Naruto, still processing Hinata's words, couldn't shake the warmth that had spread in his chest. He realized that Hinata's admiration for him wasn't just about his strength as a ninja, but about the person he was, it was humbling. As they sat in comfortable silence, he found himself drawn to her, seeing her in a new light.
Hinata felt a sense of relief wash over her, grateful that she had finally been able to express herself. As they sat together on the rooftop, the tension between them eased, replaced by a newfound understanding and connection.
Still reeling, he tried to focus on the task ahead. "Hinata, do you feel ready to be a ninja? I mean, I've been training hard for this moment, but now I'm not too sure. It's just... everything feels so overwhelming right now," he admitted reluctantly.
"Naruto," she began, her voice gentle yet hesitant, "I... I'm worried, too''.
Being surprised, he asks, "Huh, really Hinata?'', seeing her nod, he admits, ''You were always top of the class! You're super smart and talented, you were way better than me''.
Hinata shyly said, "T-thank you, Naruto..."
They both knew that their paths would soon diverge as they were assigned to different squads with different sensei. But for now, they found solace in each other's company, drawing strength from the bond they had formed in their shared moment of vulnerability.
Naruto noticed Hinata's quiet demeanor and so decided to change the subject "Hey, have you been practicing any new jutsu lately?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, but she nodded shyly. "Y-yes, a little bit," she replied softly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Naruto grinned, eager to hear more, "That's awesome! What kind of jutsu are you working on?" he asked, genuinely interested in her training.
Hinata hesitated for a moment before replying, "Um, just some basic techniques... of the Gentle Fist style," she admitted, feeling self-conscious about her abilities.
"Gentle Fist style? That sounds cool! What's that?", he asked, curious.
Hinata's voice trembled slightly as she tried to articulate the concept of the gentle fist to Naruto. "Um, Naruto, it's... it's from my clan. The gentle fist... it's for fighting. We... uh, we hit chakra points to... um, to stop our opponents." She glanced at Naruto, hoping he understood.
Naruto's eyes widened with admiration as Hinata explained the gentle fist technique. "Wow Hinata, that sounds hard. You must be really strong!" He grinned at her.
"Um, thank you, Naruto..." her voice is soft and slightly trembling. She nervously fiddles with her fingers as she tries to find the right words to continue. "But, actually, I'm still learning... I'm not that good yet."
"Hey, don't worry about it, Hinata! We're all still learning, right?'', he says with a smile. "Besides, you have your own style, that's really cool. I'd love to fight you sometime, you know?", he says much to her surprise.
In response to Naruto's request to fight her, Hinata's thoughts are a mix of anxiety and hope. On one hand, she feels nervous about the idea of showing her skills, fearing she might not live up to Naruto's expectations or make a fool of herself. On the other hand, a small spark of hope flickers within her, wishing for Naruto to recognize her efforts.
"Um, y-yes, Naruto... we can try, if you w-want...", her speech is marked by stutters and pauses, showing her hesitation and nervousness in the situation.
Naruto grinned, eager. "Cool! I've been working on my shuriken jutsu with my shadow clones. It's been tough, but I think I'm getting better".
As Naruto mentioned his shuriken jutsu training with his shadow clones, Hinata's curiosity was piqued. "Sh-shadow clones?" she repeated, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Yeah, these shadow clones, they're like, well, copies of me, but they're not just illusions or anything. They're solid, you know? Like, they're real! And get this, they can do everything I can do. Like, if I throw a shuriken, they can throw shuriken too!", he uses his hand to gesture and demonstrate a bit, showing his excitement for the technique.
"And here's the best part, Hinata! When they disappear, I get all their experiences and knowledge back. It's like having multiple versions of me all learning at the same time. Pretty awesome, right?"
"Wow, N-Naruto... T-to think that y-you can create such p-powerful copies of yourself, it's... it's amazing." She says, with a mixture of wonder and admiration, her eyes reflecting her amazement as Naruto explained the intricacies of the shadow clone jutsu. "I had no idea such a jutsu existed," she exclaimed, genuinely impressed by his abilities.
"Well, I said I'd be an amazing ninja, didn't I?" he said, trying to show off a little, and when he heard her giggling, Naruto's chest swelled with pride. "Thanks, Hinata. That means a lot coming from you," he said, feeling grateful for her encouragement.
