Hinata was awake before Mitsuki had even knocked on her door. She was returning to school today and was excited to see all of her friends again, especially Sasuke as she had been wanting to see how he was doing herself. She was also curious about how he felt about their marriage contract.

By the time, Mitsuki did come around to wake her up she was already rushing out of her bedroom fully awake and ready to go.

Part of her felt nervous about returning after many people had seen what she'd done to those girls, but her excitement seemed to outweigh that. When she got her lunch box from the kitchen, she paused. Should she ask the cooks to make an extra one for Sasuke? But she didn't want Naruto to feel left out, so maybe two extra lunches? That would be better.

The cooks cheerfully agreed to pack two more lunches and she thanked them with a bow and a huge smile. She enjoyed being around the cooks as she found them very funny and had interesting stories to tell about when they were her age. She loved speaking with them and they were very helpful with her when she wanted to begin cooking lessons.

"Here you go, Hinata-sama. Have a great day at school!" The Head Cook, Atsuko, said.

"Thank you so much! Goodbye!" She responded as she tucked the lunches away in her bag and rushed out the front door after putting her shoes on.

"Hinata-sama, you seem so energetic this morning," Neji laughed as she nearly ran into him when she ran out the front door.

"Yes, I missed my friends very much," she said, smiling happily at him.

Neji's face went red, but he returned the smile. "Walking to school was so lonely without you. I'm happy you're back."

They walked to school in easy silence as they preferred to enjoy the feel of the cool morning breeze and the sounds of the birds chirping. Morning was Hinata's favorite time of the day even though she normally wasn't a morning person. Lately, though, the silence that is still remanent of the night calms her greatly. She loved watching the sun peak out from the horizon; it was beautiful. A new day was always a blessing.

"Before we get to the academy, Hinata-sama, I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay about what happened?" Neji asked, looking at her with concern in her eyes.

"I'll admit that I'm a bit anxious about what people will say to me or how they'll look at me, but I'll be okay," she assured him. "Thank you for asking."

"Your well-being is the most important thing to me," Neji said. This statement caught her off guard as Neji had never specifically said that before. As her protector, she knew having that mindset was part of the job, but to hear it so innocently and genuinely from the boy next to her seemed to shake her.

"I'm very flattered, Neji-kun, but I'd really love for you to value your life more than anything," she urged. "I know it's your job to protect me, but we are equals. We must protect one another."

Neji looked at her with curious eyes. "You're part of the main house," he said as though it explained everything.

Hinata shook her head. "Main house or branch house, it won't matter. Once I become the Clan Head, that's going to change. So we are always going to be equals in my eyes and I'd like for you to see us that way as well," she replied.

Neji nodded, understanding her point. "Yes, Hinata-sama. I will think of us as equals." Hinata smiled happily at this. They remained silent as they walked into the school together and went their separate ways.

"Hinata," she heard someone call behind her. She turned and smiled when she saw Shikamaru. "Hey, are you doing okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. As much I needed the suspension, I missed seeing everyone," she replied.

Shikamaru was relieved to see his friend was in a better place than before, but he knew that wasn't going to last long when she saw her two other friends who were not talking to one another. "That's good to hear. Sasuke came back a couple of days ago," he mentioned.

Hinata looked down at her feet. "How is he?"

"He's…different. He doesn't talk as much as before or to very many people, but he seems fine otherwise."

Hinata wished to see Sasuke and give him a tight hug and tell him that she and Naruto were there for him, that they always would be. She knows how difficult it is to be an heir, and she wasn't going to let him go through it alone. She could only give Shikamaru a soft smile before they walked into class.

"Thank you for telling me," Hinata said, bowing her head.

"No need to thank me," Shikamaru muttered as he waved and went to his desk. Surprisingly, he didn't feel sleepy anymore. As soon as he saw his Hyuuga classmate, he could barely hold a smile back.

Hinata went to the empty desks where her friends sat and pulled out the two lunches. Quickly, she wrote their names on slips of paper and stuck them halfway under the lunch boxes. They would recognize her handwriting and know it was from her. The cloth covers being the same color as hers would do that if they were somehow still confused about who it was from.

Just as she sat her bag down on her desk, she heard a commotion coming from the hallway. She briefly wondered what was happening but decided against following her other classmates out the door. That is until she heard Naruto's voice yelling words she couldn't make out. Running towards the crowd gathered in the hallway without a second thought, she could make out the sounds of an argument. It was definitely Naruto and Sasuke.

When she saw them about to punch each other, she used the tiger seal to body flicker between them and catch their punches with chakra-charged palms, causing them to stop. She held a firm grip on their fists and looked between the two of them with disbelief.

"What's the matter with you two?" She asked.

The two boys were shocked to see her even though they were aware she was returning to the academy today. They didn't expect her to jump in between their fight and risk getting hurt had she not been able to stop them.

"Why did you get between us?" Sasuke all but hissed at her. "You could've gotten hurt…again!"

Naruto rolled his eyes from the other side of her. "Oh, so you care about that all of a sudden?"

Sasuke growled and tried to pull his fist from Hinata's grip but she was holding on like her life depended on it. "Let me go, Hinata! I've been dealing with his crap the last couple of days and I'm sick of it!" Sasuke yelled.

"Tough! Hinata dealt with those girls for two years and you can't handle a few days?!" Naruto retorted.

"Enough!" She yelled. "Why are you two fighting?" She asked. "I don't like it!" When she exclaimed this, the two boys suddenly deflated and let their fists slacken. When she felt the fight leave them, she slowly released their fists but stayed between them.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, what are you three doing?" Iruka said as he pushed through the crowd.

Before Naruto and Sasuke could begin blaming each other, Hinata bowed deeply to her sensei, shocking everyone. "I apologize for my teammates' behavior. They have had a difficult few days, but I assure you that I will not let something like this happen again," she said gracefully, her eyes firmly planted downward as she kept her back nearly parallel to the floor.

Iruka laughed sheepishly. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. They've been bickering a lot the past few days."

Hinata straightened up and glanced back at her friends. "I see. It won't happen again, Iruka-sensei. Please don't mind what happened here," she said gently. She just came back to the academy and it would look bad on Minato, Kushina, and their families if they continued getting in trouble.

"I'll leave them to you then," Iruka said after a moment. He understood the predicament Hinata was in and the last thing he wanted to do was make his students go through a tough time. "But they'll be sitting separately until this situation is resolved." He gave her a small grin and she bowed her head gratefully.

Iruka ushered the other kids into class as Hinata turned back to her friends. "We'll talk more during lunch," she said quietly. She had been so excited to see them again but now she didn't know how to look at them without her chest hurting. "I…I brought extra lunches for you two. They're on your desks." She turned and walked back into the classroom with a little slump in her shoulders.

She knew, from what they'd been yelling toward each other, that this was caused by her and the fight she got into when Sasuke was gone. She was going to find a way to fix it, so they could laugh together again. At the moment, it just seemed like everything was hanging on by a thread, just one pull away from snapping completely.

Hinata sat at her desk and kept her eyes on her desk as Naruto's seat was swapped with Sakura's. She noticed Sakura glance at her with concern and she felt touched by it. Sakura and Ino were never deliberately mean to her like the others were and even though she wished to be friends with both of them, with her future husband now Sasuke…she felt that was out of the question. Hinata felt it was better to just stay away.

She could barely focus on Iruka's lectures with her mind going a mile a minute. She tried to shake herself out of it multiple times but all she could think about was if her team fell apart today. She'd never forgive herself if she couldn't help them make up. It made her all the more determined to do whatever she could.

"Okay, it's time to break for lunch," Iruka announced, causing Hinata to flinch. She watched as her teacher gathered up their classwork and then left the classroom. Once the door slid closed, her classmates began grabbing their lunches and rushing out to sit out in the sun. Hinata stayed seated until it was just her and her teammates. Sakura and Ino had lingered for a moment before Ino pulled Sakura out of the room when it became apparent that they had something to sort out.

Hinata fiddled with her fingers, her eyes glued to her desk as she decided to speak up. "What are you two fighting about?" She asked gently. She didn't want to sound like she was accusing anyone.

"Why didn't you tell us about those girls messing with you?" Sasuke said.

"It wasn't important—"

"That's crap and you know it!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Naruto stood up at his desk abruptly. "Don't yell at her, Sasuke!" He shot back.

Sasuke faced the blonde. "You're not angry she didn't say anything?!"

"Of course I am, but it all started with you and your obsessive fangirls!"

"I don't have any control over what they do, Naruto!"

