AN-I Don't even know, lets just chalk it down to a mixture of demoralization and laziness shall we?
Enjoy
Chapter 3
-Nine months later-
Naruto had been getting ready for some time, his inability to sleep left him with a lot of free time, time he used well by sneaking into the library in the centre of Konoha and studying Jutsu or training physically.
Sometimes he would even go visit the old man, but that had slowed down again after the incident with the orphanage.
'Wonder if he really meant it' Naruto thought as he brushed his teeth 'Is what he is doing really THAT important that he couldn't even take me out for an evening like he used to?'
Naruto sighed, quickly regretting it as he sprayed his mirror with a thin cloud of toothpaste.
Frowning, he grabbed a nearby towel and attempted to relieve the mirror of the sticky substance but try as he might, all it did was smudge.
He promptly gave up with the towel, simply wetting his hand and wiping the mirror first seemed the best option.
When he had finished brooding about the Hokage he remembered the reason why he was sprucing up so early in the first place.
The Academy started today.
Finally what he had been waiting for as long as he could remember. He got to meet new people, start a career that he thought he would be rather good at, at least it would be one that would bring him closer to his dream: to become the Hokage.
The current Hokage had sat him down at one point and tried to explain the concept to him once he had made it clear that he had originally wanted the position to make himself become noticed and loved by everyone.
What the Hokage told him had shaken him.
The simple fact was that he was young, he had misunderstood the concept of the Hokages, but once he had the Hokage explain it to him he had made a decision.
He wouldn't be disheartened, the old man had told him that strength had come from the will of fire-the desire to protect, and he felt that he could uphold that.
He had seen the horrors of the world first hand, and wished no one to have to go through themselves.
He made his way into his bedroom through his small apartment on the Hyuuga estate and began to get changed into his new clothes that the old man had helped him procure.
But this time, it was not the orange smeared old jumpsuit that everyone had come accustomed to seeing him in around the village.
No, this was a brand new outfit, and this was to be a surprise for everyone.
The Hokage was adamant that he get a new change of clothes for the academy, stating that
"If you want to be a Ninja my boy you have to dress like one, I am afraid such a bold outfit will only get you killed in the field as such a bright colour could give your position away from here to Iwa"
Naruto was sceptical at first, but after violently waking up one evening after slipping away from exhaustion, seeing his jumpsuit almost glowing in the moonlight across the room had sealed the deal.
The Hokage had taken him out some weeks ago looking for some clothes, where the shop clerks would reject Naruto's patronage, if he was accompanying the Hokage they wouldn't dare speak out against him. They would even give him a forced sickly looking smile.
Bastards the lot of them.
He made a mental note to scrub out his tendency to write down his bad language, as his inability to speak had left him a bit of a potty hand, wanted to express more than he could in as little words as possible.
But he couldn't do that at the academy, no he wanted people to look out for him, to be friends with him.
A friend would be nice.
His mind drifted to the girl he had met the week prior and a smile unconsciously drifted across his face as he exited his front door and turned his key with the smiley face engraved in it to lock his apartment door.
As he turned, he inhaled a breath of the morning air.
Even though air was air, it seemed that this particular air that surrounded the whole of the Hyuuga estate was stale and plain.
Frankly he had tried explaining this feeling to the Hokage, who proceeded to look at him funny.
Naruto made his way down the stairs that led up to his one floor apartment and made his way on his practiced route, ruggedly determined to get to the academy at least ten minutes early.
Hinata Hyuuga woke slowly, opening her eyes a little at a time. Getting accustomed to the sun's rays she sat up in her bed and proceeded to stretch for a record breaking time.
Sighing she slipped to the side of the bed and quickly got to her personal bathroom to get cleaned up.
"Well, I guess today is the day huh?" she spoke softly to herself
Hinata had been tentative about today; previously she had been lead to believe that today would be a great day, a start of a new stage in life.
She wasn't so sure.
