Book 1
Awakening
Chapter 3 - Growing Closer
A/N: Yet another chapter, how does he do it?! Well, I don't know how, just kind of getting a feel for the writing process, I suppose. Anyway, as you've probably guessed by now, I like to greet my readers in some way, shape or form at the beginning of every chapter; as a way to sort of maintain 'human' contact. I want to make it very clear that there is a person writing this story, and not a machine! Secondly, reviews. I know this story has already received a generous (and surprising) amount of reviews, but it's not enough! While I sincerely appreciate all the compliments and positive comments; I'd truly appreciate it if more opinions were to be put out there, almost like a discussion—talk to me; what do you like, want to see more of, hate, enjoy, what do you want to ask me (no guarantee I'll answer...); is it too hard to read? am I using too much symbolism? is it just right?... Regardless of what you have to say, I'd like to 'hear' it, so please, vocalize, so to speak. Now, please enjoy Chapter 3.
SamHetfield: Oh, so you noticed this story, I was wondering if you'd see it. I noticed yours a little while ago, I haven't read it yet but I sort of filed it away for later; waiting to see where it goes. Anyway, thanks; and yeah, they are fairly difficult to write.
**UPDATE: As it's been requested (since it has apparently confused several people). The 'reason' for Naruto already knowing Kage Bunshin in this timeline has been posted under the Questions section of my Cover Page Chapter. I didn't release it when first publishing this story as I felt it wasn't really necessary, but, just so everything is all clear and happy, it's up there now.
It was a peaceful day. The sun was shining brightly, the foliage was thriving and a chorus of amiable birdsong could be heard throughout the Hidden Leaf Village; almost as if to reflect the mood of it's denizens. Today was a bright day.
If one were to navigate their way through the afternoon-life of the village and continue on, they would soon find themselves nearing the outskirts of the village. Slightly beyond this point of division; seperating the village from the surrounding area, encircling the permimeter of the village, and extending even slightly beyond that, there are training grounds in place for the village's ninja to convene, plan, discover and of course, train.
In one of these sanctioned training grounds, Training Ground 7 to be specific, sat Uzumaki Naruto, upon one of the several training posts erected in the expanse of the grassy field. The training field was littered with various standard ninja tools; strewn about seemingly haphazardly and stuck into the surrounding plant-life, posts and rocks alike were an abundance of shuriken and kunai. It was clear that the grounds had been thoroughly used.
Sitting upon the post, however, Naruto's demeanor was quite in contrast to the rough appearance of the training ground; all but his expression, which clearly betrayed his best attempts at concentration and serenity. His mind was in a similar state...
His facial features scrunched together in a forced attempt at calm, his hands pressed together in a Ram seal in front of his body and a visible sheen of sweat coating his brow, he let out a loan groan of frustration as his mind drove him at a mile-a-minute.
'Mmmm... Ooo-mmm... Oooo-mmmmm!' he thought in a vain attempt to impel some sort of result. 'Dammit! One more time!'
'Hitsuji-Mi-Tora,' he thought in conjunction with his physical formation of the hand-signs. 'Bunshin no Jutsu!'
He opened his eyes, expectantly looking to the left and to the right to survey the results of one of his many attempts at the Clone Technique. Upon turning, he was thoroughly disappointed in seeing, once again, two flimsy, pale and 'lifeless' clones sitting on top of the posts on either side of him.
"Dammit!" He shouted, turning his head towards the sky, most likely in hope of some divine intervention. "Everytime I try that jutsu, it blows up in my face!" Seemingly to add insult to injury, the two deficient clones popped out of existence in a cloud of smoke. Slapping his hand against his face in exasperation, Naruto let out in a muffled groan. "I wonder if it was this difficult for everyone..."
Temporarily feeling demotivated, Naruto chose to reposition himself on his perch; opting to shift into a less physically strenuous position—lying down, with his legs hanging off of the edge. Too tired to bother, he ignored the slight ache he felt in his hamstring caused by the wooden cusp of the log.
