1,281Naruto sat on a stool in the kitchen of the Ichiraku Ramen stand and watched Ayame work on food. He had assumed it was ramen, but then he noticed a distinct lack of noodles. And was that eel?
"Whatcha cooking?" Naruto asked while swinging his feet back and forth.
"Oh, just unadon," Ayame said as she tasted the sauce she was preparing. The young woman nodded appreciatively and finished preparing her meal.
"Why would you eat that? You own a ramen stand! You could eat ramen every day!" Naruto finished excitedly.
Ayame laughed a little and sat down next to Naruto. "I like Ramen as much as the next person," Ayame started.
"Not as much as me!" Naruto childishly interrupted.
"Not as much as you," Ayame agreed with a smile. "But, I like to eat other things, too."
"I'd still eat mostly ramen," Naruto said authoritatively. Ayame reached across the table and picked up a ladle. She bopped Naruto over the head.
"Well, if you like being called Naruto-chan forever, I guess that's a good strategy. Ramen doesn't have everything you'll need to grow to your full potential," Ayame chided.
"But! But!" Naruto stammered a bit. "Ramen's the best food ever!"
"Naruto, you need to realize ramen isn't the only food in existence," Ayame sighed.
"Well, what do you suggest then?" Naruto said with a bit of sarcasm. Ayame promptly ignored the sarcasm and launched into an excited litany of strange, in Naruto's opinion, dishes. Naruto occasionally tried to get a word in, but Ayame was speaking about her passion. The Academy student groaned and realized this was going to be as bad as the one time he had asked Ino about shopping.
As Ayame was happily explaining the benefits of chazuke over kayu for left-over rice, Iruka and Teuchi were discussing Naruto's latest situation.
"So, Naruto's moved out of the 'girls are icky' stage and into the 'girls are interesting' stage?" Teuchi asked as he poured Iruka some awamori. Iruka tipped his cup to Teuchi in thanks before taking a sip.
"Well, with Naruto, it wasn't really 'girls are icky'. It was more 'girls are stupid for chasing Sasuke when they could be chasing me because I'm so much more awesome'," Iruka explained.
"Good to see our boy isn't lacking in self-confidence," Teuchi said sardonically.
"I just hope he can gift a little of that self-confidence to Hinata," Iruka grumbled before taking a large swig of his drink. "There are times where I worry about her as much as Naruto."
"Hinata, eh?" Teuchi asked and Iruka nodded in the affirmative. "Lovely name. It does sound familiar though..."
"It should. She's the heiress of the Hyūga clan," Iruka stated simply.
"So, he's going for the 'distant and unobtainable girl' is he?" Teuchi asked before scowling a bit in thought. "But you said that Hinata needed some of Naruto's self-confidence..."
"I did," Iruka admitted.
"But this Hinata is a Hyūga," the restauranteur said with particular emphasis on the girl's clan name.
"Hinata is actually a very shy and sweet girl. She's one of the best in my class; fifth behind the Aburame heir, a civilian girl named...Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino and Uchiha Sasuke."
Teuchi frowned, not because of Naruto's choice in a girl. He was concerned for the girl. Teuchi had never met a Hyūga, but was familiar with their reputation. Shyness would be viewed as weakness in such a harsh clan. Hinata's placement of fifth in a class of nearly sixty aspiring ninja would be considered nothing less than an abysmal failure. Iruka seemingly read Teuchi's mind.
"You know the Hyūga's reputation. I'm afraid the pressures put on Hinata will be too much at times," Iruka confessed.
"Well, I hope you can help her," Teuchi said earnestly. "So, before we get further distracted... Are we giving Naruto a talk or the Talk?"
Iruka laughed for a moment. "A talk. Naruto isn't that far into discovering girls yet," the Academy teacher chuckled. Teuchi laughed back and the two older men got up from their seats and walked over to where Naruto was being bombarded by a lecture on the best oil for frying tempura.