Hinata had always been a shy and quiet girl and the mere thought of having to sit in a room full of strangers was a foreign concept to her, not to mention an unsettling one.
But after what had happened a week ago with that boy, along with her mother's assurances had somewhat put her at ease.
Her mind drifted to Naruto and the incident that had scored her and him both their first friendships.
*Flashback*
Hinata was walking alongside her mother in the streets of Konoha just window shopping.
Her mother Hanna Hyuuga was still very much a normal civilian mother, regardless of the fact that she was married to the clan head of the Hyuuga, and as such disliked the formality and claustrophobic atmosphere that surrounded the clan compound whenever her husband Hiashi was dealing with clan politics.
So whenever the clan head elders where congregated in the main room of the complex, she and Hinata would take little Hanabi and go out into the village.
She enjoyed the time she spent with her mother, who was a kind and understanding person always willing to listen.
Although Hinata did not like attention, she did enjoy talking to some extent. She was always too paranoid about people not wanting to listen, or people not liking her, but with her own mother it wasn't a problem as she could talk with her for hours
They stopped at the front of a small jewellery shop and looking in awe at the wonderful pieces on display.
"Wow Hinata, look at that one" Hana pointed to the middle of the display case "Diamond on white gold, it looks fabulous doesn't it?"
Hinata smiled at her mother "Y-yes, it does"
Hanna rolled her eyes jokily and kissed her on the head and turning away from the window and stroking little Hanabi's face
"Come on Hinata, let's be getting back, your father should be done about now and I could really use a nice soak in the bath"
She smiled at Hinata who returned it in kind as her mother began to walk away.
Hinata took a second to look back at the necklace in the shop window one last time, admiring its design and wondering how anyone managed to save up enough to even buy something like that, she didn't get THAT much pocket money.
She turned back to follow her mother.
It had only been a second or two, she was sure of it.
Hinata looked around frantically for her mother and began to panic.
"M-Mother?!" she shouted but the square was positively bustling with people, she could be anywhere.
Hinata bit her lip as she tried to calm herself down.
It wasn't working.
She turned to look around when she was knocked to the ground by a group of boys that were passing by.
Hinata tasted blood and realised she had bit her lip; she held a hand quickly to her mouth and tried to keep a brave face on.
"Hey watch where you're goi-"started the young roughian who had so 'gracefully' thrown her to the floor.
"Hey sorry girl" he looked about his friends as they all smiled at each other "I didn't mean nothin' by it, you look lost" and he held out a hand for her to grasp, she accepted it and he helped her up and immediately realised her mistake-he hadn't let her go yet.
"Well" he began again, the stink of dishonesty blatantly showing to Hinata, she didn't have to have her bloodline active to see through this boys lies "why don't us guys help you out, don' worry, we'll take care of ye'" and they dragged her off the street, Hinata trying to drag herself away from them the whole time.
"L-Let me go!" she shouted, but in a bustling village such as this, no one heard a thing, except one young boy who everyone gave a wide birth to, almost as if the very air around him was toxic.
They had reached a secluded area at the edge of the village when they had finally stopped.
Hinata was stood with her back against a tree panting for air and her wrists ached from being handled so roughly.
She finally got a decisive look at who she was being abducted by, there were three of them, and the one on the left was a short boy, about sixteen or so but looked civilian only.
The one who had taken her was a very dirty looking boy around the same age, if only a little taller.
The one on the left however was clearly much older than the others and was extremely lanky and had a look about him that screamed untrustworthy, Hinata's panic escalated.
"So boss" the short one on the left said "who we got this time?" a sick grin spread on his face
Hinata started shaking
'This time...oh Kami they have done this before, they even have a place that no one knows they will be, oh Kami, oh Kami, oh Kami' she repeated in her mind
The 'boss', the lanky scumbag on the right gave a frown and turned to the other who had taken Hinata in the first place and punched him square in the jaw.
"You idiot" he started "Look at her you fool, a Hyuuga and one without a brand as well!"
