The alliance Gaara accidentally formed was one of the best decisions he ever made.
After easily making it through to the second round, Gaara allowed the Hyuga girl to pay for a bowl of ramen. Naruto had thought the perfect way to celebrate was to eat at his favorite restaurant, to which Hinata happily agreed. The two extended the invitation to Gaara's siblings and the remaining Rookie Nine—as he heard them be called—but they all declined, wanting to prepare for the challenges that laid ahead.
At the ramen shop, Naruto and Hinata leaned that it would take quite a bit of effort to get Gaara to speak. It couldn't be helped. This was the most that anyone has spoken to Gaara in a very, very long time. Once they realized that, Naruto and Hinata wondered if there was anything he wanted to know about them.
Pondering the idea, Gaara requested, "How did the two of you meet?"
It took only a split second, but the Suna genin could see the way their usual happy expressions faltered to one of tragedy, before turning gleeful again.
"We met on my third birthday," Hinata informed softly. "I had just witnessed a horrible family tradition and ran away from home. Naruto found me under a streetlight and walked me back to the clan compound. We made plans for him to sneak inside later that night when we thought everyone was asleep."
"I came inside at the perfect time," Naruto claimed jokingly, but there was a hidden note of tension. "I was wondering through the maze of buildings when I ran into a masked ninja with a sleeping Hinata in his arms. Before I could say or do anything, he held a kunai to her throat, threatening to kill her if I moved any closer. When I saw the beads of blood, I—"
Naruto paused, clutching his fist tightly to control his shortening temper at the memory. "I lost control," he admitted, "of my anger and the fox."
"Fox?"
"The Nine-Tailed Fox," Naruto clarified with a sigh.
Gaara couldn't hide his shock at the name. "You're a jinchuriki?"
Naruto scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Jinchuriki?" he repeated, the word easily rolling off his tongue. "What's a jinchuriki?"
"They are people who possess one the nine tailed beast," Gaara explained. "Since you have the Nine-Tails, you are a jinchuriki."
"Well the Nine-Tails is the reason nearly everyone hates me," Naruto claimed glumly. "That night was when I learned he was inside me. While I was becoming angry, the fox decided to use it to his advantage. I killed the Cloud ninja before he could hurt Hinata anymore. I probably would have done a lot of damage to the village if . . ."
"If what?" Gaara pursued.
"If I hadn't calmed him down," Hinata answered softly. "I woke up just after he attacked my kidnapper. My father appeared a few moments later and was going to hurt Naruto, but I stopped him. I begged my father to let me talk some sense into him. All I had to do was lay my hand over his and to say his name for Naruto to calm down."
"I only remember bits and pieces of that night," Naruto stated. "But Lord Hiashi was grateful for what I had done. He allowed me to visit the compound every so often and gave me my own room to stay in for one night a week. He made sure none of the clan members gave me crap for being there and tried to make me feel more accepted, just like Hinata has."
"And one day you will be accepted by everyone," Hinata promised with her sugar-sweet smile that Gaara found himself growing fonder of every time it's used. "After you become Hokage, just like you tell everyone that you see."
The two smiled at each other, as though they were sharing a moment. Gaara couldn't help thinking that they're interaction was lot warmer than he believed friends would be. There was just something about the way they gazed into each other's eyes.
Naruto and Hinata must have noticed, for they quickly looked away from the other. Their cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, but Gaara didn't know why. Before he could ponder such a strange occurrence, Naruto cleared his throat nervously.
"You should try your ramen, Gaara," Naruto suggested, changing the topic altogether. "You won't find anything else like it around the village."
Deciding to ask about the moment later, Gaara cautiously tried the noodles, steadily raising the chopsticks close to his lips. After swallowing the first bite, Gaara's eyes widened in surprise.
"It's . . ." Gaara trailed off to find the right word. "Delicious."