"Oh thank you, Old Man Teuchi! Thank you, Iruka-sensei! You've come to save me! All this lecturing is as boring as the Academy!" Naruto shouted in relief.
"Are you saying I'm boring?"Iruka and Ayame asked simultaneously in a falsely sweet tone. Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine.
"No boss! No ma'am!" Naruto sputtered apologetically. Iruka and Ayame both nodded once, before realizing they had spoken at the same time. The young woman blushed a bit and looked away. Iruka, however, blushed a lot. The Academy teacher cleared his throat to distract everyone from what had just transpired.
"Naruto, we need to talk to you about what happened earlier today," Iruka started.
"You said Hinata-chan wasn't going to get in trouble!" Naruto interrupted. Ayame looked up from her unadon. She mouthed 'chan?' to her father. Teuchi nodded, but did not speak. Iruka continued his semi-prepared speech.
"I promised Hinata that she would not receive any punishment," Iruka assured the boy. "However, your concern for her is a good sign for what we are going to talk about."
Naruto felt that shiver reappear in his spine. It was never a good omen when Iruka-sensei wanted to 'talk'. "What, uh, about?"
"You said earlier that you thought you were starting to like Hinata," Iruka pointed out.
"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I start liking Hinata-chan? We've got stuff in common. She's pretty, which makes her wearing that jacket confusing. I thought girls liked to show off how pretty they are?"
"I'll handle this," Ayame said to the men in the room. "Sometimes, girls feel pressure to 'show off'. This pressure can come from boys, but it actually comes from other girls a lot."
"Huh?" Naruto was incredibly confused.
"Do the boys get in groups and talk about whoever is a 'threat'?" Ayame prompted.
"Well, yeah! Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji sk...hang out with me occasionally and we complain about how Sasuke is such a stuck up prick and how all the girls just fall over if he looks in their general direction," Naruto loudly complained. Iruka looked annoyed that Naruto was barely trying to hide the fact he skipped.
"Oh..." Ayame said. "Well, the reasons are sort of like that. Some girls chose to avoid presenting themselves as a 'target' or they are just self-conscious about their looks."
"I don't get it," Naruto admitted.
"As long as you make sure Hinata-chan knows you aren't going to judge her, you'll be fine," Ayame counseled.
"Ayame-chan gave you great advice, Naruto. You should definitely keep that in mind," Iruka agreed. Naruto was watching the group of adults in front of him and was a bit confused. Teuchi was paying more attention to Iruka-sensei and Ayame-onee-chan than to Naruto. Ayame-onee-chan was paying a good bit of attention to Iruka-sensei when she wasn't giving Naruto advice.
"Okay, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said idly. 'Why would I judge Hinata-chan? She's the nicest person I ever met!'
"You said you have things in common with Hinata-sama?" Teuchi asked. Naruto perked up at the 'sama' honorific.
"Yeah, Hinata-chan and I have a lot in common. Gotta ask Old Man Teuchi, why did you call Hinata-chan, Hinata-sama?" Naruto questioned.
"Naruto, you know about the Hyūga Clan, correct?" Ayame prompted.
"Yeah, they've got a Dojutsu and are good fighters," Naruto paraphrased the known facts about Hinata's secretive clan.
Iruka sighed and explained Hinata's position within the structure of her clan. Naruto was bouncing on his stool. He started babbling at a million miles an hour.
"Calm down, Naruto. What are you trying to say?" Teuchi interrupted to make sure his favorite customer actually breathed.
"How cool is that? My best friend is, like, some kind of Warrior Princess-ttebayo!" Naruto leapt off the stool and was gesturing wildly with his hands. Ayame was giggling at the young man's antics. Iruka, however, groaned at the verbal tic at the end of Naruto's sentence. The teacher had thought 'dattebayo' had been vanquished nearly two years ago.
'So, there is a negative to his crush after all,' Iruka lamented in his mind.
It was a rare day when Uzumaki Naruto was excited about going to the Academy. Naruto did have friends, but he didn't have the connection with Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru and Chouji that he felt with Hinata. Naruto was fairly certain that Kiba would not appreciate Naruto's gardening hobby like Hinata did.
