A/N: I'm posting this a bit early because I wanted to move my uploads to the weekend.

This chapter will focus on the time before Naruto and Hinata join the academy. Assume all skipped canon events remain canon. This chapter has a bit of skipping around, so events like the Hyuuga Affair won't be covered, but some will be referenced. I made sure to embed ages or the amount of time between events into the story, but if it gets confusing, I'll add a timeline at the bottom in an edit.

thor94: The main characters will retain their canon personalities at the start, but that will change as their experiences differ from the show. For example, Hinata will start as the same shy girl she was in the show, but because she's hanging around Naruto so much without anyone to break her confidence, her stuttering will go away much earlier. You'll see a lot of development in the next chapter specifically. As for your other questions, none of the children will be neglected. I don't like that trope either. For the rest, you'll have to wait and see. c:

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any related content. c:

Chapter 2: Snow

Tears poured out from her pupiless eyes, streaks of thin red lines branching out from her pearlescent lavender irises. The young girl hugged her knees to her chest as she sat on a lone bench, her short midnight blue hair being solely illuminated by the dim light emanating from a solitary lamppost. A flurry of snow blew past her, causing her small frame to shiver as sobs continued to rack her whole body. Mother… please come back…

"Hinata!" a familiar voice called out. The grief-stricken girl looked up, a few stray tears still leaking out of her eyes as she attempted to wipe them away. Among the snow-covered path were two shadowy figures, one tall and one short. Despite her current anguish, a small smile threatened to surface onto her face at the sight of the shorter figure. The young boy, dressed in a beige jacket with orange sleeves and a bright red scarf wrapped around his neck, bounded towards her into the dim light, revealing his bright, spiky blond hair and cerulean eyes, sparkling with excitement.

Hinata knew that her friend and his caretaker frequented this route, as they would often go to Ichiraku's late at night before heading home. She had hoped to catch them on their way back, wanting to see her best and only friend one last time before having to face reality.

"Whatcha doin' here alone?" the excitable boy asked. His face was only inches from hers now as he gave her a wide grin, causing her face to heat up from the close proximity. "Where's your mom? How come she's not here?"

Tears threatened to leak out of Hinata's eyes again as she was reminded of her mom's passing hours earlier. The taller man, noticing her fragile emotional state, decided to intervene. "Naruto, give her a minute. She needs a little more time to calm down before telling us, okay?"

The young boy just nodded as his smile vanished, being replaced by a look of concern. He plopped down onto the bench next to Hinata, eliciting a quiet "eep!" from her. Noticing her shivering form, Naruto quickly untied his scarf and wrapped it snugly around her neck. The young girl blushed again, this time attempting to hide her embarrassment in the scarf. Jiraiya smiled happily at the cute scene, knowing how much Hinata needed Naruto's comfort at the moment. He patiently waited for the young girl to calm down.

Once her sniffles had subsided, Jiraiya squatted down to her eye level and gently asked, "What happened, Hinata?" Seeing that she might start crying again, he added, "Take your time. No one's rushing you."

The Hyuuga girl nodded shyly before finally attempting to speak up. "M-my mother… sh-she…" she couldn't finish the sentence before breaking down into tears again.

Jiraiya understood her well enough, knowing of Hitomi's declining health following Hanabi's birth. Her injury from the Nine-Tails attack was reaggravated during labor, and it never recovered properly afterwards. Even Naruto knew something was wrong, although he didn't know exactly what. He hated seeing his friend cry, so he wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her into his side for a hug. Hinata reacted instantly, wrapping her arms around his torso while stuffing her face into his chest. A tinge of red dusted his cheeks as he turned his attention to his guardian. "Pervy-Sage, what do we do now?"

The Sannin scowled at him. "I told you to stop calling me that!" he whisper-shouted back, trying his best to keep his voice down. Luckily for his reputation, Hinata didn't seem to notice the nickname. He sighed in relief before addressing Naruto again. "We'll take her back home first. Her father must be worried sick right now." Keeping an eye on Hinata for a reaction, he noticed that the young girl's trembles had worsened, her small hands gripping the back of Naruto's jacket firmly as she tightened the embrace. "You don't want to go home yet, Hinata?"

The girl looked up at him for a moment and quickly shook her head before hiding her face in Naruto's torso again, his jacket collecting her tears as they fell. Said boy looked up at Jiraiya with pleading eyes. "Can she come home with us, please?"

