(A/N) And we are back. It's time for the second chapter of Resonating Hearts.

I've posted the challenge that Rinnegan97 gave me that I am going to use for my third story on my profile. Feel free to PM both of us if you wish to follow the challenge as well.

Without further ado, let's begin!

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Chapter 2: The Kyoshingan Awakens

Naruto awoke to the sound of his alarm blaring the fact that it was now 8:00. He felt amazingly well rested. He attempted to get up, only to find that Kura had her arms wrapped tightly around his body. Naruto shook her slightly and said "Kura-chan, we have to get up."

Kura blinked open her eyes and gave a wide yawn, revealing her sharp canines. She sat up and said "Fine, Naruto-kun. Do you mind if I take a quick shower?"

"No, but my apartment doesn't have any hot water, so you'll have to deal with that." Answered Naruto.

"That's fine. I just want to quickly wash off." Said Kura as she headed to the shower.

Naruto got off his bed and headed into his small kitchen. He set a pot of water on to boil for some instant ramen, and sat on the couch to wait.

When the water finally boiled, he put in two packets of ramen, and sat down to wait once more.

When it finally finished cooking, Naruto heard the shower turn off. He paid it no mind as he separated the ramen into two bowls and set them on the table.

The sound of soft footsteps made Naruto aware of Kura's arrival, and he turned to look at her. He blushed a little since Kura just had a towel wrapped around her body, but he said "I made us some ramen. I hope you don't mind, but that's really all I have that's fresh."

Kura frowned but said "I don't mind. I love ramen, but we are going to have to get you to eat a healthier diet. Your body won't grow correctly if you don't receive the proper nutrients. I know that ramen is practically the only thing that stores will sell you, but I have a way to get around that. I will teach you how to use a kitsune henge. Unlike the normal henge, which is a minor genjutsu, the kitsune henge physically changes your body. I'll teach you it after the academy."

Kura sat down and began eating with Naruto, who said "Speaking of the academy, what are you going to do while I'm there? I don't think that people will appreciate a girl with fox tails.

Kura giggled and said "I'm going to still be there with you of course, but I'll turn into a fox and act as your pet. They may try to get you to send me away, but technically the academy allows pets so long as they are well trained."

Naruto smiled and said "Okay, that makes me feel better. I feel safer with you around, Kura-chan."

At that point, they both finished their bowls of ramen, and Naruto put the bowls in the sink so that he could wash them later. He then said to Kura "I'm going to go up and get some clothes. We can head out when I'm ready."

As Naruto walked to his room, Kura called after him and said "You should wear something besides that orange jumpsuit. I know you like orange, but the jumpsuit looks a little tacky. I know you have a few clothes other than your jumpsuits."

Naruto came back down a few minutes later. He was wearing a regular dark orange shirt and black pants, along with his usual black shoes. He started walking out the door, and Kura morphed into a small red fox with one tail and began following him. Naruto shut the door behind him and locked it, and the pair started heading towards the academy.

Along the way, Naruto noticed the large amount of hateful glares that were sent his way. But what he noticed even more were the hateful glares that they sent to Kura. Those pissed him off. The civilians were glaring at an innocent fox for no reason. He began unconsciously releasing killing intent. Those that felt it quickly hurried along their way. Naruto also heard mutters like "Look, a fox is following the demon. He really is the Kyuubi."

Naruto ignored all of the hatred with an impassive face, and sped up his pace to the academy.

When he got there, Naruto headed towards his classroom. He opened the door and walked in. He looked around and was disappointed that a large portion of the class glared at Kura.

Kura didn't seem to mind as she glanced around the room. She found her target and dashed off, ignoring Naruto's cry of "Kura-chan, wait!"

Kura ran to the farthest row on the right side and leapt into the lap of the table's single inhabitant.

Said inhabitant was one Hyuuga Hinata. She was quite surprised that a fox was now sitting in her lap, but she loved cute animals, especially foxes, and she began to rub Kura behind her ears. Kura let out a soft purr in pleasure.

Hinata was so focused on the cute furball in her lap that she didn't notice Naruto walking up to her. He got her attention by saying "Hey, Hinata, right? Sorry if my fox is bothering you. I'll move her if you want."

Hinata snapped to attention at Naruto's voice, but she avoided his eyes. She began turning red as she said "G-gomen N-naruto-kun. Y-your f-fox i-isn't b-bothering m-me. S-she's q-quite c-cute, r-really. I-I l-like h-her."

Naruto flashed Hinata a big smile and said "She seems to like you too, Hinata. Do you mind if I sit next to you so that I can keep an eye on her?"

Naruto's question made Hinata turn an even darker shade of red as she thought "Naruto-kun is asking to sit next to me! Don'tfaintdon'tfaintdon'tfaintdon'tfaint. Tell him that he can!"

Not trusting her words, Hinata gave a small nod, which caused Naruto's smile to widen. He said "Thanks Hinata! You're really nice, you know that?"

