A month had passed since the first time Naruto had began training with Hinata. Though it had only been a month, both of them had seen great improvement. Hinata's confidence while still low had grown by leaps and bounds. Her stuttering while still a problem at times had diminished greatly as well. Her confidence had begun to show at school as well, as within a month she was beginning to give Sakura a run for female rookie of the year. Naruto on the other hand had improved greatly however with only a month there wasn't much he could do in regards to turning his grades around, he could only hope that his improvement would help him fair better in this year's graduation exam. His grades had improved slightly though following Mizuki's abrupt reprimand. Though the students were unaware of it he was now skating on thin ice for sabotaging a student, no matter what the reason was.

Sasuke over the course of this month had been surprisingly growing closer to Naruto and Hinata. Though most of their class had not noticed their growth it was something the young Uchiha was unable to miss. Having been served his first defeat in a academy Taijutsu match by none other than little shy Hinata. He was no fool he soon realized her improvement and the improvement of the dobe had begun shortly after the two had begun spending time with one another.

To the amazement of Hinata and Naruto it was Sasuke that had approached them in regards to training.

-Flash Back-

As another long day at the academy had drawn to a close, most of those in the classroom had already filed out leaving only Hinata,Naruto,Sasuke and Iruka who still stood at the front of the room.

"Oi Hyuuga...Dobe" he said as he looked at the pair who were preparing to leave.

"Dammit Teme don't call Hinata-Chan Hyuuga she has a first name ! So use it " he said narrowing his eyes as he glared at the raven haired ninja.

Hinata simply blushed as she fidgeted slightly beside Naruto as Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"What do you need Sasuke-san ?" asked Hinata softly as she looked at the dark haired boy.

Sasuke swallowed his pride so much that it hurt him terribly as he looked at the pair for a moment.

"I was wondering if I could join you two for training ? I don't know what the two of you have been doing, but I've seen the results of your training and I think I could benefit from it as well" he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets as he felt awkward.

Naruto and Hinata shared a look that for some reason seemed to convey a lot before Naruto looked back at Sasuke and gave him a thumbs up.

"Sure thing Teme, but your buying us lunch at Ichikaru's first" exclaimed Naruto to which Hinata giggled.

Sasuke groaned but shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever Dobe I'll pay for a quick lunch as long as we train afterwards" he stated in a bored tone.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

"Thirteen bowls...what the hell ?" seethed a livid Sasuke.

"Calm down Sasuke you did say you were covering lunch!" cried Naruto before he laughed nervously.

"I said a quick lunch I didn't intend for you to order one bowl of every flavor " he said as he glared at Naruto who was still seated beside him.

A small voice interrupted Sasuke's tirade.

"Ano...Sasuke-san I'm sorry"said Hinata as she looked down blushing.

Sasuke groaned but relaxed himself a bit as he looked over at the shy heiress.

"It's fine Hinata I have the money to cover Naruto's addiction" he said glumly.

"Ano I was...actually apologizing about something else " she said blushing furiously.

Then he saw something that truly terrified him the tiny heiress had a pile of at least 15 empty ramen bowels stacked in front of her.

Then in a very unsasuke like manner he face palmed.

'Great I'm stuck training with not one, but two Ramen addicts, Kami I hope they don't expect me to cover lunch everyday'

Despite the antics at lunch the trio would end up making a daily ritual to meet up after school for a few hours of training everyday. With the presence of the duo and the progress they made during this month, for the first time Sasuke would start to wonder if perhaps the power he sought would actually be easier to grasp with comrades.

-End Flashback-

-Day of the Graduation Exams-

Naruto beamed happily as he walked into the classroom, he glanced up at Hinata and Sasuke who were already seated in their usual spots in the back of the classroom. He gave both of them thumbs up as he darted up the stairs, Hinata smiled shyly while Sasuke rolled his eyes but smirked at the knucklehead.

Moments before Naruto arrived at his seat he heard the screech of a fangirl and realized it was far too late to avoid it.

"Out of the way Naruto-Baka...I'm sitting with Sasuke-kun today" yelled Sakura triumphantly as she pushed Naruto.