Jiraiya sighed, knowing that leaving her here wasn't an option. "Alright, she comes home with us."

"Thanks, Pervy-Sage!" Naruto cheered as he helped Hinata stand up alongside him. "C'mon Hinata, you've never seen my home, ttebayo!" Her tears came to a stop, a small smile creeping onto her face as he grabbed her hand and began to pull her along. His uncontainable excitement was contagious. He was her guiding light, illuminating the once growing darkness in her heart formed in the wake of her mother's death. She giggled slightly as Naruto stumbled over his own feet, nearly taking her down with him, before he recovered. He gave her a sheepish grin while rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. Jiraiya just sighed again as he caught up to the two children, making sure they got home safely.

The trio soon arrived at Jiraiya's residence, one he purchased immediately after the Nine-Tails attack. It was a small two-story house painted in sage green and tiled with red shingles on the roof. Naruto bounded through the front door with Hinata in tow the moment Jiraiya unlocked it.

"Naruto!" the Toad Sage called out.

The boy turned around and looked at him innocently. "What's up, Pervy-Sage?"

Jiraiy's eye twitched. "Stop calling me that!" He sighed in exasperation. Me, a Sannin, arguing with a five-year-old over a nickname? Really, Jiraiya? "I'm going to talk to Hinata's dad. It shouldn't take too long. I'll get her some clean clothes when I come back, okay?"

Naruto grinned widely. "Okay!" The excitable blond turned his attention to Hinata, who was still holding onto his hand. "C'mon, I'll show you all the cool stuff we have!"

He heard Jiraiya call out from outside, "Don't touch my stuff, brat!"

"Aww, he's no fun," Naruto pouted. Hinata giggled at the boy's expression, compelling him to smile back at her. He dragged her along to the kitchen, where he pulled up a chair and stood on it to reach the freezer.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Naruto turned around to see Hinata looking at him with concern, worried he might fall off the chair.

Grinning back at her, he replied, "Don't worry, Hinata! I do this all the time!" He opened the freezer and took out a pair of blue popsicles. After hopping off the chair and tossing away the wrapper, he broke the popsicles apart and handed one to her.

"T-thank you, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied shyly as she accepted the icy treat. Naruto just grinned widely, hoping the popsicle would improve her mood. Despite the frigid temperatures of the late December night, the frozen treat melted the walls around Hinata's heart before they could be fully erected. She gave her friend a genuine smile as they shared their late-night snack in comfortable silence.

Hiashi wiped his cheeks with a wet towel, removing the tear streaks that stained his face for the past few hours. He wanted to make himself presentable to his guest, no matter what he was feeling inside. He was pleasantly surprised to see his former teacher at his office's door. "What can I do for you, Sensei?"

"I wanted to check up on you." Jiraiya answered, taking a seat across from Hiashi. "Naruto and I found Hinata crying on a bench not too long ago. She was only able to say a few words before breaking down again, but I was still able to understand what happened."

"Is she safe?" Hiashi asked with worry visible on his face. He had already lost his wife. Even though he personally knew of his sensei's strength, he still had to ask about his daughter's safety.

"She's at my home alongside Naruto." Jiraiya replied. "He managed to cheer her up and should be showing her around the house right now. Since Hinata was unwilling to come back here so soon, I came to pick up some clothing for her, as well as to make sure you're okay."

Hiashi sagged in his seat, the events of the day finally catching up to him. "As much as I would like to say I'm fine, I'm not. But I must put up a strong front as the head of the clan." He paused for a moment as he contemplated his next move. "My wife's passing is not the only thing weighing on my mind. A couple days ago, my father asked me about Hinata's chakra reserves. She has been falling behind in the basic Hyuuga techniques, causing the other main branch members to look at her as a failure. We noticed that she was struggling with chakra control due to her reserves, something that no Hyuuga has had issue with since the inception of the clan."

The clan head looked defeated, as if he had already come to a decision he didn't like. "I had taken a look, and her chakra levels are significantly higher than most adults in the clan. I managed to throw my father off the trail, but I fear that I cannot do the same in the future. By the time she's of age to become the clan head, 'it' will be too noticeable."