He walked over to the now confused man and brought his foot down onto the man's hand as he was trying to get up, shattering his fingers and not waiting for his screaming to stop before carrying on.
"Means she is of the main house you fool, do you know what that means?"
The short one screwed his eyes together and looked at him questioningly
The 'boss' stood there and shook his head from side to side a good few times
"She is expected to come home tonight and will have best part of a CLAN out looking for her you dimwit!"
The short one stuck a finger inside his ear and wiggled it a bit, trying to un-pop his ears from all the shouting when he piped up.
"Yeah, but if she is main house then surely...surely it means she is more valuable like?" he said hopefully.
The leader paused for a minute and shook his head and began laughing.
"Why is it boy that you can be so stupid some times and so smart in others, just make up your mind already so I can either stab you or hug you"
The short one simply shrugged in reply, no one apparently paying attention to the man on the floor screaming that his lovely hand was broken.
The 'boss' turned around with a smile to face the Hyuuga girl and found her to be missing, he quickly looked towards the alleyway behind them and darted after and in front of her quickly and delivering a swift punch to her gut forcing her to the floor in pain and four feet back.
"Don't try that again kid" he said menacingly, illustrating his threat by drawing out a kunai "or I will cut those lovely little Hyuuga legs off, regardless of the price drop"
Hinata grit her teeth as a tear streaked down her face, and jumped when the 'boss' landed face first on the ground unconscious beside her.
She sat up quickly to see a young boy her age clad in orange wielding what seemed to be half of a paving slab.
He smiled warmly at her and she felt her hopes shift.
The unknown boy moved his head to her in a fashion that meant 'get him' as he closed on the thug.
Filled with hope, Hinata shot to her feet, gritting her teeth however at the pain in her abdomen and grabbed the short man and hold him still for the boy to close on him.
"Now what the he-"he was silenced by the boys fist against his face and a swift knee to the gut.
When he was dealt with the boy smiled at her and held out a hand to her.
Remembering her recent experience with accepting hands she backed away a little.
He immediately looked downtrodden and lowered his head to her.
'Oh no' she thought 'have I upset him?'
Hinata darted forward and wrapped him up in a light friendly hug which shocked the young boy.
"T-Thank you, t-thank you s-so much!" she managed, quickly backing off with a red hue on her cheeks.
She was about to open her mouth to speak again when her family as well as two Hyuuga clansmen burst into the secluded area.
"Hinata!" shouted her mother as she ran full pelt towards her to envelop her in a huge hug
"Thank Kami Hinata, oh my girl oh" she said, bordering on hysteria.
The young boy smiled gently with a look of both happiness and sadness on his face as he turned and began to make his way out of the clearing.
"Naruto" said Hiashi, his voice barely holding together while waiting his turn to hug his daughter.
Naruto turned to look at him, quickly wiping something from his eye before he faced him.
"Naruto...rest assured, I will not forget this. Thank you...thank you so much" he said clasping a strong hand over Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto simply replied by giving him a face-cracking grin and a thumbs up before turning to almost skip away back to his apartment.
*Flashback end*
The boys name...Naruto
Hinata had not seen him since then, be her father assured her that he was to be in the same class as her in the academy.
For the first time in her life, something her father had said, had actually re assured her that everything was going to be fine.
She finished up her little personal flashback moment and pulled her baggy lavender jacket over her small frame and ample features before quickly making her bed and descending the large set of stairs to the hallway, passing many members of the branch who she greeted casually including Neji and his father.
"Hinata!" Hizashi called to her as crossed the hall to her "First day of the academy eh'?"
She nodded timidly "Y-Yes uncle, I am still quite a-apprehensive but father assures me all will be w-well"
Hizashi smiled warmly "Well he is right on that one sport, I'm sure you will love it just as Neji here did"
Neji bowed to Hinata and gave her a small smile "I am sure you will be fine Lady Hinata"
Hinata returned both the smile and the bow and said her goodbyes before making her way to the dining room where her family where eating breakfast
Hinata ceremoniously took one of the slices of toast on her father plate and sat beside him and began to munch away.