"They'd do anything you told them to do, so why didn't you tell them that Hinata was your friend and not to mess with her?!" Naruto shouted. "Instead, you just didn't talk to her much here unless it was in private, making it seem like such a secret."

Sasuke shot up to his feet. "It wouldn't have made a difference!"

Naruto glared at him from across the room. "Well, we're never gonna know now! The damage has already been done and it ended with Hinata getting suspended."

Hinata covered her face. "Stop it! Just stop fighting!" She yelled. The room went quiet at her plea and she took a moment to gather herself. Eventually, she looked up at both of them as she stood. "I didn't tell anyone what was happening because it was my problem to handle, and that's what I did."

"You should've told us, Hinata. We would've protected you," Sasuke said, coming closer to her desk. Naruto followed suit, humming in agreement at this and she almost laughed bitterly.

"I did fine protecting myself," Hinata said. "I didn't get hurt, they did! I handled it."

"But we should've been there!" Naruto added. "Sasuke's right about that. We would've looked out for you."

Hinata's gentle gaze hardened at them. "No, that's just it. You two think I need protection and won't let me do the protecting! We're a team. Protection goes both ways," she said. "We've been training together for almost three years now and you both still see me as the same five year old girl that needs protecting, and I'm not!"

"That's not true," Sasuke shot back.

"Isn't it? You're angry at what happened because you thought I couldn't fight off a few other girls."

"No, we're mad because you kept it from us!" Sasuke argued. "We had to hear about it from Shikamaru!"

"I kept it away from you because those girls just wanted your attention and was using me to get it. I didn't tell Naruto either because he would rush in blindly and possibly get in trouble which would look bad on Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei," she explained. "And because I could handle it."

"We would've fought with you," Naruto said.

Hinata shook her head. "We can't just fight the people who are looking for one. You're father is about to be the Hokage and your behavior has to reflect that. Sasuke's now the Uchiha Heir and people will be watching closely because of what happened," she tried.

"So, what, you just take the fall?" Sasuke asks.

"I wasn't supposed to react like that," she said. "But I did. It happened."

Naruto growled. "That's bull, Hinata! We're supposed to do it all as a team. When someone needs help, we help them, but you just…you just didn't care about that!"

Hinata clenched her fists. "You two constantly baby me, especially during training! You never fight with your full strength against me. You pull back on doing moves you know could hurt me because you don't think I can handle it. Don't talk to me about not caring when you both still do this after years of training!" She cursed silently as she felt her eyes filling with tears. "You don't care that holding back can make me useless or kill me out in battle!"

They were going to continue arguing but paused when she mentioned their holding back. The boys looked at each other curiously before they realized she was right. They were constantly making sure they weren't going to hurt her during spars. Doing that is only hindering her from improving as a shinobi. She was right, they were going to get her killed.

"H-Hinata…" Naruto started, but Hinata could only shake her head and run out of the classroom before the tears fell.

"Hinata!" They yelled in unison.

Naruto started running after her, but Sasuke caught his arm. "What are you doing?! We have to go after her!"

Sasuke shook his head. "And then what, tell her that she's wrong? She's not. We've both been doing that. The last I remember going seriously against her was when I was angry."

Naruto thought for a moment. "I don't even remember," he admitted. "Damn it!"

Sasuke sighed, letting go of Naruto when he was sure Naruto wasn't going to chase her. "Yeah," he agreed. "Damn it."


Hinata didn't return to the classroom until a minute before lunch ended, when everyone else was back in the room and the boys couldn't talk to her. She didn't want to face them right now. If she could, she would've gone home and locked herself in her room. But she couldn't do that. It would be unbecoming and Kakashi had told her he was going to pick her up from school. She couldn't let anyone down by retreating into herself like she desperately wanted to.

Sasuke's eyes often went to Hinata and part of him wondered, if he tried hard enough, would his feelings reach her like that. He hadn't realized he'd been holding himself back, but she put up with it for so long. Thinking back to all their spars, he noticed that she seemed displeased or frustrated but he had always thought she was just focused. Now, he knew better. He hoped he could catch her after school, before he walk home.

Naruto kept his eyes firmly on his desk in thought and quite a bit of shame. Hinata had always been a small girl and he would never forgive himself if he hurt her, like that time he punched her in the jaw with all his might. However, he'd rather hold a small percentage of guilt from injuring her in training than the amount of guilt he would hold if she died out in the field. Finally tearing his eyes away from his desk and forward, he had a newfound sense of determination. He wasn't going to hold back on Hinata ever again. He knew she could handle it; she could handle anything thrown her way.

When class let out for the day, Hinata was the first one out of the room. Sasuke and Naruto shared a look and instantly took off after her but it seemed her speed had drastically increased over the couple of days they hadn't seen her. It wasn't as if the two weren't still angry at each other, but Hinata being angry with them was a priority. It was second to none, including their own feelings.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out when he caught sight of her. He slid to a stop when he noticed the taller man with her. He had never seen him before and the fact that he had a mask covering up a majority of his face didn't sit right with him. "Sasuke!"

"I see him. Let's go!" Instantly, Sasuke and Naruto appeared on either side of Hinata in their signature fighting styles, catching her off guard as she'd been talking with Kakashi. "Do you know this man, Hinata?"

Hinata and Kakashi shared a look before she sighed softly to herself. "Kakashi-sensei, you'll have to excuse my teammates."

The boys deflated at this and held back their embarrassment. "Oh, this is the person training you in the meantime," Sasuke mumbled.

"I totally knew that," Naruto chimed in.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're the one who looked all scared when you saw him."

"I did not!" Naruto exclaimed.

"So this is Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi said, interrupting their banter. The two suddenly remembered their manners and bowed politely.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kakashi-san," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, mister!" Naruto said.

"Likewise," Kakashi replied. "Hinata-chan's told me a lot about you two."

Hinata blushed. "Right. Let's get going. My father will be expecting me soon," she said moving away from the three and beginning on her walk home without looking back.

"Did you two make her mad?" Kakashi sighed. "This is going to be quite the training now, so thank you for that."

Sasuke tsked. "Take her training seriously," he said.

Kakashi gave them a grin that they could only see by the way his eye crinkled at the sides. "I could say the same to you two." And then he was gone right before their eyes.

"We're idiots," Naruto grumbled. "Let's just go." He turned and began walking to the lake they're meeting at until Hinata's able to join them again. Sasuke watched Hinata and Kakashi walking away for a minute before forcing himself to turn the other way and follow after Naruto. The silver lining is that at least they were not arguing.

Hinata relaxed when she felt like she wasn't being watched anymore and walked in stride.

"So are you going to tell me why you're mad or are we going to beat around the bush?" Kakashi asked as he read from his orange book. "I'd rather not train you if you're going to be sloppy because of it. It would only be a waste of time."

Hinata puffed out her cheeks in a small pout before nodding. "They've been fighting with each other because of the reason behind my suspension," she said, simplifying it.

"I'm gonna guess that's not the whole reason, hm?"

"They act like I need protecting all the time. We're a team. We're supposed to protect each other, but they always take it easy on me like I'm made of glass," she said. She had only briefly mentioned that she was frustrated with them not taking her seriously during training, but now she was being completely honest about it. "I ended up spilling all that out and I just don't want to be near them right now."

Kakashi hummed. "I see. Despite your young age, all of you have experienced tragic losses. I'm sure that's the reason they're being overprotective, but I think that that loss is also what has made you unable to hold it in any longer," Kakashi said. "After losing those people, you want to get stronger so you don't lose anyone else like that ever again."

Hinata stared up at him in awe.

"I believe all three of you are experiencing the same emotions but reacting to them differently. That's something you should keep in mind the next time you see them."

Hinata thought on those words for a moment before breaking out into a small smile. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

He finally glanced away from his book and down at her. "What for?"

She smiled brightly up at him. "For caring. Maybe the bit of advice is nothing to you, but I feel a lot better now, so thank you," she laughed softly. "I won't let our time together be a waste."

Kakashi couldn't help but return her warm smile with his own. "Is that so? I'm gonna work you hard today with those weights again."

Hinata blanched at that but accepted it in stride. "I'll stay above the water for at least twenty minutes today!" She declared. "If I don't, then I'll give you my pastry."

Kakashi chukled. "All right, I'll hold you to that. Just remember, I'm not above eating it in front of you if you fail."

"I know, that's why I'm so determined now!"

He shook his head fondly and put his book away when they came to the Hyuuga Compound. "You'll wear the twenty pound weights today," he explained. "Then we'll have a light spar, work on your medical ninjutsu, some fuinjutsu, and end it with increasing your chakra reserves." Hinata nodded along and felt determined to get stronger, for herself and her loved ones.


