Densetsu no Yonnin (The Legendary Four) - Chapter III (Rework in Progress)
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine
(Several Months Later – Ninja Academy)
*Thump*
"Oww," Naruto mumbled after he was thrown onto the classroom floor by Iruka. He just pulled a prank on a shopkeeper and was on the run from several shinobi. Unfortunately for him, Iruka caught him and dragged him back to the academy. "You didn't need to throw me on the floor Iruka-sensei," he grumbled as he rubbed his head sending a glare towards Iruka.
"Naruto," Iruka started while rubbing his forehead in irritation, "This is the third time this month. Why must you prank the villagers?"
"Because it's funny," Naruto explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean did you see the look on that guy when he kept scratching himself. It also got the other villagers to laugh!"
Iruka continued to rub his head while muttering about troublesome blondes. This caused a certain Nara to sneeze. "Just go sit down, Naruto," he ordered in finality.
Naruto walked over and sat down with his three friends, ignoring the snickering of the rest of the class. "So, what did you do this time?" Sasuke asked.
A grin sprouted on Naruto's face. "I put itching powder in a guy's underwear! You should have seen him; he was jumping around trying to scratch himself," Naruto explained as he mimicked the movements of the store owner. Sasuke raised an eyebrow with a small smirk, Hinata let out a few giggles, Sakura stared at Naruto with an "Are you serious?" look on her face.
"That wasn't very nice Naruto-kun," Hinata managed to get out.
"It still got you laughing," Naruto pointed out with a cheeky grin, which caused Hinata to giggle harder.
"I can't believe you did that" Sakura muttered. "The immaturity of this one," Inner Sakura muttered with a shake of her head before she burst out laughing. "Oh, who am I kidding, that was hilarious," Sakura ignored her counterpart, but the twitch of her lips betrayed her amusement.
"Now that Naruto is back," Iruka started as he eyed Naruto in annoyance. "I can now announce that we are going to be doing a school project."
This caused various reactions. Most of the class, including Ino, Sakura, and Hinata, perked up at the announcement. Others including Kiba and Naruto groaned in annoyance. Shino and Sasuke remained indifferent. Chōji continued to eat his chips and Shikamaru muttered about projects being a drag.
"For this project, you are going to choose a famous figure or figures in Konoha's history and explain their importance in Konoha's history in a presentation. You can choose any figure living or dead, you must create a poster for your presentation, and you can work in groups of up to four. You will have a week to complete and present your project. Any questions?" Iruka explained.
Naruto raised in hand and Iruka called on him, "Can we do ourselves for our project."
"No, Naruto. You may not," Iruka sighed, and Naruto pouted. "Any other questions," Iruka asked and this time no one raised their hands. "Good, you may now pick your groups," Iruka stated as the class erupted into conversation.
Immediately, all the fangirls rushed to where Sasuke was sitting.
"Sasuke-kun be in my group!"
"Sasuke work with me, we're destined to be together!"
"Hey where did he go?" That stopped the fangirls' screaming as they finally realized that Sasuke wasn't in his seat. All that was there was a blinking, dotted outline of Sasuke. Naruto had to hold back a snicker since he saw Sasuke run before all the fangirls launched themselves at him.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, follow me," Naruto told the girls and they followed him with curious faces as he led them to the back of the classroom. They both donned looks of realization when they saw Sasuke hiding under one of the desks. Naruto struggled to hold back his laughter.
"Do. Not. Laugh," Sasuke growled with an annoyed scowled directed at Naruto.
"I not laughing. This ain't funny at all," Naruto replied but his wide grin and shaking form betrayed that he found this scene hilarious.
Sasuke just sighed and turned to Sakura and Hinata who both held looks of amusement in their eyes. "So, I guess you all want to be in a group together?" he asked.
"Yeah," Sakura answered. Sasuke got up from under that table and it didn't take long for the fangirls to notice him. They also noticed who he was with.