"So Hinata, you do realise that even though I love you" her father began "I expect good results you hear?" he smiled at her as she lowered her head
She replied quietly with a solemn "I'll try father" once she had a mouth clear of toast.
"Hiashi darling" warned Hanna "Stop worrying her, she will do just great don't you worry and just support her all the way"
She took her own seat and the opposite side of Hiashi and smiled at Hinata whilst dishing out Hanabi some food
"G'luck 'nata" said Hanabi with a cute little smile
"Thank you Hanabi" managed Hinata who was struggling to hold on the laughter she was feeling after looking at the young girl who had somehow gotten rice onto the end of her nose even though it had only just been dished out.
"Okay spud, I think that is Lady Kurenai arriving so you had best get out there" Hanna kissed her daughters head lightly and opened the door for her "Good luck and have fun!"
Hinata smiled and nodded before leaving the house behind shouting a goodbye to her family.
Today was going to be interesting in the least she summarised.
Hinata arrived at the academy with a good fifteen minutes to spare, her watcher Kurenai noted that it gave her a chance to get to know a couple of people before the class started, but Hinata already knew who she would be searching for.
"T-Thank you for seeing me here safely Miss Kurenai" she said with a little bow.
Kurenai returned it in kind and smiled "Anytime Hinata, now go on and find someone you are comfortable with" and she turned about and left the young Hyuuga to it.
Hinata found Naruto a couple of minutes later sitting on a swing on the far side of yard on his own. Everyone seemed to be giving him looks and whispering to each other and the adults that where still dropping of their children where no better.
She stood still for a moment to gather her wits "Okay Hinata, he is already your friend right, so what's your problem?" she swallowed and slowly began to make her way over to where Naruto was perched.
He noticed her as she approached and his sad expression was immediately replaced with one of happiness
'It's Hinata, finally she is here!' he thought whilst slipping off the swing.
Hinata saw his new outfit and wondered how he managed to get hold of something so stylish when he was not in a clan of his own, as it all looked custom made and she knew that he was only getting a little bit of money from the Hokage for living arrangements.
'That's it' Hinata thought 'It is probably a gift from the Hokage for starting the Academy'
Naruto was dressed in a long black trench coat that went down to about his knees that had the stitching done in a dark green and had the sleeves tightened with smaller strips of fabric that were also of a dark green, the toggle from his jumpsuit haphazardly sewed onto the shoulder.
His trousers where of a similar design favouring a base colour of black and a dark green trim around the bottoms of the legs and around the seams of the two pockets it they had on either side.
He wore a pair of black fingerless gloves that had a plate of metal over the top of the hand and also pair of black ninja sandals.
Underneath the coat he simply wore a black T-shirt with an orange Konoha swirl on it overlaid with a layer of fishnet.
'Suppose he had to get orange somewhere didn't he?' she smiled unconsciously as he approached Naruto who unknowingly to her was making the same evaluation of her.
Hinata was wearing a pair of black shorts that stopped just below her knees and wore a large fluffy cream coloured jacket with a fur laced hood and a couple of large pockets.
It didn't show much of her figure but Hinata figured that she liked it better that way.
They approached each other and Hinata was about to ask how he had been when he wrapped her in an iron embrace and lifted her from the ground, she was so surprised that she gave no resistance as he spun her around once before setting her on terra firma once more.
Naruto noted how red she looked now and raised an eyebrow at her.
"I-I-I-I" 'nope...' she thought and keeled over backwards unconscious.
Naruto looked around for a second at the gasping parents as he got a worried look in his eyes.
"See that boy there" whispered one "Stay well away from him, he is bad news that one".
"Keep away" said another "Or he will do horrible things to you".
