Chapter Two
Hinata Hyuuga ran down the streets of Konohagakure. Her sandals pounded on the cobbles in much the same way her heart pounded in her chest, and there was only one thought on her mind. In just a short while she would see Naruto again.
But she was late. She should have met him and Neji at the main gate ten minutes ago, and the thought they might leave without her haunted her constantly. She picked up her pace even further. The few people who were already up gave her curious looks as she sprinted by, but that didn't bother her. The only opinion she cared about was Naruto's, and she had really hoped to make a good impression on him today, but oversleeping had blown it for her. Her hair was unkempt, she had skipped breakfast and hadn't even had time to shower.
I must look horrible, she thought unhappily. Why, why do I have to mess up now of all days?
In fact, Hinata had surprisingly little to worry about considering her looks. Even unkempt, her straight, midnight blue hair fell down her back with a natural grace, something she owed to Sakura who had suggested she'd let it grow. She herself had also grown quite a bit and was about five feet two tall now, but her slim figure had not changed, apart from that she now looked like a young woman instead of a girl. Her arms had become more muscular due to her constant taijutsu training, but it didn't show because of the long wide sleeves of her vest. The vest itself was loose, but not so much that it would hinder her in her movement, and it was coloured in a way that made sure she wouldn't stand out (which was just how she liked it): the body was lilac and so were the cuffs, but the collar and sleeves where white. Next to that, she was wearing dark blue jeans that ended a few inches below her knees, with a shuriken pouch attacked to the right leg. Her Konoha forehead protector, proof that she had graduated from the Academy, was habitually wrapped around her neck. While not particularly beautiful, she looked undeniably pretty, and it was a shame she wasn't aware of this because it might have boosted her self-confidence a little, which seemed to have reached an all-time low today.
She had always been shy and uncertain of herself. This wouldn't have been a big problem if she had been just a regular girl. However, she was the heiress of the Hyuuga clan, and an heiress should be strong of body and of mind. Because of that, her father had tried for years to toughen her up by forcing her to train and train until she was too exhausted to even stand up. It hadn't helped in the least; if anything, it undermined her confidence even more. She remained weak, and eventually her father gave up on her and started focusing his attention on her younger sister instead, leaving Hinata in the care of a female jounin and squad leader called Kurenai.
At that point, life was a hell for Hinata. She had no skills in anything, no strength to train, and no goals in her life. Even Kurenai couldn't do anything but watch Hinata slowly dwindle away. It might have been the end for her.
But then she had met Naruto. From a safe distance, she started noticing the boy who was always alone, who always sat by himself, and who had nowhere to go to after school while the other children were picked up by their parents. She watched as the other kids laughed at him, she heard their parents curse him silently, she heard their scathing remarks and their predictions that never, ever, the boy would become a proper ninja. She heard so many people say it that she almost became convinced of it herself. But then she looked at Naruto again, and she suddenly knew without a doubt that if anyone had the ability to become a great ninja, it was him. And she kept watching him, never showing herself but mentally encouraging him to keep going and never give up. And he did keep going. He trained for days on end, trained until his hands shook too much to hold a kunai, until his muscles refused to perform, until he was out of breath and fell on the ground in pain, where he would lie for one, two minutes, before suppressing the pain by sheer willpower, getting up again, and continuing his training. It was a cycle of pain and determination that Naruto went through every day again, just to prove everyone he was as good as anyone else.
And it mesmerised Hinata. She found herself inexplicably drawn to the training areas just to watch Naruto get a little stronger each day, and while she still kept herself hidden her heart reached out and connected with his; she started to understand his pain, his sorrow, and eventually his amazing courage and strong will, and from it she formed her own determination. It was a vague idea at first, but it soon became a goal, an ideal, a fire inside her that nothing could extinguish. She vowed to herself to become stronger, if not for herself then definitely for Naruto, because otherwise she would never be able to face him as an equal.
From that point on, she started improving as well, slowly but steadily. She became more confident in herself and her abilities, though she always remained shy. Eventually she graduated from the Academy in the same year as Naruto, who had already failed two times before, and while she was not assigned to the same team she did get to see him more. Nothing in the world could have made her happier. Despite the fact he didn't seem to have any special feelings for her and treated her only as a friend, she simply enjoyed being near him whenever circumstances put them on a mission together.
And then she heard that he would be leaving the village for a long journey. It came as a complete shock, and initially she panicked. What would she do if the source of her strength and courage left? How could she improve without him to inspire her? But when he was gone she realised that she didn't feel any weaker for it. Over the years she had formed her own strength, and that kept her going even when Naruto was not around. It allowed her to become stronger during his absence, both physically and mentally. The only thing that did not improve was her shyness, and that was just what was giving her trouble now.
