A/N: Chapter 2 is here. First, let me apologise, this took longer than expected, plus I've had college and other activities. Second, I want to thank everyone for giving me a chance. I will do my best. Oh, and TheKingofChaosSol, I understand your concerns. I've yet to find a complete shy Naruto story myself and it has pissed me off. I'm hoping this will give me motivation, should I find myself with a case of writer's block, because I WILL be someone who actually finishes his story. Any who, this chapter will be more about Naruto's academy days as well as his new friendship with Hinata. I'm hoping to write about his graduation in the next chapter.
Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 2 Adjustments
Since the two became friends, Naruto and Hinata spent a lot of time together. However, Naruto was having a hard time adjusting. He was fighting instincts he developed from 10 years of hate and abuse. Needless to say Hinata had her hands full dealing with those instincts. She had to start every conversation they had because he was always too nervous to speak. When Naruto responded, Hinata stuggled to understand him because of his stutter and quiet voice. During lunch at the academy, she had to remind him they were eating together in order to keep him from sneaking away like he use to. Also, he often tried to hide when other people approached them.
Hinata was annoyed, but she understood where these instincts came from. The more she hung out with him, the more she saw the contempt the villagers had for him. She also notice people looking at Naruto as if waiting to pounce once he was alone. This made her more protective of the shy boy, glaring at everyone who looked like they wanted to harm him. She would always walk him home so nothing like what happened that day would ever happen again. No ever tried anything. They knew better than to mess with the Hyūga heiress, and not just because her title. After all, she wasn't the Pranking Queen of the Hidden Leaf for nothing. Everyone who insulted Naruto in her presense later found themselves painted, soaking wet, or otherwise humiliated. She even helped him with his taijutsu.
One day, Hinata and Naruto were leaving the academy when Naruto's stomache growled. He looked down in embarrassment, tapping his index fingers together. It was a new habit of his whenever he was around her. Hinata just snickered and said "I guess your pretty hungry right now, huh?"
Still looking down, the young Jinchūriki answered softly, "Y-yeah."
"Why don't we go somewhere to eat," she suggest.
"Um, I, I'm not s-sure that's a g-good idea," he answered. He knew most places wouldn't even let him in the building.
"Nonsense, what do you feel like eating?"
"R-ramen." That didn't surprise her. Since they had lunch together at school, that was all she ever saw him eat.
"Hmmm," she thought for a moment. "I know just the place. Follow me," and with that, she grabbed his arm and pull him with her.
They arrived at their destination, a small ramen stand known as Ichiraku Ramen. As the two entered, Hinata called to the man inside. "Hey Old Man Teuchi."
Teuchi chuckled and said "Lady Hinata, it's good to see you again. You haven't been here in a while," then he noticed Naruto "and it looks like you brought a friend."
Naruto quickly hid behind Hinata, but she stepped aside and introduced him. "This is my newest friend, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Um, h-hi," he stuttered, afraid the old man would kick him out like all the others.
But the Teuchi beckoned him forward. "Don't worry, I won't bite. As long as you can pay for your meal your welcome here." He knew about the 9-Tails being sealed inside the boy, but he didn't care. In fact, as far as he was concerned, that boy was the only thing keeping the fox from rampaging and destroying the Hidden Leaf Village.
He was hesitent, but he took his seat next to Hinata and ordered some miso ramen. Hinata ordered the same. "By the way," she said, "where's Ayame?"
"Oh, I sent my daughter to fetch some supplies. She'll be back soon." Just then, a brown-haired girl come in carrying some bags. "Oh, Ayame. Hinata just asked about you."
"Hey Hinata, who's your friend." She pointed at the young blond.
"I-I'm N-naruto."
"Nice to meet you Naruto. I'm Ayame. I work here with my father." she said with a smile.
And so, Ichiraku became Naruto's favorite place in the village. He would often go there on his own (that's right, Naruto does spend time away from Hinata and vice versa, she does have other friends you know) and order large quantities of ramen with money he saved.
Naruto was truly grateful to Hinata, and he would often try to show it. He shared his notes with her after class and sometimes pays for lunch (guess where). Naruto even made lunch for them one time, and surprisingly, it wasn't ramen. "I-I know h-how to, to c-cook o-other things b-beside ramen," he said when he saw her surprised expression. She laughed. There were still so many things she didn't know about her blue-eyed comrade.