Naruto had had enough and just turned his back to them and tried his best to tune them out.
He bent down to shake Hinata awake and to see if she was alright when a kid with a dog atop his head and a coat similar to Hinata's only more rugged walked up behind him and proceeded to get Naruto into a headlock.
"Hey freak" he started, a smug grin slowly forming on his mouth "I heard you where dangerous, apparently said rumours are utter crap just as I thought they would be".
The boy continued to apply more pressure to Naruto's neck.
"I'm the alpha male here freak, and don't you forget it" he finished before punching Naruto in the top of his head causing him to reel backwards as the feral-looking bully let him go.
Naruto continued to lie on the ground clutching his head for the next five minutes while all the other kids laughed at him, gave up and ultimately got bored and began filing into the academy's lobby.
Hinata woke up with a start and immediately began to think of things to say to make her position less awkward but instead was only met with the sight of her new friend writhing in pain on the floor in silence.
"Naruto!" she shouted out loud and ran to his side and making an attempt to sit him up with one arm.
"Are you okay Naruto, what happened, who did this, are you okay, what shall we do, oh dear um...are you okay?" she repeated with mantra like qualities, to which she noticed he only nodded or shook his head
'God damn arsehole' thought Naruto angrily 'Who just goes and assaults another student right outside the gates, prick'
Naruto (with the aid of Hinata) stood on wobbly legs and inclined his head to the doors
"Y-you want to still go in?" she said, worry plastering her face.
Naruto nodded a bit and his face screwed up in pain a bit and regular intervals as they walked to their class
Hinata and Naruto had walked slowly down the well lit maze of academy corridors together until they had passed another group of students and, seeming much friendlier than the last group they had met outside, Hinata had thought it best to ask directions. As the tallest boy gave her directions unbeknownst to her the others remained staring Naruto into submission.
'Damn it' Naruto thought to himself 'why do they all look at me this way, I have never even seen them before in my life!'
Hinata finished up asking questions and began making her way back to Naruto's side.
"T-Thank you" she managed with a bow and motioned with her head for Naruto to follow her.
"I-It's right down h-here on the r-right he said"
Naruto frowned momentarily and then nodded his confirmation solidly and they made their way to their designated classroom.
Sasuke Uchiha had just about had enough with his joke of a class. It was a shambles, the instructor had left the room not five seconds ago, and apparently that gave cause for uproar and the throwing around of academy furniture.
He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
As an Uchiha, he was taught respect and discipline from a young age, as was every member of his prestigious clan.
One thing always puzzled him though.
Sasuke's father, the clan head Fugaku Uchiha had always told him how he was a part of the greatest clan in Konoha, that have even been around since before the founding of their great village and even helped in its rising to its current standing as the greatest hidden village in the elemental nations.
When he was younger, even the thought of his clans greatness gave him shivers and made his head spin, but that is not what bothered him.
What did however, was his brother's reply once after a long training session.
*Flashback*
"Listen to me closely Sasuke" he had began, his gaze stony and his voice cold.
"There is a very big difference between what 'Father' says and the actual reality of things".
Itachi sighed, closing his eyes and taking a few slow breaths through the nose to calm himself, it would not do to scare his little brother.
"What he says about our clan history is more or less the truth, however" he paused again to figure out how to word his next sentence.
"We are bound to Konoha Sasuke, not just the clan, but when we decide to become a Ninja, we swear loyalty to the village and adopt a will of fire, the will to protect all those with loved ones, regardless of their bonds to us individually, we are bound to protect them as the villagers, no matter how common make a village what it is. Do you follow me so far?" he asked slowly.
"Um, yes brother I do" he managed.
Itachi smiled and ruffled his brother's hair and gestured for him to sit with him on the dry grass of the Uchiha training field, burnt to a brown straggly mess in places due to the Uchiha clan's compatibility and mastery over fire Jutsu's.
"As I was saying Sasuke" he started once more "as we are bound as founders of Konoha, we are also bound as its protectors."