"Hey, Sasuke-kun's with that pink-haired girl again."
"Oh, come on. That ugly harlot got to him first again."
"She probably blocked him from seeing us with her huge forehead."
Sakura became downtrodden, Inner Sakura was ranting about how she would hurt those bitches disguised as students, Sasuke and Hinata frowned at the girls' insults, and Naruto was scowling. "Hey, leave her alone!" Naruto shouted at the fangirls which caused the class to look at him.
"What did you say, loser?" a fangirl asked angrily.
"You heard me! Shut up and leave her alone!" Naruto shouted back.
"How dare you talk to us like that, dead-last," another fangirl snarled.
"I'll talk to you however I like, you hideous harlots," Naruto shouted.
The fangirls began to emit a murderous aura that caused all the boys, except Sasuke, to cower in fear. Even Naruto began to sweat at the reaction from the fangirls. Before they could beat up the blonde, Iruka stepped in, "That's enough! Naruto, you shouldn't antagonize the girls, and girls, Sasuke's group is already full, so just find another one."
The dangerous aura disappeared, and the disgruntled fangirls found other groups to be in. "You didn't have to do that Naruto," Sakura mumbled to Naruto.
"Of course, I did. You're my friend and I couldn't let them talk about you like that," Naruto stated. Sakura wanted to argue but seeing the conviction in his eyes she just nodded her head. Naruto's protectiveness still managed to surprise Sasuke and Hinata even though they had seen it before.
"So, who do you want to do for our project?" Sakura asked.
Bouncing back to his cheerfulness, Naruto suggested, "How about we do a Hokage?"
"But everyone's doing a Hokage," Sasuke pointed out.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. Sasuke pointed to the other groups and Naruto followed his finger.
"I think we should do the Sandaime Hokage," a group discussed.
Sasuke pointed to another group. "Why don't we do the Shodaime Hokage?"
Sasuke again pointed out another group, "The Yondaime would be a good idea".
"Okay I see your point," Naruto mumbled dejectedly, "But I still think we should do someone badass."
"How about the legendary Sannin?" Sakura suggested.
"Who," Naruto asked.
"The Legendary Sannin," Hinata answered, "Were you not paying attention when we had the lesson on them?"
"Umm... yeah," Naruto chuckled sheepishly. Sasuke sighed, Hinata pursed her lips, and Sakura rubbed her forehead.
"You baka," Sakura muttered.
"Hey, don't call me that!"
"Then stop acting so stupid!"
"It's not my fault Iruka-sensei's lectures are so boring!"
"Guys please don't fight," Hinata spoke up.
"...Fine," the two responded after sending each other glares.
"The legendary Sannin were a team of three shinobi whose sensei was the Third Hokage," Sakura explained before she was interrupted.
"Jiji had a genin team!" Naruto exclaimed before he was quieted by a glare from Sakura. "Sorry, continue."
"I still can't believe you call the third Hokage "jiji"" Sakura muttered. "Their names are Jiraiya, Senju Tsunade, and Orochimaru. These three are the best of their generation and they worked together better than a well-oiled machine. In the Second Shinobi War, they were the only ones to survive fighting against Sanshōuo no Hanzō and he named them the Densetsu no Sannin." Sakura finished her explanation. Sasuke and Hinata nodded, and Naruto had stars in his eyes.
"They sound awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. "What happened to them?"
"I don't know about Jiraiya-sama, and Tsunade-sama, but Orochimaru went rogue after he was discovered doing inhumane experiments," Sakura explained.
"I don't want to meet that guy. But Tsunade and Jiraiya sound pretty cool. Okay, let's do them," Naruto decided and Sasuke and Hinata nodded in agreement.
"Okay, so how about we meet up at the library after school and do more research on the three?" Sakura suggested before she noticed Naruto looking hesitant. "What is it Naruto?"
"Oh, nothing. We can meet up at the library," Naruto reassured.