"We're gonna do something a little different today," Minato announced as soon as they arrived.

"Today, you two are gonna be fighting against me," Kushina said, shocking the two young kids. "We've noticed you two have been at each other's necks and that's not being a team, especially with Hinata out for a few more days. So, we're doing this today until you learn to cooperate," she explained.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other before huffing out an agreement.

"It's either this or you both run one hundred laps around the whole village," she threatened, her gaze hardening. They both stiffened at her tone, knowing she was close to getting very angry. "And I will not allow you two to go home until they're all completed. I'll send word to Fugaku-sama myself. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" They said in unison.

"You both come at me with everything you got, alright? I'll only be using taijutsu for now." Sasuke and Naruto spread out to either side of her and got into their fighting stances. "Begin!"

Instantly, they began circling around her. Sasuke pulled out a few shuriken and threw them, fully knowing she was going to deflect them but using that as an opening for Naruto. Naruto, catching Sasuke's eye, nodded and slid into Kushina to attempt to kick out her legs. Right then, Sasuke used the Shadow Shuriken jutsu.

Kushina jumped to avoid Naruto's leg sweep and was impressed to see that Sasuke had used the Shuriken Jutsu in advance so she would already be in mid-air and unable to dodge the second one. Smirking, she used the substitution jutsu and appeared above Naruto, who had to swiftly roll to the side to dodge her double kick.

"Excellent!" She praised. "Keep it up!"

Sasuke and Naruto both made the tiger seal and switched positions before rushing in, Sasuke going low to prepare to kick and Naruto with his fist pulled back. Kushina easily jumped and flipped over Naruto to punch at the ground where Sasuke ended up.

Sasuke cursed and used his hands to spin into a backflip. 'Too close!' He spat to himself. He slid into a stop next to Naruto.

"I'm gonna distract her," Naruto muttered, his eyes firmly planted on his mother. "Give this shot everything you got."

Sasuke nodded curtly and sprinted to the other side. Kushina stayed unmoving, curious about what their next move was going to be.

"All right, mom, let's see how you do against this!" Naruto called out with a huge, smug grin. Kushina looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "Transform: Reverse Sexy Justu!" Sasuke smirked as a naked, muscular man with dark hair and hazel eyes appeared before Kushina.

Kushina sputtered for a bit, her face growing exceptionally bright red. "Naruto!" She all but screeched. Without missing a beat, Sasuke began the hand seals for the Fireball Jutsu and used his chakra to lift himself in the air above his sensei.

He inhaled deeply. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" He blew fire down toward the flustered Kushina. His fire ball, he knew, had a wide range and there was no way she could block it in her condition. But just before it could make contact, Kushina was halfway across the grounds held in Minato's arms. Sasuke cut the jutsu off and spun before landing next to an awestruck Naruto.

"When'd you learn that?!" He exclaimed. "Wait, you coulda killed my mom, you jerk!" Naruto smacked him hard on the back.

"Ow! You honestly think your dad was gonna let that happen? Obviously not!" He shot back. "And she could've dodged it if she hadn't been so flustered by your god-awful jutsu. Nice one, by the way. It really did a number."

Naruto was ready to argue but deflated when Sasuke complimented him. "Thanks. Your fireball was pretty awesome, 'ya know? I didn't know you'd already gotten it down." Sasuke was going to reply sarcastically, but caught himself and muttered a small thanks instead. Hinata's sadden expression had come to his mind and he held back. If it was going to hurt Hinata, he didn't want to do it if he could help it.

"Sasuke," Minato said after putting Kushina down. "That was a really impressive fireball for your age!" He didn't want to beam at the praise his sensei had just given him, but he couldn't help it. He'd worked tirelessly to get this jutsu down and become a recognized Uchiha. "But maybe don't do that against my wife again, okay?"

Sasuke gulped at the tight smile on Minato's face.

Kushina smacked her husband on the arm. "Hey, now! I told them to come at me with everything they had and that's what they did, besides I don't need you to protect me, you know." Then she kissed his cheek. "But thank you." Minato's cheeks reddened and Naruto groaned at his parents' public affection.

Sasuke watched them with curious eyes. His parents never did anything like that. He hadn't even seen them hug or hold hands, like he saw other couples doing when he went out around town. When they were in the same room, his mother would smile at his father and his father would nod his head in return. That was it. He wondered what it was like to have parents who openly showed their love.

Maybe Itachi would've been more open as well with his affection. Maybe he would've stayed in the village and they would've all lived happily ever after. He was aware he was splitting hairs, but he truly couldn't help but wonder what would've been different if his parents—more so, his father—were affectionate.

'Okay,' he thought to himself. 'My kids will never have to wonder.' This was a promise he was going to keep no matter what.

With everything that happened, he hadn't had a chance to talk to Hinata alone to see what she really thought about them getting married in the future. Was she happy? Did she actually wish to marry Itachi? Was she okay with marrying just anyone if her family deemed it to be? He needed to know these things.

"Hey…" Naruto suddenly said, breaking him out of his thoughts. "You're not, um, mad at dad for jumping in to save you?" He asked his mother.

She shook her head. "Not at all, sweetie."

"But…Hinata got mad at us for the same reason," he stated, clearly confused. "How is it any different?"

Kushina leaned on her knees to get closer to eye-level with them and gave them a soft smile. "Well, I don't get mad at Minato for jumping in because he allows me to jump in for him. He and I are a team and that's what teammates do. They jump in to save each other. It's not just a one-way road, you know. I think that's why Hinata-chan is upset."

Minato hummed in agreement. "I know you two want to make sure she's okay constantly, but something like that can make someone feel like a burden if you don't allow them to return the favor," he explained. "Do you guys understand?"

"Hinata wants to…protect us as we protect her," Naruto said.

"Of course," Kushina said. "Just like you'd protect Sasuke and Sasuke would protect you, even though you're both capable of protecting yourselves. It's just what teammates do."

They had heard Hinata's words and even vowed to never hold back when training with her ever again, but they didn't seem to understand it until then. Hinata would rush into the fire for them as they would for her. They would all rush in for each other, and that was all that mattered.

"I think you two should talk to her tomorrow at school as soon as you can," Minato said. "I'm sure she's just waiting for you two."

"Ugh, I wish we could go see her now!" Naruto shouted frustratingly. "We met the guy training her just before we came here."

"What did you two think of him?" Minato asked.

"He seemed arrogant," Sasuke replied instantly. "But Hinata's gotten a lot faster, so I'm not worried."

Minato broke out into a small fit of laughter. "I think he and Hinata are similar in some ways actually. That's why I asked him to train her for the time being."

"You think they're alike?!" Sasuke asked exasperatedly.

"In some ways, yes. You guys just have have to get to know him more."

"I doubt it! Hinata's sweet and gentle!" Naruto argued. "That guy was prickly."

"He's been out on the battlefield since he was around five years old, so he's a bit hardened," Minato explained. "I'm sure you three will go through the same kind of changes."

"I really do miss Hinata-chan," Kushina sighed. "We should go out to celebrate when she comes back, all of us!"

Minato perked up. "That sounds like a great idea!"

"We could go to Ichiraku's!" Naruto cheered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We're not going out for some ramen to celebrate. We have to get barbecue," he said.

"Barbecue works for me!" Kushina said. "We'll go for ramen next time, sweetheart," she assured her son.

They spent the next few minutes roughly planning out the small celebration before returning to their training. Minato looked on in relief at two of his students getting along once again. He was sure Hinata was going to be happy when she saw, and then they could have a much needed talk. His team was going to be one hundred percent again and he was excited to have them all back again.


"Kakashi-sensei, before you go, I wanted to give you something," Hinata said as she dug into her pouch. She was very exhausted and barely standing on her feet after the harsh training Kakashi put her through but she also felt very happy and relaxed. She pulled out a small container of ointment she made just for him.

"Some of the Hyuuga's special salve?" Kakashi asked as he took it in his hand and looked at it closer.

Hinata blushed. "Actually, I made this myself. It's specifically used for cuts since you seem to always have some. If you put this on small or decent sized cuts, it shouldn't leave too much of a scar and it should heal faster," she explained. "You'll have to let me know as I just completed it last night and it's my first batch."

Kakashi unscrewed the lid and smelled it, preparing for the worst but hummed at the gentle smell of lavender and vanilla. "This smells terrific," he said. "Thank you."

Hinata smiled. "Of course. If it burns or irritates your skin, please let me know so I can make adjustments."

Kakashi waved as he began walking away. "Will do. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Be safe!" She called out just before he took to the rooftops. She giggled to herself before making her way inside and to her bedroom to rest a bit before her training with her father.