"Our clan is powerful, that much is certain our enemies know that, the clan knows that, the village knows that. "
"However, with power comes a few things that must be taken under wing and considered. Problems if you will."
"Problems?" asked Sasuke looking utterly baffled "Like what?"
Itachi smiled bitterly and let out another sigh.
"Well, the first is the largest, but it has a few sub-divisions that I could label as other problems. With power comes responsibility and as Konoha's protectors, we should use our power responsibly."
"Some, like father for example think that people should worship the ground on which Uchiha's walk, which is of course nonsense, gratitude for us policing the streets and helping with Ninja contracts is one thing, but treating us like Kami herself- no."
"There is a boundary between us and the gods for a reason and some Uchiha's have a problem containing their own power and desires."
"Why do you think a good majority of the missing ninja's for Konoha are Uchiha's."
Sasuke's eyes widened and Itachi smirked and let out a small chuckle.
"Didn't know that one did you brother, surprised?"
Sasuke nodded and frowned slightly.
"I had no idea there was that many out there" he said dumbfounded
After a minute or two Sasuke had collected himself and was engrossed by Itachi's truths. His brother always had that air about him, like you could listen to him for hours on end and then some, even if he was just informing you of how he had fallen out of bed in the night.
"Well" Sasuke said "what is the problem all this spanned from, what is the source?"
"It's something so petty that you may not even believe me you know, you still willing to hear it?"
Sasuke raised his brow and furiously nodded his affirmative
"Damn right I do" he said which made Itachi smile.
"Ego" he said his face completely straight.
Sasuke sat still waiting for Itachi to elaborate, but it never came.
"What the hell Itachi" Sasuke said, somewhat miffed "Just 'Ego', throw me a bone here what the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Itachi then burst, laughing out loud enough to startle his little brother.
"Ah Sasuke" he smiled "You will find out yourself one day" and poked Sasuke in the forehead lightly with two fingers as he did every now and then.
"Oh no you don't" Sasuke said springing to his feet "you tell me damnit!"
But his brother had already long gone
*End Flashback*
Sasuke came back to the present slowly, his brothers words both sparking anger and intrigue inside of him.
Sasuke paused
'No sound?' he thought, 'what in the elemental nations could quieten those idiots bar Sensei, I didn't see Iruka or Mizuki Sensei enter'
He got his answer once his vision has panned over to the door to the classroom, where two new students stood looking somewhat nervous
"All right everyone settle down, settle down" boomed Iruka, largely unaware of the already deathly silent classroom
Sasuke took a moment to take them both in
The girl on the right was clearly a Hyuuga the eyes said that much, but the way she walked and looked out into the classroom almost looked like a fish out of water
Sasuke chalked it down in the end to 'She is nervous' but it still puzzled him, 'aren't the Hyuuga's supposed to be legendarily arrogant and stoic?' he wondered
He thought about it for a few seconds before waving it off and moving to her more ruggedly dressed companion
This boy was a mystery to him; he knew nothing about him whatsoever
He had seen him in the street on multiple occasions, usually just him being thrown out of various places
He had tried talking to him once, but his father had stopped that very quickly, and Sasuke was warned not to even look at that 'lowlife' as he phrased it
He was snapped out of his analytical endeavours when Iruka coughed once more
"All right everyone" he began, his eyes scanning the classroom before proceeding
"These two here are Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga, they are the last of your new classmates. Treat them with respect or there will be trouble, understood?"
The class chimed in a droning response that could have been pretty much anything but an acknowledgement and Iruka pushed the two forwards a little
"These two need a seat, any open at the back?"He looked to the back and began mentally crossing off certain seats beside troublesome individuals
Sasuke saw his chance and thrust his arm into the air for Iruka to see
Iruka took notice of this and raised his eyebrow; Sasuke Uchiha was not one to volunteer anything
"Yes Sasuke?"