"Alright we'll meet up at the library after school, and Naruto don't be late," Sasuke stated ignoring the indignant cry from the blonde loudmouth.
(Library After School)
Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura were sitting in the library surrounded by textbooks. Sakura was the first to arrive, so she decided to pick out any and every book about the Legendary Sannin. Next to arrive were Sasuke and Hinata who both were surprised at the number of books Sakura had. Now, the three were sitting at a table waiting for the blonde loudmouth. After ten minutes, Sakura began to get annoyed.
"What's that baka doing? He should have been here by now," Sakura wondered, agitated.
"Maybe he had another ramen dream," Sasuke replied blankly though he too was getting annoyed at Naruto's tardiness.
"Guys, I'm sure Naruto-kun has a good reason for being late," Hinata stated.
"He better we've been sitting here for over ten-," Sakura was cut off from her ranting when they heard a commotion outside the library. The three initially dismissed the racket until they recognized one of the voices.
"Is that Naruto?" Sasuke asked. The three decided to go to check out the commotion and what they saw surprised them. Naruto was arguing with the librarian and the woman seemed to be just as heated as him.
"I told you, you're not getting in here, boy," the librarian spat with disgust.
"Oh, come on, I have a project I need to do, and my friends are in there!" Naruto shouted.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again, you not getting in here you brat. I'm sure your group can finish your project without you," the librarian snapped.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Naruto shouted in his head as he gripped his hair.
"Is there a problem over here?" Sasuke spoke up neutrally, though on the inside he was scowling at the librarian.
"Oh, Uchiha-sama! I was just telling this boy that he's not welcome here. Especially in your presence," the librarian explained. Sasuke couldn't keep a frown from his face, Hinata also had a frown, and Sakura knitted her eyebrows together at the librarian while Inner Sakura ranted about smacking her repeatedly with a dictionary.
"Let him in. He's with me," Sasuke ordered the woman who gasped in shock.
"U-Uchiha-sama, are you sure?" the librarian questioned.
"You heard me, right? Let him in," Sasuke ordered again as he scowled at the woman.
"Fine. You may go in, boy," the librarian let Naruto in and the four of them walked over to their table.
"Bitch," Sakura muttered.
"You said it," Sasuke replied.
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Hinata asked when she noticed the energetic blonde was unusually quiet. The other two noticed this and gave him concerned looks.
"...Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto answered and plastered a grin on his face, "Let's hurry up and get this stupid project over with." The others could see past his façade but chose not to comment on it and continued walking to their area.
The four of them have finished studying and are now leaving the library. It took them two hours to finish but they managed to read all the books; although Naruto kept falling asleep, much to Sakura's irritation. They are now well informed about the Legendary Sannin and plan to start their poster tomorrow. When they left the library, they decided to walk each other home in pairs since when the academy ends, they just go home. Now Naruto was walking Hinata home and Sasuke was walking Sakura home.
(With Naruto and Hinata)
"Hey, Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke up as the two walked into the richer part of the Leaf Village.
"What is it, Hinata?"
"Umm... I noticed that some people have been giving you strange glances and some of them talk about you like you're some monster like that librarian. What is that about?" she asked in curiosity. She saw a brief flash of sadness pass through his eyes before it was replaced with fake indifference.
"Oh, don't worry about them. They're just stupid," Naruto replied quickly.
"Well, this doesn't seem like a small problem. This has been happening for a while," Hinata responded since she noticed his treatment from the villagers ever since the academy started.
"Like I said, it's nothing can you please drop it," Naruto insisted.
"But Naruto-"
"Hinata, please" Naruto pleaded. Hinata realized that it was a touchy subject and decided to drop it.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I was just curious that's all," Hinata explained. "Though, you're not the only one who gets those looks," she mumbled to herself. Naruto barely heard it but before he could question her, they arrived at the Hyūga estate. When the guards saw them, they greeted Hinata respectfully, but when they turned to Naruto, they gave him a short "Uzumaki-san".