Naruto was still shy, but bit by bit, he his self-esteem rose. And after some time, Hinata decided to introduce him to some of her other friend. Naturally, Naruto was still reluctant to meet new people, but Hinata didn't give him a choice. During lunch, she dragged him to where 4 other boys were. The first boy had a dog on this head, the second was eating out of a potatoe chip bag, the third was laying down looking at the clouds, and the forth was wearing sunglasses.
The boy with the pup saw them. "Hey Hinata, what's with the traffic cone?" he said, making fun of Naruto's outfit. Naruto instinctively hide behind Hinata, embarrassed about his orange attire.
"Kiba, be nice!" Hinata said as she moved Naruto in front of her.
"What, it was just a joke."
"Hey," the boy with the chips spoke up, "aren't you that shy guy who sits in the back of the class? Naruto, right?"
Naruto nodded. "Y-yes, and, and I r-remember all y-your n-names fr-from roll call," he stuttered and pointed toward the boy, "Y-your Choji," then at Kiba, "Kiba," then the boy laying down, "Shikamaru," and finally, at the boy with sunglasses, "and your Shino."
"You forgot about Akamaru," Kiba said, pointing to the dog on his head.
"S-sorry," Naruto said, afraid he may have come off as insensitive for not including his dog. Hinata beckoned him to sit at the table. Akamaru then jumped onto the table, walked toward the blond, sniffed him, then began licking his face affectionately. Naruto couldn't help but giggle, while Kiba started laughing.
"Looks like Akamaru likes you, which means your ok in my book." Akamaru stopped and went back to Kiba.
"Hinata," Shino started, "how exactly did you and Naruto become friends?"
"Yeah, how does the Leaf's most hyperactive, unpredictable ninja in training end up befriending the shyest, most timid person I've ever meet?" Choji said. He then remembered Naruto was next to her, "Oops, er no offence."
Hinata glared at him for a second then contemplated what to say. Naruto had asked her not to tell anyone who didn't already know about the beating. And she definitely wasn't going to mention his attempted suicide. she didn't even tell the Hokage when he asked for her side of the story.
Surprisingly, before she could come up with something, Naruto spoke up, "W-well, I, uh, injured myself wh-while heading h-home. Hinata f-found and h-helped me. We, we talk a bit and after that, we e-ended up f-friends."
Shikamaru spoke now. "I guess you got lucky. Dealing with an injury by itself is troublesome, but dealing with it alone is a real drag. Anyway be careful. Hinata is a good person, but sometimes she can be real troublesome, especially when she's pranking someone."
"Yeah, just the other day she hid a bag of dog poop using a genjutsu she learned. Iruka-sensei stepped it and for some reason thought I was involved so I ended up with detention. Thanks a lot Hinata." Kiba said as Hinata snickered, remembering the look on Iruka-sensei's face when he stepped on it.
"Didn't you supplie her with the bag?" Shino said plainly.
"Well...yeah. But I didn't know she'd use it for that." Kiba argued.
"Let me get this straight, you gave Hinata dog poop without suspecting a prank. What did you think she was going to do with it?" Shikamaru retorted.
"Yeah, that does make you sound like a baka," Choji agreed.
"Whatever, I was still wrongly punished."
"Faced it, you supplied me, therefore helping me and making you a part of the prank," Hinata said firmly.
All five suddenly heard someone giggle. They turned and were surprised to find it came from Naruto, who immediatly covered his mouth and turned his head, his face red with embarrassment. "S-sorry."
Hinata, Kiba, and Choji started laughing, while Shikamaru simply smiled and shook his head. Shino's face didn't change, but he was amused as well. Choji then approahed Naruto. "Hey, it's ok to laugh. We're all friends here." Naruto looked up at Choji and then the others.
Hinata just smiled at him. Kiba spoke up, "Yeah, I already told you your ok in my book. Don't be so nervous."
"Anyone friend of Hinata is a friend of ours. It'd be a real drag otherwise," Shikamaru added.
"So on behalf of everyone," Shino said, "welcome to our little colony."
