A/N: Chapter 8. It took 7 chapters just to reach what is the equivalent of the first chapter of the manga. It has taken a while but it has been worth it. At least I think so and hopefully a few of you would agree with me. I have the next 6 chapters or so planned out already so hopefully updates will continue to be every 2 or 3 weeks. But enough about all of that, you just want to read the chapter. So I'll stop now. Enjoy and as always please review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Text examples:
"Hello." Biju or jinchuriki using biju's powers speaking
'Hi.' Person thinking
'Hi there.' Person speaking through mental link
'Howdy.' Biju speaking through mental link
Chapter 8: A Graduation
Hinata was sitting in her seat next to Kiba as she listened to Iruka give his final lecture. It was the end of the year and all the academy students in the room were waiting for the lecture to end so that they could start the final exam that would determine if they became ninja. Everyone was anxious to begin and let out sighs of relief as Iruka finished. The man was proud of his class. They had come a long way and he was looking forward to seeing them preform. There was just one last thing that he had to take care of before they could get started.
"Alright class before we get on with the exam there is one more announcement that I have to make." There were several groans of annoyance from various students in the room. Iruka just smiled at his class knowing that soon they would not be groaning. "We will be having a homeschooled student take the test with us. I hope you all welcome her." All eyes turned to look at the door when they heard it open. In walked a red headed teen that had a pair of fox ears on her head and four tails swaying behind her. Her spikey hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that reached just past her neck and her bangs came to a rest at her eyebrows. She had on a black tank top with a ninja mesh shirt underneath, a blood red jacket with black trim along the sleeves and zipper, a pair of khaki shorts with various pouches attached to a belt, and a pair of black ninja sandals on her feet. There was a silver chain on her wrist with three charms on it. Hinata recognized the girl instantly.
"Naruko?!" The red head looked up at her longtime friend and smiled.
"Hey Hinata!" The Hyuga heir brightened as she smiled at her fox girl. Iruka was happy that the two girls he met so long ago were still friends.
"Class, as some of you may know this is Naruko Uzumaki. She has spent the last several years traveling with her godfather and has just recently moved back to Konoha. The Hokage and I have been assured that she has received proper training so she will be joining use for the exam." Hinata was pleasantly surprised at what she heard. The idea that her friend was going to be living in the village felt like a dream. Hinata locked eyes with Naruko.
Hinata mouthed the words, "You're really staying?" The fox girl smiled brightly as she nodded her head. The blue haired teen could feel her eyes begin to water a little. She was so happy that Naruko was going to be living in the village. She no longer had to worry about her friend when she did not receive a letter for weeks on end. Naruko was finally home and Hinata could not be happier. Iruka noticed the brief exchange between the girls and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention back.
"Naruko, please have a seat next to Sasuke and we will begin shortly." The fox girl nodded and made her way over to her rival. When she reached him the two locked eyes and lashed out at each other without a moment's hesitation. They had both thrown a punch aimed at each other's head only for it to be caught by their free hands. The two seemed to try and push past the other's defense until the finally released the fists they were holding. They smiled at each other as they clasped hands in a sign of respect. After the little exchange was over Naruko sat down in her seat with her hands behind her head and her feet up on the desk. The red head did not notice the angry glares she was getting from a certain pink haired girl.
"What the hell was that?!" Naruko covered her ears as she heard the loud voice erupt from behind her. Ino rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
"They've been like that for years Sakura. That's how they say hello." The two rivals turned towards the loud girl and nodded in agreement. Sakura quieted as she realized that she was the only one to have had a problem with the brief show of violence. Iruka was a little annoyed that he had lost the attention of his class again.
"Alright everyone settle down. We're going to start now. We'll begin with ninjutsu, then taijutsu, and finally ninja tool usage. For ninjutsu you will have to perform the transformation technique, the substitution technique, and the clone jutsu. For taijutsu you will have to fight in three five minute sparing sessions, each with a different opponent. We will then be going outside for the ninja toll tests." When the sensei finished the introduction of the tests he pulled out a clip board and started to call out names. Naruko only paid attention when she heard names that she knew. All her friends did pretty well. Hinata had gotten almost a perfect score, but her transformation of Iruka was off slightly. The girl had somehow managed to get his scar up on the forehead. It was not long before it was the fox girl's turn. Naruko jumped high out of her seat and landed in front of the class. She was too excited to just walk. The red head started with transformation and turned into Iruka. The man commented that it was like looking in the mirror. Next up was the substitution technique. After a rapid succession of hand signs there was a puff of smoke and everyone was surprised to see Kiba standing where Naruko had just been. The red head was seated next to Hinata and while all eyes were on the dog boy she planted a quick peck on the Hyuga girl's lips that left Hinata red. The only one who noticed was Akamaru, who had been sitting on the desk. He had a little doggy grin on his face as he wagged his tail. Naruko was pleased that she got to kiss Hinata again after so long. She walked back to the front of the class with a smile on her face and a skip in her step. She turned to Iruka to as a question.