They said goodbye to each other and Hinata walked off into her home. Before, Naruto walked off the guards called out to him, "You should stay away from her."
Naruto turned back to them with a curious face, "What do you mean?"
"Hinata-sama had no business with someone like you, so you should stay away from her," he explained neutrally, and Naruto frowned.
"And what makes you think she can hang out with me?" Naruto asked now getting irritated.
"Hinata-sama, is the clan heiress. She need not associate herself with commoners. Especially you," the other guard answered in the same neutral tone as the first.
"Hinata-chan can hang out with me anytime she wants. There ain't a damn thing you can change about that!" Naruto shouted and ran off. The guards shook their heads at what they perceived as the boy's ignorance. All the while, they were unaware of Hinata's presence as she listened in on the conversation.
(With Sasuke and Sakura)
"Hey, Sasuke?" Sakura spoke up as they both were walking to her home.
"What is it?" Sasuke responded.
"Has anyone ever told you that your hair looks like a duck's butt?" Sasuke grew a tick mark and glared at Sakura.
"Yes, multiple times," He gritted out. "Why does everyone think that? This hairstyle is cool!"
"Maybe if you're really into birds," Sakura said cheekily and Sasuke groaned. "Duck-butt... That has a nice ring to it. I'm gonna call you that from now on"
"Don't," Sasuke demanded with complete seriousness, but his command was ignored as Sakura kept repeating "Duck-butt" in a sing-song voice.
"You know, Duck-butt," the groan from Sasuke was ignored, "You're different from most nobles," Sakura stated after she stopped her teasing.
"Well, I'm not really a noble, I'm only 8," Sasuke pointed out. "And what do you mean by that?"
"Well, you come from a very famous clan but you not really..." she trailed off attempting to find the right words.
"Prissy, snooty, an asshole to anyone who isn't an Uchiha?" Sasuke listed.
"...Yeah," Sakura blinked before responding. "From what I've heard most nobles act really nasty towards what they think are commoners. But you aren't like that."
"I guess, it's because it wouldn't make sense for me to do it since I don't like it being done to me," Sasuke stated which piqued Sakura's interest.
"What do you mean? Almost everyone in the village sees you as a prince and treats you with respect," Sakura pointed out. She was surprised to see a serious face in the place of his usual neutral façade.
"I wasn't talking about the civilians. And what they show me is not real respect," Sasuke stated and the two lapsed into silence until they reached Sakura's home. Sakura knocked on the door and her mother answered it. She greeted Sakura warmly but when she saw Sasuke, she bowed her head and greeted him with the utmost respect.
"Uh... mom, you don't have to say hi as if he's a prince," Sakura told her mom.
"Nonsense. He is of noble status. I'm just showing him the respect he deserves," Mebuki responded.
"But Mom-" Sakura's protests were silenced by a glare from the older Haruno. Even Sasuke was taken aback by the look though he managed to hide it.
"Don't worry about it, Sakura. I'm gonna leave now," Sasuke stated before he started to walk away.
"Are you sure you don't want to come in? I could fix you dinner," Mebuki offered. All she received was a head shake from the Uchiha as he continued his path.
"Bye, duck-butt!" Sakura called out to Sasuke before she was slapped across the face by Mebuki. When she looked up, she cowered at the look she received from her mother. Now that she wasn't restraining herself in Sasuke's presence, she released her glare full force. Now even Inner Sakura was terrified.
"What is wrong with you. You don't call the last Uchiha "Duck-butt"! Where did you even get that idea from?" Mebuki scolded Sakura.
"I-It was just a p-playful nickname I came u-up with on our way h-home. I noticed the sh-shape of his hair and c-called him it as a j-joke," Sakura explained.
"Don't ever call him that again. You call him either "Sasuke" or "Uchiha-sama". Do you understand me?" Mebuki ordered.
"But Mom-" Sakura was interrupted by another slap.
