Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto


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'Person thinking'

"Person talking"

"Jinchuriki talking inside his head with Bijuu"

'Bijuu thinking'

"Bijuu talking"

"Bijuu talking inside jinchurki's head"


Chapter 29 – Resolutions

Naruto reached the academy barely on time. Still, he was glad not to be late this once, since this was the last place that he wanted attention from at the moment.

However, being the last to arrive, all eyes were trained on him as he entered. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't exactly discreet during the events the day prior. 'Poop, what if they saw me run away with Sasuke?! Oh no!'

Steadily, he walked towards his seat to the back of the class, hoping against hope that no one would call him out about yesterday's events.

"Oi, Naruto!" That was Kiba's voice.

'Poop. Ok, maybe it's something else. Please, Kami, let it be something else!'

Slowly, Naruto turned around and his feelings switched instantly from worry to surprise. In front of him stood Kiba with a small white puppy with dark gray flappy ears resting on his head.

"Oi, Naruto, meet Akamaru. He's going to be my ninja hound!" Kiba's excited announcement elicited an enthusiastic bark from the young puppy.

"Wow, you got one already?! That's awesome!" Steadily, he approached Akamaru and petted him on the head. "It's nice to meet you, Akamaru!" Again, the young pup replied with an excited bark, showing that he understood the message.

"Wanna play with me and Akamaru after class today?"

"Oh, umm, I have some things to do after class. But we can definitely do that tomorrow or the day after! That sounds like fun!"

"Oh, ok. Sure thing! Let's do it tomorrow!"

Shortly after their conversation, Daisuke sensei appeared and ordered the two to take their seats so classes could start.

Upon taking his seat, he visibly relaxed, satisfied that he wasn't seen by anyone the day before.

With the corner of his eye however, he noticed that Hinata looked even more tense than usual. 'What's up with her? Maybe I should talk to her during lunch. Wait, what if she saw me? She couldn't though. She was the first to leave. Unless, she didn't. Oh man... How do I go about it? She usually eats her bento indoors, alone. Guess I can talk to her then and find out if this is really why she feels this way.'


Once lunch break came around, Naruto enacted his plan.

"Oi, Naruto! Let's go eat lunch!" Shouted Kiba from his seat.

"You go grab a good spot. I'll be with you in a sec. Gotta go to the bathroom first."

"Oh, ok. I'll see you there then."

Nodding, Kiba and the rest of the class, with the exception of Hinata, left the room. Apparently, Hinata seemed to have noticed and accepted this to happen. 'Yeah, she definitely saw something.' Thought Naruto despondently.

Finally alone, Naruto initiated the conversation.

"Oi, Hinata-chan. You seem worried. What's wrong?"

"I-I…" she trailed hesitantly.

"Hinata-chan?"

"..." Hinata just fidgeted in place, steadily turning darker shades of red in embarrassment at her own weakness.

"Sigh… if you don't want to talk about it, it's ok. Sometimes things are just tough to talk about. I should know, hehe. Just know that I'm here if you need me, ok?" As he said these words, Naruto smiled towards the girl, trying to reassure her.

The boy then got up, grabbed his lunch and made to leave.

"I-I saw you yesterday. With my Byakugan."

Naruto stopped in his tracks. Feelings similar to Natsumi's that morning now coursed through his heart. Slowly, he sat back down, dejected, expecting the worst.

"I'm sorry if I scare you now. It's ok if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I understand."

Surprisingly, Naruto felt Hinata's hand on his shoulder. He looked towards her, dumbfounded by her boldness. He could see that it took all her willpower to even attempt such an act. Coming from her, this was indeed an admirable effort.

"N-Naruto-kun. You saved Sasuke-kun yesterday, didn't you?"

Naruto, already accepting that he was discovered, could do nothing but nod dumbly in confirmation.

"T-then you are a hero. You should feel proud. You did a great thing."

"Huh, I guess so… Thanks, Hinata. This means a lot to me." His sincerely smiling face turned to surprised curiosity not long after that, however, as he continued "Don't you have questions though?"

Hinata pulled away and gazed towards the front of the class, with a far-off look in her eyes. Then, a knowing smile appeared on her face. "Some things… some things are tough to talk about. I can wait until you are ready."

