Hinata hit the pavement with a thud. She felt a sharp clutch in her side. There goes my rib, she thought as she flinched at the sound of the backdoor closing. She'd been kicked out numerous times but the pain of rejection always hurt more than whatever wounds she'd been nursing at the time.

Just as she'd managed to scramble to her feet, a paper airplane soared and hit her in the eye. Even with dulled senses she should have been able to dodge that. She tilted her face toward the top of the 3-story building, the highest floor where Hanabi slept. Hanabi waved her hand in apology.

As soon as she'd unraveled it a 2nd was thrown down. The first paper was a permission slip for a school trip to the beach. Granted they were about 400 miles from the beach.

She opened the second plane to two words; Sing it.

Hinata sighed, her sister was asking her to forge her father's signature, something that undoubtedly bode unwell for the both of them.

Looking up toward her younger sister whose hair was leaning out of the window along with her head, she mimed the action of writing. Hanabi returned within seconds and dropped a pen down like a grenade.

She waved bye to Hanabi, and went off in search of a place to stay the night.

Since it was Friday, Konoha was bustling with activity. Their crime rate was unduly high, so naturally there were gangsters lurking at every corner, catcalling at everyone with a vagina.

She folded her arms underneath each other, not because it was cold, but because her rib was searing with such pain she feared it would fall out. The frost in the air bit her like a venomous snake; with only her baggy sweat pants and house slippers on she was freezing.

That was when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. Her stomach dropped as she turned to view the one person she did not want to see.

Naruto.

She figured that with her still wet hair from the shower she'd taken previously and arms folded over, clutching a pen and paper she had to look like a wet dog.

She almost smiled at the analogy as she'd been thrown out like one too.

He smiled a genuine smile at her, making him appear all the more threatening. She hardened herself. For the past eight years she'd been fighting the inventor of a martial art, Naruto was nothing compared to that.

"Hiya!" He ginned

She rolled her eyes and kept walking as he attempted to get her to speak.

"What are you doing out so late?"

She walked faster, nearly losing a shoe in the process.

"Where's your jacket?

Her pace quickened even more.

"How can you fight so well?"

She slowed to a walk.

"What part of 'leave me the hell alone' do you not understand?"

He chuckled at her witty response, "I'm just a big fan of the way you defeated that guy from earlier, you didn't even have to fight him really, just dodged and then BOOM! He was out!"

"It's really none of your fucking business."

"Someone's got a potty mouth!" He riled. She spun around so quickly that he was suddenly unsure of what to do with his hands.

That was when she noticed they'd ended up at the brick wall he'd disappeared into again. He'd brought her there earlier to get her to fight right? To observe her; and somehow they had ended up there again, totally not a coincidence. There were cameras that had only been installed in that general reason for whatever reason. She was being watched like a zoo animal.

"If I tell you where I learned to fight will you piss off?" She asked venomously, unappreciative of how she was being treated. He obliged, chipper.

"I've been fighting someone stronger than you can imagine for the past 10 years or so." Well, she'd been on the receiving end of a beating; close enough.

He rocked back and forth on both of his feet, mulled it over in his mind, and then he left.

Was this Silence of The Lambs or something? Was he pestering her only to gather information about her?

Oh. My. Gosh, she thought with a pang of disgust, I'm Clarice.

Naruto smiled as he walked away from his new favorite person. He had been seriously considering recruiting her, but now that he'd discovered how smart she was he was starting to think of using her instead.

Lead the wet stray onto a trail and allow her to figure it out herself. He waited around the corner of a building for her to leave before he ducked into the hideout.

Tenten greeted him halfheartedly, despite the fact that Naruto was her superior and could totally have her black listed.

"You should be happier to see me!" Naruto exclaimed, begging for the attention he knew he wouldn't get from her.

"Piss off." She stated blankly, taking a drag from her cigarette, obviously not planning on putting up with his shit today.

"Aww, did Neji come back?" He asked, testing dangerous waters.