It was Iruka's turn to moniter everyone during lunch. He watched the Uchiha boy train, while fangirls stood in awe and cheered him on, hope to get a date with the boy. His eyes then sifted to Naruto, who looked like he was getting along with Hinata and her friend. Iruka smiled at this. 'Looks like Naruto is no longer alone. Good, he deserves to have friends after what he has been through. And hopefully one day, the villagers will learn to accept him too.'
Mizuki came up from behind him. "Looks like Uzumaki is finally socializing, eh Iruka."
"Yeah," was he could think to say. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch as the two instructors and their students returned to their classrooms.
-
Naruto was walking down the hall with his new friends when someone bumped into him, knocking him on the ground. He looked up and found himself looking into the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. Kiba shouted "Hey, watch it! You hit our friend!"
"Your friend should have been paying attention. He should have moved out of the way the moment my precious Sasuke appeared," said the pink-haired girl behind Sasuke.
"Your precious?" said the blond girl behind her. "Not likely Forehead Girl. Sasuke's mine!"
"In your dreams, Ino Pig!" the pink-haired girl countered.
While those two and the rest of the fangirls argued, Sasuke looked down at the boy he bumped into. Naruto looked right back at him. For some reason, those black eyes made Naruto feel insignificant. As Hinata helped Naruto up, Sasuke spoke. "Why do you bother with him?"
"What was that?" Hinata said angrily. Sasuke then pointed at the blond boy.
"He's nothing more then a loser. A little bump knocks him on his ass and he needs his friends to come to his defense. There's no way someone as weak and pathetic as him could ever become a shinobi. He should just give up now."
"Yeah, tell it like it is," the pink-haired girl cheered.
Each word stuck Naruto like a dagger. Suddenly he felt like he did before he meet Hinata. He felt helpless, insignificant, and weak. Naruto fell to his knees, fighting back tears.
"How dare you insult our friend!" Choji roared, his hands clutched into fist. The others followed suit while Hinata activated her Byakugan.
"Let me say this ONCE! INSULT MY FRIEND LIKE THAT AGAIN AND YOU WILL SEE FIRST HAND WHAT A HYŪGA IS CAPABLE OF!" Hinata shouted.
"And an Inuzuka!" said Kiba. Akamaru barked in agreement.
"And an Akimichi!" said Choji
"And a Nara," Shikamaru added.
"And an Aburame," Shino added calmly with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Hey, what's all this yelling about?" One of the teachers came down the hall. "Alright you guys, head back to class," she then looked at Naruto, "and I don't want anymore trouble from YOU," she added coldly.
"But, Naruto didn't do..." Choji started.
"Enough, just head back to class," she interupted before leaving. Hinata made a mental note to prank her hard later.
As Sasuke and his group left, the blond girl turned around and mouthed sorry.
"Geez, what was that about?" Kiba asked. "The teacher acted like you were some troublemaker, but I've never seen you do anything wrong?"
"I don't know," he said softly and, surprisingly, without stuttering.
-
The fangirls kept trying to win Sasuke's heart. However, Sasuke was only interested in one girl: Hinata Hyūga. He figured she was the perfect girl to help him rebuild the Uchiha Clan after his brother Itachi killed them all. She was confident, strong, and quite skilled. The fact that she possessed the Byakugan also interested him. He believed that with their union, the new Uchiha Clan would possess a powerful new kekkei genkai which had aspects from both the Sharingan and the Byakugan, making them the strongest clan in the ninja world. And of course the fact that she was pretty helped too. But first, he had to complete his goal. He had to kill Itachi.
-
Naruto was at Ichiraku with Shikamaru and Choji. Hinata and Kiba were caught pranking the instructor from yesterday and now had detention. Shino had business at home, so he could come. Naruto and Choji had both just finished their fifth bowl of ramen when the blond girl from Sasuke's fan club showed up. "Hey Ino, what brings you here? I thought you'd be with Sasuke," Choji asked.
"I decided to hang out with you guys for a bit." Ino answered, then turned to Naruto, "Naruto, right? Sorry about Sasuke yesterday. I'm hoping to change that once I'm his girlfriend."
"It, it's alright," he said as he got his sixth bowl, "y-you didn't d-do anything."
"Exactly, I didn't try to help you. But don't worry. Like I said, I plan on making him nicer once we become a couple." A sinister smile crept on Ino's face. "Speaking of which, anything going on between you and the Hyūga princess?" she said teasingly.