Sasuke lowered his hand and spoke aloud, Sakura Hanuro and Ino Yamanaka looking his way as if startled
"They can sit here with me" he said
Iruka smiled and nodded
"That's very kind of you Sasuke, well you two off you go" he instructed and gave them a little push and they made their way slowly through the desks to their new seats beside the Uchiha
Hinata was shocked to say the least that the Uchiha heir would want to share a seat with her. Weren't his clan rivals to her own?
Maybe he was just being friendly. But maybe, he was to spy on her for his clan?
Hinata hated that train of thought so she abandoned it quickly before it became a wreck, she had had such thoughts drilled into her by her father, as 'such things are to be expected of a clan heir' she mentally quoted
She decided to give this Sasuke the benefit of the doubt, but allowed Naruto to sit beside him to leave herself in the end seat.
It wouldn't hurt to at least be a little bit cautious, right?
Naruto however, knowing nothing of clans and such was just simply ecstatic, a friend on his first day, brilliant!
'I wonder if he knows any amazing techniques' Naruto thought and started subconsciously dribbling at the mere thought
They took their seats and the class began in earnest.
Hinata had noticed that all through the class that people had been staring towards the trio for some time, even though the speech on the Hokages that had captivated Naruto completely, a select few people would be staring their way.
The staring was not the problem however
'Their eyes' she thought to herself 'it's almost like they hate us…but they have never even met us before'
It didn't take long after she had started concentrating however to uncover the simple fact of the matter
'It isn't me and the other boy they are looking at…its Naruto'
Iruka's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she thought she saw everyone bristle at his words
"Okay class, turn to page fifty in your textbooks and begin reading from there " he glanced around the room "There will be a test on all of this at the end of the year, so you had better take this as an opportunity as a head start, I will leave you to it and I expect you to concentrate"
Iruka began to make a move towards the door "I will be back shortly" and he left.
There was a moment of silence until the entire classroom burst into sound as everyone began to talk to one another.
Four or five of them however began whispering in hushed tones before making their way over to where Hinata and the others where sat.
Naruto had just opened his book when the boy from earlier outside the school placed his hand on the book and slid it off the desk with such force that it crashed against the wall, bending the gentle covers and ripping the page.
The canine featured boy sneered at Naruto's surprised expression before poking him in the chest hard
"Yo idiot, did you not get the warning I gave you earlier?" he illustrated his point with another sharp poke to the chest "You're not welcome here, make like the freak you are and beat it".
Naruto's face screwed up and he caught the next poke that was aimed at him and just gave the boy a quizzical look
'What the hell is this guys problem?!' Naruto thought 'what did I even do to this guy, what makes him so much better than me?'
Naruto stood and shoved the hand away and stood his ground.
'That's it!'
Hinata had begun to notice the crowd that the two were gathering and grimaced.
Sasuke had already stood up and was making read to intervene "What the hell is with this Inuzuka?" he thought out load, Hinata nodding her agreement on the matter
"I-I don't know w-what is happening, w-what do we do?" Hinata replied meekly
Everyone else was stood around them had begun to converge on Naruto and began shoving him in a circle, the completely baffled and betrayed look on Naruto's face made Hinata's heart lurch.
"All right enough is enough!" shouted the young Uchiha stepping into the circle and steadying Naruto, who was holding his head trying to get his bearings
"Eh'?" whined the Inuzuka "What are you talking about man, he's a freak and a monster, my friend told me so" he grinned "Just keeping him in his place is all"
Sasuke's anger flared "By getting an entire class to gang up on him?!"
"Tch" the Inuzuka spat out "Why does it matter to you, what do you want with that clan less orphan anyway?"
"Tch" mimicked Sasuke "So much for a clan based around honour"
Sasuke figured that he had struck a nerve when the Inuzuka charged in with a growl that, to his surprise was stopped in his tracks when the petite white eyed girl appeared before him and struck his shoulder which immediately went numb, but somehow burned intensely
"Aghhh, what did you do you bitch!" he shouted out, bringing his hand to his shoulder as the three made their way from the classroom "I'll get you for this damnit, both of you, and that freak too!"