"Do you understand?!" Mebuki demanded again.
"...Yes, ma'am," Sakura finally answered.
"Good. Now, go do your chores. You should start getting some practice for when Sasuke claims you as his wife," Mebuki ordered Sakura and she walked off to complete her tasks. All the while, Sasuke kept walking to his house in deep thought. He already had suspicions of something being off with Mebuki, and the recent events only enhanced them. He wasn't sure what was wrong with the woman, but he hoped that Sakura was all right and wasn't being hurt by her.
(One Week Later)
Today was the day that the projects were due. Most of the kids completed the project adequately: nobody did an outstanding job on their poster. However, the four's project amazed most of the class.
Their poster was bigger than the others, it had bright letters on all the texts and the name which read "The Legendary Three", and the four even dressed up at the suggestion of Naruto. Hinata was dressed in a red and white robe and hat as the Third Hokage, much to Naruto's displeasure but he got over it at Hinata's insistence. Naruto was dressed in a spiky, white wig and a green shirt and red vest as Jiraiya. He actually fit the part of the Toad Sage perfectly. Sasuke, with much hesitance, was dressed in a straight, black wig and a black shirt as Orochimaru. Sakura was dressed in a twin-tailed, blonde wig and green haori as Tsunade. She also fit the role of Tsunade perfectly. Each of the four explained the roles of the people they were dressed as, and they wound up doing exceptionally well.
Now it was the end of the school day and the four were going their separate ways to relax the rest of the day.
Or at least that's what they planned on doing.
(Sakura)
Sakura was heading to her home while humming a jolly tune unaware of the unwanted attention she was receiving.
"Just look at her."
"Acting all smug just because she has Sasuke-kun all to herself."
"She has beaten us to his heart too many times. This project is the last straw."
"I say we teach her a lesson."
"Yeah," two voices agreed, and they started to make a plan.
Sakura continued her walk for several minutes until she passed by an alley and was roughly grabbed by several hands. The hands forced her against the wall. Sakura looked at her attackers and saw that they were three of Sasuke's fangirls, and they all had pissed-off expressions on their faces. Sakura began to tremble, "W-What do you want?"
"For too long you have been keeping Sasuke-kun from us!" fangirl 1 growled.
"Yeah, you never let us around him," fangirl 2 spoke up.
"And I've had it," fangirl 3 proclaimed.
"Y'all think I'm trying to steal Sasuke from you? I don't even like him like that," Sakura stated. "And I can't steal something you don't own!" Inner Sakura yelled.
"Bullcrap! You've had your eyes set on him since day one!" fangirl 3 screamed.
"And now we're gonna make sure that doesn't happen again," fangirl 2 announced.
"Hold still," fangirl 1 said and she punched Sakura in her cheek knocking her to the ground. She then started to kick Sakura repeatedly and the other fangirls joined in. Sakura let out pained cries for several minutes and the girls continued to beat on her. When the girls finished, Sakura was bleeding and had bruises all over her body.
"Hold her down!" fangirl 1 ordered and 2 and 3 complied holding down Sakura's arms and legs.
"Wait what are you doing?" Sakura asked terrified. "Let me go you heifers!" Inner Sakura yelled.
"You seem to really like that hair of yours. It would be a shame if it were to get damaged," fangirl 1 stated as she pulled out some scissors with a malicious glint in her eyes.
Sakura's eyes widened as she realized what the fangirls were planning. "No! Stop! Please!" she pleaded as she struggled to get free. Even Inner Sakura's yells lost their anger and were replaced by fear.
The fangirl didn't listen, and she continued to lower the scissors to her hair. Sakura's struggles became more frantic, but it was all for not. The scissors made contact with the long, flowing, pink strands, and with several motions, Sakura's hair was cut.
The world seemed to go still as Sakura saw fangirl 1 throw her hair on the ground. The one part of her appearance she took special care of, the one thing her mother actually thought was pretty was ruined. Sakura's eyes began to fill with tears when that realization hit her full force.