With a somewhat exasperated sigh, he continued "I wonder if Hinata-chan can do the Bunshin..." With a groan, he dispelled that thought. "What am I saying! Of course she can... she's a great ninja... So what if she's a little quiet... it's kind of nice..." he mused, with a light smile tugging at his lips.
Her face took on an expression of moderate confusion "W-What do you m-mean Naruto-kun..." She was having exceptional trouble speaking, but she would not pass out, regardless of her proximity to Naruto.
Naruto smiled slightly at this, but it was a genuine smile. "What I mean, Hinata-chan, is that you promised me that I wouldn't be alone... You're my first real friend... Hinata-chan!" By the time the words had left his mouth, his smile had only multiplied in intensity.
After Naruto let go of Hinata's shoulders, they resumed their walk. With Naruto still wearing a happy smile.
After a few minutes, Hinata decided to resume their active conversation. "N-Naruto-kun. I'm h-honored to be your... first real friend," She said, with a steady pink blush lightly shading her face.
She continued with a heavy sigh... "You're sort of my first f-friend as well, Naruto-kun."
His most recent words leaving a serene sort of echo in his mind 'Kind of nice...'
His eyebrows raised in thoughtfulness "Speaking of Hinata-chan... I wonder how she's doing right now..."
Leaning back again, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander...
School had just let out for the day at the Ninja Academy. Students were rushing out of the schoolyard, all at their own individual paces; some met with parents who escorted them home—hand in hand, others took off at high speeds—presumably going somewhere they'd been dying to be, others walked off in groups—seeking to enjoy the day. Few, though, left at a slow pace. For most it was because they were taking in the scenery of late Autumn, for others, namely Hinata, it was because they were deep in thought.
'I can't believe how well my evening with Naruto-kun went! H-He called me his first real friend... C-Could he maybe...? No... I should be happy to just be his friend. It was only yesterday that I wasn't even able to hold a conversation with him... how could I think such things...'
Hinata's thoughts continued as she walked through the vast schoolyard toward the exit. She passively admired the Autumn leaves, taking collected steps, the crunch of the fallen leaves could be heard sounding from underfoot. Her gaze settled on the smallest of creatures as they carefully maneuvered through the sparse underbrush, she admired their life from her vantage point; there were times when she wished that life could be that (seemingly) simple for everyone. Such thoughts though, would quickly be rebuffed when she observed the interactions of people and their advanced society...
Hinata now found herself amongst the people of the village, having been progressing along her way; practically having been on auto-pilot. Her thoughts shifted back to the awe and fascination she found in both seemingly simple and complex things; ironically some of the simplest things—upon closer analyzation—would turn out to be some of the most complex and baffling, while, the opposite would be true for things that were supposedly complex. Then there was that gray area... one thing in particular being emotion; specifically human emotion... Was it supposed to be simple; spontaneous; powerful; inexplicable... Or was it supposed to be something calculated; understood; impressive; something with exploitable rules... Or, was it supposed to be both...
One particular emotion that was on her mind, at the moment, was love. What was it really... Although she couldn't really bring herself to (attempt to) analyze something so sancrosanct and pure... she still did wonder. She did hear people say it a lot... use it a lot... She wouldn't dare ask one of the people in her more immediate 'circle' of interaction; definitely not her family... or even worse... the person who she was beginning to think she may actually... feel love for...
Unfortunately, her thoughts would never lead her anywhere, as she found herself colliding with someone.
Quickly righting herself, she blurted out in embarrassment "I-I'm s-sorry, I-I wasn't paying at-tention to where I was going!" Crossing her hands in front of herself, she completed the apology with a formal bow; eyes directed at the ground.
For a moment, the other party didn't respond... Hinata looked up and regretted it instantly, making hesitant eye contact she practically whispered "N-Neji Nī-san..."
Hyūga Neji, the stoic, bitter prodigy of the Hyūga Clan and member of the Branch Family stood before her, making a display of straightening his jacket and patting it off. "Really, Hinata-sama. There is no need for such formality." He all but bit out the words.
Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but was promptly shut down by Neji raising his open hand in front of him. "I merely have a message for you."