Naruto's seemingly permanent grin was a full blown smile as he entered the schoolyard. The boy weaved through the knots of cliques easily. Occasionally, Naruto would hear whispers. The whispers were mostly the usual gossip about Naruto being a 'troublemaker'. Naruto didn't really mind that talk.
'What's there to get upset about? I am a troublemaker! I'm the greatest prankster in the history of Konoha!' Naruto thought.
The other whispers were about why Naruto was running around with one of his hands behind his back. Naruto's smile had split his face. He couldn't wait to reveal this surprise!
'Now, I just have to find my target!' Naruto thought excitedly.
Hinata knew the hesitation in her steps did not reflect well on her station. Kō had instructed Hinata on many things. Hinata had always viewed Kō as her, somewhat distant, older brother. Now, Hinata's only positive familial relationship was slipping away. Kō had recently been reassigned to a more general tutoring position. He would no longer be exclusively Hinata's tutor. Today had been Kō's last day as Hinata's closest relative. The young man had apologized and promised to continue to help Hinata when he could find the time.
As Hinata had stood in the entrance to the Academy, a realization dawned on her. The Hyūga Clan was losing faith in her. Hinata wished she had someone to truly confide in. She did not have many close friends that she felt comfortable confiding her doubts in. Hinata felt that Kō, being older and extremely formal, was not a person she could truly bear her soul to. Hinata frowned at the thought of revealing her self-consciousness to Kō. Hinata felt her frown deepening as her thoughts turned to her sister, Hanabi. The two sisters were friendly, but the Clan was doing everything it could to keep the sisters isolated.
It seemed Hinata's only hope for a meaningful friendship was Naruto. They had only spoken for half an hour, but Naruto had lifted Hinata's spirits in a way only Hinata's mother could have ever matched.
Hinata was excited to see Naruto again. He was the opposite of a Hyūga. Naruto's personality was warm, open, and uplifting. In that moment, Hinata realized her desire to see Naruto wasn't merely excitement. It was almost a need. Hinata was longing for unconditional acceptance.
She gathered her resolve and entered the Academy. Hinata avoided the various cliques as she headed towards the main building. Hinata was about to activate her Byakugan to find Naruto, when an arm snaked its way around her from behind.
"Surprise!" Naruto shouted happily. Hinata felt her eyes widen in shock. "I, uh, hope you like them."
Hinata instinctively nodded. Naruto was holding a few flowers in his hand. The Hyūga heiress quickly identified the flowers. Her heart-rate had been elevated by Naruto suddenly startling her, but the flowers had sent it into overdrive.
"T-they are lovely," Hinata whispered. "I...m-mallow and lilacs are s-some of my favorites."
"Awesome!" Naruto said excitedly as he moved in front of Hinata. He was grinning with a bit of nervousness. "I remembered how you said your hobby was pressing flowers. I, uh, chose the colors 'cause they reminded me of your eyes a bit."
"T-thank you," Hinata responded quietly. She was not use to such spontaneity. Hinata couldn't help but be touched by how charming Naruto had, unintentionally, been.
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted from across the schoolyard.
"I'll be there in a sec, boss!" Naruto shouted back. "Hinata-chan, I'll be right back."
Hinata could only nod. She pulled the flowers close, as if she was confirming their existence. The Hyūga heiress blinked away her haze and smiled. She had just been thinking that Naruto was becoming her refuge and he had arrived to lift her spirits almost instantly.
'I never expected this...Naruto-kun,' Hinata thought happily.
"Who would have ever thought that knucklehead could do something like that," a voice said from beside Hinata. The shy girl jumped a bit and berated herself. Her clan, even Kō, would have reprimanded Hinata for her lack of awareness. Hinata glanced to the source of the voice and realized it was Yamanaka Ino.
"W-what do you mean?" Hinata asked.
"Be romantic! Naruto was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as Sasuke-kun would have been!" Haruno Sakura, Ino's best friend, pipped in.