Her eyes gleamed but she was unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her angry so she put out her cig and stared straight ahead.

Naruto walked the rest of the way laughing.

Sai, his second obstacle appeared. He yawned loudly, obviously unhappy with being given the night shift.

"Do something about this Dick-less, I should be preparing for my art show." He drawled tiredly.

Naruto waved off his complaints as the door opened, "Do something for me and we' see about that."

He left Sai contemplating what would please him most.

As Naruto stepped into the dark batman-like cave, he was greeted by nothing. Weekends were usually the busiest since everyone had to keep up outward appearances during the weekdays.

As he reached the conference room he came across Neji, who had been sent last week to go procure some weapons. It had been the perfect set up since as Student Council President he'd been invited some place with the Principal.

"Yo~!" He shouted loudly as Neji merely nodded in return.

"How'd it go?" Naruto asked inquiring.

"It went alright, though they were being stingy at first. I think they'd been robbed before our meeting."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "We weren't cheated though right?"

Neji scoffed, offended, "Of course not. Naturally I got them to give us double the amount with only 75% of the original price."

Naruto smiled just before his eyes lit up with rememberance, "I met your cousin!"

Neji tensed. He knew he was referring to Hinata as he'd gotten word of her arrival a week ago.

"Yeah, I've been trying to recruit her but boy is she feisty." Naruto dragged on.

Neji stepped closer and leaned in, voice absolutely serious, "Don't."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, "Look I get that you want to protect her with her being your cousin and all, but she's perfectly capable of—"

Neji reached out and grabbed him by the collar, "Seriously, don't. I say this as a member of our gang. She's completely fucked in the head."

He let Naruto go and as Naruto's stared at his ever leaving figure, he was left pondering.

Hinata winced as her rib throbbed for the umpteenth time. She really should've asked Hanabi for some pain meds. Up ahead she spotted a pharmacy. She figured she could steal some pain meds from there, and be out in no time.

But nooo, the owner had to have been restocking this late on a Friday night.

She greeted the owner with an awkward hello, preparing to bolt.

"Wait." The woman stated, dark brown eyes, taking in Hinata's thin frame and uncomfortable face.

For some reason she had waited, sensing no malice in the woman's voice.

"Do you need medicine?" She asked, voice cold but warm at the same time, a pleasant contradiction.

HInata contemplated lying, but with the way her rib was throbbing that was out of the question. She nodded.

The woman motioned for her to follow. They stepped further into the shop, up some stairs, and into an apartment.

It was a small cozy place. College degress hanging on the wall, with no family pictures in sight.

"What's wrong?" The woman asked agressivley.

"Uh- I, um, well m-m-" She scrambled.

The woman looked at her harshly, "Spit it out, girl."

"My rib is cracked." She managed to squeak.

The woman disappeared into the hallway, flipping on lights and rummaging through closets until she gathered what she needed.

"Take your shirt off."

Hinata was about to object, until she recalled the college degrees hanging about the room. This woman was a doctor.

Hesitantly Hinata removed her shirt. The woman pocked her harshly, "Does that hurt?"

"Y-Yes" Duh, you bitch! You just slapped my broken rib!

The woman bandaged her chest. After Hinata had placed her shirt back on, she gave her a pill and a glass of water. She took it wordlessly before spewing out a rather late, "Thank You."

The woman grunted in response.

That was when the door opened and she came face to face with eyes exactly like hers. It was her cousin, someone she hadn't seen since the 'Scholarly Minors' conference in middle school. That was when she put two and two together.

She turned toward the now frightened woman angriliy, "You're my mother aren't you?"

The woman looked down in shame. Hinata watched as Neji neared them, he probably thought she was going to hit the woman considering what had happened in middle school.

She pushed past him aggressively. Anger boiled up in the pit of her stomach, heart racing and blood boiling, she made her way outside onto the streets.

That was when she bumped into someone. She was about to apologize when they pushed her down.

"Watch where your going." They stated coldy,

She looked up and was met with the two guys she'd saved Konohamaru from.

Shit.