"I was instructed by Hiashi-sama to find you at the academy and deliver a message, I was on my way there until you convinently bumped into me; for once, it seems your clumsiness is of some use."
Neji regarded her with a blank stare; although beneath it you could see a disgusted grimace doing it's utmost to break free to the candid surface. Hinata felt the sting of his words, but simply kept her head down and listened on.
After a brief pause, Neji continued "Your father was concerned about your absence last night."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly in recollection, a barely noticable blush threatening to make itself known.
Ignoring this, Neji spoke on "You must realize, Hinata-sama that regardless of your current irrelevance, you are still a member of the... Main Family. Your foolish escapades cannot be tolerated as such things pose a threat to the clan's integrity; if the Byakugan were to fall into the wrong hands, would you want that responsibility on your head?"
Hinata winced at Neji's callous diction, despite her best efforts to remain positive, the stigma and reminder of her looming status of clan pariah didn't fail in driving Neji's words home.
"Even if you were to be lucky enough to survive... in that event."
Her head stooping even further, she tried to fight back the pressure in her eyes; willing them not to begin to water in the face of opposition. "I-I understand... N—"
"That is all, Hinata-sama," Neji declared. Expeditiously turning, he walked off in the opposite direction, his stiff posture stubbornly intact.
Taking in a deep breath, Hinata managed to slightly ease her emotional ache. Glancing upwards, she admired the tranquility of the clouds, and in an brief instant, acquired a deep-rooted understanding and appreciation for her classmate Shikamaru's hobby.
'How do you always stay strong, Naruto-kun...?'
With that thought, she picked up the pace of her walk, now with purpose, she headed for a seldom used training ground; one which she recently had begun to frequent; Training Ground 8.
The wind blew in calm waves, sending visual waves of motion throughout the slightly long over-grown grass present in Training Ground 7. This wind also served to slightly dishevel the passing Hinata's hair; though it was nearly imperceptible due to it's short length.
Hinata breathed in the cleaner air as she walked through the slightly isolated extension of the village. She enjoyed the moderate ray of sun cast over the field, it provided a pleasent warmth in compliment to the relief of the breeze. As she continued through the field, she began to notice the weapons scattered about in disarray. 'Maybe someone was training here earlier...' she mused. It was possible, although unlikely.
She paid the thought no mind, doing her best to disregard the apparent negligence of the training ground's (previous) occupant. With placid steps, she proceeded, until she caught sight of a figure settled atop one of the training posts. Curious, she changed direction and approached the training posts...
Naruto had been lost in thought, he had been dancing through his mind, touching on different things now and then; but his thoughts always seemed to lead back to his friend, Hinata. Quite to his surprise, he heard the slight rustling of grass being displaced, opening his eyes he raised his upper-body into a sitting position and was only further surprised by his... visitor.
'Hinata-chan!'/'Naruto-kun!' they each thought simultaneously, upon seeing the other.
Though still slightly surprised, Naruto was the first to regain enough coherence to open the conversation. Putting one arm down, he lifted himself into a more upgright sitting position.
"H-Hey Hinata-chan! What are you doing here!" he exclaimed, excited that his friend was stopping by, though still curious.
"I was j-just going to a training ground that I've b-been using lately. I-It's very near here actually, it was actually seeing you that b-brought me over..." Hinata finished, trying to hide her blush with a slight turn of her head.
"Oh, well, I've been here pretty much all day. After last night I was too tired to go to school... That, and there was a lot on my mind; especially graduation..." Naruto concluded with a slight decline in energy toward the end of his explanation.
"O-Oh, I see..." Hinata responded; completely understanding what he meant.
Despite her empathy, though, Hinata still gently chided him "B-But Naruto-kun, you really s-should still go to school... The lessons at the academy are important... And people will miss you, if you don't show up..." Not unnoticed by Naruto, Hinata's face displayed a slight sadness at the thought of her crush not being around.