As Naruto sat next to Hinata, she was thinking "Naruto-kun is sitting next to me! Please don't let this be a dream." Hinata subtly pinched herself, and continued thinking "It's not a dream! Naruto-kun is really sitting next to me! Must…not…faint!"

At this point, Iruka and Mizuki walked into the classroom, and Iruka shouted "Alright! Sit down and shut up!"

The class scurried to follow his directions, and when everybody was seated, he began calling role.

When he called out Naruto's name, and Naruto called out "Here, Iruka-sensei!" He glanced up since Naruto wasn't sitting in his normal spot. He was curious as to why he was sitting next to Hinata. Maybe he had finally realized her crush on him. He also noticed a pair of fuzzy ears sticking out over the desk in front of Hinata.

Iruka walked over to the pair and saw the small fox. Iruka then asked Hinata "Hinata, why is there a fox sitting on your lap?"

Hinata continued rubbing Kura as she answered with confidence that surprised her "Gomen, Iruka-sensei, but this here is Kura-chan. She is Naruto-kun's pet. She's taken a liking to me apparently."

At this, Mizuki walked over and said "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to get rid of her."

Hinata inwardly was unhappy that he said this, but she then remembered an academy rule. She said "Actually Mizuki-sensei, you do not have to ask that. According to academy rules, pets are allowed so long as they are well behaved."

Iruka said "She's right. Pets are allowed so long as they are well behaved. Why do you think we allow Akamaru in here? Kura seems to be quite the well trained fox to me, so she can stay."

Mizuki backed off with a barely concealed scowl, and Iruka headed back to the front of the classroom, thinking "Interesting…Hinata didn't stutter even once. She ALWAYS stutters. I wonder what caused that."

As he was walking, Iruka heard Naruto whisper to Hinata "Thank's for sticking up for Kura-chan, Hinata."

Iruka also heard Hinata's response, "A-arigato, N-naruto-kun."

"Interesting, Hinata's stutter returned when she spoke directly to Naruto, but it disappeared when she defended his pet, and by association, him. I need to test this." Thought Iruka.

Once at the front of the classroom, Iruka said "Alright, everybody is here, with a new addition of Naruto's pet fox, Kura. Let's get class started…"

As Iruka proceeded to teach, he noticed a few things. First was that whenever Naruto started to lose his attention to what he was saying, Hinata would poke him and direct him back to Iruka. Curiously, it actually worked extremely well. Second was that Kura would switch between sitting on Naruto and Hinata's laps every ten minutes. Third was that Naruto was beginning to steal glances at Hinata every so often, much like she would to him. Finally, Hinata actually was successfully encouraging Naruto to take notes. He saw that she had lent him a piece of paper and a pencil, and he was actually using them.

Finally, the time came for lunch, and Iruka dismissed the class. Their lunch break was an hour long, and the students could go anywhere that they wanted during the time period before they had to come back for taijutsu lessons in the courtyard. Iruka decided that he would use that to test a theory that he had been formulating in his mind.

As the students filed out of the classroom, he heard Naruto say "Hey Hinata, would you like to come get lunch with me at Ichiraku's? I've got some infinite bowl coupons and you've been really helping me out today."

Iruka saw Hinata's blush come back with a vengeance, but to her credit, she didn't faint. She gave a small nod, and Naruto immediately grabbed her hand and raced out of the classroom, dragging Hinata along with Kura following close behind.

Iruka chuckled at his students' antics, and went back to grading some papers.

(Ichiraku Ramen)

Naruto had dragged Hinata to Ichiraku's in record time, and he jumped up onto a seat. Hinata sat next to him, but she didn't have quite as much enthusiasm. Kura hopped onto the counter top as well.

Naruto called out "Hey, Jiji! You've got customers!"

Teuchi emerged from the back of the stand along with Ayame, and he noticed Naruto and said "Ah, Naruto! Come for some ramen, eh? Who's the pretty lady sitting next to you? And what's with the fox?"

"That's right Jiji! This here is Hinata. She's been really helping me out today so I thought I would treat her to some delicious ramen. And this fox is my pet, Kura-chan. Say hello, Kura-chan!"

Kura yipped out a hello, causing both Ayame and Hinata to giggle. Teuchi smiled and said "What can I get you two today?"

Naruto grinned and pulled out Gama-chan. He opened it and pulled out two coupons, and handed them to Teuchi.

Teuchi's eyes widened at the coupons and he asked "Where did you get those coupons, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled brightly and said "They were a birthday present from a mystery friend. I just hope that I can meet them soon, I really want to thank them for the gifts."

Teuchi noticed Hinata turn bright red at the mention of the mystery friend, and he realized that Hinata was the one who had given him the gifts. He said to Naruto "Well that friend is quite the person! I'm sure that you'll meet them soon. Who knows? Maybe it's somebody that you've already met!" As he said this, he gave a subtle wink to Hinata, who eeped in surprise at being found out.

"Anyways, what can I get for you two?" asked Teuchi.