"Hinata," Hiashi said as they nearly ran into one another from around a corner. "Your training is over?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, father. It went well," she replied.

"I had a meeting with Fugaku-san earlier today and he informed me that Sasuke is adamant about giving us the Uchiha's support in the situation regarding those girls who were harassing you. He told me Sasuke was very upset about what had been occurring."

Hinata looked down at this. "I apologize. Sasuke-san doesn't yet know the proper etiquette for these kinds of things."

Hiashi put his hand on her shoulder. "I am not angry or offended, my daughter. In fact, knowing that he is serious about your friendship and marriage contract makes me relieved. After what happened with Itachi, I was a bit unsure of having a marriage contract at all, but this tells me that he would not intentionally hurt you."

Hinata looked up at him in surprise. The past couple of years, since her mother passed, her father had been changing into a gentler man but she was still taken aback at hearing him express this type of emotion toward her. "Sasuke-san is a very good friend of mine. He means well."

"Yes. I told Fugaku-san that the support is very meaningful but that we cannot accept it as no one is to know of this marriage contract until graduation," Hiashi explained. "Also I was coming to you to let you know that there will be no training tonight as I have a couple of last minute meetings that I must attend in the Hokage's office. I will be home late tonight."

Hinata bowed. "Yes, father, I understand. Travel safe," she said.

"Yes, thank you."

Internally, Hinata cheered as she wanted nothing more than to relax and take a nap.

"'Nata!" At the sound of her baby sister, Hinata couldn't help but smile despite knowing there was no chance for sleep until Hanabi's bedtime came around. "'Nata!" Hinata watched as Hanabi came clumsily running to her. She kneeled down, her body screaming at her, and held her arms open for her sister to fall into.

"Hanabi! I missed you," she cooed, peppering kisses all over her little sister's face, the latter giggling loudly.

"Play! I wanna play!" Hanabi said, grabbing a fistful of Hinata's hair and pulling it.

"Ouch, okay, let's go play for a little bit," Hinata laughed. She carried her sister to her room and sat on the floor with her while they built small building with blocks. Hinata had Hanabi arrange them into different colors and to spell out the colors so she can learn while playing. Hanabi was a very smart girl and part of Hinata liked to think that was partially because of her.

She loved her sister dearly and hoped she could live her life peacefully and without much scrutiny and pressure. She didn't care what she had to do or who she had to marry, so long as her sister could live her life as she wanted. She'd take it all, just to see this little face smile happily. Before she could stop herself, she slumped against the wall and drifted into a deep sleep as her sister quietly played with her blocks.


Hinata awoke before Mitsuki knocked on her door. It was still dark out but the sun was beginning to peak out and streaking the clouds with blues and purples. She didn't move for a long while, choosing to focus on the colors in the sky instead. Moments like these comforted her when she was alone and she felt she needed it most right now. Fighting with Sasuke and Naruto had never happened and she was terrified that maybe they wouldn't be able to make up, that this is where their friendships ended.

She shook the negative thoughts away. "No, I won't let that happen," she said quietly to herself. Making up her mind, she quickly got out of bed and began getting ready. If she made it early to school, she could wait for them. She would make sure they talked before class and then maybe they could have lunch together like she had originally planned for yesterday.

"Hinata-sama, you're already up?" Mitsuki asked as Hinata came rushing down the hallway.

"Yes. I want to get to school early," she said. "Have a good day, Mitsuki-san!"

"Be careful, Hinata-sama!" Mitsuki called out as Hinata ran around a corner.

Today, the cooks had already set three separate lunches on the table for her and she smiled to herself. They seemed to know her well. Soon, she wanted to make the lunches herself so she didn't trouble them, but she had to get better at cooking. Currently, she could make rice without burning it but that is as far as she has gotten.

She tucked the lunches away in her bag and was surprised to find that Neji was not yet waiting for her. Looking at the sky, she realized just how early she was. Laughing softly to herself, she took a seat near the front gate of the compound to wait for her cousin.

Hinata always appreciated moments she got to herself. Being the Heiress to a noble and powerful clan meant it was very rare to be alone as it was considered dangerous and left you open to possible abductions. Her mind went to the Kumogakure shinobi who had attempted to kidnap her from her bedroom two years ago, and then swiftly moved to her friend Itachi. She had resorted to not thinking about him, but when she had nothing else to fill her time her mind always went to him.

She wondered if he was okay. She wondered if he was taking care of himself. If he truly knew what he was doing. If he wanted to come home to them, even if it was now impossible. She wondered what was going through his mind as he deserted the village, leaving it—and them—behind him. She wondered if he thought about them as much as they thought about him. More than anything, she wondered how Sasuke felt.

"Hinata-sama? Am I late?" Neji asked as he suddenly appeared beside her.

Hinata smiled at him and shook her head. "No, I was just early. Let's get going," she said as she stood.

Neji looked over her. "Are you okay?"

Hinata was silent for a moment as they began their walk. "I had an argument with Sasuke and Naruto yesterday during lunch. I want to make up with them before classes start," she explained. She could tell Neji everything and, even though he was extremely protective, he would support every choice she made, even if he didn't agree with it. She was happy to have that kind of relationship with him.

"I see. I'm sure you three will make up even if you didn't seek them out to do so. Those two are lost without you," Neji said. "As they should be."

Hinata giggled. "Neji-kun! They're not that bad on their own."

Neji smiled at hearing her laugh. "Of course they are. They don't know how to behave without you around and they very much proved that these last few days in your absence."

"You're making me sound like their mother," she huffed but the smile was still there.

"I don't think I'd say mother-figure, but still someone just as important," he clarified.

Hinata thought for a few moments. "I like that," she admitted. "Being needed. It's a nice feeling."

"It is."

When they got to the school, Neji wished her luck and told her he would be in the next hallway should she need him for anything. She thanked him and waited by the school gate for her friends to show. Thinking back on it, she wondered how long Neji waited for her every morning seeing as she didn't wait very long by the compound gates for him. She would have to ask him about that later because she knew Neji would not say anything unless she brought it up, and even then he would not admit to being troubled.

"Hinata-chan!" Hinata looked over to see Sakura heading over from the direction of her house.

Hinata bowed her head politely. "Hi, Sakura-san."

"I never got to ask, but how are you doing since the other day?" Sakura asked.

"I'm much better. It was unbecoming of me, but it had been a trying time," she said. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Sakura patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about that, okay? Those girls totally had it coming!"

Hinata smiled. "Thank you for saying so."

Sakura looked around as if only just realizing they were still outside. "Why are you waiting out here?"

"I'm waiting for Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san."

"I heard you three got into a fight. Not, like, a physical fight but an argument. Did that happen?"

"Yes. I want to speak with them before classes to clear the air," she admitted.

"Um, hey…" Sakura began, unsure, "is, um, is Sasuke-kun nice?"

Hinata could barely hold the confusion back. "Yes, he is a nice person. Why do you ask?"

Sakura shrugged. "I guess it's because I've never gotten a chance to know him. Besides you, he keeps distance from every girl, so I was just wondering."

"Oh, I see. Our families are friends so we often saw each other at functions," she explained, partially stretching the truth. She couldn't reveal the marriage contract just yet. Which reminded her that Sakura would think she lied about Sasuke not being her fiancé once it's announced. She wasn't looking forward to that as Sakura and Ino were kinder to her now than before.

"Oh, there's Sasuke-kun now. I'll leave you to it, Hinata-chan! Good luck!" Sakura said. Hinata could see that she wished to stay around to greet Sasuke but was respecting their privacy. She liked that about the pink-haired girl. She waved as Sakura ran into the academy. When she turned, Sasuke was already standing in front of her. She lowered her gaze.

"Are you waiting for me?" Sasuke eventually asked. His tone sounded nervous and tired.

She looked up at him. "And Naruto," she said. "We need to talk before class."

"He probably won't get here until classes start," Sasuke said. They stood there silently for a few awkward moments. "How is…your training going?"

"Oh, it's good. Kakashi-sensei is a very tough instructor and very knowledgable," she explained. "He's also very kind."

"Minato-sensei said he chose him because you two are similar."

Hinata giggled. "I haven't made that connection yet," she said. "But I'm sure he's right. Minato-sensei is very perceptive."

Sasuke stepped closer. "Before Naruto gets here, we should probably talk…" He lowered his voice in case anyone was around.

Hinata nodded. "About the contract, yes?" Sasuke nodded. "How do you feel about it?" She had managed to keep her worries down as she was just doing her job as an Heiress, but she knew she would be hurt if Sasuke expressed a distaste for her since his opinion meant a lot to her as her best friend.