"Is it okay if I use a different clone jutsu than the normal one?" The sensei took a moment to think. The test only required that a clone be made. It did not specify what kind. The man nodded his head in agreement and Naruko went about preforming her ninjutsu. There was an eruption of smoke from various locations throughout the room. When the smoke cleared there were ten Narukos in the room. Iruka was impressed with the number, but he was curious about one thing.
"Naruko what kind of clones are they." Through an unseen act the red head dismissed her clones as she turned and smiled at the man.
"Shadow clones." Iruka's eyes went wide. Shadow clones were a very rare form of clone and were considered a high level ninjutsu that took tremendous amounts of chakra to create even one clone, but somehow this thirteen year old girl had managed to create ten. Just how strong was she? Iruka shook his head and continued to administer the tests.
-Academy Gym-
The students were lead into the gym for the next portion of their exam. Along the way two other Academy sensei joined the group, each one had a clipboard. They positioned themselves and began to call out names. Those who were called were paired up to spar for one of the five minute sessions. Naruko was one of the first called and was paired up against a boy she had never met before. He seemed over confident and that lead to an easy match for the red head. The boy did not even manage to land a single hit on the girl as she danced circles around him. At the two minute mark Naruko had already landed fifteen solid hits on the boy so the sensei called the match. The boy did not seem to mind. He had gotten enough bruises for one day. Hinata and the rest of Naruko's friends made short work of their matches. The only time any of them had any difficulty was when they faced each other. Naruko's second opponent gave up after witnessing her previous match. The red head had some free time so she watched her Princess make short work of a purple haired girl. Hinata used the Gentle Fist like a true master and incapacitated her opponent with a few quick strikes. The girl took a deep breath after her match and let it out in surprise when she felt arms wrap around her. She did not even have to guess who it was. Hinata turned around in Naruko's arms and hugged her friend back.
"Hello Naru." The red head nuzzled her face against Hinata's.
"Hey Princess. You looked great out there." The Hyuga heir reddened a little and glanced around the room briefly. Everyone was involved in watching the matches so she placed a quick kiss on Naruko's check earning a small giggle from the red head. The two parted as they heard the fox girl's name being called. Naruko turned and grinned when she saw who was standing by Iruka. Sasuke smirked as their eyes met. It seemed appropriate that their final match would be against each other. They took their stances as they sized each other up. It had been sometime since they had last fought each other and they were both excited to be facing each other again. Iruka called the start of the match and the two teens went all out. Naruko came low and slashed at Sasuke with her hands. It was the same high speed style that Kurama had taught her so many years ago called the Swift Fox. Her fingers were bent to look like claws and her tails were swaying back and forth to distract her opponent. Sasuke was used to the style and avoided the first hit with ease by jumping over the girl. He was surprised however when he felt something soft wrap around his ankle and pull him to the ground. One of Naruko's tails had caught the boy in the air. The Uchiha was did not expect the move. The fox girl had never used her tails as anything more than a distraction before. It seemed that she still had surprises after all. Luckily he did too. Sasuke flipped to his feet and managed to counter Naruko's next strike with an arm lock that put the red head at his mercy. The teen boy shifted his grip putting a great deal of pressure on Naruko's elbow that made the girl cry out in pain. Iruka would have called the match right then but the red head used her tails to pick Sasuke up off the ground and throw him away. He was still midair when she got down on all fours and charged towards where he was supposed to land. Sasuke righted himself and barely saw the kick coming for him when he landed. He curled into a ball to dodge and rolled when he hit the ground. The two stood up and faced each other before they went back to trying to beat the crap out of each other. During the match everyone just watched. The sensei got distracted and did not call for the next matches. All three of the sensei were fairly impressed with the two teens and were sure they would receive top marks. Iruka looked away from the match as he heard a small beep and realized that five minutes was already up. He called the match and the two combatants stopped instantly, neither seemed out of breath nor worse for wear. They probably would have kept going if they were allowed to. Naruko and Sasuke approached each other and clasped hands. They smiled as they shook, it was a good match. The rest of the matches picked up, but none of them were as impressive as the one that just finished.
-Academy Training Field-
Iruka lead his class outside for the final portion of the test. There were several dummies arranged around the field at different distances. There were a few tables set up, with shuriken and kunai on them, in various locations around the field. Iruka gave the area a once over and seemed satisfied with the set up.