Her acceptance of him made Naruto feel genuinely happy. Alas, he also knew that it was better if he explained things to her rather than let other people with misleading intentions do the talking for him.

"The cat's out of the bag already. No point in waiting. Let's talk about it after class. Meet me at the training ground close to training ground 44. Do you know where it is?"

"Y-yes."

"I'll meet you there. It's best that you are not seen by other people around me. I'm not exactly liked by the villagers. Soon, you will understand why."

"It's that red chakra, right? I could see it. With my Byakugan."

"Yeah… it's about that. By the way, why did you have your Byakugan active outside of combat or missions? Isn't that like, not allowed?"

Suddenly, Hinata became extremely embarrassed. This actually amused Naruto a little.

"You know, it's kinda creepy to stalk people. If you wanted to talk to me, you could have just said something." He said jokingly.

'... I shouldn't have said that.' That was all Naruto could think when he saw how ashamed and small Hinata made herself at his reprimand, even if it was made in jest. 'Just what is going on with her? This is definitely not normal.'

"Look, Hinata. That came out wrong. I'm sor-"

"No, Naruto-kun. You are right. It was inappropriate of me to do that. I should be the one to apologize."

"Sigh… guess we have lots to talk about huh? Anyways, I gotta get going or Kiba will get suspicious. I'll see you after class."

"Ok. Enjoy lunch, Naruto-kun."

"You too, Hinata!" He replied smiling. Hinata responded with a weaker but sincere smile of her own.

As he made his way towards Kiba however, his expression became grim. 'How many more saw me in the village? Sure hope that's not gonna make things worse for me. Guess I'll have to talk to Jiji about that too. Argh! I really messed up!'


After some waiting, Naruto finally appeared before Kiba.

"Finally! You took your sweet time!"

"Hey, I'm here now, right?"

"Yeah, yeah."

The two boys were steadily enjoying their lunch when Kiba suddenly smelled something.

"Yo, Naruto, why do you smell like a fox?"

"Huh? Where did that come from? And how do you even know what foxes smell like?!"

"Mom had me and my sister join her on a few hunts and taught us about scents as part of my tracking training. I could never miss the musky, stinky smell of foxes. They're almost as bad as skunks!"

Suddenly, Kiba saw Naruto stare into space for a few seconds, barely holding himself from laughter. Not too long after that, he just broke down and laughed like crazy.

"Oi! Naruto! What's so funny?"

It took quite a bit for the blond jinchuriki to gather himself. Finally, he responded "Sorry, Kiba, it's just that the way you said it sounded really funny. But seriously, do I really smell like a fox?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's dulled down and no normal nose would pick it up, but I can feel that smell all over your body. It's kinda weird now that I think about it. Did you go hunting or something too?"

"Heh, I guess? I did go around the village yesterday, so who knows? Maybe I picked it up from some of the places where I sat down."

"That could happen." Kiba wasn't convinced. He might not be the smartest tool in the shed, but he could tell a bullshit excuse when he heard one. Then there was also the fact that Naruto was a bit tense when he gave his reasoning. 'First he's an alpha among the pups, now he smells of foxes. Also, now that I think about it, the whiskers are kinda strange too. I need more information.' His musings, however, were interrupted by Naruto's intervention.

"Is there a way for me to learn how to smell things like you guys do?"

"Umm, enhancing senses with chakra isn't a clan secret so you should find something on that in the library. I think. If not, I can teach you. It won't be as good as our noses, since our clan has a knack for this stuff, but it's better than not knowing how to do it at all."

"Oh, cool! I'll definitely learn this! Seems super useful!"

"It is! Our clan is one of the best tracking ninjas in the elemental nations!" Replied Kiba proudly. In the back of his head however, the new clue was puzzling him more than ever. Alas, asking for anything more now would be suspicious so he decided to change the subject.

"Oi, Naruto. What do you think about what happened yesterday?"

"You mean with the Uchiha clan?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm… It's definitely messed up that someone from inside the village tried something like that. Kinda makes it hard to trust your own people."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that too. The Inuzuka don't much like the Uchiha, but that was still really messed up. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad they were able to save the clan. It seems to have taken their pride down a notch too, now that they know they're not invincible. Kami knows, that was needed."

"Hehe, yeah, you can say that again."