Naruto nearly chocked. "N-n-n-no. W-w-we, we're just f-f-friends, t-thats all," Naruto stuttered, his face blushing. Truthfully, he never consider Hinata more than a friend before. He figured he was lucky just to be her friend in the first place. But now that brought it up, he started seeing Hinata in a whole new light.
"Reaaally." Ino said, noticing the blush on his face and got closer to his ear. "So you don't think about her hair," sudden the image of Hinata's hair appeared in his mind and he blushed deeper, "her eyes," deeper, "her smile," even deeper, "her lips against yours."
That was the final straw. Once that image appeared, his mind overloaded and shut down as Naruto fainted and fell off his chair. Luckly Ino caught him and laid him on the ground. Choji spoke up, "Ino, I think you went too far."
"Yeah, I think your right. Sorry."
"sigh Troublesome."
"Hey guys," Hinata shouted as she and Kiba appeared. Neither were surprised to see Ino, as she and Hinata were good friends despite Ino infatuation with with the Uchiha boy. Once she saw Naruto on the floor passed out, Hinata grew worried and asked as calmly as she could, "What happened?"
"Oh uh, most have eaten too much ramen," Ino said quickly. She didn't want to tell Hinata what she did. Also, she felt it would be wrong to reveal Naruto's feelings like that. Despite her intrusive behavor, she was a trustworthy girl who would never reveal someone else's secret.
Hinata eyed her a bit but seeing no other explaination, she accepted it and went to wake Naruto. "Naruto, Naruto wake up." she said as she shook him a bit and tapped his cheeks.
When Naruto woke up, he found himself staring into Hinata's clear, white eyes. He blushed as he looked into them, his thoughs commenting their beauty. 'They're like two full moons, or pearls! Just, beautiful. How have I never noticed?' He then realized just how close their faces were. As he remembered what Ino said, he blushed even deeper and once again fainted.
What Hinata saw confused her. Naruto finally wakes up, only for his face to turn pink, then red, and then pass out again. She scratched her head as she asked "Um, what just happened?"
Ino covered her mouth the urge to laugh, Shikamaru face palmed, and Choji dug himself into his food. Kiba guessed what happened and decided to tease her. "Hey maybe if you kiss him he'll wake up, like in that story."
Now Hinata blushed, if only for a second. "Kiba, be serious!" Then she had an idea. She grabbed Naruto's bowl of ramen and held it to his nose. As the scent entered his nostrils, Naruto's eyes shot open, prompting everyone to laugh. Even Shikamaru couldn't contain himself.
"Who needs smelling salts? One whiff of ramen would wake Naruto from a coma." Kiba joke. Naruto chuckled too. He knew they weren't making fun of him and that it was all in good fun.
After everyone calmed down and finished there meal. After they payed, they all went their separate ways. All exept Naruto and Hinata. As they walked back to his apartment, Hinata noticed Naruto was acting differently. He would try to steal glances at her and blushed when she caught him before looking away. His finger tapping habit was also more frequent around her. An uneasy silence befell them as they continued on their path.
Surprisingly, it was Naruto who broke that silence, "H-hey, Hinata?"
Hinata was speechless. Naruto never started a conversation. She found her voice and said, "Yes, Naruto."
"W-why do y-you put up with m-me? I, I mean, I n-not strong or c-confident. T-the villager l-look at y-you like y-your insane for, for b-being with m-me. N-no matter what I d-do, I j-just attract t-trouble and I c-can't do anything about i-it. M-maybe Sasuke r-right, m-maybe I am j-just a..." suddenly, Hinata clasps her hand over his mouth.
"Now you listen to me Naruto Uzumaki. You are NOT A LOSER. You are by far the nicest person I've ever met and if these villagers are too stupid too see that, they can GO TO HELL! Your stronger than you think. You lasted TEN YEARS on your own, enduring the abuse the villagers gave you! And don't forget, I've been helping you with your taijutsu so I know what your capable of. So you forget everything that BASTARD UCHIHA said about you! You are going to be a strong shinobi and we're friend for life, GOT IT?"
Naruto was taken back by the ferocity of her tone, but was gratefull for every word. When she removed her hand, he smiled and said "Thank you."