Jiraiya knew what 'it' referred to. Hinata's secret would not last long in a clan boasting x-ray eyes. "What do you plan to do about it?" he asked, knowing that a win-win solution would be unlikely.

"I fear that Hinata will no longer be safe at the compound. I cannot allow her to stay here any longer," Hiashi stated with visible sorrow. Jiraiya remained silent, allowing Hiashi to elaborate. "With Hitomi's passing, I alone cannot take care of both Hinata and Hanabi properly while maintaining my position as the clan head. I don't want to neglect either one of my children, but I have a duty to the clan first as its leader.

"Also, now that I have two children, one of them will have to be sealed, whether I like it or not. I had created a plan to delay the sealing until Hinata's sixteenth birthday, hoping that one of my children would have a solution by then, but it seems like it won't even reach that point at the rate her chakra is increasing. With Hinata's recent performance due to 'it', the clan elders would be perfectly justified in sealing Hinata in the future. They already believe that she is too kind and gentle to be the future leader of the clan, and adding on the inability to master the Hyuuga basics would only make their case stronger. If Hinata is banished from the clan at my hands using their reasons, I can see to it that she isn't sealed. Being under your protection is a good enough deterrent."

Jiraiya nodded, knowing that to be true. His status as one of the Sannin gave him many unwritten perks, one of which being no one wanted to mess with him, ally or foe. Even though he didn't like abusing his status, protecting Naruto from the populace was a good enough reason to do so. Protecting Hinata from another group wouldn't be too much more to ask, even if they were the Hyuuga elders. He noticed Hiashi's thoughtful expression and asked, "There's more, isn't there?"

Hiashi sighed tiredly. "My nephew Neji… his misguided hatred of Hinata will only harm her development. He puts her down at every given opportunity, berating her for every mistake. From what I have observed when Naruto was around the compound, he had a massively positive effect on her mentality. He was the main reason she could endure Neji's degrading insults. By having her around him more and Neji less, I hope she can gain the confidence necessary for becoming a kunoichi." Hiashi sighed again, wishing that he didn't have to resort to this method.

Once Jiraiya processed all the information, he added, "It doesn't hurt for them to be closer, given their common trait. It means I can keep an eye on her and train her when the time comes."

"I agree," Hiashi replied. The two were being vague on purpose, in case anyone was listening in. Hiashi reached into a drawer and pulled out a large scroll. "This should cover the basics of the Gentle Fist. Normally, clan techniques are only passed down verbally, but this is a unique situation, and I trust that you will be able to keep it out of enemy hands. Once all the material in here is covered, please burn the scroll. I will send Ko over every two weeks to further her training."

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Jiraiya asked as he pocketed the scroll.

Hiashi chuckled slightly for the first time that night, thinking about the times he found Hinata snuggling up to a certain blond. "My daughter has a… unique habit. She has had nightmares pretty frequently following her kidnapping a couple years back. Although she hasn't had any recently, I suspect that the trauma from her mother's death might cause them to resurface. The only times I've ever seen her sleep peacefully after a nightmare are when Naruto is over. Expect her to latch onto him, both emotionally… and physically." Seeing Jiraiya's perverted side starting to emerge, he quickly added, "Don't get any ideas. They're just children."

Jiraiya grinned innocently, replying, "Of course. I have standards when it comes to children." His grin slowly transformed into a perverted one as he added, "But, when they get older…"

Hiashi just sighed in defeat, knowing his sensei was a pervert to the highest degree. "I'll visit you tomorrow to tell her the news personally. Just… take care of her, please," Hiashi replied sincerely.

Jiraiya sobered up, knowing how important this was to his former student. "I will."

His residence was strangely quiet when he returned. He expected Naruto to be jumping about and dragging Hinata around the house with him. He made his way into Naruto's bedroom, where the boy sat quietly on his bed watching Hinata sleep. She was hugging one of his arms to her chest, preventing him from getting up.

"Psst, Naruto!" Jiraiya whispered. The boy looked up at him curiously in response. "Come outside. We have something important to talk about." Naruto tried untangling his arm from Hinata's grasp, but the sleeping girl pulled harder, dragging him down with her. Jiraiya snickered while Naruto glared at him.

"Not funny, Pervy-Sage," Naruto grumbled.