"I wanted to ask you that, too. I know it was supposed to be Itachi and that you might've been looking forward to being his wife," Sasuke said, his face growing slightly red.

Hinata's face was a mirror of his, her own cheeks a bright red. "Oh. I had gotten used to the idea of being married to him, but I only thought of him as a friend," she explained. "You are already one of my best friends and I'd like for us to continue being that despite what the future holds for us. I don't know if it will turn into romantic love, but I want us to always be on friendly terms at the very least."

"I just want to be sure that I'm not a replacement for my brother. He and I are nothing alike," Sasuke all but spat.

Hinata flinched slightly at his tone but nodded her head in understanding. "You are Sasuke and no one else."

At this, Sasuke calmed down. "That's…all I want to be." Then he sighed quietly. "If my brother comes back, would you still want to marry him?"

"Even if he was able to do so, my answer will be no. I can guarantee my father will not approve even if I wished him to. Itachi made his choices for whatever his reasons may be, and we will make our own. You and I are promised to each other now and I will not stray from you for as long as we are engaged and married," she assured him. Despite the heat on her face from the words she had once used for Itachi but had never spoken, she looked deeply into Sasuke's eyes with resolution. She wanted him to know how serious she was about their union, even now.

Sasuke's face went bright red and he had to avert his gaze to calm his pounding heart. For the last couple of years, he had done his best to push the feelings he had for her down. For her sake and Itachi's, and even for himself. He realized now that Itachi was probably aware of his feelings, but he never made any move to remind Sasuke that Hinata was to be his wife. He wondered why. He understood that part of it was because of how much younger Hinata was and he likely held no romantic feelings for her, but that was something that could've changed as they grew together.

There was a lot he didn't know about the brother he adored more than anyone else.

Finally, Sasuke broke out in a genuine grin. "I'll be holding you to that," he replied easily. Hinata was about to reply when she saw Naruto come down the road and gave him a shy wave. Sasuke turned to see who she was waving at. "Well, look who isn't almost late for the first time ever."

Naruto stuck his tongue out. "I like to make an entrance, so what?"

"And today?" Sasuke raised a brow.

"I wanted to talk to Hinata before class."

Hinata cut in at this. "Actually, I was waiting here for both of you so we could talk. I think our situation needs to be resolved before class starts," she said.

"Yeah, we agree. Naruto and I did a lot of thinking and even had a talk with Minato and Kushina-sensei," Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah! We get how we've been treating you since we began training together and how insulted you probably were. You're not weak, Hinata, and we don't think you are at all."

Hinata inhaled deeply before nodding. "I also had a talk with Kakashi-sensei and he put things into perspective for me. Ever since we lost Shi-kun and Itachi-san, we've all been handling it in different ways. You both have been overprotective since Shi-kun because you don't want to lose anyone else, and I've been more frustrated with you both, because I want to be stronger so I am able to protect you. I don't want to lose either of you," she said. "We want to be strong for the same reasons, so let's do it together."

Sasuke bowed his head deeply to his friends. "I hope you can both forgive me for my actions." Naruto and Hinata shared a look for shock before they both did the same and asked for forgiveness.

"I forgive you both," Hinata said afterward.

"I forgive you guys, too!" Naruto said with a bright smile. Hinata's face went red at the sight of Naruto's best smile, the one who only gave to those he genuinely cared about. Hinata knew the weight of it, and understood what he wasn't saying.

"I forgive you both," Sasuke repeated, giving them both a smirk.

Hinata sighed in relief. "Let's please never fight again," she said. "I don't think my heart can handle it a second time."

Naruto put his arm around her shoulder. "No more fighting between us, I promise! We'll be the best team to ever exist, you know!"

Hinata giggled.

"Right, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, looking over at his friend.

Sasuke, who had been frowning at the arm casually on Hinata's shoulder, shook himself out of his thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, that's right. We'll be a team for the history books." The three shared a smile.

Naruto put his other arm around Hinata. "Oh, hey! What's your teacher like? Why does he cover his face like that? Have you seen his face yet?" He asked rapidly.

Sasuke moved between them, pulling Naruto's arms away from Hinata. "One question at a time, loser," Sasuke huffed.

Naruto glared at him before focusing back on Hinata. "So?" He asked.

"Oh!" Hinata exclaimed. "Kakashi-sensei is a very serious instructor and doesn't go easy on me; I really enjoy our training. I never even thought to ask about the mask and he hasn't taken it off in front of me."

"It isn't hard to understand him when he talks?" Naruto asked curiously.

Hinata shook her head. "Not at all." Then she made a sound as she remembered something. She dug into her bag, pulled out a lunchbox, and handed it to Sasuke before handing one to Naruto. "I brought you both lunch."

Sasuke took it and smiled down at the simple gesture. His mother, due to her diagnosed depression, had rarely come out of her room since word of Itachi's desertion had made its way to her. Sasuke wasn't awake for it, but he heard rumors of loud screaming coming from his mother that was directed at his father. It didn't take long to understand that Mikoto blamed Fugaku for her oldest leaving. Surely Itachi wouldn't have left if his own father had not suspected him of killing his dear cousin. Sasuke still wasn't entirely sure he was innocent, and he wouldn't know the truth until he got from Itachi himself.

"Thanks," he said, tucking the box under his arm. He didn't know how to express his affection toward her without being suspicious. Itachi used to pat her head, but he was sure Hinata would not appreciate that gesture; as a result, he refrained from doing so and bringing back memories that should be forgotten. He would think more on it later.

"Wow, thanks, Hinata!" Naruto said. "The one you gave me yesterday was really good! I left the box at home though, so I'll return it later," he said.

"Whenever is fine, or you can keep it if you'd like," she added. Then, she sighed happily. "I missed this. I got a lot done during my suspension, but I missed being like this with you two."

Naruto beamed. "Yeah! And there's only a few more days before you can start training with us again," he said. He looked to Sasuke with a teasing look in his eyes. "Sasuke over here was sulking without you."

Sasuke glared at his friend. "I was not sulking!"

Naruto chuckled. "You totally were, don't lie to Hinata!" Naruto teased.

Hinata glanced at Sasuke quickly but long enough to see his face turning red with embarrassment and possibly anger. She stepped in before a fight broke out. "You mean you didn't miss me enough to sulk without me?" She asked, pushing her lower lip out in a small pout.

Naruto retreated and began backtracking. "W-wait, no! I mean, I did miss you! Of course, I missed you," he stammered.

"But not enough to sulk without me," Hinata replied, moving to Sasuke's side. "I guess Sasuke just cares more."

"Hinata!" Naruto whined. "Fine, then! I… sulked too," he reluctantly admitted with a grumble. Hinata broke out into a fit of giggles, causing both boys to smile. They were happy to see her with a smile, especially after everything. Like her, this was what they missed the most.

"Come on," she said, smiling gently. "Let's go in."

Side by side, they walked into the building feeling closer than before. They understood one another better than ever after getting to the root of their emotions. Sasuke, on the inside, was now a different person but the two walking beside him were his team, his people, and he knew they could help him in achieving his goal of bringing Itachi back to the village. Hinata was mentally and emotionally stronger, and she'd get physically stronger with the help of her best friends, her teammates. Naruto, underneath, was a sensitive soul but his friends saw past his act, and he knew they'd stay by his side for many years to come.

Each of them understood that these past trials contributed to their growth and how they perceived the shinobi world, and they weren't going to let anything else get between them.


Hinata trained under Kakashi for the remainder of the week and she was sad to have to stop. But Kakashi was a busy shinobi and he had been kind enough to train her a full week as a favor to Minato, and that was enough. She adored her temporary teacher and she felt like she had also grown on him. Rather than leaving right after training, he would join her for a small chat and some tea or simply just sit with her for a moment.

When she told Kakashi about Minato saying they were similar, he admitted that he saw some of those similarities and it was probably why he enjoyed training her so much. Hinata was deeply flattered and asked to keep in touch whenever he had the time. He agreed in exchange for more of her specially made salve.

Her skills with medication had increased and she recently began delving into creating tablets. Having no one to teach her, Hinata would ask Ko to bring her different books from the village library and would study herself. It was taxing. Training, studying, training, studying, finding time for Hanabi, and more studying left her absolutely exhausted. She desperately wished there were more hours of the day.

"Well, this is our last day," Kakashi said as they sat under a tree after an especially harsh training. Hinata nodded. "I have to admit that I'll miss this. You're not so bad."

Hinata laughed. "Not so bad? Well, thank you. I'm going to miss our training as well. You really didn't hold back, did you? I appreciate that."