"S-sasuke-kun? I...I don't see him as the romantic type," Hinata absentmindedly admitted. She hadn't realized she had even spoken until she felt Ino and Sakura's annoyed glare upon her. Hinata eeped and drew strength from Naruto's gift.
"You obviously don't appreciate Sasuke-kun like we do," Ino said dismissively. "Oh, by the way, do you know anything about the language of flowers?"
"A little... I have a book on it..." Hinata revealed.
"Well, you're going to be floored by what Naruto's little gift is saying..." Ino whispered to Hinata. Sakura had leaned into hear Ino's revelation. Hinata had to admit she was curious as well. "Naruto is saying, through his flowers, that he's consumed by the first emotion of love."
Hinata felt her face heat up and she knew that her blush was probably visible from Iwa.
"I think someone has a crush..." Sakura said in a sing-song voice. "This is great, Ino!"
"Isn't it? Not only does this mean that there is one less rival for Sasuke-kun; Naruto and Hinata's little crush on each other is actually pretty cute," Ino agreed.
"I...I was never interested in Sasuke-kun," Hinata protested. 'His eyes remind me too much of my father. Its like they disapprove of everything about me,' Hinata added to herself.
Sakura and Ino did not hear Hinata and the conversation quickly devolved into a debate over who was 'Sasuke-kun's one true love'. Hinata slipped away and began searching for Naruto again.
As she entered the Academy building, a truth dawned on her. She just might have a crush on Naruto. Hinata smiled as she quietly hoped the message of Naruto's flowers wasn't entirely a coincidence .
"Would you care to explain that little stunt, Naruto?" Iruka said after a moment. Naruto was sitting on the edge of the front row desk in the classroom trying to look innocent.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Iruka-sensei! The heat melted those erasers to the blackboard in the fourth year classroom!" Naruto hastily explained and his illusion of innocence shattered. Iruka buried his head in his hands.
"We'll talk about that later," Iruka lamented. "I wanted to talk to you about giving flowers to Hinata."
"Huh? What about it? She told me her hobby is flower pressing. Those flowers were really pretty and the color reminded me of her eyes. I thought she'd enjoy them," Naruto explained. He wasn't exactly sure why Iruka was making a big deal of it.
"Naruto, what you did for Hinata is generally reserved for couples," Iruka tried to explain.
"Well, duh, it takes a couple of people to give gifts. What's the point of giving a gift to yourself?" Naruto asked in confusion.
Iruka blinked once and sighed. "Naruto, giving a girl flowers, especially surprising a girl with flowers, is only done when dating," Iruka tried desperately not to sound like he was lecturing Naruto.
"D-dating? But, we just became friends and I don't have enough money to take someone awesome like Hinata-chan on a date! You have to help me buy toilet paper! How am I going to pay for like a nice restaurant and stuff like that?" Naruto started to panic.
"You did say that you liked Hinata, remember," Iruka pointed out to Naruto.
"Yeah, I do," Naruto said. "Hinata-chan's really nice, she's smart enough to be one of the best of the class and she doesn't chase Sasuke around, which makes her a genius. Oh, she's definitely cute. We've got stuff in common, too."
Naruto counted off his points on his fingers. Iruka nodded and was clearly thankful that Naruto was at least thinking things through a tiny bit.
"Why are we going over this again, boss? I mean, we talked about this last night..." Naruto continued when Iruka didn't speak. "But you were probably paying so much attention to Ayame-onee-chan that you forgot talking with me..."
Naruto laughed uproariously when Iruka started blushing and sputtering an explanation. Naruto didn't pay attention to what Iruka was saying. The teacher's reaction was enough to make the conversation worth it.
"What am I going to do with you?" Iruka asked. "And don't say make you Hokage. I don't have that authority. I'm going to see about the erasers in Year Four's classroom. Please take your seat Naruto and try to pay attention to the lesson and not Hinata."
"But Hinata-chan's actually interesting!" Naruto verbally poked at Iruka.