Ignoring the nickname, Jiraiya decided to break the news here since the boy was trapped. "Naruto, Hinata's going to be living with us from now on. Her father kicked her out of the clan for reasons I can't tell you yet. I don't expect you to understand the decision now. Just know that he did it to keep her safe."

The young blond was conflicted. On one hand, he was excited to have another person his age around. He enjoyed all the time he spent with Hinata, so there were no complaints from him. However, he also knew that something bad happened to Hinata's mom, and with her dad forcing her to leave her home, she essentially lost all of her family in one night. He took a moment to process everything before coming to a decision.

"If she's staying here, then I'm gonna make sure she's happy, ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed as he sat up.

Jiraiya bonked him lightly on the head. "Keep it down, brat! She's still sleeping!" he whispered. The boy grinned sheepishly at him before laying back down, his arm still trapped by his friend. Once the blond got settled under his blankets, Jiraiya suggested, "Keep her company tomorrow, she's going to need it when her father tells her the news, okay?" Naruto nodded determinedly. He would do anything to keep his only friend happy.

Seeing the boy finally run out of his seemingly limitless energy, Jiraiya patted him on the head. "Goodnight, Naruto."

"Night, Dad," Naruto replied with a half-conscious yawn, the day's events finally catching up to him.

Jiraiya froze for a moment before he walked out of his godson's room with a large, genuine smile on his face. Nothing could ruin his mood tonight.

A year and a half has flown by since Hitomi's passing. With Naruto's help, Hinata was able to get over her father's decision to expel her from her clan. While she wasn't told why she was kicked out, her father had told her that it was to keep her safe. Despite this knowledge, the loss of her family stung her deeply. It took many late night conversations with Naruto and Jiraiya for her to finally move past it. The process, though not a secret, was mostly kept under wraps, as the elders didn't want to face backlash from the populace. Hiashi didn't mind either, as less people knowing about the incident aligned with his own goals of keeping his daughter safe. Only the Hokage and Team Ro, Kakashi's ANBU squad, were made aware of the situation, courtesy of Jiraiya.

With help from Jiraiya, Hinata got her chakra control to a level adequate enough to continue training in the Gentle Fist. The Toad Sage had noted early on that the style didn't suit her completely and brought it up to Hiashi and Ko, the latter of whom suggested checking her elemental affinities.

Flashback

"So, what are we learning today, Pervy-Sage?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Jiraiya sighed in defeat, knowing that Naruto would never stop calling him that. Hinata giggled at her instructor's expression, causing Naruto's ever-present grin to widen. "I'm not teaching you any new techniques today." Naruto's mood soured immediately. "I have a theory I want to test out, specifically on Hinata, but you can join in too, Naruto."

The two children looked inquisitively at him, prompting him to elaborate. "Hinata, has the Gentle Fist ever felt weird to you?"

Nodding, Hinata replied, "I-it feels too stiff sometimes. My b-body wants to do something else."

"Good, so you've noticed it too. Ko has a theory on why that might be, and I'm going to test it." Jiraiya pulled out a couple small sheets of paper while explaining, "Chakra comes in five basic elements. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning. You both should know this already."

The children nodded, so he continued, "What you might not know is that each shinobi is born with a chakra nature. These pieces of paper are chakra paper, made from a special tree that is reactive to chakra. By channeling chakra into the paper, you can figure out your elemental affinity. Got it?"

They nodded again, this time more enthusiastically. "Now before I give you these, you must understand that it is too early for you to be training your elemental affinities. Most of us don't start until we become chunin. That's because one of the requirements for becoming a jonin is to be able to use two types of elemental chakra. However, this is a special situation, as knowing which element Hinata has can help her Gentle Fist training, even if she doesn't master her affinities at all. After all, your natural born affinities have a huge impact on how you fight. Also, it never hurts to learn your affinity early, so I'm letting Naruto give it a go as well. I just want both of you to give me your word that you won't try elemental training without supervision. For now, it's too dangerous to try and learn on your own."

"Okay, Pervy-Sage!" Naruto shouted as Hinata quietly nodded in affirmation.

Naruto went first, his piece of paper being cleanly sliced in two down the middle. "What does this mean?"

"It means you have an affinity for wind, Naruto. That's very rare in the Land of Fire. I only know two current wielders of wind chakra, one of whom isn't in the village."

"Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed. He jumped up and ran about two steps before Jiraiya grabbed him by the collar and sat him back down. "What the heck, Pervy-Sage!"

"Pay attention, brat!" the Toad Sage fired back. "Your friend's about to check her nature."

Naruto immediately turned his attention towards the former heiress, who blushed lightly at his attention. She channeled chakra into her sheet, which began to wrinkle before burning up into ash.

"Woah. I did not see that coming," Jiraiya whispered to himself. Both children were looking at him for an explanation. "This is rare for most jonin! Hinata, you have two natural affinities. Your primary affinity is lightning, while your secondary is fire. Your problems with the Gentle Fist make sense now, as the Gentle Fist is primarily based in the earth chakra nature with strong bases and solid defensive stances. Lightning users tend to be quicker in battle and less stationary, while fire users are far more offensive than earth users."

Hinata nodded shyly while Naruto cheered her on, causing her cheeks to redden further. While her affinities answered a lot of questions, she was still curious about a couple pieces of information Jiraiya had mentioned. "Jiraiya-sensei, you said t-that we need two chakra natures to become jonin. You also s-said that this is rare for most jonin, b-but don't they have two natures already?"

"Both statements are true," Jiraiya replied sagely. "One thing I forgot to mention is that chakra natures that are not one's natural affinity can be trained. For example, the Third Hokage mastered all five chakra natures through training, but being from the Sarutobi clan, his natural affinity is fire. All jonin are able to use two types of elemental chakra, but most of them only have one natural affinity, while the other is trained."

"So you're saying that I can use something other than wind in the future?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Jiraiya replied with a grin. He turned back to Hinata and noticed her pensive look. "Something else on your mind, Hinata?"

"H-how am I supposed to m-master the Gentle Fist if I d-don't have the right nature?" she asked hesitantly.

Noting her more unsure tone of voice, Jiraiya responded reassuringly. "It's not that you can't master the Gentle Fist, but it will take you significantly more effort compared to your clansmen with the earth nature. However, you don't have to go down that path should you choose not to. We can develop a new style for you, based on the Gentle Fist. One that suits your natural fighting style more. I will have to run it by your father and a taijutsu master first, so we won't get started right away, but I'm confident you'll be able to do it. The most important thing is to believe in yourself."

Naruto grinned at her. "Pervy-Sage's right, dattebayo! You get a cool style all to yourself! I'm kinda jealous, ttebayo."

Hinata giggled at his mock pout. Her heart warmed at the belief they had in her, something she sorely missed during her time in the Hyuuga Compound. Arigato, Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-sensei.

End Flashback

After explaining Hinata's natures and his idea to Hiashi, Jiraiya had brought up the problem to Might Guy, the Leaf's most skilled taijutsu specialist, who had mentioned it was too early for Hinata to create her own form. She had nowhere near enough experience with taijutsu or her own body's limits to try and accomplish that feat. Instead, Guy suggested she learn taijutsu theory. It would allow Hinata to understand the inner workings of different styles, giving her the skill needed to create her own. Jiraiya did just that, hoping that she could begin working on the new style during her second year at the academy.

Jiraiya also decided that advanced chakra control would be the focal point of Hinata's current training regimen. While her control was adequate to learn the basics of the Gentle Fist, Jiraiya theorized that the advanced techniques required near perfect control. Not wanting to be outdone, Naruto caught up to Hinata's level of control. By this point, Hinata had mastered water walking out of necessity, while Naruto had done it due to his competitive nature. Despite their improvements, neither of them could perform a normal clone. Jiraiya knew precisely why, remembering that Kushina could never create one either. He would teach them the more advanced version of the clone after they enrolled in the academy.

Coincidentally, the trio were currently headed towards the Hokage tower with plans for enrollment. Naruto was dragging Hinata along as Jiraiya calmly walked behind them.

"Hurry up, Pervy-Sage!" Naruto called out.

"When will you stop calling me that, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked gloomily for the umpteenth time.

"When you stop being a pervert!" Naruto yelled, causing some of the bystanders to look in their direction.

Quickly snapping out of his mini-depression, Jiraiya got into his signature pose. "Hey! I'm not a pervert, I'm a super-" His bombastic introduction was cut short as a man clad in a standard jonin uniform appeared next to him, his silver gravity-defying hair being the only notable feature on his head. The bottom half of his face and his left eye were covered by a mask and his headband, respectively.