And so the two friends continued on their path before Naruto decided to ask something else. "Um, by the way Hinata."
"Hmm.
"Y-you why I, I am h-how I am. Y-you know, all s-shy and stuff." Hinata nodded. "Well, I, I was w-wondering w-what made y-you so c-confident and s-strong."
Hinata's expression soured a bit. Naruto felt like he hit a sour subject, but before he could rescind his question, Hinata answered "My clan is separated into two groups: the Main family and the Branch family. The Main family, which I am a part of, runs the clan. In fact my father is the clan head and I the heiress, so one day I will run it. Anyway, the Branch family is charged with protecting the Main family, as well as the clan's secrets. They are treated like servents and are often mistreated by the Main family. To protect our kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, and ensure obedience every member of the Branch family is given the Caged Bird Seal. This curse mark prevents the Byakugan from being stolen, but also allows members of the Main family to punish or kill a Branch family member. As a result of all this, most of the Branch family harbor feelings of distain against the Main family."
Hinata gave Naruto time to absorb this knowledge, then continued, "Do you remember a few years ago, when the Hidden Cloud sent people to the Hidden Leaf offering a peace treaty to end the fighting between the two villages. It was all an act. Their real objective was to obtain the Byakugan, and since they needed someone from the Main family, they kidnapped me."
"What, you were kidnapped?!" Naruto said shocked. He couldn't believe someone would kidnap her. Then he remembered how he was treated all his life and the shock passed.
Hinata nodded and continued her story. "Yeah but they failed. My father killed the man who kidnapped me. Unfortunatly, the kidnapper was the Cloud's Head Ninja, and the Hidden Cloud denied the accusations of kidnapping. They demanded my father's body as tribute. However, the elders gave them my uncle's body instead. My father and uncle were identical twins, so they were able to trick the Cloud, bringing peace. However, since then my cousin Neji, who was his son, has hated me and the Main family ever since. If I'd hadn't been kidnapped, if I hadn't been so weak..."
"There was nothing you could do. You were just a little girl. It wasn't your fault." Naruto told her. For that one moment, he was no longer shy. He just wanted to cheer his friend up.
"Thank you. I know that but still, I don't want anyone to die or suffer because of me ever again. That's what keeps me confident. That's what makes me strong." Hinata said. It felt good to be able to let that out. It was like a weight had been lifted off her sholders. Then she noticed something. "By the way, you didn't stutter. You finally break that habit?"
At that moment, Naruto regressed back to his normal, shy self. "W-well, uh, you, you s-see uh..."
Hinata just laughed. "I guess that was a one time thing, huh. Maybe in the future."
"Y-yeah, maybe." Naruto stayed silent, then decided to ask something else. " O-one last q-question."
"My, chatty today are we? Go ahead, shoot."
"W-why the pranks?"
"That's simple. I don't want to just be known as Hinata, the Hyūga Heiress. I want people to see me for me. Besides, I love pulling pranks, especially on people who deserve them."
"Oh. If, if it m-makes you f-feel better, I d-don't see you l-like that." Naruto said.
"And just how do you see me?" Hinata asked curiously.
They finally arrived at his place. "W-well, I g-guess I'll s-see you and the o-others t-tomarrow."
"Alright, see ya then." Hinata said as she ran off to the Hyūga Estate.
Since that day, Naruto has had pleasant dreams involving his Hyūga friend as more then a friend.
-
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was dealing with the greatest evil ever to befall the world: paperwork. "I swear, it never ends." There was a knock on the door. "Enter."
Iruka entered and bowed. "You summoned me, Lord Hokage?"
"Yes, please tell me, how is Naruto doing?" the Hokage said as he inhaled from his pipe.
"It seems Naruto is becoming good friends with Hinata. She recently introduced him to her other friends and they seem to get along fine. I've never seen Naruto happier." Iruka said happily.
Hiruzen smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad he finally found people who will stand by him. He deserves it." The Hokage then turns around and looks out the window and at the village. "The Hyūga girl keeps the Will of Fire burnning in our young Jinchūriki. I just know one of them will one day become Hokage. You are dismissed Iruka." And with that, the Hokage grudgingly returned to his paperwork.