'Where is Ayame-chan's ladle when I need it? I really need something to get Naruto to behave...maybe a genjutsu or something...' Iruka thought as he exited the room.
Naruto was so caught up in his amusement that he didn't notice the other students start filing into the classroom.
"Naruto-kun..." It took Hinata's voice to snap Naruto out of his amused daydream. "Thank you again for the flowers."
"You're welcome, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a warm smile. Ayame's advice suddenly pushed itself to the forefront of Naruto's memories.
"Naruto-kun, before you go I have some words of wisdom," Ayame had said somewhat conspiratorially.
"Oh?" Naruto asked. He was a bit tired and didn't want to sit through another lecture like the one on food Ayame had bombarded him with earlier.
"Compliments," Ayame said in a definitive tone of voice. She nodded her head in self-satisfaction.
"That's only one word, Ayame-onee-chan," Naruto pointed out helpfully. A twitch appeared on Ayame's forehead and she reached for her ladle. Instinctively, Naruto covered his head and started blabbering apologies.
"As I was saying, compliments are always a good thing. Remember how I mentioned making sure that Hinata-chan knew you will never judge her?" Ayame reminded Naruto. The young boy nodded while keeping a wary eye on The Ladle. "Well, compliments are a way to let her know. And girls like to be reminded that we are special."
"But Hinata-chan is special," Naruto stated simply. "She's really nice and has the Byakugan."
"That's a good start, Naruto-kun. But Hinata-chan probably doesn't feel that her Byakugan makes her special. Everyone in the Hyūga Clan has the Byakugan. If you are going to mention her eyes, try to say something that she probably doesn't hear very often," Ayame was slipping into lecture mode, but Naruto was actually paying attention this time. He felt like Ayame was giving him super-secret intelligence on girls.
'Mabye, just maybe, I'll actually understand them,' Naruto thought to himself.
"So, like, compliment the color of her eyes? I mean, they kinda remind me of some flowers I see over in one of the training grounds," Naruto suggested.
"Very good," Ayame complimented Naruto's originality.
"Ok, I think I got it. I should compliment Hinata-chan all the time on stuff," Naruto said.
"Not exactly. If you compliment her all the time, they'll lose their impact. You wouldn't do the same prank every day would you?" Ayame asked. Naruto shook his head. "And you wouldn't rush into a prank and get caught either, right?" Again, Naruto shook his head.
Ayame grinned. "Think of it this way. You have to treat it like a 'nice' prank. Compliment a girl when a good opportunity arises or when you know they need a pick-me-up."
"Now are you telling me that I'm going to have to pick Hinata-chan up and carry her?" Naruto asked. Ayame's answer was a bop on the head with The Ladle.
Naruto grinned at the memory. "Well, I just felt you deserved to be reminded of how special you are."
Hinata blushed furiously and quietly thanked Naruto. Naruto was about to ask if Hinata found the homework was as boring as he did, when a groan interrupted him.
"Oh great, the one girl not interested in Sasuke-sama is with Naruto of all people," Tobio lamented. Daichi, who was a real jerk in Naruto's opinion, snickered about the 'high and mighty Hyūga deigning to speak with a commoner'.
"Yeah, I am lucky. Hinata-chan's easily the coolest person, girl or whatever, in the class. You jerks should be even more jealous of me than normal," Naruto said proudly.
Tobio and Daichi looked furious and were about to start a fight when Iruka returned to the classroom. "Everyone in your seats!"
Iruka's voice didn't seem to reach the class. "I said everyone in your seats!" This time the class practically Body Flickered into their seats. Iruka sighed and began the lesson. The teacher's eyes kept going back to Naruto and Hinata. Iruka was about to say something to Naruto, when he noticed Hinata lean in and say 'the Hokage will need to know this'. Iruka struggled desperately to contain his smile as Hinata accomplished what he had trying to do for nearly three years. Naruto was paying attention and taking notes.
'Wonders never cease,' Iruka chuckled as he turned to face the chalkboard.
