A/N:

WARNING please go back to chapter 6 yadda yadda yah, you know the drill by now ;)

I don't own Naruto.

Hinata opened her eyes, sneaking a peak at her aunt.

She wasn't sure what to expect when her father suddenly announced to her that he would be handing her off to Tori for teaching, but she was secretly glad. Her father was undeniably a strong shinobi, but he expected a lot from his children before they were ready, even if he had the best intentions.

"Meditation is one of the hardest things for a shinobi to do," Tori said, her eyes still closed. "What do you think the point of meditation is, Hinata?"

"T-to clear your mind," she answered, confused by the question.

"Meditation is nothing more than the organization of thought. When your thoughts are prioritized, your mind can more easily understand and respond to new data. Do you know anyone from the Nara clan?"

"I don't think so," Hinata said quietly, still confused.

"The Nara are experts at organizing their minds. Their current head, Nara Shikaku, is a brilliant strategist because of that. He can create dozens if not hundreds of strategies and choose the most appropriate for whatever situation he's gotten himself into in moments."

"That's amazing," Hinata said, her eyes wide. Tori nodded.

"But," she added. "We can talk about that later. For now, activate your Byakugan."

Hinata's hand went to a seal and she concentrated, taking a deep breath.

"Byakugan," she murmured. The veins around her eyes grew more distinct, as did her pale lavender eyes' pupils. Tori studied her form.

"Not bad for your age... Now, what do you see?" Tori lifted her arms, allowing Hinata to clearly see...

"Your chakra network," Hinata answered confidently. Tori nodded.

"More specifically, my tenketsu. I'm not sure what you know about the Jyuuken, but forget it. I'll be teaching you from scratch to get rid of any misconceptions. You can deactivate your Byakugan, if you want. Now, the Jyuuken works by sealing individual tenketsu, which disrupts chakra flow throughout the body. If the right tenketsu are sealed, your opponent will no longer be able to manipulate chakra into seals, temporarily disabling their ability to use jutsu..."

Naruto, dressed in a dark orange shirt and black shorts, entered the park smiling. He glanced around, looking for people to play with. There, pushing his way through the bushes, was another boy his age. Judging from his clan markings, he was looking at an Inuzuka.

"Hey! What are you looking for?" Naruto asked the other boy. The Inuzuka jumped slightly at his voice, hitting his head on a low-lying tree branch.

"Ouch," he complained, carefully rubbing the bump before looking at Naruto. "You're really quiet."

"Sorry," Naruto chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head as he glanced to the ground. "What are you looking for?"

"Oh! Akamaru and I are playing hide and seek!" he said proudly. After a moment, he shrunk down. "But he's a lot better at it than I am..."

"I love hide and seek! Can I play too?"

"Sure!"

"What does Akamaru look like?" Naruto asked.

"He's a little white puppy with brown ears," he reported to his new friend.

"Okay! Oh, I'm Naruto by the way."

"Cool, I'm Kiba!"

"Nice to meet you."

"You too," Kiba grinned before resuming his search through the bushes. Naruto returned the friendly grin before looking for the small dog beside Kiba.

Naruto waved goodbye to his newest friend, Inuzuka Kiba, and his canine companion as his mother came to get them.

"Bye, Naruto! See you later!"

"Bye, Kiba!"

Naruto could heard his mother's quietly spoken words.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, that's Naruto," he shrugged.

"Are you going to invite him?"

"Oh, yeah! Hey, Naruto!"

"What?" Naruto asked as Kiba ran back to him.

"I'm having my birthday party this Saturday, if you want to come."

"Cool! I'll ask my neesan if I can go," Naruto grinned.

"Great," Kiba said, a grin of his own in return. "It's at the Inuzuka compound, from nine to four, 'kay?"

"Got it! I'll see you then!" Naruto grinned to his friend once more, stopping only when Kiba and his mother were out of sight. When they were gone, he glanced around before running back to his house, determined to get there before dark.

A/N:

I love writing Kiba as a kid. I find him so adorable x3

^.^ Susie ^-^

(See? The last one looks happier...)