This served to stun Naruto... he couldn't recall a time in his life when he'd been told that he would be... missed. Observing the gentle girl in front of him, thoughts came racing back into the forefront of his mind, once again. With a slight smile, a new calm thoughtfulness became evident in his expression, the corners of his eyes creasing slightly he replied with a new tone; one he'd actually found himself to use quite often, recently. "Y-You really think so, Hinata-chan?"
"I...I d-do, Naruto-kun," she responded, looking up towards him.
A broad grin spread on his face, he jumped down from the training post so as to be at eye level with Hinata. "Okay then, I'll be there! I promise."
Happy with his pledge, Hinata proceeded to ask something that had been bothering her for the last couple minutes "Naruto-kun, why did you say that you're worried about graduation?"
Hinata knew, of course, that Naruto had, had difficulty in the past with written tests and the more tedious side of academics. And although she also knew of his difficulty in passing the jutsu exam that one time, she had full confidence in him this time; she knew how hard he worked on a regular basis and how much potential he really possessed, there was no way he would fail. Which would explain her surprise upon hearing his worry.
With a sigh, Naruto sat down while motioning for Hinata to sit with him. As they both lowered themselves next to each other—Hinata, being careful not to sit too close—Naruto began his explanation. "Well, as embarrassing as this is to say... I can't do a bunshin." He mumbled the end of his sentence.
"Excuse me, Naruto-kun. W-What did you say?" Hinata asked, figuring she must have just not heard him.
"I said, I can't do a Bunshin," he mumbled, again.
"N-Naruto-kun, I'm sorry, I can't h-hear you..." Hinata repeated.
Deciding to just get it over with, Naruto gave up in his attempt to hide his shame, wincing, he finally came out with it. "I... I can't do a Bunshin." He waited for the laugh, the giggle, the sound of surprise... but it never came.
Looking back at Hinata, it would be an understatement to say he was shocked to see her looking back at him with an expression of mild confusion etched on her face.
"Naruto-kun, y-you can perform the Kage Bunshin, why are you concerned about not being able to create a Bunshin?"
"Well yeah but..." The gears in Naruto's mind slowly began to turn, then it clicked into place... He had never performed the Kage Bunshin anywhere around the Academy before...
"Wait... Hinata-chan... How did you know that I could do that...?" He asked, suspicion heavy in his dragged out sentences.
Quickly realizing her blunder, Hinata began to blush powerfully "N-N-Naruto-kun I-I-I-I d-do-don't k-know... I-I, w—" She was quickly stuttering herself into hyperventilation at the thought of Naruto figuring out that she'd been 'observing' him.
Unaware of the full effect of the implication's affect on his friend, he scooted closer to her and gave her a gentle pat on the back "I was just kidding, Hinata-chan. You probably just saw one of my clones around the village or something; I guess it couldn't stay a surprise forever!"
He leaned back and continued with a sigh "But... the reason I want to be able to do a Bunshin, is because I want to graduate the right way. Even though I have the Kage Bunshin, I want to be acknowledged, not viewed as even more of an outcast... So, it's kind of important to me, I know it's sort of stupid..."
Hinata, by now, had calmed down; especially after being presented with something so important.
"Naruto-kun, it's not stupid, it's very respectable. M-Maybe I could even... help you train?" She offered hesitantly.
Naruto's face instantly brightened at her acceptance. "You'd help me train, Hinata-chan?! That's awesome!"
"But, wait," He considered. "Weren't you going to train too? I wouldn't want to interrupt your training..."
"I-I don't mind Naruto-kun," Hinata replied, looking down as she pushed her two fingers together, once again.
"I was j-just going to try to p-physically train whenever I got the opportunity, since the family dojo is off limits to me, at the moment, I wanted to take some time to prepare for the graduation spar..."
Before Hinata could continue her explanation though, Naruto interrupted "I've been preparing for that too! I have an idea Hinata-chan!"
Hinata looked up at him questioningly, tilting her head slightly to the side.
With a wide grin, Naruto proceeded to explain "I'm not sure why I can't do a Bunshin right, but if you can do one then I'm sure we can figure it out... But, when we meet up to train—since I always start with a more athletic work-out—you can join me for that and we can both get stronger together! Then after that we can both work on our chakra together and you can show me the trick to creating a Bunshin!"