The next few days were among the best Naruto could remember. He really enjoyed going to the Academy. Naruto was so excited to finally have a friend that was his age. Hinata was a really patient listener. Naruto was trying to get Hinata to talk more. She did not speak as often as Naruto would like, but when she did, Hinata reaffirmed Naruto's belief that she was the kindest person he had ever met.
"I believe that you will be Hokage, Naruto-kun. You have the strength to never give up," Hinata had said a few days ago at lunch. The only other person to use the word will instead of if when talking about Naruto becoming Hokage had always been Iruka-sensei. Hinata's quiet encouragement fed the fires of Naruto's desires to become Hokage even more.
"You're just as strong as I am. When I'm Hokage, I'm definitely going to need your help. I mean, your taijutsu is really cool," Naruto had instantly said to Hinata. "And you are a lot smarter than me. You'll be able to help me on all the 'economic issues' I hear Hokage-ojisan talk about when I visit him sometimes."
Naruto was smiling broadly at the memory when he walked into Iruka-sensei's classroom. He sat down and waited for Hinata to arrive. She was generally one of the first to arrive. Naruto was simultaneously impressed and confused by how Hinata could stay so focused on most of the lessons. They were so boring.
Naruto was becoming a bit nervous as time passed. Hinata hadn't shown up yet. He didn't panic, but did look towards the doors several times as Mizuki-sensei arrived. Iruka-sensei arrived a few minutes later and the lesson began. Naruto was fidgeting in his seat more than usual. It was as if a tide of nervous energy was washing over him. Iruka's lesson and Mizuki's explanation of the homework failed to even register on the most basic of levels.
"Remember, the information we covered today will be on the test at the end of the week. You are all dismissed for lunch. Enjoy your break," Mizuki said warmly. The buzz of conversation filled the air. As usual, a large portion of the class congregated around Uchiha Sasuke.
Naruto ignored the group, but secretly envied the attention lavished upon Sasuke. The attention validated his existence. The acknowledgment is what Naruto craved. It was one of the reasons he treasured Hinata's friendship. She not only acknowledged Naruto's existence, Hinata respected Naruto's existence. Naruto had few such bonds. He counted Iruka-sensei, Ayame-onee-chan, Old Man Teuchi, and the Third as his family. Thus, he treasured them above all others. Naruto was placing a great deal of hope in his friendship with Hinata.
"Can I help you, Naruto?" Iruka asked as he watched Naruto approach the teacher's desk.
Naruto nodded. "I miss Hinata-chan. Do you think she's okay?"
Mizuki smirked and patted Iruka on the shoulder. "I'll let you handle the young love. You want the usual?"
"Thanks on both counts," Iruka said with a grin. Mizuki arced an eyebrow questioningly. Iruka's grin broadened into a full smile. "Don't worry, this isn't the first conversation I've had with Naruto."
Mizuki nodded and walked off. Iruka knelt in front of Naruto and patted the boy on the head. "I'm sure Hinata's fine, Naruto. She's probably just come down with that bug that was going around."
"I didn't get that sick when I caught that cold," Naruto pointed out. Iruka turned up his smile to buy some time. He couldn't reveal that Naruto had an elevated immune system due to the Kyūbi sealed within his being.
"Well, you have really good luck with that sort of thing," the teacher said to placate the boy's curiosity. Naruto chewed his lip before shrugging. Iruka was thankful that Naruto wouldn't press that point for a while. "But I'm sure that Hinata will be fine and back to class in a day or two. The Hyūga clan has very good doctors."
"Promise?" Naruto asked quickly.
"I'm sure of it," Iruka assured his favorite, if gray-hair-creating, student. Naruto nodded confidently before heading off to eat his usual lunch of instant ramen.
Iruka was glad that his talk seemed to placate Naruto's worries. Naruto focused on the lesson more than either Mizuki or Iruka expected under the circumstances. As soon as the class was dismissed, Naruto rushed up to the teachers. He was running so quickly that he actually had to skid to a stop.
