Sorry for the wait. It's finally here.

Chapter 3: Sad Yet Happy Eyes

Yet another three years has passed. The day of the Uchiha massacre had come. Naruto decided to take a stealthy tour through the various districts of the village. He was just about to enter the Uchiha district when a man ran into him, knocking Naruto flat on his butt. He got up to see that he ran into an Anbu with red eyes. "Itachi! What are you doing out here so late?"

Indeed, it was Itachi Uchiha, fresh from his killing spree. "Oh, Naruto. I, uh, have to go on a mission. No idea when I'll be back." "Can I come?"

The thought of Naruto becoming an S-rank missing-nin pierced Itachi's heart. Naruto was one of the few people who understood him and could tell him everything. Well, almost everything. Naruto had been more of a brother to Itachi than Sasuke was. "No, Naruto. This is a mission that I have to take up on my own." A look of pure sadness appeared on Naruto's face. "Hey, on my way out, I thought I heard something in that alley over there. Could you go check it out for me?" "Sure!" Naruto ran off to a nearby alley.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you can't follow my path. It would probably do more harm than good. It's better you remain here and prove to these villagers that you are the container, and not the demon." After that, Itachi disappeared into the night, unaware that the next time he and Naruto would meet, it would be on unfriendly terms.

Naruto had entered the alley when he heard what sounded like sniffling. At the end of the alley was a small girl in a corner. "Are you okay?" The girl raised her head to reveal the face of a little girl, about Naruto's age, with lavender eyes.

"Hi, I'm Naruto." "I-I-I'm Hinata." "Hey, do you live in that huge house in the, uh, Hyuga district?" "Y-y-yes, I do. Why do you a-a-ask?"

"You have the same eyes as they do. I think they're cool."

"Really? He likes my eyes. Thank you." "Come on. I'll walk you home" They walked for awhile, talking about whatever they wanted. "So, why were you crying in that alley?" "My father yelled at me, saying that I won't become anything useful at the rate I'm going." "Well, in my opinion, a father should not say something like to his child."

"W-what would your father say?" "I have no idea. He died in the Nine-Tailed Fox attack. As did my mother." "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. They died to help the village live on." "So why did you come to that alley?" "I wanted to get to know the layout of the village better. After all, I'm going to be Hokage someday."

They both talked for what seemed like hours, enjoying each other's company. Eventually, they arrived at the Hyuga Compound. "Well, this is where I leave. See you later." A harsh voice echoed throughout that area, saying, "Where have you been?" Hinata and Naruto turned to see that the voice came from Hiashi Hyuga. "Did you bring her back, boy?" "Yes, sir."

A storm erupted. Rain poured down like none before. "Well, I should get going. Good-bye," said Naruto. He hadn't moved 3 feet when Hiashi said, "Why don't you stay the night? You shouldn't walk through this rain." "Thank you, sir, but I have a place of my own. It isn't necessary."

"First of all, call me Hiashi. Second, it's the least I can do. We were just setting down for dinner. I wouldn't mind having another guest. And I'm sure Hinata wouldn't mind either. Would you mind, Hinata?" Hinata eagerly agreed with her father and brought Naruto into the house. "I haven't seen her that happy in a long time. Perhaps this is what Hinata needs to motivate her." Hiashi soon followed the children into the house. Meanwhile, a man in a black cloak stood ontop of a nearby building, observing this scene. "So he's the one. Let's see how he develops." And he disappeared into the night. As did the rain.

They all sat at the table and a beautifully prepared dinner. Hiashi eventually began to question Naruto. "So, Naruto, what do you want to do when you're older?"

His answer didn't even require a second of thinking. "Become a great Hokage." "Well that's a high dream. Do you think you can measure up to our great 4th Hokage?" "That's what I aim to do."

"Well, every Hokage has to start somewhere. Go to the Academy next week. Hinata should be starting around that time. It's good to start school with people you know." Expecting a response, Hiashi was disappointed that Naruto said nothing. "Is something wrong?"

"Academy rules for signing up sate that you need a parent to sign you in." "And I take it that you don't have any parents." "Yes, Hiashi sir."

"Well that just won't do. Tell you what; I'll pull some strings and get you into the Academy." This completely shocked Hinata. "Why is he being so nice to Naruto? Every other boy I've met has never talked to me again once they met father."

"Thank you, Hiashi. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, . . ." but Hiashi cut him off before he could complete his sentence. "Don't bother. Think of it as a reward for helping Hinata get home." Afterwards, they all went to bed. And for the first time in his life, Naruto felt like he belonged.

The next morning, Naruto departed from the Hyuga Compound, but not before saying goodbye to his new friends. "Thank you Hiashi-sama. What you've done for me means a great deal. See you later. Bye Hinata." And he ran off.

"Bye, Naruto-kun."

So what do you think? Please review. And watch out for another story that I'm in the process of making: "Revival of the Heart."