Sasuke just grunted and carried on leading the Uzumaki outside, leaving behind him the tremulous classroom that was still marvelling at the small girl's display of strength.
The trio made their way from the building with the dark haired boy in the lead, stopping by a street corner when he turned to them.
Sasuke looked at them both before taking a breath.
The Hyuuga was rosy cheeked, clearly embarrassed by this whole ordeal but with the look she had in her eyes she would do it again in a heartbeat.
The other though, the whisker faced boy had a sullen look on his face, clearly put down by his first day in the academy and his encounter with the Inuzuka.
"You okay?" he said, his brow creasing a little
Naruto jumped at the sounds of his voice but quickly collected himself and nodded.
'Fine I guess' he thought 'but...I just don't know what I did wrong...'
"Well, I don't think it would be a good idea to go back to the classroom right now" Sasuke sighed
"You two want to go for something to eat?" he gave a sheepish grin "I kind of rushed out this morning, didn't want to be late and all, but it seems the first day isn't that great anyway, come on"
The two looked a little hesitant "...I'm buying"
'WHAT!?' Naruto thought
Naruto's face was suddenly adorned with a sundering smile and he grabbed the two by their arms and, leaving no room for debate: sprinted as fast as he could toward his favourite ramen stand.
Hinata was cautious around the Uchiha heir at first, but the way he was talking between the two of them made her relax a little.
Relations between the Uchiha's and the Hyuuga's had never been solid and there was always a distinct rivalry between the two, however the young Uchiha seemed to disregard anything to do with such clan differences, and for this she was thankful.
She collected herself quietly and tuned herself back into the conversation between Sasuke and Naruto, or at least what could be classed as such between someone she had not heard speak yet.
"So jumped in to save me and took out the boar in one hit!" Sasuke finished, illustrating it with a swing of his hand in the air.
"If not for my brother I'd probably not be here right now" Hinata noticed his voice quietening as he finished off his tale, like the wind out the sails of a great ship.
Hinata decided to speak up.
"S-so, you sound like you are r-really close to your brother, yes?"
Sasuke nodded eagerly "I look up to him so much; it's my dream to one day become as strong as he is"
Sasuke's face stretched into a very feint smile as he stared ahead at his Ramen bowl before taking another mouthful with the others following suit.
When the trio were all finished with their food they all gather outside to say their farewells.
"It was fun talking to you guys" started Sasuke, the same sheepish look from earlier playing on his face once again "Honestly, I was afraid that people would try either sucking up to me or shunning me for being an Uchiha"
Hinata shook her head strongly "I'd n-never assume s-something like that Sasuke, you seem...r-really nice"
"Hah" replied Sasuke a genuine smile on his face "Thanks, you know, for a Hyuuga, you don't seem as stuck up as people say...uhh...no offence"
Hinata smiled gently "N-none taken"
Sasuke turned to Naruto who did likewise "Take care Naruto, I'll see you again tomorrow"
Sasuke turned to walk away but paused for another second before turning back one last time.
"I meant it, I really enjoyed tonight, It's not often I get to spend time with people outside the Clan estate, Father is quite strict, but If you'd like to, you want to do this again sometime?"
Both Naruto and Hinata smiled and nodded.
"I did t-to Sasuke, I would l-love to"
'Sure!' thought Naruto, his grin saying it all.
Sasuke smiled back "Great, see you two tomorrow!" he shouted as he turned to run off down the street with a distinct spring in his step.
Naruto escorted Hinata back to the entrance of her estate, her flushed face confusing him completely.
'Was she sick?' Naruto pondered as he walked back to his apartment
'And more importantly, how did Sasuke...know my name'
With a thud and a click, the door to his abode was drawn shut, and Naruto began the long slug through the sleepless tormenting night.