The fangirls stepped back to examine their work and smirked triumphantly. "Maybe that'll teach you to stay away from Sasuke-kun." Sakura didn't respond to the taunt. "What you don't have anything else to say. Figures. Imagine what Sasuke-kun would think of you now. He would probably say-" their taunts were cut off when they received a pile of trash thrown in their faces. The fangirls screamed in disgust, and they turned to the alley's entrance and saw Naruto standing with an empty trashcan.
"You stay away from Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled.
"You... You bastard!" fangirl 3 screamed.
"I oughta beat the crap outta you!" fangirl 1 also screamed.
"You gotta catch me first to do that!" Naruto proclaimed and stormed off.
"After him!" fangirl 2 shouted and the three of them sprinted after the blonde prankster.
Sakura sat there in shock at the actions of Naruto. While she had seen Naruto's protective side before, it still astounded her that Naruto would go so far for his friends. It was Inner Sakura that snapped her out of her daze, "Get up! We need to go help Naruto!"
"What?"
"They're gonna hurt Naruto. We need to go help him!"
"But I can't fight them. They'll just beat me up along with him."
Inner Sakura finally lost her cool and snapped. "DAMMIT, SAKURA! Naruto needs our help! We can't just sit here and let those bitches beat him up. You saw what they did to you, they'll probably do something worse to him. So, get off your ass and go help him!"
Inner Sakura's words finally hit home, and Sakura realized the truth. All those fangirls talking about her when they thought she wasn't looking and the three that just cut her hair did that because they knew she wouldn't fight back. Now they were targeting her friend.
She would be damned if she let that happen.
Sakura's eyes hardened as she stood up and began to run after the path Naruto and the fangirls took. It wasn't long before she found the fangirls cornering Naruto in another alley. The fangirls stormed closer to Naruto while radiating a murderous aura. Naruto was shaking in fear, but he still held his fists up in a defensive stance with a serious expression. Sakura's anger reached her peak and she stormed off towards fangirl 1. She then punched her as hard as she could in her cheek sending her flying and hitting a wall.
The other two were shocked by this action but quickly recomposed themselves and glared at Sakura. "You... you bitch! How dare you!" fangirl 1 screamed as she rubbed her sore cheek.
"I've had it with you fangirls. You all think I'm stealing Sasuke from you just because I'm hanging around him more than you. Are you that stupid? How have you not figured out that Sasuke doesn't like you? All you do is annoy him all the time. And now you've gone too far with cutting my hair and trying to hurt my friend. I swear to kami you three better get out of my sight or I'm going to beat you so bad your mothers won't recognize you." Sakura began to emit a dark aura that outclassed the combined aura of the three fangirls and the glare she gave the trio could have melted a block of ice. The trio was absolutely terrified, and Naruto was scared as well even though the glare wasn't being directed at him. The trio scurried off away from Sakura and Naruto. "And go take a shower while you're at it!"
"...Holy shit!" Naruto got out.
"I've been holding that in for too long," Sakura stated as she reeled in her murderous aura.
"Sakura-chan, that was amazing! They almost peed themselves! They were so scared! How did you do that thing where this black thing surrounded you?!" Naruto rambled on.
"Slow down, Naruto. Thanks, I could tell, and I don't know I just kind of did it," Sakura explained with a sheepish smile. "By the way, how did you know I was in trouble."
Naruto snapped out of his rambling and grew serious. "I saw those girls dragging you away. I ran over to see what was happening and I saw them pinning you against the wall. I decided to help in the best way possible. I just wished I got there before this happened," he explained and gestured to Sakura's cut hair.
Sakura's expression grew somber and so did the atmosphere. "Why do you have to put yourself at risk for me?" Sakura asked.
"What do you mean?"
"You could have just let me be. You didn't have to step in. What if those girls caught up to you!" Sakura exclaimed.
