assortment of colors, ranging from yellow to white to red to purple to blue and to green. In the middle was a fountain, with a small pond, and she ran up to the water, putting her fingertips into the water to test it's temperature.

"This is nice, it's just like ours at the house." she said as she walked over to the different colored flowers, sniffing each one and releasing a satisfied sigh as each one smelled wonderful. Naruto just chuckled at her enthusiasm for such a simple thing as flower scents, peace, and tranquility.

"Yeah, this is the only place that is usually quiet enough for me to meditate without being disturbed. If my mind is ever cloudy I just come here, sit down, and look up at the sky." His face held a sort of calmness as he recalled all the times he would come here when he was younger and just get to be to himself. He unkowingly had sat down and started to look up at the sky and let the tranquil nature this place exuded wash over him. Hinata had come a bit closer to him and started to do the same thing, looking at the sky, curling her knees up into her chest, and continuing to breath in the atmosphere of the place. Unknown to the kids, their father figures had found them and chuckled silently at the sight. Naruto, who felt their presence, instantly became annoyed that his father was finding amusement from him enjoying his birthday.

"You know, you're not as stealthy as you would like to think you are, dad." he told him, shifting his weight so that he could look behind him without putting too much strain on his neck. He noticed Hinata had stood up, brushing grass remnants from her clothing, and he was slightly annoyed more that their appearance had actually ruined his time with her. The short time he had come to know her, he thought of her as his friend, possibly his first. Itachi, who was young and somewhat close to him in age, acted more like a brother would than a friend. Naruto stood up as well, looking at his and Hinata's fathers, especially Hiashi, since he seemed to be trying to take into account something that wasn't physically tangible and make an accurate judgment, whatever it may be. Hinata shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and started to dig her bare toes in the grass, her sandals probably were in his room when she discarded them so she could jump on his bed without being disrespectful to his furniture. It was then that Hiashi cleared his throat and looked at the man next to him, who returned the gaze and was received by a nod from Hiashi, which made him smile back at Hiashi and then to the youngsters, who had a mixed reaction to it but both being out of uncomfort. Hinata lowered her head, blushing slightly at such a strong smile being directed from the leader of the village; Naruto, however, slumped in his posture, breathing out a deep sigh of exasperation for his father's stupid and overdone mannerisms. It was Hiashi's voice that broke both the kids from their trance, making them jump slightly.

" Ahem I think this will be all for today. I must get back to the manor and do some of the paperwork. Naruto-san, I wish you a farewell and hope that your birthday was enjoyable. Come, Hinata."

"Hai, Otou-san." she said as she walked to her father but then noticed that she was missing her footwear, as the grass continued to tickle her feet. "Oh, I-I left my sandals in Naruto's room" she said to her father, "I will go get them if you will wait for me a moment."

"Let my boy escort you then, the house can be a maze if you don't live here. Naruto, would you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I will. Come on, Hinata-chan." he said cutting off his father, who just smiled back at him and watched as he and Hinata left to retrieve her shoes.

"You seem unusually happy today, Hokage-sama. Something else is here than meets the eye. Would you care to enlighten me?" Hiashi asked him wondering what he could be so thrilled with. It was true it was his son's birthday and it wasn't unnatural for the Yondaime to be hyper or happy, but it seemed to be different today.

"I'm just happy that my boy has found a child his age who can be his first true friend. The only other person he ever addresses with an informal suffix added to it is Uchiha Itachi, who has taken a certain fondness of him. Your daughter is the first person his age who he has met and addresses on such a friendly level. I feel them being in the academy at the same time is going to help out with both of them. They will probably push each other to be better and defeat each other's weaknesses. Don't you think so?"

"You seem to have faith in not just your boy's ability but my daughter's, and you do not much of her progression."

"I have not been able to train with my boy and help him as much as I have wanted to but Jiraiya has been doing well with him. He reports that Naruto has a certain knack for some things, like chakra control." he told Hiashi, who responded with a raised eyebrow, wondering what the level might be and if it was close to the branch family's prodigy. "And I'm sure that your daughter has a great deal of talent and ability that just needs a little bit of time to surface."

"Time," Hiashi spoke as his words were laced with disappointment, "is a luxury the elders won't give so easily. They have heard that my youngest daughter, Hanabi, seems to show more promise than Hinata has and are pushing for me to make a decision on which one would make a better heir-apparent. It is Hinata's right to be the leader when she is grown but if the elders of the clan do not respect her then...I just do not want her to go through the same things her mother did." His face had become saddened as he recalled what had happened to his beautiful wife, the horrible way she was treated by the family, and he did not want any of their children to go through the torment that she must have gone through. "If only there was a way that I could break through that layer of inferiority that has become established within her psyche, then she might be able to make some serious progress with her training."

"That is the very reason you should let her go to the academy with my boy. He has a certain feel about him that just seems to grab at people and change them for the better. Itachi was a cold loner, diligently doing his missions and returning to his family to train or do family business. Now, he frequents our house when he manages the time between his duties and treats Naruto as if he were his little brother as well. My sensei, Jiraiya, had no desire to have any more apprentices after me but he warmed up to Naruto and decided to oversee his training from when he was young. Your daughter seems to have had the same effect on my boy and I think that he will have a positive effect on her." As he said this, Hiashi thought about all the words the Yondaime had said, continuing to let it stew in his mind, wondering if it was a good thing to let the Hokage's son partner with the heir of the Hyuuga's. But it did sound like it might be the best thing, the Ninja Academy would allow her to get out and see how other ninjas work and train and maybe let that shield of hers be broken away as others her age surrounded the young girl. He closed his eyes as he pondered the possibilities and then opened them, coming to a conclusion.