At the end of their lunch break, Kiba took his seat in class and fell deep into his own thoughts. 'The smell is definitely a clue. But to what? A summon? A pet? And why didn't I smell it on him until today? It's not like my sense of smell was any worse a week ago. Argh! This just makes everything even more confusing!'


Once classes were over, Naruto made his way to his secluded training ground. Once there, he connected with the Kyuubi, for a short conversation.

"Oi, Kurama, do you know of a way to hide that scent of your chakra from my body? If Kiba could smell it, others might too and I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone to know what we can do."

"You meant to say that you don't like to smell musky and stinky like a skunk?"

"Hey! Not fair! I didn't say that!"

"But you thoroughly enjoyed it when dog boy said it. After your little display, I wouldn't tell you even if I knew how. More importantly, if you really wanted to maintain secrecy, you should have been more discrete yesterday. As it stands, anyone with eyes to see could have spotted you. I wouldn't be surprised if all adult shinobi in the village know about our capabilities by now."

"Poop! I really screwed up!"

"Alas, it was either that or let the Uchiha brat die. Though, I can't say I'm happy that we were discovered while trying to save an Uchiha of all people."

"I guess…"

"Your vixen has arrived."

"Vixen?"

"It's a term used for one's mate of a lifetime."

"Wha-? What the heck, Kurama?! We're too young for that kind of stuff!"

"And yet, you stare at her aura and worry about her every chance you get. And you called her a creep. Quite hypocritical of you, don't you think? If anything, you seem to be made for each other."

"Argh! I'm not listening to this anymore!"

Naruto angrily cut his connection to a laughing Kurama and focused on his surroundings, in an attempt to sense where Hinata was coming from.

Sure enough, the tailed beast was right. Hinata entered the clearing not long after their exchange ended. Timidly, she approached Naruto, who was sitting under one of the many trees surroundings his training spot.


"Oh, hey, Hinata! You made it!"

"H-hello, Naruto-kun."

"Come, sit. I'm sure you have questions."

"O-ok."

Hinata was doing her best to maintain her composure, but sitting next to her favorite blond was definitely not helping her case. Her shyness was completely overridden by fierce protectiveness however, when she noticed the troubled look on Naruto's face. He was clearly struggling with the current situation as well, though likely for very different reasons. She did maintain a respectful distance from the blond though, not wanting to offend or disturb him in any way.

Once the two finally found themselves comfortable, Naruto took the initiative.

"So, before I tell you anything about yesterday, I think you should know that what I'm about to say is an S rank secret that only I'm allowed to tell to other people. Well, me and jiji. Hokage-jiji said people who break this rule can be punished by death. Knowing this, do you still want me to tell you?"

The prospect of such a heavy responsibility falling on her shoulders both scared and troubled her greatly. A few moments later however, flashes of Naruto taking a beating for her sake ran through her mind, followed by the image of Naruto saving Sasuke from the would-be kidnapper the day before. 'Naruto-kun has been strong for me. Strong for Sasuke-kun. I must be strong for him now. Prove to him that I can stand by his side and that he can trust me.' With renewed determination, she looked towards Naruto and nodded, her gaze showing a decisiveness that seemed to have surprised the boy.

Naruto proceeded to explain to Hinata the truth behind the events surrounding the Kyuubi, as well as his relationship with the tailed beast. To say that these revelations were shocking would be the understatement of the century. Once the shock subsided, she, for the first time in her life, felt truly angry. Not with Naruto, not with herself, but at every single one of the villagers who treated Naruto in such appalling ways, even though he was a hero. So deep in her thoughts she was that she almost didn't hear her companion's voice when he intervened once more.

"Hinata. I understand if you want to stay away from me. I can move to a different spot in class if it helps."

"No!" Hinata, realizing her outburst, quickly shrunk back into herself in embarrassment. Such abrasiveness was unbecoming of the heiress of the Hyuga after all. "I-I mean, you don't have to do that, Naruto-kun. To me, you are a hero, and nothing will change that. The adults who think ill of you are silly. One day, they too will see how amazing you really are."

"Thanks, Hinata-chan!"

"Maybe, one day, I'll be strong too." She replied meekly, more like a silent prayer than anything else.

"You know, Hinata-chan, you're stronger than you think." Naruto continued, surprising the girl with his statement. "I wouldn't have trusted you with this secret if I didn't think you could handle it, ya know."

