Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Hyuuga Hinata was a strange girl. Even as a 9 year old, Naruto could clearly see that and not just because of her looks, but because of her behavior as well – especially towards him. Whenever their paths crossed she did not just blush, but smiled at him too.
"Iruka-sensei? Why does Hinata always smile at me whenever I see her?" Naruto asked once during their regular meals at Ichirakus' ramen shop. Naruto saw as his sensei put his chopsticks down and adjusted his headband. It seemed like he was embarrassed which Naruto did not really understand.
"You know, Naruto, when a girl wants to be friends with a boy, they smile at them to express this," Ayame said, leaning over the counter. The way Naruto touched his cheek with one of his fingers and furrowed his eyebrows in question made the young girl smile. She had a feeling that those two would have quite a journey together.
"So… you say Hinata wants to be my friend?" The little boy asked on an uncertain voice. No one wanted to be his friend ever before, but he had to admit that he liked Hinata. She was always kind and caring towards others – despite her shy personality. "I like the idea!" He reached the conclusion after an amount of thinking.
"I bet you two would be really good friends," Iruka said with a little smile in the corner of his mouth. He knew that Hinata needed Naruto just as much as Naruto needed her.
Next day, Naruto was sitting in their classroom, waiting for Hinata. On the previous day, he decided to ask her to be friends with him. That was the case of him not being late, which made all of his classmates being stunned.
"Are you okay, man?" Shikamaru asked, walking up to him. Naruto cocked his head. "You usually late or simply skip the class which is really a pain in the ass," Shikamaru explained, covering his yawn with his hand.
"Just so you know, I need an important thing to do," Naruto said, turning his attention back to the door, so he missed the others' raised eyebrows.
When the door slid open, Naruto automatically leaned forward, but the sight in front of him made anger bubble up in his stomach. Hinata dragged her left foot and Naruto could see a few bruises on her face as well.
He stood up and walked up to her. When Hinata realized who was the one standing in front of her, the well-known blush appeared on her face. She quickly looked to the ground, then back to the blond boy.
"N-naruto-kun, go-good morning!" She stuttered with that kind smile appearing on her face. It made Naruto angrier in the blink of an eye.
"Who did that to you, Hinata?" The boy asked, pointing at the girls' hurt foot. Hinata followed his finger and shook her head before answering.
"I-it is nothing serious. Just a little result of me be-being clumsy dru-druing practice at home." Naruto had to gulp to calm himself down. He knew that Hinata's family was one of the strongest ones in the village, but she was Hinata and she deserved much better than being hurt like that. Her foot was not even bandaged! "D-don't worry about it, please!"
Naruto did not answer, just grabbed her hand and pulled Hinata after himself. When he reached his table, he helped her to sit down – totally ignoring a shocked Shikamaru beside them. Asking her to be friends could wait. In that situation, his first priority was making sure that Hinata did not have to endure more pain than she had already felt.