Naruto losing his balance fell forward. Sasuke seeing the horrible moment that was about to occur made a spur of the moment decision.

There was a puff of smoke and then nothing but silence for a very long moment...

Naruto was now on top of Hinata with his lips pressed against hers.

Sasuke sighed a breath of relief.

'Substitution was a success' he thought before he relaxed his shoulders.

Naruto's eyes widened as his entire face blushed tomato red matching Hinata's color perfectly.

'I-I wow her lips are so soft'

'N-Naruto-kun is kissing me'

These were the last thoughts that the two had before both passed out almost immediately.

Moments later Iruka and Mizuki sensei would arrive to a loud classroom and see both Naruto and Hinata passed out on top of one another.

'Do I even want to know ?' wondered Iruka as he sighed.

Mizuki however was having different thoughts as he observed the pair.

He knew exactly now how he would pull off his scheme tonight, it would only take a bit off sabotage and subterfuge on his part...

It'd didn't matter if he was already tempting fate, after tonight he would be far far away from the leaf with a present for his master.

Thirty minutes had passed since the earlier incident between Hinata and Naruto. The pair for their part sat blushing furiously, looking away from one another, as student by student started to be called to head to the examination room.

When Hinata's name was finally called she paled as she stood slowly her entire frame betrayed her nervousness.

Naruto noticing her distress reached out and touched her shoulder .

"Oi Hinata-chan go kick that exams ass! I know you can do it Dattebayo!" he exclaimed enthusiastically as he grinned at her.

Sasuke seated next to the blonde rolled his eyes but smirked.

"Naruto is right for a change, just calm down,don't make a big deal of it and hurry up so I can get in there sooner" he said before lacing his hands together as he looked away.

Hinata smiled as she looked at the two boys.

"T-thankyou N-naruto-kun...Sasuke-san she said with a shy smile as she took a deep breath before walking down the stairs before following a chunin to the examination room.

Naruto held his hands behind his head as he looked over at Sasuke

"Teme that was actually pretty nice for you" admitted Naruto with a hint of reluctance.

Sasuke just grunted as he didn't bother turning his head.

"Don't read too much into it, she's just the only girl in this Academy who I can stand, because she actually takes her training seriously. Truth be told I pray since I have to be stuck with two others it's her and someone else who won't get in my way or drive me nuts" he said as he cringed as he looked over at his fangirls who were all starring at him with hearts in their eyes.

Naruto just sighed as he laid his head on his desk as he hoped Hinata did well and better yet this time around he wouldn't be forced to make a bunshin on the exam.

The day progressed rather slowly as one by one everyone that went into the examination room would return with a headband. No one at this point truly knew where their accumulative score lay as their final grades would remain a mystery until the day everyone received their team assignment. As the day finally waned on Sasuke stood as his name was called and put his hands in his pockets before descending the stairs.

"Oi goodluck in there Teme" called Naruto to which a series of fangirls cast him a deathglare.

"Do your best Sasuke-san" said Hinata is a soft voice.

Sasuke grunted as he ignored the cries of the fangirls and looked back at Naruto and Hinata.

He said nothing but simply smirked before he strode out of the room.

Coming as no surprise Sasuke returned a few minutes later with a nice shiny headband on his forehead.

He seemed sincerely pleased but restrained as he ascended the stairs and took his seat again.

"Nice one Sasuke! I bet you really kicked ass" said Naruto with a real smile as he patted him on the shoulder.

Sasuke remained silent for a moment considering hitting Naruto for even touching him, but instead he returned the smile shocking both Naruto and Hinata who stared at him mystified.

"Naruto Uzumaki" called a chunin from below. The words were lost on Naruto as he seemed in shock that Sasuke was even capable of smiling.

Sasuke grunted as his typical demeanor returned "I'm an Uchiha what do you expect ? Now stop starring at me like that Dobe! Go on before you're failed for being late." he said before he crossed his arms and smirked.

Naruto's eyes widened as he stood up and immediately began descending the stairs.

"Do your best N-naruto-kun" stuttered Hinata as she watched her crush intently.

Naruto turned as he reached the bottom of the stairs and flashed Hinata and Sasuke a grin and thumbs up before following the Chunin male to the testing room.