The man shoved his hands in his pockets as he asked, "Should you really be displaying that kind of behavior in front of children, Master Jiraiya?"

The Sannin's eye twitched at the jonin's hypocritical comment. "As if you don't go walking around in public with my book out all the time, Kakashi."

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

The two were interrupted by Naruto, who pointed at Kakashi and asked, "Pervy-Sage, who's this guy? He's so cool!"

Jiraiya sulked again, crying anime tears as he mumbled, "Why doesn't he call me cool?"

Kakashi eye-smiled at the two children. "My name's Kakashi. It's nice to finally meet you, Naruto. You too, Hinata."

The children's eyes widened as Naruto asked, "How do you know our names?"

"I've been keeping an eye on you two when Master Jiraiya's out of town," Kakashi replied, his eye-smile never leaving his face.

Once he stopped sulking, Jiraiya asked, "What brings you here, Kakashi? I know you well enough to know this isn't a casual visit."

Kakashi nodded, replying in a quieter voice to prevent the kids from hearing. "The Hokage has a long-term mission for you."

Understanding Kakashi's subtle request, he called out to the children, "Hey kids! Head to the tower first. We'll catch up with you."

"Okay!" the two replied as Naruto dragged Hinata towards the tower again.

Once they were out of hearing range, Jiraiya asked, "What's the situation?"

"Orochimaru's on the move again," Kakashi answered, his casual, aloof attitude long gone. "I encountered him on one of my ANBU missions about a year ago. He's been quiet since, but a new hidden village has popped up, Otogakure. Lord Third believes Orochimaru has a hand in its creation."

After Jiraiya assimilated the information he received, he asked, "I assume Sensei wants me to gather information on this new village?"

Kakashi nodded, causing the Toad Sage to sigh. "While I do want to track down my old teammate, this task is going to take years, even with the current network I have set up. Who's going to take care of the kids?"

"That's where I come in," Kakashi replied, his signature eye-smile returning to his face. "I resigned from the ANBU a few minutes ago. I realized that I've been dealing with my own grief and living in the past for too long. Plus, it's time that I take an active role in my little brother's development, don't you think?"

After Hinata's expulsion from the Hyuuga clan, Kakashi and his squad were assigned to watch over Naruto and Hinata from the shadows whenever Jiraiya was out of town, since Hiashi couldn't. At first, he tried turning down the mission, not wanting to deal with the grief that came with seeing his sensei's son, but the Hokage forced his hand. After Jiraiya's second departure, Kakashi began to look forward to watching over the kids. Naruto's positive attitude brought his own spirits up, not letting him drown in his own depression.

Jiraiya smiled, satisfied with the answer. As long as Kakashi was watching over the two, their training would be taken care of. He had taught both Naruto and Hinata to be independent as well, so he wasn't worried. "Sounds good to me. I have some important information to disclose to you before I can let you watch over them. Meet me at the Hokage's office at midnight. And don't be late, unless you want Hiashi on your ass."

The Sannin continued on his way to the tower, leaving Kakashi to catch up as he pondered the older man's words.

Once the adults arrived at the Hokage's office, they found the kids sitting on the couch, listening attentively to the Hokage. "The Second Hokage was actually my sensei. He's the one that invented the Shadow Clone, the jutsu Jiraiya plans on teaching the two of you."

"Really, Old Man? That's so cool!" Naruto replied excitedly. Although she didn't have much of an outward reaction, Jiraiya could tell that Hinata was interested as well.

Jiraiya would take the kids to see Hiruzen every time he had to make a report. He wanted them to be acquainted with the leader of the village, as it would help Naruto to have someone to rely on when Jiraiya was out of town. He knew Naruto wasn't stupid. The boy noticed the looks the populace gave him, but no one was willing to act on their feelings due to Jiraiya's presence. Naruto would never ask about it, but Jiraiya knew the boy had questions. He wanted to tell Naruto earlier, but he decided to wait until the kid was mature enough to handle the information. He shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind as he made himself known to the kids. Toad Sage asked, "How's the enrollment process coming along?"

"Pervy-Sage!" Naruto shouted happily, getting a chuckle out of Hiruzen. "I filled out my paper already! The Old Man says you need to sign it. Hinata's dad already signed hers a while ago."