Naruto and Hinata both ordered their meals. As time went on though, they gradually ordered more and more food. As they ate, Naruto and Hinata talked about random things. Hinata actually grew more comfortable talking to Naruto as time went on. She surprised herself with the confidence that she was rapidly gaining around her crush.

In the end, Naruto ate 20 bowls of ramen, and Kura ate five bowls (Naruto was able to convince Teuchi that ramen was Kura's favorite food). But what shocked everybody there, was that Hinata ate a full 25 bowls of ramen.

Naruto was of course ecstatic that Hinata was able to out eat him, and he promised her that he would take her again so that he could regain his title of ramen eating champion.

When they finished eating, Naruto checked the time and saw that they had five minutes of their lunch break left. Naruto and Hinata bid their farewells to Teuchi and Ayame, and started heading back to the academy.

When they got there, they headed outside into the courtyard where their taijutsu lessons took place. A few other students were already there, along with Iruka and Mizuki.

Iruka immediately noticed a change in both Naruto and Hinata when they arrived. He noticed that Hinata was standing straighter and with more confidence and had a smile on her face, and that Naruto was restraining himself from jumping around like a madman, and that he also had a huge smile on his face. He thought to himself "Just after one hour together eating lunch, those two are like completely different people. They really do fit well together. But now it's time to test my theory about Hinata's confidence."

When the rest of the class gathered in the courtyard, Iruka announced "Alright. Today's taijutsu lesson will be a bit different. Instead of one on one spars, we will have two on twos. I will decide who you are paired with, so don't complain about who you get. The first match will be Naruto and Hinata vs. Sakura and Sasuke. Will the contestants please step into the circle?"

The four in question stepped into the circle, but Naruto turned to Iruka and asked "Is it okay if Kura-chan fights with us like Akamaru does with Kiba?"

Sakura scoffed at Naruto's request and said "What could a pathetic fox possibly do to help you, you baka? You two don't stand a chance against Sasuke-kun! You are weak and pathetic, and Hinata is just as weak, if not weaker!"

At the same time, both Hinata and Naruto shouted "Naruto-kun is not weak or pathetic!" and "Hinata isn't weak!"

Iruka smiled at the outburst of the two kids, and thought "Interesting…Hinata will fearlessly defend Naruto, while Naruto will do the same with Hinata." Iruka cleared his throat and said "I wouldn't underestimate your classmates, Sakura, they may surprise you. And Naruto, you may have Kura-chan join you if you think that she will be able to help."

Kura raced to Naruto and Hinata's side, and growled at Sasuke and Sakura.

Iruka announced "Alright, the rules are the same as the standard matches, you win if either your opponents are incapacitated or knocked out of the ring. Hajime!"

Hinata activated her Byakugan as Sakura charged her with her fist cocked back. Hinata sidestepped Sakura's punch, and tapped her arm, rendering it limp. She then shoved Sakura over to Naruto, who dealt her a fierce punch to the jaw, knocking her out.

The pair then turned on Sasuke, who just said "Pathetic. To be taken out by two weaklings like that. No matter, I'm more than a match for you two!"

Sasuke rushed Hinata, and tried to hit her as he deemed her to be the weaker target of the two. However, Hinata seemingly danced around all of his strikes with amazing grace and flexibility.

Sasuke quickly became enraged at the fact that he couldn't hit the girl, and he didn't notice Kura sneak up behind him until she bit him in the leg. Sasuke yelped in pain and and stopped attacking for a moment. That moment was all that Naruto and Hinata needed. Seemingly as one, they danced around Sasuke, Hinata striking precisely with Jyuken while Naruto smashing him with his strong punches. They worked together so well in doing damage to Sasuke that if a bystander with no knowledge saw them working together, they would say that the pair had been working together since they were born.

In no time at all, Sasuke was lying on the ground, unconscious, bruised, and beaten.

The entire class was shocked by the display that they just witnessed. They just watched the top two students in the academy be soundly beaten by the dead last and the girl who was scared of her own shadow.

Naruto and Hinata stood panting from exertion, and Naruto turned to Hinata and said "You were absolutely amazing Hinata-chan!"

Hinata blushed bright red from a combination of Naruto's praise and him calling her "chan". She willed herself to look directly into Naruto's cerulean eyes, something that she had been unable to do all day.

To her shock, Naruto eyes began changing. His pupil elongated into a slit, and the right half of his eye turned lavender, like her own eyes. The other side stayed cerulean blue.

What Hinata didn't know was that Naruto was watching Hinata's eyes change as well. Her lavender eyes gained a slit pupil, and the left half of her eyes turned cerulean blue.

Both Naruto and Hinata said at the same time "Your eyes!"

They then collapsed on top of each other, unconscious.

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And that's a wrap. Just so you guys know, it was looking into each other's eyes that awakened the Kyoshingan. And yes, it awakened in both Naruto and Hinata.

In the next chapter, Hinata will learn the truth, and we'll see what awakening the Kyoshingan for the first time did to Naruto and Hinata. Also, just so you know, Kyoshingan means resonator eye.

Until next time,

Slice N Dicer