It was at this moment that Naruto and Hinata had returned, both giggling as Naruto had finished telling Hinata about how he got back Jiraiya the other day for all the times the old man had woken him up with water on the head. They saw their father's still conversing, although it looked like Hiashi was deep in thought. The men turned to see their children looking and Hiashi had something unexpected on his face, a warm smile.

"O-Otou-san, I'm ready." she said as she was taken aback by the sudden appearance of warmth across her father's usually stern and cold face.

"As am I, but before we leave, I wish to ask of a favor of you, Naruto." Naruto looked at the man, as he was also taken aback by Hinata's father. Not for the smile on his face, though it didn't seem to settle right on the man's face - after seeing the man with such an unflinchingly cold face, a smile just seemed to be out of place, like a luscious apple tree in a barren desert - but it was the fact that the man wanted to ask him of a favor.

"Uh, yes sir?"

"I have been informed that you will start attending the academy by the beginning of next week by your father. If you would, would you be willing to come to our manor on that same morning?"

"Uhhhh...I guess I could...but why would you want that?" Now his interest was piqued. If what Hiashi was getting at was what Naruto thought it was then he was going to be ecstatic.

"It is just that I would like for my daughter to have a familiar person with her on her first day so that she won't be so nervous. I think you being there will help her to not be so apprehensive on her first day at the academy. So would you?"

Naruto's grin exploded all over his face and he couldn't contain himself. He would be going to the academy, he found that out at the beginning of his day. And now, seemingly at the end of his 'special' day, he found out that he would be attending with his new friend. He was overjoyed that this day went so well. Hiashi was amused by the boy's reaction and by his daughter's too. It looked as though she were happy that she would be going to the academy with Naruto and when Naruto grabbed her hands and started to jump excitedly, trying to get her to join him, he chuckled at the sight feeling that he had made the smartest decision in his life.

After he finally calmed down, releasing Hinata, who was blushing from the display she had just seen and shown - she had joined in with him a few seconds after he started, his energy being contagious afterall - and looked to her father to see if he disapproved. On the contrary, he was smiling still, but the Yondaime had his right up to his chin, rubbing it while looking at her and Naruto, chuckling slightly. Naruto had put his hand behind his head, scratching it, with a blush of his own across his face that he had acted like such a 'child' in front of his father and Hinata's father.

"I thought that that would make my daughter happy. If I knew it would make you so happy, Naruto, then I would have done that as my gift." he said as he chuckled lightly at his own joke. "So I am to take your response as a yes?" Naruto nodded, still embarrassed for the way he acted. After that, he, Hinata, his father, and her father made their way to the front of the house, discussing the small arrangements that were already made for an escort for the both of them. They decided on a woman by the name of Yuhi Kurenei, who had agreed to be Hinata's escort when she was younger. They needed to be at the academy by 8 A.M. exactly, which would mean Naruto would have to wake up earlier now. He didn't mind right now, but he figured it would eventually become a nuisance. When they reached the front door, Hiashi and Hinata bid their farewells, wishing him another happy birthday before they walked out of the house and back to their homes. Naruto, after seeing the door close, making sure that they might not hear them, pumped his fist into the air, shouting "YATTA!" His voice rung out from that area throughout the entire building, it seemed, but only got smiles from the remaining visitors, who were Kakashi, Jiraiya (who didn't count as a guest), and Sarutobi. The rest of the evening was spent with him putting all his stuff into places in his room, not really worrying where or how is was placed there, the only things he really kept around were all the scrolls and books, as well as Hinata's medicine, which was put on the bedside table where his annoying-ass alarm clock sat. He realized now that he would need that damn thing more than ever to avoid being woken up by his father or Jiraiya.

The next few days were like a blur, moving so fast as he attempted to learn the jutsu Jiraiya promised to teach him, which happened to be a jounin level technique called 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.' One handseal, but damn it was hard to do this jutsu for it required not the expert use of the handseals but a much larger amount of chakra than what Naruto was used to using. Plus it had something to do with how the user visualized the results. Apparently, you needed to tell yourself how many bunshins you wanted to make and then look into your chakra stores and split it accordingly. The difficulty with this was, he just didn't know how to do something that complex yet. He was told by Jiraiya that it would probably take him about a year, maybe a little more or possibly a little less, to learn how to do this. It might take until he was through with the four years in the academy before he finally got the hang of using the technique to anywhere close to its full potential. Patience was the key and Naruto just seemed to lack that when he couldn't do something in the amount of time he wanted. The big day was fast approaching and he was getting more and more anxious about his first day at the academy. His bags were packed, pouches filled accordingly with a number of kunai and shuikens, and blank parchments and scrolls filled into the pockets of his backpack for the academy.

'Tomorrow...tomorrow is the day I take the next step towards my goal.'

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Thank you for putting up with this chapter P I was a little surprised with where I took this chapter myself, thinking it to be too kiddie but who knows. Anyways, the next chapter is already in the works of being posted. Just give me a day or two, that's all. Once again, thank you for your views and reviews. I appreciate it and hope you keep with my story. It will have one or two more chapters of explanatory information and plot building. But, if you have checked out my profile, I am a firm believer that a story that has three to four chapters of foundation will prove to have a more fertile setting and therefore, the plot will be more acceptable. So hopefully everyone will hang around and see my story through till the plot picks up. Thank you and good night.

Chapter three is about the first day of school. Just what will the Ninja Academy be like to the new students and how will they fit in? Stay tuned for the next installment, coming soon.