Satisfied, Naruto looked on, awaiting a response.
'T-Training with N-Naruto-kun every day... B-Being close... Getting s-st-stronger t-together... Being close... H-Helping Naruto-kun... B-Being close!' Hinata's blush had returned, and was now dominating her entire complexion.
"Y-Yes!" Hinata exclaimed, a little more loudly than she had planned to.
"I-I mean, I would... That s-sounds great N-Naruto-kun, thank you." Show bowed her head slightly, trying to come off as more collected, but also trying to hide her embarrassment (and outward excitement).
He blinked once, to bring himself back into focus "Th-That's perfect then!"
Nodding, Hinata closed her eyes for a moment and softly intoned "Byakugan"—her hands brought together in a unique seal.
The veins around her eyes now coursing with chakra, she opened her now intensely more focused eyes. She drank in the sights around her, adjusting to her new vision; lightly giggling at Naruto's gasp of 'cool'. Feeling slightly more confident, she smiled pleasantly and offered a hand to Naruto as she stood "S-Shall we begin, Naruto-kun?"
"Heh, you know it! Dattebayo!" He nearly cheered as he grasped the offered hand.
And so, they trained. For the next several months their routine carried on. Naruto began to attend the academy on a regular basis, surprising Iruka (and honestly, the rest of the class). Hinata, being around Naruto so much, slowly began to manage her nervousness around her 'crush'; primarily in public situations...
Their conversations carried them to many different subjects, but in general the more painful parts of both of their lives seemed to fade into the white noise; it was a happy time... a happy experience for both them.
Their training became something that became an outlet for both of them to forget about the stresses they faced, both in school, in public and at home. They grew stronger together and both felt like they were more prepared; not only for life as ninja, but for dealing with their respective demons. Although they had both lived and grown up in very different situations, they had both always felt alone; but now, that feeling was gone, so they were free to focus on more important things.
Overall, their friendship simply blossomed. They were always there for each other, and as is known, time flies faster when you're having fun—especially with friends. Before they knew it, graduation was upon them.
(2 ½ Months Later; December 31; One day before Graduation—Morning)
A frigid breeze blew through the trees of Konoha, rustling the leaves; pulling some of the stem-borne organs from the already weakened trees. The temperature never got nearly cold enough to kill any of the trees in Konoha, but their growth was temporarily hindered on a yearly basis.
In Training Ground 7, beneath two of several bordering trees lay Naruto and Hinata; side by side, but a friendly distance away from each other; taking in quickened breaths to recover from their morning workout.
With one large inhalation, Naruto calmed his body down enough to begin speaking "So Hinata-chan, today's the last day of our break... we'll take the graduation exam tomorrow..."
Hinata turned her head to him, and inquired, slightly confused, in between slightly calmer breaths "N-Naruto-kun, are you still worried about not graduating? You mastered the Bunshin and your chakra control has improved by leaps and bounds in the past few months..."
He turned to her, shaking his head with a slightly nervous chuckle "N-No, it's not that... I'm worried that we won't be on the same team. We work so well together!"
"I a-agree Naruto-kun," Hinata replied, sporting a gentle blush. Inwardly, Hinata was even more saddened by this than Naruto, she had gotten lost in time, and forgotten that this closeness she had with her... crush... was only temporary...
Sighing heavily, Naruto reasoned "Well, at least we'll always be best friends! We can always hang out after missions and stuff, right?"
"R-Right, Naruto-kun..." Hinata replied in a far off voice, she did her best to force a smile; regretfully taking comfort in knowing Naruto was doing the same...
In a tree, several tens of meters away, sat a figure in the shadow of the canopy; observing the two young ninja. Covered from head to toe in a ragged gray cloak, with a straw hat over their head; casting a powerful shadow over whatever wasn't covered by the large object.
'Uzumaki Naruto... Hyūga Hinata... hmm.'
With a swift; almost baffling leap, they disappeared into the mass of trees, without a trace.