-
Hiashi Hyūga, was waiting for his daughter to return. She was suppose to be back an hour ago. Finally, she entered the gates walked into the building. "Your late, again," he said coldly. He was growing tired of her constant tardiness.
"I was with a friend." Hinata responded as respectfully as she could. She was annoyed by how strict her father was and how cold he could be, especially after the death of her mother. Still, he was her father and didn't want to argue with him too much.
"Would this 'friend' happen to be Naruto Uzumaki?" he said.
"So what if it is?" Hinata responded. She had a feeling of where he was going with this.
"I don't want you near that boy. You are the heiress of the Hyūga Clan. You cannot be seen associating with that child."
"What is your problem with Naruto? What is this whole damn village's problem with Naruto? He's never done anything wrong yet he's treated like a menace!" Hinata was done being respectful. Her father was treating Naruto like the rest of the village did.
"Naruto is... not right. There is something wrong with him. In fact, it's dangerous to be around him." Hiashi remembered the Hokage's law about not telling anyone about Naruto hosting the 9-Tails.
"There is NOTHING wrong with Naruto! I've hung out with him long enough to know that. Why can't you and the other villages see that?"
"Why do you insist on defend that boy. You haven't fallen for him have you? You are the heiress to one of the most powerful and prestigest clans in the shinobi world! He is nothing more than trash compared to that!"
"NARUTO IS NOT TRASH!" Hinata ran into her room and slammed the door. She didn't want to talk to her father anymore.
Hiashi stood there, partially regreting what he said. After all, Naruto was the son of Hitomi's best friend, who definitely would have killed him or at least put him in the hospital for calling her son trash. 'I'm sorry Kushina. If it weren't for that demon fox, things would be different. I would have been glad that our chldren were such good friend. In fact, you and Minato would still be alive if it weren't for that event. But the clan comes first. I can't have your son ruin our image.'
Hinata laid in bed, still angry at her father for his cruel words. Then again, her father was never consider the nicest guy around. All he ever seemed to care about was the clan's reputation and secrets. She hoped to change that once she took over as clan head, as well as removed the Caged Bird Seal placed on the Branch family. Before sleep took her however, she remembered how her father accused her of falling for Naruto and that she never acually denied that. 'But I just consider Naruto a friend, right? I mean, he's kind, a good listener, doesn't judge people, and he's stronger than he gives himself credit for. Not to mention cute. Wait, did I really just think that. No, me are Naruto are just friends.' But even as she told herself that, the young Uzumaki boy found his way into her heart. 'Besides, I'm sure he sees me as just a friend as well.'
-
Alpha: That took longer then expected.
Shino: Why wasn't I at Ichiraku?
Alpha: Jeez Shino, you are hard to please. I kept my promise. You were in this chapter. And you had more time than Sakura, who wasn't even named.
Shino: Will I be in future chapters?
Alpha: sighs Yes Shino, you will.
Choji: What took you so long anyway?
Alpha: I had a hard time writing how you and the other meet Naruto. That was definitly the hardest part to write in this chapter.
Ino: Um why did you mention traffic cones when we don't have cars?
Alpha: You have wagons, don't you. Besides traffic cones aren't just used on the street. There are also used in places like construction sites.
Naruto: Enough about that! Lets get to the graduation and the part where I kiss Hinata.
Hinata: K-kiss me (faints)
Alpha: Naruto, why did you have to say that in front of her?
Naruto: Oops.
Alpha: Choji, you and Shino take her home. (They leave carrying Hinata) Anyway, the graduation should be next chapter.
Naruto: But what about me and Hinata?
Sasuke: Who says you to end up together?
Naruto:Huh, Sasuke? What do you mean?
Sasuke:In this story I fall in love with Hinata. So maybe I get her.
Alpha: I never said you loved her. Just that you considered her to be the perfect girl to have your children and restore your clan. That ain't love.
Naruto: Ha! That means I get her.
Alpha: Don't think I added that part just to fill space. Sasuke will attempt to make Hinata his. Or maybe I'll join the story and ask her out.
Naruto: Like hell you will. (Attacks Alpha and Sasuke)
Alpha: Jeez, can't take a joke. Ow, alright you asked for it. I'll make this quick so I can get back to writing the next chapter. (Fights back)