"H-how do you know how strong I am?" She found it very difficult to believe him. To her, it felt like he was just buttering her up to make her feel better. An act of pity, not acknowledgement.

"I can see with more than eyes, remember?" He replied, smiling that warm smile that always made her dizzy. She locked eyes with him, now anxious to hear his every word. "Every time I was down, I could feel your worry. You may be shy, but you pushed through it all just to give me comfort this morning. Same a few weeks back, when I accidentally hit you. Sorry again about that, hehe." He finished abashedly scratching the back of his head. Soon, his mood turned melancholic, as he continued "Also, I could sense your troubles, you know. I know how heavy your heart is and how much strength it took to act that way towards me. You're strong, Hinata. Don't let anyone tell you different."

His acknowledgement meant so much to her, but she found it so difficult to believe… so overcome with emotions she was that her eyes started tearing up. Soon, soft sobs followed as she shrunk into herself and hugged her knees tightly.

"Hinata-chan! What is it?! Did I say something wrong? I didn't mean to upset you!"

'Still worried about me, even when he did everything right…' through her sobs, she gathered what little strength she had to make sure she would dispel such thoughts from his mind. "Y-you did nothing wrong, Naruto-kun… it's just… No one has ever told me that before."

"Don't you like, have parents and stuff that care about you?" Hinata idly noticed Naruto's puzzled expression, a face which made him look rather cute. His honesty and care made her, for the first time in a long while, feel comfortable enough to trust someone with her burdens. Also, he entrusted her with his after all, did he not? It would only be fair to show that she trusts him just as much.

"Mother used to." she said with a sad smile, whilst wiping the tears with her sleeve. Her expression however turned to sorrow as she continued. "But she is dead. And, father says I am weak. That I'm not fit to be heiress to the Hyuga clan."

"Whoa, that's messed up. Why would he even say that?"

"I always lose to my little sister in sparring matches. A strong will and mastery of the gentle fist are required to be recognized as heir."

"Then why doesn't he train you?"

"H-he does…"

"You mean he beats you up."

Hinata couldn't bring herself to voice her admittance of that fact. All she could muster at the moment was a nod in confirmation.

"Alright. I'm gonna go kick his ass now." Naruto replied standing up. A fierce look was in his eyes and killing intent radiated from him, much to Hinata's shock. She had never expected this warm boy to show such cold blooded determination.

"No! Please don't!"

"Huh? Why not? What he's doing to you is messed up! I can't accept it!"

"Naruto-kun, please…You'll only make things worse."

"Huh? Why's that?"

"If you do that, father will say I can't even handle my own problems. It will make me look even weaker."

"Didn't think of that… argh! This is so annoying! I want to help but I can't!" Naruto then sat back down with a comically frustrated look on his face, which made the lavender eyed girl giggle slightly, much to Naruto's surprise.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? But I didn't do anything."

"You listened and you care. This means more than you know."

"If you say so… something doesn't add up though."

"What do you mean?"

"You're stronger than your little sister, aren't you?"

"H-how would you know?" Hinata felt like a cat caught eating the canary when she asked that question.

"Well, when you said that you always lose to your little sister, it didn't sound like you couldn't win. It sounded more like you wouldn't. So, what's up with that?"

Saddened and ashamed, Hinata explained. "I… I don't really like hurting people. I like hurting my little sister even less. And… I fear that if I do defeat her, then father will have her go through corrective training instead."

"Wow… So, you're taking the training so she doesn't have to go through it."

"Yes..."

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm kinda glad I'm an orphan. At least I don't have crazy parents trying to 'train' me."

"Father didn't use to be like that."

"Really?"

"Yes. I remember he was warmer and kinder when mother was still alive. When she died, it's like his kindness died with her. Ever since then, it's been all about training, and doing our duties to the clan."

"Huh… so, he's hurting too probably. But that still doesn't make it right to take it out on you."

"I guess not..."

Both children fell deep in thought for a few minutes. The many revelations burdened their young minds quite heavily.

"In a messed up way though, your dad also kinda has a point."

Hinata was completely shocked. She never would have thought that Naruto of all people would pull such a complete one eighty on her.

"What, do you mean?"