No sooner had Naruto left the room then several of his classmates began talking about him.

"There's no way that Baka will pass, he's already failed twice and with his grades as bad as they are there's no way he'll pass now" said Sakura.

"Well forehead not everyone has a head your size." commented Ino cheekily as she looked over at her former bestfriend.

"Shut it Ino-pig" said Sakura as she glared at Ino.

'I wish both of you would shut it' thought Shikamaru as he covered his ears to try and drown out their voices.

"Damn troublesome women" he muttered to himself.

Choji just laughed as he glanced over at his bestfriend.

"I don't think there's a jutsu that can fix that Shikamaru" he said before he opened up another bag of chips.

Shikamaru just groaned as he considered buying earplugs.

"You think I'm right don't you Sasuke-kun ?" asked Sakura as she beamed at the raven haired ninja.

Sasuke studied the back of his hands as if he found them much more interesting then Sakura at the moment when a voice few recognized spoke up from the corner of the room.

"Sakura-san why do you presume to know everything about our classmate ? Furthermore why do you take it upon yourself to treat someone that may very well be a future comrade as inferior to yourself ?" he asked a faint buzzing sound could be heard though the origins remained a mystery to those in the classroom.

Sakura huffed as if the answer was obvious, but stumbled a minute before finally replying. "It's because Naruto-baka is a loser who instead of taking his studies serious wastes time and causes those around him to pay for his stupid mistakes, on top of that he fails at everything he does and to top it all off he is obnoxious."

Shino rather than speaking immediately simply stared at Sakura before shaking his head.

"Your Wrong" cried a voice to which everyone in the classroom turned to stare at.

Hinata stood straight for a change her gaze intense as she glared at Sakura.

Her fist clenched the side of the desk roughly as she found her voice.

"N-naruto-kun may not always get things the first time around and yes he struggles at times with things that are easier for some of us, but he never gives up a-and he never backs down. He's what a true ninja should be...even with all your cruel words, Naruto still considers you and everyone in here a comrade worth p-protecting."she said before a blush settled on her cheeks before she quickly sat back down feeling absolutely embarrassed for her outburst.

Sakura like many others in the classroom sat in shock, the most many of them had ever heard from Hinata was the occasionally whisper or stutter, certainly nothing like this.

Sasuke finally looked up and actually laughed as he looked at Hinata. Something about her jumping to Naruto's defense in such a way struck him as comical and in return drew him a few looks as well.

"Hey Sakura ?" he said after a moment.

"Y-yes ? She asked still reeling from the blow Hinata's words had dealt her.

"Please shut up and focus more on your own training and less on using Naruto as a punching bag" he said before grunting as he lowered his gaze.

Sasuke's eyes widened when he noticed that where Hinata's hand had clenched the desk earlier and noticed the metal was completely warped.

'She crushed through solid metal with her bare hand' he wondered to himself before he shook his head deciding mentally to file this discovery away for another time or at least keep in mind to avoid crossing her. Surely this wasn't a result of the gentle fist style.

When Naruto finally returned to the room he found it completely silent.

He looked around a bit surprised by how quiet everyone had gotten as he stepped fully into view he grinned before flashing a thumbs up at Hinata and Sasuke before raising his thumb to point at his shiny new headband.

A few people in the classroom shared a look and Naruto could have almost sworn a few of them showed regret.

Sakura for her part kept her head down as she felt a pang of guilt for not only what she'd said earlier, but by the way she had been treating Naruto for all these years. It seemed that she really didn't know him as well as she had first assumed.

As Naruto reached Hinata and Sasuke he took a seat before hugging Hinata tightly.

"Phew I kicked that test's ass Hinata-chan...well cept the bunshin part, but our training made a difference "he said grinning before realizing all too late that the girl in his arms had already fainted.

"Glad all that training wasn't wasted Naruto" stated Sasuke as he just nodded at Naruto.

"Nah not this time Sasuke, third time was a charm" he said flashing a grin.

Mizuki watched seething beneath the surface as Iruka informed the entire class that they had all passed and that team selections would be announced tomorrow.

'Dammit I was banking on the demon brat to fail' he thought as he looked at Naruto who was still holding on to the Hyuuga Heiress who was still unconscious.