"I don't care if I get hurt. But if my friends are getting hurt and I can stop it, I will no matter what," Naruto stated with conviction.
Sakura just stared at him for a few moments before she sighed and hung her head low. "You are such a baka."
"I told you to stop calling me that!"
"Alright," she relented much to Naruto's surprise. "I'll just call you baka-chan instead."
"That's even worse!"
"Which is exactly why I'm gonna keep calling you that!"
Naruto glared at Sakura and Sakura smirked back at Naruto before they both burst into laughter. "Come on let's go home. I know you want to get that fixed." Naruto suggested and gestured to Sakura's hair. "You actually look pretty with short hair," he complimented.
Sakura eyed Naruto suspiciously, "Yeah, right. You're just saying that."
"I'm serious!" he insisted, "Short hair seems to fit you."
Sakura finally relented and let a small smile grace her lips. "Thanks, baka-chan," Naruto glared at Sakura before he grumbled under his breath and took her by the hand to lead her home. Along the way she spoke up, "Naruto, my house is the other way." Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly before they switched directions and headed towards Sakura's house.
(Sasuke)
Around the same time, Sasuke was taking a stroll through the park to clear his mind. This was one of the things he liked to do whenever he needed to clear his mind or if he just felt like it. It was a very calming activity. At least when the park was clear of villagers and fangirls.
Along his path, he noticed a head of indigo blue hair. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that it was Hinata sitting on a bench. He honestly didn't know much about the girl. She was usually quiet and the only time she wasn't was when she was around them. He initially dismissed her as being weak when he observed her shy demeanor. However, that idea didn't hold water when he heard how she saved Sakura from her mother. He decided to let her stick around to see if there was more to her shy exterior.
Sasuke also noticed that Hinata held a sad expression and occasionally she would let out a sniffle. Deciding that he didn't like seeing her like this he strolled over to her and announced his presence, "Hey, Hinata."
Hinata snapped out of her somber mood and wiped her nose when she saw that the voice belonged to Sasuke. "H-Hi, Sasuke-san".
"Nice weather we're having today," Sasuke stated as he sat down beside her.
"Oh-uh, yes. The day is quite beautiful," Hinata responded.
They lapsed into an awkward silence until Sasuke spoke up, "What's the matter."
"W-what d-do you m-mean?" Hinata asked surprised.
"You're sitting in a park by yourself, and you look like you're about to cry. Something is definitely wrong," Sasuke pointed out.
Hinata tried to wave off Sasuke's concern. "S-Sasuke-san everything is f-"
"Hinata." The look in Sasuke's eyes told her that he didn't believe a word she said. Realizing that he wasn't going to budge, she stopped holding back her tears and buried her face into his jacket. This caught Sasuke off guard and he began to panic, trying to figure out what he should do. He then thought back to what his mother would do when he cried. So, he wrapped his arms around her and began to rock her. For several minutes, the only sound was Hinata's sobs until she stopped crying. "What's the matter?" Sasuke asked again.
Hinata turned puffy eyes to Sasuke and began to explain the issue to him.
(Flashback - Hyūga Compound)
"You two will participate in a mock battle today," Hyūga Hiashi announced much to the surprise of Hinata and Hanabi who were standing in a training field. "I want to see all the skill and power you've gained until now. Do not go easy on each other. Fight with the intent to defeat each other."
Several whispers broke out among the Hyūgas present, questioning Hiashi's thinking. Hiashi walked up to his eldest daughter and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Hinata...," Hiashi began as her eyes met his. "You are the successor of the Hyūga clan. Show me that you are worthy of that."
Hinata's gaze shifted to the ground, "Yes".
Hinata and Hanabi stood across from each other with their Byakugans activated. Each of their gazes had determination. "Begin!" Hiashi announced.