"Well, on my way here, I ran into some of the people who used to mess with me a few months back, when I couldn't defend myself. And you know what happened? They saw me, tensed up and looked the other way. I think they must have heard what I did yesterday and know that I got stronger. And you know what I realized? Strength can be used to hurt, sure, but it can also be used to make the bad guys think twice before hurting other people."

"I-I never thought of it that way…"

"Yeap! So, if you become strong, you can protect your precious people without having to really hurt anybody." Replied Naruto enthusiastically. "Well, most of the time. Sometimes you still gotta do whatcha gotta do…" As he admitted that, his shoulders slumped a little and his expression saddened in disappointment. Thoughtfulness overtook him for a few seconds, after which he perked up again and looked at Hinata, curiously asking "But, umm, isn't your clan's technique called the gentle fist because it's, well ya know, gentle? Like, doesn't it help you, I don't know, put the bad guys down without really hurting them?"

Hinata, once again, fell into deep thought. Naruto's words struck at something deep within her. She analyzed the gentle fist and its theory - as far as she knew it at the moment of course - and realized that indeed, if used correctly, her clan's techniques had great potential to subdue and neutralize without crippling or even hurting the opponent. There was still pain though, when the tenketsu (chakra points) on a person's body were forcibly closed by a Jūken user, but not all the time, and the Jūken, in its most lethal techniques, still relied on pain inducing attacks. The difference was that it struck at the internal organs instead of the muscle or the bone. 'I wonder if I could make the gentle fist truly gentle. It seems possible. It's already half way there.' That realization gave her true hope for the future. 'Yes. Father wants me to become strong, but I can't become strong the way he wants me to. So, I'll just become strong my own way.'

"Thank you, Naruto-kun." She replied smiling genuinely, openly, without reserve.

"Umm, did you figure something out?"

"Yes. I believe I now know how to become strong in my own way." She replied with unexpected ease. All her troubles seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders as a result of this epiphany, a feeling she greatly enjoyed.

"Someone's coming. 500 meters away. Two people. They're coming towards our clearing quite fast." Said Naruto suddenly. "And they seem very annoyed."

Hinata activated her Byakugan to investigate and deactivated it a second later. "It's Ko-san and Neji-niisan."

"Who are they?"

"Ko-san is my retainer. Neji-niisan is my cousin."

"What's a retainer?"

"He is supposed to protect me while I am away from the compound."

"Ok… And how come he didn't come with you over here?"

"I… may have left the academy before he arrived to take me home."

"And it took him this long to find you?"

"As you already know, we are not allowed to use our Byakugan outside of battle or sparring. I suppose that helped."

"Hehe, you're a bit of a prankster too, aren't ya?" asked Naruto, with a tone that she could swear held a hint of pride within it. 'Wait: 'too'? … then, could he really be the Prankster King?!' Her thoughts were interrupted by Neji's appearance in the clearing. The boy sported long brown hair that fell down to his waist, white kimono and a band tied around his forehead. Ko-san's appearance mirrored Neji's to a great degree, save for the short hair and much more imposing stature. Ko-san was a respected Jonin of the clan after all.

Upon reaching the two, Neji noticed Hinata's company and she could swear that he scowled towards her and even more intensely towards Naruto. This did not make her feel at all proud to be a member of the clan. She was also certain that his attitude did not escape Naruto either, much to her dismay.

"Hinata-sama! I have finally found you. For a moment, I feared the worst. We were supposed to be at the compound an hour ago." Said Ko Hyuga in a worried tone.

"Ko-san. Thank you for finding me. I lost my way through the village. Naruto-kun offered to help me find my way home."

"I see…" Neither Ko nor Neji were convinced, but chose to let it slide for now. Hiashi would have to deal with this once he heard of it. "Hinata-sama, we must go. Hiashi-sama will surely be upset should you miss the afternoon training."

"I understand. Let us go. Naruto-kun, thank you for the directions. Ko-san will take it from here."

"Umm, ok. I'll see you in class, Hinata-chan."

After a short bow, she turned away from her favorite blond and joined her cousin and retainer back to the compound. Neither spoke a word towards her on the way home, but that suited the little girl quite well, because her mind was racing with thoughts on what she should do to achieve her newfound dream, while her heart felt lighter than ever, thanks to the support she received from the object of her affections.

'I will become strong too. For Naruto-kun, for Hanabi-chan; even for you and father, Neji-niisan.'