"I would be doing no favors if I held back. Are you looking forward to returning to Minato-sensei tomorrow?" He asked.

"I am, yes. It'll also be nice to leave the compound for different reasons other than going to the academy."

"Yeah, I don't know how you did it. I'd be climbing up the walls by now."

"I came really close a couple of times, but Hanabi and studying took my mind off of it," she responded. "Are you going to be starting back up on missions soon?"

Kakashi stretched his legs out. "I'm hoping."

Hinata fiddled with her hands, a movement that he associated with her nerves. She wanted to ask him something, so he waited. "Um, you were…in the Anbu with Itachi-san, right?" It took her a couple of minutes to get the question out.

He nodded. "I was. We worked together on a few missions before he became a captain."

"Did you…Did he—" She tried, but she couldn't finish her question.

"I was just as surprised as you were," Kakashi admitted. "I understand you two were promised to each other." He gave Minato his word that he wouldn't bring it up and he technically hadn't broken that since Hinata had brought him up first.

He was impressed she wasn't even shocked at the fact that he knew. "I think you would've figured that out even if Minato-sensei hadn't informed you."

"You have too much faith in my intelligence," he dismissed.

Hinata shook her head. "You're very smart, sensei. Really, all anyone has to do is think about it politically after seeing how much time we were spending together and put those pieces together. It was a poorly-kept secret when I really think about it," she ended with a sigh. "It's vain, but a voice in the back of my mind keeps telling me that I'm part of the reason he left. That he just wanted to get out of the contract marriage so badly, but I know it's wrong. His love for Sasuke was immeasurable, and Itachi-san wouldn't leave lightly."

Kakashi remained quiet during all of this and just listened. Hinata was a young girl but her wisdom and knowledge was that of a young adult due to her noble upbringing and studies in politics. He felt for her and the loss of her childhood just to be a pawn to her clan. A clan like the Hyuuga were stoic and brutal and unmoving. Hinata was nothing like them, and he wondered how lonely that was when she was surrounded by her family.

"I-I shouldn't say something like that," Hinata added after realizing what she said. "Itachi-san made his choices and we just have to live with them."

Kakashi reached over and put a hand on her head, ruffling her hair as Shisui used to. "You're not a bad person for being curious and applying your own theories. You two were close and it's natural." Hinata gave him a tearful smile due to both his words and the hand on her head that brought nothing but good memories that pained her.

After Kakashi left, Hinata allowed a small tear to escape down her cheek as she touched her head. "I miss you," she whispered. She gave herself a few seconds before wiping her cheek and pulling herself together. It was imperative to move on, but she would always hold Shisui and Itachi in her heart.

Today, Hinata was standing between Sasuke and Naruto as they stood before their teachers. It felt weird being at the training grounds, but refreshing all the same.

"Hinata-chan!" Kushina greeted. "We're so happy you're back!" She pulled the small girl into a hug and lifted her off the ground. "We missed you, you know!"

"I missed you all, too," she laughed. When she was put back down, she looked around at everyone. "Did you learn anything new while I was gone?"

"Nope! Dad didn't wanna start us on anything new until you got back, so we just worked on our chakra endurance and sasuke worked on that shuriken jutsu," Naruto answered. "Did you learn anything new?"

Hinata reached into her pouch and pulled out a scroll. "Kakashi-sensei taught me a little more fuinjutsu. Now I can easily seal and unseal things in scrolls or sheets of paper. I struggled with it but Kakashi-sensei really figures out ways to motivate you," she laughed sheepishly.

Minato grinned. "What did he threaten to do?" He was all too familiar with his student's teaching methods.

"He threatened to eat my pastries in front of me," Hinata said sadly. "I thought maybe he could be bluffing, but I've learned that man never bluffs."

Minato let out a loud laugh. "Yep, that's Kakashi, alright!"

"It happened three times!" Hinata huffed. "But I definitely learned fast because of it, so it wasn't all that bad. I worked on my medical ninjutsu," she said as she put her scroll away. "And I worked on my chakra endurance. Now, I can stay on the water for thirty minutes while wearing twenty-five pound weights." Hinata was proud of how far she had gone in just a week. Kakashi's training was harsh but definitely paid off.

"He put weights on you during that?" Sasuke asked incredulously. "What if you fell in the water?"

"I was just in the small koi pond so it wasn't deep, just to my upper legs," she explained. "The weight training also made me faster."

"It looks like Kakashi was good for you! I'm really happy to hear that since he can sometimes be a little difficult to understand," Kushina said. "He was nice to you, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, he is very kind but stern."

Minato smiled and nodded. "Okay, now that Hinata-chan is here, we wanted to get you three started on elemental jutsu. You three wanted to experiment to see which one comes naturally to you, so we're going to start you off on an earth release."

"Nature transformations can be tricky. Like everything else, it has rules and a system. We've already told you three the types of affinities out there, but we didn't delve any deeper than that. See, each element is weaker than one and stronger than another one but a jutsu from a weaker element can beat its stronger counterpart if the jutsu is a weaker type. For example, fire is stronger than wind but weaker than water, so the water release will always beat the fire release unless the fire release technique is stronger than the water release technique used," Kushina explained.

Hinata was taking notes while Naruto and Sasuke were listening closely and she smiled at their different styles of learning. Minato and Kushina talked them through the elemental chart and answered all the questions their students had. The lesson took close to an hour, but it was necessary to ensure that they understood elemental jutsu.

"So now that we've covered that, did you three want to try one now?" Minato asked.

"Yes!" They answered in unison.

"We're going to be trying Earth Style: Hiding Mole," Kushina said. "Minato will demonstrate, so watch closely."

Minato stepped away, centered his chakra and them slammed a palm onto the ground under him. "Earth Style: Hiding Mole!" The ground around his body turned to sand and the three watched in awe as Minato quickly crawled through the sand. They were shocked when the ground returned to normal after he was out of sight; there was no evidence he had gone underground.

"Interesting, right?" Kushina said.

"Does he know where he is?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes. The user of this jutsu will know where they are due to sensing the magnetic forces as well as understand what is happening above them. This technique can be used as a great surprise attack," she explained.

As if to prove her point, a hand shot up and grabbed Sasuke's ankle, causing him to flinch down at it. When it let go, Sasuke jumped away and Minato burst from the ground with a small laugh. "That was the jutsu," he said. "Ready to give it a shot?"

They spread out a bit more to ready themselves.

"Remember, if you can't get it after a while it means that it is not your affinity but can still be possible to learn it; it will just not be your strongest jutsu," Kushina said.

They concentrated their chakra and all three slammed their palms on the ground. Nothing happened. They looked over at each other to see if anyone else had gotten it and focused back before trying again. Each time they slammed their hand on the ground and nothing happened, they became more and more determined. Minato and Kushina watched with interest. It was apparent none of them were earth users, but they could get it in time.

After training, Kushina and Minato wanted to take the kids out to dinner. Hinata was about to politely decline when they told her that they had already gotten permission from her father. She was ecstatic to be going out to eat as it was not something she'd done before on her own. Part of her was nervous to be eating food that had not been tasted by someone else beforehand, but she knew it was something that was done because of her blood and not because she was a specific target.

Kushina surprised her by tasting her food for her when it came and giving her a wink. Hinata thanked her with a shy smile. Hinata was seated between her teammates and across from their teachers. She didn't know what to do in this type of situation but she relaxed when she felt Sasuke's foot nudge hers and they shared a smile.

"So, one of the reasons we wanted to take you all out for a dinner was the celebrate Hinata-chan rejoining us," Minato explained. He looked over at his wife and she smiled at him reassuringly with a nod. "But another reason is because soon—very soon—I will be unable to train you any longer."

Hinata felt her stomach drop. She knew Minato was close to becoming Hokage, but she just didn't know exactly how close it was.

"How soon?" Naruto was the first to ask. It was well-known to everyone at the table that Naruto, while very proud and happy for his father, was still saddened by how busy he was father was going to be. He knew the Third barely left his office and the young boy was not sure if he was going to be able to handle that.

"It has not been announced yet, so I'm sharing this with you three in confidence, but it's likely I will be taking over the position within the next couple of months," Minato replied. "I know this is sudden and that there are still plenty of things left for you to learn from us, but Kushina will take over once I've been named Hokage."

Hinata looked worriedly at her charismatic friend and could clearly seen the pain in his eyes. It pained her when he forced a smile on his face. "I'm happy for you, dad!" And Hinata knew he wasn't lying, he just wasn't telling the whole truth.

Minato and Kushina smiled at their son. They loved how brave and proud he was. "Thank you."