Immediately, Hanabi dashed at Hinata and attempted a palm struck which was blocked by her older sister. The two of them began to exchange fast blows, though it was mostly Hanabi attacking and Hinata blocking or dodging. Hanabi jumped back to gain ground, "Hinata-neesama," she thought with a smile before rushing back to her sister.
They once again began exchanging blows with Hanabi occasionally making jump attacks that were blocked by Hinata. Meanwhile, the spectators were impressed by Hanabi's performance while they thought Hinata's was mediocre. Their father and grandfather just watched with neutral expressions.
"There's no end to this," Hanabi thought as she deflected Hinata's blows. "Right there!" Hanabi saw a potential opening in Hinata's stomach and aimed a palm strike there. However, Hinata moved to the side and deflected Hanabi's palm downward. Hanabi's eyes widened when she realized her back was wide open to attack.
However, the attack never came. Hinata hesitated to strike her little sister, and this enabled Hanabi to right herself. They both prepared themselves in an attack stance. The sisters dashed at each other to deliver one final attack. The attacks landed and everyone was shocked at the result. Hanabi was still standing, and she widened her eyes when she saw Hinata lying on the ground.
"Stop," Hiashi called out. He let out a disappointed sigh as he walked over to Hinata and crossed his arms.
Hinata stood to her feet with tears in her eyes, "Father..."
"To fall to Hanabi who is four years younger than you...," Hiashi trailed off before sternly ordering, "Enough, you may go!"
Hinata shut her eyes and ran off outside the training ground. Hanabi only stood there staring at her feet mulling over the recent battle.
(End Flashback)
"My family has been calling me weak for years. I keep telling myself that it's not true, but I'm afraid that my fight with my sister has proved them right. I do my best whenever I train but I just can't seem to get the moves right," Hinata explained.
Sasuke just sat there still holding onto Hinata. He was shocked that Hinata's home life was like this. Everyone was pressuring her to do better and always criticizing her whenever she messed up. He then began to draw parallels between her life and his.
"You know, Hinata," Sasuke spoke getting her attention, "You're not the only one who was looked down upon by their family."
Hinata wiped away her tears, "What do you mean?"
"My older brother, Itachi, was a prodigy. He was a prodigy among prodigies. He graduated from the academy when he was 7, became a chūnin at 10, and joined ANBU at 11 and became ANBU captain at 13. He was the pride of the Uchiha clan. So much so that I could never get out of his shadow. This didn't bother me until my clansmen started comparing me to him. Whenever I would succeed at something, they always said "Itachi did it better", "Itachi did it at a younger age", and "Why can't you be more like Itachi?" Even my father sometimes did this. The only ones who didn't were Itachi, his girlfriend, Izumi, and his friend, Shisui," Sasuke explained before he turned to Hinata's widened eyes. "I was looked down on too. But we can't let that stop us. If people don't want to see us for who we are, we shouldn't try to make them."
Hinata mulled over Sasuke's words. She didn't know if his belief was the best for her situation. She stilled vowed to try to gain her family's acceptance, but she didn't completely dismiss Sasuke's words. Hinata nodded her head in appreciation, "Thanks, Sasuke-kun".
"Don't worry about it," Sasuke waved off her apology, "We should probably head home. It's getting kind of late." Hinata nodded her head and they both walked off towards their homes.
A.N.: I honestly don't know how to feel about this chapter. In my early stages of writing it, I did not like the result. So, I did an overhaul, and this is the finished product. I felt that the bond between Naruto and Sakura, and Sasuke and Hinata was the weakest. So, I made this chapter to strengthen those bonds and make their four-way friendship more believable.
Also, in canon, Hanabi is five years younger than Hinata. I changed that in this story in order for future events to make sense.
Thanks for reading.
Translations:
Shodaime (First)
Nidaime (Second)
Sandaime (Third)
Yondaime (Fourth)
Sanshōuo no Hanzō (Hanzo of the Salamander)
Densetsu no Sannin (The Legendary Three Ninja)
Date: Oct/29/2021