'Ah yes the brat is close to the Heiress, I'll just adjust my plan slightly and take a little something extra as a gift to my Master' he thought as he watched with interest as the classroom was finally dismissed.

Naruto left as soon as the class was dismissed, he decided against remaining with his graduated peers this evening, being around their families would only serve as a reminder of what he didn't have and he knew well enough the treatment he would likely receive by many of the adults.

He sighed as he made his way inside his apartment and fell on the bed.

'Well I finally did it' he thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling.

"I just wish I had a family to celebrate with" he whispered to himself, but before he could linger too much on such thoughts the glass to one of his windows was shattered as a kunai flew through the room landing only inches from his bed with a note attached to it.

"What the hell " he screamed as he flipped off the bed immediately grabbing the kunai before throwing the door open and looking around his apartment complex for the perpetrator to no avail...

He gritted his teeth as he unfolded the note expecting another misguided threat from one of the civilians however instead before him he saw something much worse...

"Brat if you ever wish to see the Hyuuga Heiress alive you will follow the orders below and meet me at the following location."

Naruto clenched his fist as he read the details on the note. He stopped on the last sentence as a tremor shook through his body.

"Should you tell anyone I will personally slit the girl's throat...do not be late"

Night had fallen well over two hours ago as he now leaned against the small shed where he had been informed to meet Hinata's Kidnapper. Naruto had wasted no time in sneaking into the Hokage's residence and stealing the scroll, he now lay against the shed studying the scroll intently. Even though he was willing to trade the scroll for Hinata he realized there was more than just a chance that whoever had taken her could just as easy attempt to kill both him and Hinata after receiving the scroll. Perhaps his only chance at beating this unknown enemy lay in the forbidden jutsus on this scroll.

'Dammit these seals are so complicated...I think I can only make heads or tails of this first one' he thought before he froze as he heard movement.

He quickly leapt to his feet before closing the scroll.

"Naruto what have you done ?" cried Iruka as he landed in front of Naruto.

"No Sensei what are you doing here ?You can't be here" he said his face growing pale.

"Naruto why would you steal the scroll of seals? I was so proud of you today wh-" he was cut off by Naruto.

"Iruka-Sensei I can explain, but now is not a good time" he said as he felt his heart began to race.

Iruka's eyes narrowed but before he could push Naruto for any more answers both turned hearing movement in the nearby trees.

As they turned they saw Mizuki standing in a tree holding a tied up Hinata in his arms.

"Mizuki?...Sensei?" both Iruka and Naruto said at the same time as they stared in shock at the Chunin.

"Well brat it seems like it was a mistake to trust you to not draw attention to yourself...but you have brought me the scroll" he said before he dropped the bound Hinata on a tree branch as an evil grin spread across his lips.

"Why are you doing this Mizuki?" Iruka asked as he took a defensive stance and reached for a Kunai.

"Oh poor Iruka don't take this personal, but you all are just stepping stones for me. I wouldn't have bothered killing you, but now you've become a witness. First I'll deal with the boy ...then you" he said as he pulled from his back a large shuriken and jumped airborne. As he leaped through the air he threw it faster than Naruto could detect. Moments before it collided into the poor genin, Iruka intercepted the attack and in the process took a grievous wound to his back.

Mizuki landed and chuckled.

"Now that's a surprise why would Iruka bother protecting the demon brat ?" he wondered aloud as he looked to Naruto.

"Let me tell you a little secret brat...maybe then you'll understand why everyone hates you" he said.

Naruto's expression become blank as he clenched his fist looking at his sensei as his mind grew clouded.

"Stop it Mizuki it is forbidden" cried Iruka before he howled in pain from the effort.

Naruto who was still behind Iruka moved forward wordlessly as his blue eyes shifted to a crimson red color with a predatorial slit in the middle.

"Save it you idiot...I've known about my situation for years" he said his voice taking on a much deeper tone as it was infused with a much darker presence.

Both Iruka and Mizuki were clearly shocked by this revelation.