"Everyone go and pick a table to stand behind, three people to a table. You will use five shuriken and five kunai to quickly and accurately hit the ten targets in front of you. When you are finished go to the end of the line so that the next person can go." There were sounds of acknowledgement from the students and Naruko quickly grabbed Hinata's hand and lead the girl to one of the tables. Sasuke would have followed the two girls, but he was grabbed by Sakura and Ino and taken to a different table. Kiba followed Naruko and Hinata to their table.
"Hey guys, mind if I go first?" The dog boy was looking to impress the two girls so he wanted to be the first to go. Naruko and Hinata stepped aside and let Kiba go first. With Iruka's go ahead Kiba grabbed all the shuriken in one hand and the kunai in the other. He crossed his arms and threw them full force without even looking. He heard several thunks and smiled thinking he had gotten them all. His pride shattered when he heard Naruko break out in laughter. Hinata spoke up on Kiba's behalf.
"Come on Naruko that was rather impressive. Kiba managed to hit half the targets with his eyes closed." The fox girl reigned in her laughed with a few deep breaths.
"I know, but he might have hit all of them if he actually aimed." The Hyuga heir could not refute that fact. Naruko walked up to the table and picked up a kunai in each hand. The rest she held with her tails. She threw the first and then quickly replaced it with one she was holding with her tail. She threw with both hands and quickly hit all the targets. The closest four were all head shots and the farther six were right over where the heart would have been if they were real people. The red head turned and looked at Kiba with a smug expression on her face. Kiba grew mad quickly and was about to yell at the fox girl when Hinata walked between them and up to the table. The blue haired teen took a breath and picked up her first shuriken. In the span of ten seconds Hinata threw all of the projectiles and hit each target right between the eyes. The girl turned around to see surprised looks on her friend's faces. She got a little self-conscious and turned her gaze to the ground.
"What?" Naruko saw the blush appear on Hinata's cheeks and a smile quickly formed on the red head's face. She grabbed her friend around the waist and lifted her up into the air as she spun the girl.
"Hinata you're the best! That was awesome!" The red head set her Princess down, but still held the girl in her arms. The blue haired girl smiled at her friend and brought her arms up to hug her back. The two reluctantly let go of each other as they heard Iruka call them back inside.
-Iruka's Classroom-
The sensei was fairly impressed with his class. The majority had passed and he was relieved that most of his favorite students were amongst those who would graduate. He smiled with pride at his students. He always enjoyed watching them grow.
"Alright everyone, it's going to take a few minutes to go over everything and compile the scores. Take this time to relax. You'll be called out of the room one by one to be given your grades." Iruka left the room and everyone else started talking amongst themselves. Choji talked about how he did on the test but then ended up talking about which brand of chips was his favorite. Shikamaru was seated next to him, but had not paid much attention to his friend. Choji realized this, but he did not care, that was just how they were. Sakura and Ino had gotten into a fight about who had done better and gotten more attention from Sasuke. Ino seemed to care more about out doing Sakura than getting attention from Sasuke. Hinata had gotten up from her seat and gone to talk to Naruko and Sasuke. Kiba looked down. He just could not seem to catch a break when it came to women. Akamaru whined a little when he saw his master upset and rubbed his head against the boy's leg. Kiba reached down and pet his partner but did not feel any better. He turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Things will work out because you are a good guy who will go far. Just don't lose hope." Kiba let out a sigh and nodded his head.
"Thanks Shino." The glasses wearing boy nodded and sat down next to Kiba. Everyone quieted down when the doors opened and the first name was called. Every few minutes the doors would open again and the next name would be called. It did not take long for them to realize that only those who passed came back into the room. Shikamaru was the first to return with a headband. After him Sasuke, Shino, and Ino were called and returned with headbands. Their friends congratulated them and waited for their names to be called. Choji, Hinata, Kiba, and Sakura all left and returned fairly quickly in turn. Naruko was ecstatic that her Princess had passed and tackled the girl in a hug. The action earned several laughs from those who were gathered. Naruko heard her name called and looked down at the girl under her. The fox girl put her lips close to Hinata's ear.
"Wish me luck Princess." Naruko placed a kiss on the girl's ear that turned the blue haired teen's face bright red.
"Good luck Naru." The red head smiled as she got off of her friend and went out the door. Hinata sat down in her usual seat next to Kiba. The boy took a deep breath before he turned to face the girl.
"Hey Hinata?" The girl turned and smiled a little at her friend.
"Yes?" Kiba had to swallow when he saw the cute little smile on her face. He spent a few moments just looking at the girl's face. Nothing else seemed to exist in the world, which is why he did not hear the door open.