I just know I will say something stupid when I see him, she thought nervously as she took a shortcut through a small alley. Maybe I should just say nothing. I could pretend I lost my voice... but then he will think I'm just acting weird. I should just talk naturally, but how can I do that when I'm so nervous I can hardly speak!
She didn't recall ever being this nervous before. She felt as if something was crawling around in her stomach, trying to find a way out. Her throat was dry and she started feeling a bit dizzy as well, and every step that brought her closer to Naruto seemed to take more effort than the one before and left her with more uncertainty.
Can I ever be ready for this?
When Naruto had just returned, Hinata had decided to carefully avoid him for the time being. It hadn't required much effort; Konoha was big, and it wasn't as if he had been looking for her. But he had a tendency to show up at unexpected places, so she had mostly stayed in the Hyuuga part of town, and even then preferably inside.
Then she had fallen ill, so suddenly and seriously that she had to be hospitalised. She vaguely recalled being afraid that Naruto would come see her while she was so weakened, but she also remembered hoping with all her heart he would sit next to her and hold her hand, and be there for her...
Of course, he never showed up, and afterwards she mentally scolded herself for even considering it. It never became clear what had caused her illness, but it disappeared as suddenly as it had shown up and for equally unknown reasons. The doctors were puzzled, but allowed her to go home. That had been yesterday, actually. Then Shizune had shown up at her house, asking whether she felt strong enough to go on a mission with Naruto. She had accepted before thinking it over, knowing full well that if she thought about it for too long she would lose heart and decline. Shizune had explained the mission to her at home so she could rest up a bit, and then she had entered the most tiring night of her life.
She was too nervous to sleep but never fully awake either, constantly drifting between dream and reality and eventually waking up on the wrong side of the room with no idea how she had got there. And now she was going to meet Naruto, and she wondered if she was still dreaming. The stones seemed to shift beneath her feet and specks of light danced at the edges of her vision, but she had to maintain her balance and keep moving at all cost or she would never reach Naruto, never be able to show how she had improved. She saw his image floating in front of her, smiling that smile that could save the world, encouraging her to become stronger and faster, to pick up her pace further and run, run until she would get to him, and she ran faster and faster but the image slowly faded in the distance... she reached out for it...
And then she was pulled back to reality abruptly as she tripped over a loose cobble and crashed into a passing trader. As they tumbled to the ground, the cart the man was pulling toppled over, and its contents were scattered all over the street. The sounds of breaking glass, splintering wood and the cursing of bystanders melted together in a din that seemed to go on forever.
Hinata struggled back to her feet unsteadily, and, still half dreaming, regarded the chaos and the crowd that started to form around it. What is happening? I saw Naruto... I thought... was I dreaming? Then a hand grabbed her shoulder, and an angry voice said: "That's what you get when you don't look where you're going, girl. How do you expect to pay for all that?" She spun around in panic and looked the trader in the eye.
The effect was amazing. The man let go of her and backed away instantly, as if he'd been petting a dog that turned out to be a wolf.
The eyes he was looking into had pupils many times larger than those of normal eyes, leaving only a few bits of the eye white to be seen at the edges. The pupils themselves weren't black but a greyish white, only slightly darker than the sclera. Everyone in Konoha knew those eyes – they were eyes that belonged only to the Hyuuga clan, the strongest and most influential clan in the village. While the Hyuuga traditionally didn't seek out violence, they were highly protective of their members and it was unwise to offend or threaten them in any way.
The trader seemed to realise this as well. He hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly, mumbled some apologetic words and strode off without looking back, leaving the wreckage for someone else to clean up.
Hinata was thoroughly confused. It had all happened so quickly that her mind was still racing with memories of Naruto. She shook her head to dispel those images.
A shinobi should be focused on the here and now. Look at what happened... Did I fall asleep while running? I really made a mess of things again...
She became acutely aware of the many gazes fixed on her. People whispered to each other, pointing at her, probably wondering whether she was out of her mind or not. She blushed, embarrassed at the stir she had caused, wondering whether she should do something about it, when she suddenly realised she had no time to be standing around here. She was already twenty minutes late and still had to cross half the city!
"I'm really sorry," she said to nobody in particular. "But I have to go now." She quickly slipped through the crowd and ran on, feeling particularly thick-headed. Late, tired and dirty – so much for making a good impression on Naruto. She bit her lip. Horrible as she felt, she wouldn't cry. The old Hinata had cried a lot, but she wouldn't stand for that anymore.
Because I have changed, Naruto. Please, please notice how I've changed. Because I've done it all for you.