"What you thought that for my entire life I never wondered why most of the village treated me like a monster ? Do you think I was oblivious when certain places wouldn't even let me shop and hurled all sorts of curses at me ? Do you want to know why I act so carefree and happy most of the time ? It's not because I'm oblivious ...it's because this mask of mine is one of the few things that keeps me sane. I'm friggin 12 years old and I have had more attempts on my life then some ninja experience their whole life. But you know what Mizuki-Baka ? I know the difference in being a demon and being a jailor...and I forgive those people that make my life a living hell everyday, because I intend to prove them wrong and then one day protect them when I become Hokage."he stated as his eyes shifted back to their normal cerulean blue color.

'N-naruto-kun you are amazing' thought Hinata as she stared at her crush...for some reason she couldn't explain this new aspect to him only made him more endearing...and there was something more a feeling in her stomach...in her core she couldn't explain. It was almost as if a part of her already knew his greatest secret...

"Naruto you have to run...get Hinata and get out of here" yelled Iruka.

Naruto looked to Hinata and silently prayed she would be alright and...that she would not hate him like most of the village did because of his tenet.

"No way Sensei...this headband means I'm a ninja of the leaf...I won't back down and I won't abandon one of my comrades" he declared as he stared down Mizuki

"Heh quite a speech brat...but you are and always will be nothing more than a shell for the Kyuubi...I'll do you a favor and end your suffering " he said before he summoned another large shuriken before hurling it at Naruto.

Instead of hitting his target the large Shuriken would instead hit a replacement log.

"I believe it's my turn you bastard." he said as he formed a series of handseals.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu" he cried as hundreds of Naruto's appeared around the surrounding area.

"W-what in the world is this ?" cried Mizuki as the hundreds of Naruto's leapt forward all at once with a barrage of punches and kicks.

"This is for betraying the leaf" a chorus of Naruto's cried as they assaulted Mizuki.

"This is for hurting Iruka-Sensei" another group said as they forced him down to the ground.

Naruto dismissed his clones as he walked forward picking up the battered Mizuki by the collar as he glared at him.

"and this is for threatening Hinata-chan" he screamed as he cocked back his fist before burying into Mizuki's face breaking his nose in several places...

Naruto panted deeply as he summoned a single shadow clone to untie Hinata as he himself leapt down to check on Iruka.

"Sensei? are you ok?" he asked in a worried tone.

Iruka forced a smile as he looked at his favorite student.

"I'll be fine...I'm sure Anbu will be here soon...Naruto I'm so proud of you" he beamed as he patted the blonde haired genin on the shoulder.

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "Thankyou Sensei, you and Hinata-chan really are two of my most precious people" he said with a sincere smile as Hinata leaped down next to him and to his surprise embraced him behind with a hug.

Naruto actually blushed before he turned and hugged the petite girl as well.

"Oi are you ok Hinata-chan ? Did that bastard hurt you ? why are you crying ? " he exclaimed frantically as he hugged her tighter.

"I-I'm just so glad Iruka-sensei and N-naruto-kun are ok" she sniffled as she buried her head further into his chest her face glowing a deeper shade of red by the minute before she finally became limp in his arms when she realized just how bold she'd been with her crush.

"OI HINATA-Chan ! Are you sick ? Iruka-Sensei what do we do ? I think Hinata-chan needs medical attention too" he said in a frantic voice.

Iruka just shook his head.

'Naruto you've come such a long way...but you still have so much to learn' he thought before he laughed softly.

"Sensei this isn't funny Hinata is all red in the face and isn't conscious" he exclaimed.

"MMmmm...Naruto-kun" purred Hinata from her sleep as she nuzzled deep against his chest.

Iruka laughed again wincing only slightly from the pain.

"Oh Naruto I've got a feeling Hinata is doing just fine" he said smirking as the blonde began blushing the deepest shade of red.

*Note* Hey guys! Thanks for reading. As this is my day off I may get the second part posted later this evening!

As per a couple of comments I just wanted to say that yes this was originally my first fanfic and unfinished one at that. I had posted it a year or so ago under a different pen name. . I decided to remove the old story and rework it using some feedback I'd received. I think the end result will make for a much better story. In any case I appreciate all the warm reviews. I don't mind criticism, just please don't flame. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to private message me! Until next time thanks for reading! :D