"Do you want to get dinner tonight to celebrate?" Before she could answer Hinata felt arms wrap around her waist and noticed a mess of red hair appear over her shoulder.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Naruko had a large smile on her face that was soon mirrored by Hinata when the Hyuga heir realized that Naruko had passed. She turned around and hugged her fox girl. Kiba just looked confused.
"What?" The boy was surprised that Naruko would be so enthusiastic about Hinata getting dinner with him. The red head looked away from Hinata to face Kiba.
"We should all go out and eat to celebrate!" The friends all nodded their heads in agreement. It was a good idea. Their attention turned towards the front of the room when they heard someone clear their throat.
"Alright everyone I am proud to announce that you nine are all now officially ninja of the rank of genin. Congratulations and report back here in two days to receive your team assignments. As for tomorrow, you all get the day off!" The new graduates let out shouts of excitement at the day off as they made their way out of the classroom. The group took to congratulating each other again and discussing how they did on the exam. After a while a loud growl was head and the new genin took defensive stances. Choji just laughed.
"Guys I'm just hungry. Calm down." The group let out a laugh as they realized how foolish they must have seemed. Naruko walked up to the big boned teen and clapped a hand on his back.
"Alright then where should we go eat?" Choji already had an idea.
-Pork Tail BBQ-
The graduates had made their way to the old standby that was the BBQ joint. It had a long history with the group and was definitely the best to celebrate their graduation. Even Naruko agreed and everyone just looked at her. They did not think that the girl would willingly pass up on ramen. The red head just laughed.
"Guys, Ichiraku's wouldn't be able to fit all of us." The group laughed and agreed with the girl. They were lucky that the restaurant was fairly empty so they could all be seated together. The host placed them at a large table in the back that could fit all of them and the friends all found their seats. Hinata was between Naruko and Kiba. Akamaru was seated on Kiba's lap. Sasuke was across from Hinata with Sakura and Ino on either side of him. Shino and Shikamaru each sat at the ends of the table and Choji was between Ino and Shikamaru. They were quite the noisy group and the host was glad that he had seated them in the back. Orders were made and soon everyone was engaged in conversation. Ino tuned out Choji who was going on about how great the restaurant was and turned her attention to her wandering friend.
"So Naruko, are you really going to be living in the village from now on?" Hinata completely ignored Kiba who was trying to get her attention so she could listen to the conversation. The red head smiled as she nodded her head.
"That's right. I'm thirteen now which means I'm the head of the Uzumaki clan. Gramps finally accepted that I was old enough to live on my own." The blond nodded and something occurred to her.
"So where are you going to live?" Naruko laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. Hinata knew that look. It meant that her fox girl had not thought about where she was going to be staying, just that she was going to get to stay in Konoha.
"She's staying with me." Naruko and Ino turned to look at Hinata. Ino smiled a little at how quickly the girl came to the red head's rescue. Naruko looked at her Princess with hope filled eyes.
"Are you sure Hinata?" The Hyuga heir nodded. It was not even an issue.
"Father told me a while ago that I had the freedom to invite you over whenever I wanted. You've stayed with us before so there shouldn't be any problems." The fox girl beamed at her friend as she wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. No one at the table gave the action any mind. They all knew how affectionate Naruko and Hinata acted towards each other, although Kiba did have a look of disappointment on his face. Naruko beamed at her friend and brought her lips to the girl's ear to speak.
"You're the best Princess." Hinata's face reddened as she smiled. She was glad that she could help her friend after Naruko had done for her. Conversation picked up again between Naruko and Ino as the red head told stories of where she had visited on her travels. The food arrived and everyone began to eat. Kiba worked up is courage to try and talk to the Hyuga heir again.
"Hinata?" The girl looked over at him with her big white eyes that seemed to trap him in a field of snow. He lost all train of thought for a moment before Akamaru barked and brought him out of his stupor. "Um, would you want to spend some time together with me tomorrow?" At the word tomorrow Naruko's ear twitched and her eyes shot open as she remembered something. Her hand reached out and took hold of Hinata's to get the girl's attention.
"Hinata! We have a wedding to go to tomorrow!" The entire table fell silent at the fox girl's declaration. Many of them had only honed in on the word wedding and were quite interested in what was going on. Shikamaru grinned as he turned towards his two oldest friends.
"Pay up." Everyone turned towards the lazy teen before looking at Ino and Choji. Ino stood up out of her chair and pointed and Hinata and Naruko.
"She said they were going to a wedding! It's not theirs." The grin on Shikamaru's face disappeared and muttered something along the lines of troublesome under his breath. Naruko just stared at the blond in confusion.