Hinata reached over and put her hand on Naruto's under the table, squeeze it softly. Naruto, at first, didn't respond until she squeezed a little more firmly and he clung to her hand with a grip that was almost painful. She'd take any pain for her friends that she could.

"We don't have much time left with you," Sasuke said. "Which means we need to crack down on our training."

"That brings me to my next point. Tonight, I want you three to rest and meet me and Kushina at the training grounds at sunrise. There's a new jutsu I want to teach you three," he said. "It's a really cool one. We just wanted to wait until Hinata was back and you three didn't have classes."

Naruto perked up at this. "What's it gonna be?!" He asked excitedly, though his tight grip on Hinata's hand.

Minato chuckled. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning, okay? Let's enjoy our dinner and then head back home for some rest."

Because Naruto was right-handed, he had to let go of Hinata's hand to continue eating but she nudged his foot with her the same was Sasuke had done with her and he smiled gratefully at her. The three sat their eating with their shoes touching and equally relaxed. Minato and Kushina had noticed the exchange and it warmed their hearts. Their team was back and seemingly better than ever.

Sasuke and Hinata walked down the path leading to their homes once their early dinner was finished. They were the only two on this stretch of road as only the Hyuuga and Uchiha compounds were located this way.

"It was nice," Hinata said softly. "And training was different."

"It's certainly getting interesting. I wonder what Minato-sensei's gonna teach us tomorrow," Sasuke replied.

"He didn't even give us any hint."

"He's surprisingly mysterious, huh?" Sasuke observed.

"Now that you mention it, yes."

They went quiet again and it was suddenly a little awkward.

"Um, hey, that salve you made for me…It really does the trick, thank you.

Hinata beamed. "It worked for you? I'm so happy to hear that!"

"So that's the new skill you were learning?" Sasuke inquired.

She nodded. "Yes. I wanted it to be more of a surprise, but I didn't like seeing you with those burn marks around your mouth. Speaking of, how is that jutsu going?"

Sasuke thought for a moment before grabbing her hand and pulling toward the direction of the forest next to them. "I'll show you. I did it yesterday during training. You're the only one who hasn't seen it."

Hinata remained quiet, her cheeks red as she stared at their interlocked hands. The way he was holding her hand was different from the way he had done it that time during the New Year and it was different from how she was holding Naruto's hand not that long ago. Sasuke had put his fingers between hers. It felt more intimate and she knew that her father would not approve if he saw it; this made her even redder.

He held her hand until they came to a big enough clearing. "Stay right here," he said. She didn't argue and Sasuke let go of her to get into position. She clenched her fist and put her hands in her jacket pockets. From where he was standing, Hinata could view the fireball from the side. She watched in awe as he sped through a few hand seals and inhaled a deep breath.

She instinctively took a step back when Sasuke blew out the fireball and the strong heat hit her like a gust of wind. Her eyes went wide as it clicked in her mind that her best friend—her future husband—was producing this awesome jutsu. When it was over, Hinata clapped her hands and couldn't stop the laugh that came from her.

"Sasuke, that was amazing!" She shouted happily. "You're so strong!"

Sasuke wanted to be smug, but he couldn't. Not toward Hinata. He didn't want to be smug to her. Rather, he was genuinely flattered to hear her describe him as strong because that's what he needed to be if he wanted to bring Itachi back.

"Thanks. I got it down a couple of days ago," he said. "So I know my affinity is fire."

Hinata tilted her head. "I wonder what mine is," she sighed.

Sasuke rolled an idea around in his head before shrugging. "What if I show you how to do this one?" He asked. "Maybe you're fire, too."

Hinata perked up. "You'd be willing to show me?"

Sasuke shrugged again. "Yeah. You taught me how to do stuff without relying on my eyes, so it's only fair." Hinata watched closely as he showed her which hand signs to do and then listened closely when he repeated the instructions his father explained to him. "Got it?"

She nodded. "Yes, I believe so." Hinata went through the hand signs much slowly, centered her chakra to her stomach, took a deep breath and pushed it up her throat and out of her mouth. Both of them were surprised when a fireball the size of a watermelon shot out of her mouth. She couldn't hold it for long.

"Whoa," Sasuke breathed out. "I guess you're a fire type, too."

Hinata was genuinely surprised but excited nonetheless. "That's awesome! We can practice together," she said. Around her mouth felt a little tingly but it had definitely been worth it.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed with a smile. "Let's get going before your father hunts us down." Hinata paled and nodded her head as she followed Sasuke back the way they came. She felt a little closer to Sasuke, being the same affinity as him.

Later that night, as she was studying by Hanabi's bedside quietly, she glanced down at the hand Sasuke had held and smiled shyly. Sasuke was more affectionate than she realized, and more affectionate than Itachi had been with her. She understood their age difference had a lot to do with it, but she was also aware that the other part of it was that he only saw her as a friend and nothing more. She was content with that. She would not have asked for anything more from him.

She closed her book and switched off her little sister's lamp before quietly leaving the room to retire to hers. She was exhausted and ready for tomorrow to arrive so she could learn a new jutsu with her team. Knowing Minato, the technique was going to be amazing…She just hoped she didn't let them down.


Hinata woke up especially early with excitement and rushed to get dressed before making her way to the training grounds. The smile on her face was large as she ran, but it slowly dropped as someone came into her path with a look of hate in their eyes. She came to a stop in front of the girl and bowed politely.

"Good morning," she greeted with a smile.

"You're the Hyuuga Heiress," the girl said. Hinata put her guard right up as she nodded. "You were supposed to marry Itachi."

The way the girl said the Uchiha's name with such familiarity led her to believe that she had been friends with him, but the fact that she knew of their planned union meant that she was part of his clan. The only friends Hinata had known of Itachi's was Shisui, which meant…

"You were a close friend to Itachi-san," Hinata said. "He spoke of you once."

Izumi seemed shocked but she held her glare. "It doesn't matter anymore. He's a traitor and I believe he defected because he didn't want to be marry to a child!"

Hinata barely held her flinch back. She had often wondered if she was part of the reason, but she knew it didn't make sense. However, to hear those words with a hateful tone hurt her more than she thought it would.

"He made his choices. I had nothing to do with them. I understand you loved him and you were against our engagement, but," she gestured to Izumi's headband, "you are a shinobi." Hinata couldn't bring herself to outright say what she wanted, but she knew the girl had gotten the message when she physically took a step back.

"You don't know anything about me!" She yelled.

"We know nothing of each other," Hinata corrected. Just as she was about to continue, he heard Sasuke approaching.

"Izumi? What are you doing here?" Sasuke said, then he noticed Hinata and became even more confused. Immediately after, he seemed to pick up on the tension. "You're bothering Hinata, aren't you?"

Izumi's face went red. "What does it matter if I am?"

Sasuke sighed. "Itachi told me you used to get on his case about marrying her. He's gone now, so deal with it. Hinata had nothing to do with it. They were both forced into a marriage contract and trying to make the best of it because it was their duty. You wouldn't understand anything about it," he said harshly. "The faster you understand that, the better. Do not bother Hinata again or I will report this to the Clan Head."

Izumi pursed her lips and gave Hinata one final glance before turning away and going the direction Sasuke had just come from. The Hyuuga couldn't help but feel for her as the look in her eyes held nothing but sadness covered with a thin layer of hate. Itachi meant a lot to her, and he still did despite thinking of him as a traitor.

"Thank you," she said to her best friend. "I wasn't sure how to handle the situation since she is an Uchiha. It wasn't my place to be stern."

Sasuke shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Let me know if she bothers you again. She can't go around doing something like that. It would stain the Uchiha reputation."

"I understand. Let's get going. I'm surprised at how early you are."

"I was gonna say the same thing to you."

"I like to watch the sunrise, but I also woke up early because I was too excited," she admitted.

"Same here. I was looking forward to today."

"Um, Sasuke, I haven't had a chance to tell you," Hinata began, thinking back to the yellow rose in she found in her room the morning she learned of Itachi's disappearance. They made it to the training grounds and opted to sit on the very top of the tall fence.

"What is it?"

"The morning I learned of Itachi-san's desertion, I found a yellow rose in my room," she stated. "I know it's from him because he always brought me that flower specifically every time he made a formal visit." Sasuke looked away from her and out into the distance with a hard look. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Everything just happened and I couldn't tell you with anyone else around…"

Sasuke sighed and that look in his eyes was gone. "You don't need to apologize, Hinata. There's nothing to be sorry for, I understand. Even when he's not here, he's still confusing."