And just like that, Hinata found herself feeling more at ease in Naruto's presence as he continued to chat about his training.
After a while Hinata's eyes lit up with interest in something specific in Naruto's training, "Th-that sounds amazing, Naruto! Shuriken jutsu requires a lot of precision and focus," she remarked, genuinely impressed by his dedication to training.
Naruto beamed at her praise, glad to have sparked her interest. "Thanks, Hinata! Yeah, it's been hard hitting two targets, but I'm determined to master it," he replied, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her.
And that's how they spent a little time together, and the next thing they knew, their time was up and they had to return to the ninja academy.
"Hey Hinata, I think we should go back to the academy, it's almost time to meet our sensei's."
"H-huh? You're right...", she said a little surprised and disappointed, as she didn't want them to stop spending time together now, when they finally did.
"Come on Hinata, your team must be getting worried about you disappearing out of nowhere", he said without realizing that technically he shouldn't know that.
"Oh, right!" she exclaimed as they walked towards where her team was previously.
After spending a little time talking, she was feeling a little more comfortable, and taking inspiration from him, she decided to tease him a little. "H-how do you k-know my team is in that direction, Naruto?"
'Urk!'
''..." Watching his face turn white as he starts to get desperate, she gives a shy and low laugh and runs away, while saying looking over her shoulder "I'll see you at the a-academy, Naruto."
'Damn, now I'm really embarrassed, heh', he thought to himself as he jumped from roof to roof towards the academy, but his good humor took a dive, when he remembered who is on his team and how much of a pain it will be to have to see her again.
'This is going to be a huge headache', he thought, already feeling a little irritated with the situation.
And as he finally reached the academy, ready to face whatever challenges awaited him, he knew that no matter where their paths may lead, they would always carry with them the connection they had formed on that rooftop.
Meanwhile, Hinata's heart raced with a mixture of nervousness and excitement as she thought about meeting her new sensei. She found herself replaying the conversation she had with Naruto on her mind, and with the prospect of facing a new challenge ahead, she couldn't help but feel a sense of determination to prove herself.
Naruto was heading towards the classroom, his firm footsteps echoing through the academy hallway. As he approached, he saw Sakura standing near the door with a determined expression on her face.
Sakura, with a mixture of shame and guilt in her eyes, says when she sees him, "Naruto, we need to talk."
Ignoring her, Naruto walked past her with a mask of neutrality, but Sakura persisted in her attempt to get his attention.
"Naruto, please listen to me!".
Realizing that he was ignoring her, she decides to try and punch him, as he was being rude to her for nothing, as she was trying to be nice and apologize.
Without hesitation, Naruto quickly turned around, his hand instinctively moving towards Sakura. A muffled sound echoed through the hallway as his palm found her wrist and held tight. Sakura stepped back, shocked by Naruto's action, but before she could say anything, he interrupted her with a dark expression.
"Save it, Sakura. I heard what you said. It seems like you're not as perfect as you pretend to be." Sakura's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening and closing as she searched for words.
"I... I didn't mean..." Sakura started, but he interrupted her. "Keep your excuses, Sakura. I don't need them," Naruto said, his voice tinged with bitterness. ''I know you don't think very highly of me" , he murmured bitterly, "I think I know where we stand, Sakura, there's no need to pretend'', leaving her standing there, her heart heavy with remorse.
Entering the room, naruto looks around looking for an empty chair to sit on. Observing Sasuke sitting and looking out the window, he decides to join his teammate.
Sasuke, upon realizing that someone had sat next to him, turned to see who it was, and saw Naruto there. What he expected was some idiocy from him, something like a challenge or some annoying nonsense, he found himself surprised to see the expression on his face.
"Thank you for standing up for me earlier today," he said, much to Sasuke's surprise.
Not knowing exactly how to respond, he just does his usual "Hn," and turns his face to the window, while thinking, 'He was there? How did I not notice?'
A few seconds later, Sakura walks through the door, looking a bit lost and sad. Seeing that her team was practically together, she seemed to be confused for a few moments, before making up her mind and sitting down with them.
Sasuke can only think about how weird the atmosphere was between the two, not that he cared, but it was unusual for Sakura to be down, since normally it's the opposite.
And that's how things went, as each Jounin instructor showed up to collect their team. Which was annoying for team seven, since their sensei didn't show up for hours.