"You guys have extras for today's work right?" Naruto shouted before he even came to a complete halt. Mizuki rolled his eyes and shook his head. Iruka chuckled at the antics of his two closest friends.
"Here, you go. The Hyūga Compound in on the opposite side of the village. The directions are actually pretty simple. When you get to Ichiraku, take a left and keep going until you reach Atsushi's Forge. Then, turn right and keep going. You can't miss the Hyūga Compound. The Hyūga have their clan symbol on the walls to their compound and a guard station at the entrance," Iruka explained. Naruto nodded rapidly.
"You're the best, boss! See you tomorrow!" Naruto started to run off. "Oh, see you too, Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto added as he pushed through the crowd of Sasuke fans.
He passed Ichiraku Ramen Stand without stopping. Ichiraku was practically his second home, but Naruto was on a mission. It took several minutes to work his way through the crowded streets. Naruto was beginning to feel a bit out of place. The wealth in this section of Konoha was staggering. Naruto had to scrape every cent to afford new bedsheets. It wouldn't surprise Naruto if the bedsheets the Hyūga bought cost more than Naruto spent on food in a year. Naruto felt jealousy push its way to the forefront of his mind. Strangely, he did not and could not direct any of the jealousy towards Hinata. She had given Naruto her respect, acknowledgment and kindness. Naruto firmly believed that everyone he treasured deserved the best in the world.
"Halt," a Hyūga guard said coldly. Naruto didn't like the tone of voice and refused to be intimidated. Naruto, if he was honest with himself, was only intimidated by three things. The first was Hokage-ojisan's temper. Naruto had only seen the Third lose his temper once and Naruto swore he would never do anything to rouse the God of Shinobi's wrath ever again. The second was Iruka's 'cold' voice. Finally, Naruto was terrified of Ayame's Ladle. He couldn't explain why The Ladle filled him with an instinctive dread. He just knew that The Ladle was not to be trifled with.
"I brought Hinata-chan her homework from the Academy. Hinata-chan is near the top of the class and I don't want her to fall behind," Naruto stated and held out the folder Iruka-sensei had given him. The guard activated his Byakugan and checked the folder. The Hyūga quickly snatched the folder away from Naruto.
"Do not presume familiarity with Hiashi-sama's daughter. Her standing is not your concern," the guard sneered. The dismissal in the man's voice rankled Naruto's mood.
"She's a hell of a better person than you," Naruto shot back before turning to leave.
"At least she is a person," the Guard countered. Naruto wheeled around and felt a flash of animalistic rage fill his body. There was a cry in his very core that called for him to unleash the rage on the man.
'No, I am better than this jerk. Hinata-chan, Iruka-sensei, Old Man Teuchi, Ayame-oneechan and Hokage-ojisan would want me to walk away. I can't fight a fellow shinobi of the Leaf,' Naruto calmed himself and walked away.
The next few days drained even Naruto's seemingly endless supply of energy. Hinata had not returned to class. Her absence was a terrible burden on Naruto. Iruka tried to assure his student that everything would be fine, but Naruto would simply escape the Academy and try to sneak a glimpse into the Hyūga Compound. The boy's attempt became so blatant, and so desperate, that the Hyūga Clan brought a complaint to the Hokage.
Thus, Naruto found a new way to get out of Mizuki's lecture on the legacy of the battle between the Aburame and the Kamizuru clan. He was summoned to the Hokage's office by a trio of Jonin. They introduced themselves as Raido, Genma, and Sho. The three Jonin were friendly and openly told Naruto of their position. Naruto's talk with the Fourth Hokage's personal bodyguards lifted the young boy's spirits somewhat. He was bombarding the three Special Jonin with questions about the Fourth throughout the entire walk to the Hokage's Tower.
Naruto considered the Fourth Hokage his hero and so took any chance to learn about the man who defeated the Kyūbi. Raido, Genma and Sho regaled Naruto with tales of how Minato Namikaze inspired everyone who ever met him.