"What was that all about?" Ino got a sheepish look on her face as she realized that they had almost revealed the bet the three of them had going. Her mind quickly raced to come up with something. She had nothing.
"Well um. We kind of made a bet on when you two would finally end up dating." Ino closed her eyes expecting to be on the receiving end of a fist delivered by a very angry fox girl. She waited a moment and nothing happened so she opened her eyes. Hinata was blushing and looking at the food in front of her and Naruko had her jaw clamped shut trying to hold back a laugh. The red head failed and loudly laughed for all to hear. Naruko calmed down after a few minutes as she took some deep breaths.
"That's hilarious. Was it really that obvious that we liked each?" There were several nods from those who were seated at the table. Naruko just shook her head good naturedly as she placed her arm over Hinata's shoulders and drew the girl close. "Well we do plan on dating, but not yet. We agreed a few years back that we would wait till be were older, though I don't think it'll be too much longer now." The red head leaned over and placed a kiss on Hinata's cheek as the Hyuga girl nodded her head in agreement. Just about everyone at the table started to laugh in relief. They were glad that the two girls had finally opened up about the subject. Everyone soon went back to eating and conversing with one another. The only changes were that Naruko and Hinata sat closer to each other and Kiba got a little quieter. It was not long before the food was finished and the friends parted ways for the night.
-Hinata's Room-
Naruko and Hinata made it to the Hyuga Compound before it got too late and decided to head right to bed. They went through their usual routine, Naruko got to wash up first and then Hinata. The fox girl changed while the blue haired teen bathed and then Hinata would change in her large closet. It had become so common for the girls that they did not even have to talk about it anymore. Naruko was seated on the large bed when Hinata came out of the closet. The girls smiled at each other as Hinata made her way to the bed and sat down next to her fox girl. They cuddled up close to each other and enjoyed a moment of quiet. Hinata turned her head and placed a light kiss on Naruko's lips causing the red head's face to match her hair. She was used to being the one who kissed, not the one who got kissed. The Hyuga heir pulled away a little and rested her head on Naruko's shoulder. The fox girl wrapped her tails around them to keep warm and they both hummed in contentment. Hinata looked up at her longtime friend and smiled.
"So whose wedding are we going to tomorrow?" Naruko laughed a little as she realized that the wedding subject was completely forgotten at dinner after the bet was revealed. The red head looked down and smiled at her Princess.
"Dad and Momma are finally getting married." Hinata pulled away from the girl in surprise as her jaw dropped.
"Really?" The red head nodded and a bright smile appeared on Hinata's face. The blue haired girl was happy that Naruko's surrogate parents were finally getting married after so long. "I'm so happy for them." Naruko smiled brightly at the girl.
"I am too Princess. It's about time if you ask me, but then again it did take Dad quite a while to gain control of the Fox clan again after being gone so long. I'm actually a bit surprised that it didn't take him longer." Hinata wondered what kind of trouble Kurama had to deal with in order to get his position back, but let the thought drop as she focused back at the matter at hand.
"I guess you're right. I'm just glad I got invited." Naruko laughed a little and drew her Princess closer to her.
"Of course you got invited. They've been ready for a few days now, but they had to wait because I couldn't get here faster." Hinata was stunned at the news.
"They put off their wedding just so I could go?" The Hyuga heir did not think she was important enough for them to do such a thing. Naruko chuckled a little before she pecked the girl on the cheek.
"More like they put the wedding off just so we could go. They said and I quote, 'We can't get married without our two kits there for the ceremony.' I hate to tell you this Hinata, but they already consider you part of the family." Hinata could tell that her fox girl was teasing her, but that did not make it any less true. Naruko's parents considered her family. The thought was so extraordinary to the girl that she tackled Naruko and began to kiss the girl repeatedly. The fox girl smiled as she felt the kisses being placed on her lips and cheeks. It felt great to be kissed by her Princess. They two calmed down after a few minutes but Hinata stayed on top of her fox girl as she snuggled closer. Naruko smiled and wrapped her tails around the both of them to keep warm as Hinata fell asleep in each her arms. Or at least she thought the Hyuga girl fell asleep. After a few minutes Hinata lifted herself off of Naruko with a panicked expression on her face.
"What am I going to wear?" The blue haired teen tore out of her bed and threw on the lights as she made her way to the closet. Naruko had to laugh at the girl's reaction until she realized that she had nothing planned to wear either and ran after the girl into the closet. The rest of the night was spent trying on different outfits and hoping that they would be able to get enough sleep before the ceremony.
A/N: Well there you have it. Look forward to the wedding in the next chapter and the introduction of a new character.