"I'll sign it if you stop calling me Pervy-Sage," Jiraiya offered.

"NOPE!" Naruto replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Fine, stupid brat," Jiraiya mumbled as he signed the form and handed it to Hiruzen. Hinata giggled while Kakashi watched in both amusement and slight fear, hoping Naruto wouldn't give him a bad nickname.

"The academy starts in a week," Hiruzen explained. "Students your age joined the academy a couple of years ago, but Jiraiya, and Hiashi in Hinata's case, took care of your basic education already, so you should be caught up, if not ahead of your classmates. You'll find your assigned classes when you arrive," Noting the slight looks of apprehension on both of the children's faces, he added with a smile, "Don't worry. I made sure the two of you were in the same class."

"Thanks, Old Man!" Naruto shouted in excitement, completely drowning out Hinata's quiet thank you.

Kakashi arrived at the Hokage's office at midnight, wondering what kind of information warranted this kind of secrecy. He remembered Jiraiya mentioning Hiashi, surmising that the Hyuuga clan head wanted to meet his daughter's guardian for the next few years. He assumed the Hokage would oversee the meeting as well, seeing as it was taking place in his office.

"Welcome Kakashi. I'm surprised you're on time," Hiruzen responded as he activated the privacy seals.

"Me too," Kakashi mumbled. "I assume this is a high ranking secret?" he asked, no trace of aloofness in his tone.

"Yes, one of the most closely guarded secrets in the entire village," Jiraiya replied. "This information cannot be repeated to anyone under any circumstances, understood?"

Kakashi nodded, prompting Jiraiya to continue. "Only five people are aware of this secret, which includes us three in this room. The other two have been sworn to secrecy."

"Does this have something to do with one of the kids?" Kakashi asked.

"Hinata," Hiashi answered. "Her birthdate is not actually December 27th, but October 10th, the day of the Nine-Tails attack. It was a fake given to her based on her original due date to cover up her true birthdate. Hitomi and I hid her for the two months following the attack, only allowing the two doctors sworn to secrecy to check up on her. Since labor is always conducted in private, the rest of the clan was unaware, and Hinata had grown to the size of a normal newborn by the time her fake birthdate came around.

"On the day of the attack, my late wife was injured and forced into premature labor. She would recover, but despite the doctors' best efforts, Hinata wasn't going to survive. It was a stroke of luck that Minato was nearby."

Hiashi paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. "The only way to save her was to seal half of the Nine-Tails into her, alongside the rest of Kushina's chakra. It was a desperate gamble that could have easily failed, but it was her only chance."

Kakashi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, but he didn't say anything as he processed the information given to him. It wasn't every day someone learned of the existence of another jinchuuriki in their village. One that also had his sensei's wife's chakra sealed inside of her. It took him another minute to form a response. "So that's why you removed her from the clan. Once she's old enough, the other Hyuuga would have known instantly."

"Unfortunately, you are correct," Hiashi replied sadly. "As much as it pained me, it was the only option to keep her safe."

"If you went to these lengths to keep Hinata' status a secret…" Kakashi trailed off.

"You want to know why everyone knows about Naruto's tenant," the Hokage surmised.

Seeing Kakashi's nod, Hiruzen answered, "I had to tell the clan heads and my advisors, since they knew that the Nine-Tails couldn't be killed. I made it an S-class secret, but someone leaked the information. I have my suspicions as to who did it, but I have no evidence to work with. That's why I made the law that no one should speak of his status, under the penalty of death. I'm afraid it won't do much, but there wasn't much else I could do once it got leaked."

Danzo is probably the one who did it, Kakashi guessed. Though the jonin had many more questions, he figured they could be answered at another time. "Is there anything else I need to know before you leave, Master Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya responded, "For training, I have both of them working on advanced chakra control at the moment. Hinata has a primary lightning affinity and a secondary fire affinity, while Naruto has a strong wind affinity. Hinata's affinities don't let her perform the Gentle Fist as effectively as other Hyuuga, so I'm teaching her taijutsu theory at the moment. My plan is to begin helping her craft her taijutsu style during the second year of the academy, something I hope you can help her with. Your friend Guy helped me out too, so you can ask him for more information once I'm gone."