"Do...do you guys mind if I ask some more questions about the Yondaime sometime?" Naruto asked hopefully. The three bodyguards smiled, but Naruto noticed how their eyes weren't looking at Naruto. It confused the child for a moment. Soon, however, he realized they weren't looking through Naruto. The men were looking to the past and remembering their beloved Hokage.
"We'd be happy to kid. I think Minato-sama would want to be an example for you," Genma said warmly. Naruto smiled broadly and nodded.
"Come in Naruto," Sarutobi Hiruzen said regally. Naruto pushed open the doors and waved to the Hokage. "Please, take a seat."
Naruto noticed something about Old Man Hokage's tone and complied. "You wanted to talk with me?"
The Hokage smiled. "Naruto, I have heard that you have become friends with Hyūga Hinata."
"Yeah! She's my best friend..." Naruto's excitement trailed off. He had so few bonds that losing any one of them was a terrible tragedy.
"I am glad you have made a friend. Unfortunately, the Hyūga have brought your recent actions to my attention," Hiruzen said gently.
"What are they complaining about? I just want to find out if she's okay!" Naruto gave voice to his frustrations.
"Your concern for Hinata shows your commitment to the Will of Fire. I will make inquiries into Hinata's condition. However, the Hyūga are a very private clan. Naruto, I ask that you not attempt to spy on them again," the Professor simultaneously praised and warned Naruto. The young man reluctantly nodded in agreement.
The Old Man of the Village shifted subjects and engaged Naruto in some light conversation. Naruto revealed that he had revealed his gardening hobby to Hinata. Hiruzen chuckled at Naruto's ploy with the flowers. The chuckle became a full blown laugh when Sarutobi managed to make Naruto blush slightly. Once again, Naruto was making the Hokage feel young again.
"Well, I'm going to get some dinner! It was great seeing you again!" Naruto shouted excitedly.
"Good evening, Naruto. Oh, and please, don't skip any more class this week," the Hokage said playfully.
"No promises!" Naruto said as he jumped off the chair. He stopped at the door and turned around. "If you really don't want me to skip, I'd find Hinata-chan as quickly as possible."
"I'll be sure to tell Miss Hyūga how affectionately you are speaking of her," Sarutobi teased. Naruto froze in place and blushed.
"You win, Hokage-ojisan," Naruto said behind a soft smile. Hiruzen nodded as Naruto ran out of the office. The boy's spirits had been buoyed by the meeting.
The streets of Konoha were relatively quiet. Naruto knew that the civilians had just ended their days in the shops or other businesses. The shinobi were also on their way back from the training fields. Naruto generally used this time to prepare for his pranks. He hadn't pulled a prank in a while and could feel the itch.
'I'll think of something awesome. Maybe something involving water balloons. I haven't done anything like that in a while...' He amused himself with his overly elaborate planning.
The plans suddenly came to a screeching halt as Naruto saw something out of the corner of his eye.
'That looks like Hinata-chan's jacket' Naruto thought excitedly. He bounded off in the direction of the tan flash. Naruto quickly realized that the tan 'flash' was not moving very quickly at all. Naruto felt his spirits rise with every step he took closer to his best friend.
"Hey! Hinata-chan! Wait up!" Naruto shouted, but became worried when he saw Hinata's shoulders droop. Naruto managed to reach Hinata in time to catch her backpack from falling to the ground. Naruto's worry doubled when Hinata did not respond to his voice or proximity.
"I've missed you. You okay?" Naruto asked. He couldn't keep the nervousness out of his voice. 'Is Hinata-chan mad at me?'
Hinata still did not respond to Naruto's words. She simply started to turn around. Naruto gulped and tried to control a sense of dread he had never experienced before.
"Hinata-chan...what happened?"
Author's Notes: Wow, I never expected this fic to be this popular! You guys rock. I don't know why, but this fic is really easy to write and its nearly gotten away from me and this chapter could have easily broken the 12,000 word mark.
And please don't kill me for the cliffhanger.