Hinata nodded. "I don't know what he meant to say with that rose. Maybe it was an apology, maybe it was a clue, maybe it was just something he did on a whim and it has no meaning, but it's still very confusing. I don't think I'll ever find out," she said.

Sasuke looked at her again with determination in his eyes. "You'll get to ask him when I bring him back to the village," he said. "He said that he'd only tell me the truth of what happened to Shisui if I beat him in a fight, so that's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna get stronger."

Hinata's expression turned into one of confusion. "What do you mean the truth of what happened to Shisui?" She asked.

Sasuke froze at this and mentally facepalmed. He forgot that she didn't know some of what happened. "No one outside of my clan is supposed to know, so keep quiet about it." Hinata nodded. "Around the time Itachi disappeared, he was being investigated by the Police Force as a prime suspect."

Hinata gasped. "But he would never—"

"That's what I thought," he interrupted. "But you should've seen his face the night he left. You should have heard the tone in his voice. It was cold. So cold that I convinced myself that it wasn't really my brother for a little while, but it was."

Hinata tried wrapping her head around the new information given to her but that only managed to hurt her head. Nothing about Itachi was making sense anymore.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Sasuke suddenly said.

Hinata looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry, too. I know I can't replace your brother and I'm not looking to, but I want you to know that I will always be by your side," she said. "You're one of my best friends."

Sasuke took in her words and couldn't help but smile just a bit. "Like I said, I'll be holding you to that." Hinata gave him a lighthearted smile and everything seemed okay again.

"They're here," Hinata said after a few moments. Sure enough, when Sasuke looked back, he saw the Uzumaki family walking down the path to them.

"I don't think my hearing will ever get as good as yours," Sasuke huffed.

At this, they both jumped down to greet the family.

"I'm not surprised you're both here early," Minato said. "Naruto even woke up on his own because he was so excited." Kushina held the door open for all of them and then closed it behind her. As soon as Minato turned around, the three were eagerly waiting for him.

"Okay, so what I want to teach you is a Jonin-level jutsu," he said. "I'm sure you three can learn it but only Jonin or higher use it frequently as it can use a lot of your chakra. It's called the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"This jutsu is considered dangerous because you're making an actual copy of yourself in a way that different from the clone jutsu you learned a couple of years ago. This clones carry your chakra and can have conversations and can even perform their own jutsus," Kushina explained.

"I will demonstrate." Minato made a cross with his middle and index fingers and copy of him appeared right next to him. "I'm the real Minato and this is my copy," he said. "What makes these clones so useful is that no one can tell the difference, even when using a dojutsu."

"They can be used for scouting, gathering intelligence, a diversion, and many other things. But, as we said, they contain half your chakra."

"Do you three want to try it?" Minato asked. "I will understand if you want to wait."

"I want to try," Sasuke answered. Naruto and Hinata nodded their heads in agreement.

"Very well. Remember, only make one as your chakra will be split evenly," Minato warned. Kushina had first been against teaching them this jutsu at such a young age, but their chakra reserves had been steadily growing and it was a useful jutsu to know. They could continue practicing.

"Yes, sensei!" They said in unison. They spread out just a bit and copied the hand seal Minato had demonstrated. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Next to Sasuke and Hinata were a clone of themselves and they were excited, but could feel that half of their chakra was gone. Next to Naruto, however, was five different clones.

"Naruto, I said only one!" Minato scolded.

"I was going for one but I don't know what happened!" Naruto said bewildered.

Sasuke and Hinata shared a look. They always knew Naruto had bigger chakra reserves because of his Uzumaki heritage, but this seemed like more than just that. Naruto had split his chakra evenly between five clones and he was only seven. It made less and less sense the more they thought about it.

"How did…?" Hinata began.

"The Uzumaki have huge chakra reserves," Kushina interrupted with a gentle smile. Hinata didn't trust it to be the whole truth, but she dropped it and accepted her teacher's explanation. It was something bigger, but she just didn't know what.

"Let's have your clones spar so you three can see how it works," Minato said, taking the attention off of Naruto. The clones moved to the middle of the training field and the three watched with awe, disbelief, and some pride at their clones having minds of their own and capable of sparring.

One of Naruto's clones were taken out first and the real Naruto beside them exclaimed. "Whoa! I saw what happened through the clone's eyes!" Sasuke and Hinata thought this was really cool.

The next to be taken out was Hinata due to Naruto's clones going for her at once, but she managed to get another one of Naruto's clones before dispersing. Hinata exclaimed. "Oh! That was surreal," she said.

Sasuke's clone got on of Naruto's before the two ganged up on him and his clone dispersed. "That feels odd," he said. "But it's definitely a useful jutsu."

"I agree. Sending these into enemy territory for information is probably what they're mostly used for," Hinata stated. "That way, if it were discovered or captured, it could disperse easily."

"That's right," Kushina said. "You three are such quick learners, even if Naruto does have to work on his chakra control."

"Hey!" Naruto whined. "I'll train really, really hard, you know!"

"We all will," Sasuke said. "We all have goals we set for ourselves and we'll never stop until we achieve them."

Naruto wanted to follow in his father's footsteps while Hinata and Sasuke wanted to be next to him as he became Hokage to advise and protect him. They needed to be strong to help protect a Kage and to lead powerful clans. Failure wasn't an option, it never was in the shinobi world.

They trained well into the afternoon before Hinata had to leave to train with her father.

"You three did very well today. Tomorrow, we'll meet at the same time and continue working on elemental techniques," Minato said.

"Yes, sensei," they said.

As they were leaving, Hinata turned to her friends. "I should be finished at around seven if you'd both like to come over." She hadn't had them over in a little over a week and she missed just sitting with them. Training made for great bonding, but it was nice to just relax with them as well.

"Sure," Sasuke said.

Naruto looked at his parents who smiled and nodded. "Yeah!" He answered. "We'll be there!"

Sasuke and Hinata watched as Naruto left with his parents before they set off to their respective homes. The alone they had was different from before, and it was due to the updated marriage contract. It did not feel awkward, just different. Sasuke's heart would start pounding as he thought to maybe hold her hand but couldn't bring himself to do it and Hinata would find herself moving closer to him without realizing. She was comfortable with Sasuke, she knew, but it was different from the comfort she felt with Naruto, her family, Kakashi, and even Itachi and Shisui. She happily welcomed it.

Somehow, they got on the topic of Naruto. "Eventually, we're gonna have to ask him how he has so much chakra, but it seems his parents aren't ready to say anything," Sasuke said.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, we have to respect their wishes. Though the curiosity is eating at me a bit. Whatever it is, Naruto is still Naruto. If anything, his large chakra reserves could help further our training," she added.

He smirked at her. "Hinata, I'm sorry to say but you're addicted to training." Hinata giggled. "But that's definitely not the worst thing to be addicted to, I guess, so I'll let it pass."

Hinata put her hand to her chest, faux-touched. "You're so gracious," she replied. They shared a laugh and the air around them was easier than before.

When Sasuke said goodbye to her at the front gate, he hesitated a moment before reaching over and gently squeezing her hand. Hinata looked down at their hands and then back up at Sasuke's slightly red face before giggling softly. This shy side of her friend was adorable, and she hoped to see more of him. He didn't let go until she squeezed his hand back.

"I'll see you at seven," he said as he turned and walked away.

"Be safe," she said. She watched him walk away for a moment before turning and going through the Hyuuga compound doors. She missed Sasuke turning around to look at her.

Despite everything that had happened—with Shisui, Itachi, the fight with her teammates, and her engagement to Sasuke— Hinata felt happy and hopeful for their future. With Sasuke's vow to bring Itachi back, Hinata knew he couldn't do it alone but he didn't have to. He had Naruto and her, so they would all train together toward common goals and with each other in mind.

There was no greater motivation than wanting to protect your loved ones.


We hope y'all enjoyed the first arc of this story! I will be labeling chapters according to arc to make the story easier to navigate in the future. The next arc will be called Team Kakashi and will be labeled TK, just as this one was labeled P. R3D and I will be taking a week break between all future arcs so we can stay ahead. I'm having some difficulty writing out the Konoha Crush arc, and wanted to make sure we always stay a good ways ahead so we're not scrambling to write the next chapter to keep up with the weekly schedule we've been on. At any rate, I hope everyone understands and is totally okay with it!

We've been getting quite a bit of comments stating that they're torn on who they want to end up together. I wanna get some real numbers on it, so I'll be setting up a poll on my profile for ffnet users to vote. There already is a set ending, but I'm just really curious! Thanks again for tuning into this first arc 3 We hope to see y'all in the next one.

Happy Pride Month!

-hina

NEXT UPDATE: 06/17/23