"Of course. I'll ask him when I get the chance. What about Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, he's shown an interest in sealing. I know you can teach him the basics, but unfortunately, he will have to wait until I return for more advanced fuinjutsu. Once he knows the basics, I want you to focus on ninjutsu and taijutsu. I told them that I didn't want them to train on elemental affinities on their own, but with your supervision, I think it will be fine. I plan on teaching them both the Shadow Clone before I leave, so you can work with them on the other two academy jutsu."

"Sounds good. Lord Hokage, do you think you can put off giving me a genin team for… let's say four years?" Kakashi asked with an eye-smile. "I think I'll be ready to handle one by then," he added in a cheery voice.

Everyone could see what he wanted, and no one was opposed to it. "Kakashi, I'm assigning you to a long-term protection mission of two key assets to the village. It will be completed on the day both Naruto and Hinata graduate," the Hokage ordered.

"Understood, Lord Hokage!" Kakashi replied happily.

"One more thing," Hiashi added. "I plan to have someone tell Hinata of her status when she becomes a genin, whether it's me or someone else in this room. I don't want her taking missions outside the village without that knowledge. I believe the best course of action would be to tell Naruto at the same time."

"I'll take care of that if Jiraiya is still on his mission," Hiruzen replied. "I just hope he won't take the news too badly."

"YOU'RE LEAVING FOR HOW LONG?"

Jiraiya and Hinata winced at the blond's volume.

"Tone it down, brat!" Jiraiya responded as he bopped Naruto on the head. The boy held a sheepish grin on his face, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Hinata just giggled.

"Sensei assigned me to a long-term mission. Honestly, I don't know how long it would take. It could be years," Jiraiya answered with a sigh.

"You… you mean you won't see us become ninja?" Naruto asked, a single tear beginning to form in his eye. Jiraiya had taken care of Naruto since he was an infant. Although he never said it out loud, Naruto treated Jiraiya as his father, even though he knew he wasn't the man's biological son. Failing to hold in his tears, Naruto made himself a promise. Pervy-Sage always says that ninja are those who endure. Then all I have to do is endure until he comes back!

Seeing her friend's emotional state, Hinata hugged him gently, a couple tears trailing down her own face. She had also grown attached to the Sannin over the last year and a half. He had believed in her and put so much effort into helping her improve, something not even her own father did.

"It's not like I want to go either, Naruto. But I must, for the sake of the village. For your protection. When you become a ninja, you will have to make choices like these too, and they're not easy." Seeing that neither of their moods changed, he added, "It's not like I'll be gone forever. I'll definitely be back, that's a promise! And, as a certain someone would say, I never go back on my word!"

That did the trick. The two wiped their tears away as their frowns melted away into bright smiles. "Hey, that's my line!" Naruto exclaimed, the large grin never leaving his face. Jiraiya pulled the two into a long hug before getting back to business. "Now, as I promised before, I'll be teaching both of you a more advanced form of the standard clone. This will be my last lesson to you before I leave. You both ready?"

"Yes, sensei!" the children chorused.

No Pervy-Sage today? Never thought I'd see the day. Good luck, Kakashi. You'll have a handful with these two. Jiraiya smiled as he began teaching his two charges. I can't wait to see their improvement when I return.

The Last: Naruto the Movie Original Soundtrack, Track No. 13

Snow

A/N: I couldn't find a definitive age of entry for the academy. Some were 6 years old while some were 8. For this story, I decided that students would join at the age of 6, but Naruto and Hinata would join at 7-8ish so Jiraiya can train them more. Since they were taught by Jiraiya, they wouldn't fall behind.

Is Hiashi kicking out Hinata a shameless excuse to get Naruto and Hinata closer at an earlier age? Yes. Does it also make sense? To me, yes. Keeping Hinata in the Hyuuga compound without revealing her secret was an oversight by Hiashi, something he realized when his father brought up Hinata's high chakra levels. X-ray eyes go brrrrr. His only choice was to remove her from the clan, and putting her under Jiraiya's supervision was the only way to ensure she wouldn't be sealed. One, as I mentioned in the story, no one wants to mess with Jiraiya. Two, the Hyuuga know of Jiraiya's strength and know that he can keep the Byakugan out of enemy hands if any attempts on her were made.

I'll be trying to keep a weekly upload schedule, but once school starts up that probably won't be realistic.

Any feedback is appreciated, as always. c: