She had been observing him for quite some time and now felt she knew the little boy well enough to have a few conclusions.
One - he was not a cruel person despite being treated poorly by nearly everyone. This meant, most likely, that when they'd first met - he had actually meant those things he'd said to her. Which was that she was cute, important to him, and that he considered her his friend.
Two - he was a class clown and dead last in skills, something the teachers were particularly prone to point out to the rest of the class. He was the bad example everyone could be goaded into doing better than. This was not true when he was off by himself though, as he was constantly pushing himself and could do some pretty amazing things when he thought he was alone.
Three - he was capable of detecting her watching him with Byakugan if she was within half a mile. She'd had to improve her Byakugan range and duration to keep watching him without him noticing.
Hiding behind a tree, she watched from a distance as Naruto did one handed pushups. What made it really impressive was that he was doing them from a one-handed handstand with his toes pointing straight up. Then he'd push off and do more of those odd pushups with the other hand. Hinata admired his ability to keep his balance with only some minor swaying and shaking when he did that.
When Naruto proclaimed in class that he would eventually be Hokage, Hinata was the only one who didn't laugh and call him names. When Naruto fumbled a jutsu and then made a joke about it, she knew he'd done that deliberately.
Sighing again, she dropped her Byakugan and rubbed her eyes. If her father asked, she'd say she was out training. She WAS training too, as keeping the boy from noticing she was watching was good training. He'd be finishing up soon, though it was odd he hadn't been using that Kage Bunshin technique. He usually had at least one clone going.
It was time to get back to the compound though. Though she did have to wonder why she smelled freshly baked cinnamon...
With 'happy birthday' written in icing, there was a large cinnamon roll on a paper plate next to her.
"BYAKUGAN!" called out Hinata, searching quickly.
Naruto was giving a high-five to a shadow clone which poofed out a moment later.
Birthdays were something commoners celebrated. Celebrating such occasions were a weakness that a warrior clan like the Hyuga wouldn't participate in. Stoic, logical, cold, strong - these were the qualities of the Hyuga. It was beneath their dignity and their clan status.
"How?" asked Hinata, flopping back down onto her buttocks and staring at the pastry. How did he know her birthday? How did he know where she was? How did he know that cinnamon buns were one of her favorite foods? How did he sneak up on her?!
She felt tears gathering up in her eyes, blurring the image of the pastry sitting there. The 'how' were questions she didn't have answers to. The 'why' though - she found she knew the answer to that already.
She, the worthless piece of trash her father was threatening to pass over for the heir position, was considered a valuable friend to someone.
"She's crying again?" asked Naruto when one of his other shadow clones dissipated to report in. "How did I screw THAT up?"
Naruto puzzled over it for a time. Maybe she was on a diet or something? Girls could be funny about things like that.
Well, he'd try harder NEXT year.
April 4
"A letter from the Leaf Village?" asked Kankuro. "That's weird."
"It's something to think about that doesn't involve sand whispering about blood and death," retorted Temari as she unfolded the letter. "Let's see. Huh. Kid heard I'm a Wind chakra user and apparently that's his elemental affinity too. Says here it's an opportunity to practice codes and... oh I see. He's got a message here besides the message, using the first letter of each word. Got it. Huh. Oh dear."
"Sounds logical on both fronts, and it IS an ally," agreed Kankuro. "We've got that whole treaty thing going after all. So what's the hidden message?"
"It's 'I know a master of sealing jutsu that I think can help your brother,'" said Temari.
"Waitaminute, some kid from another village knows about GAARA?!" asked Kankuro. "And is offering to HELP?"
"This is important information," mused the little girl. "So what do we do about it?"
"We're just kids, we haven't even made genin yet," said Kankuro. "We tell an adult."
"Who'll take control of all this and classify it an S-Class secret and such," pointed out Temari. "Whereas we can milk this source of information and maybe this kid actually DOES know something that can help Gaara."
"You think this is legit? Actually a kid of Konoha and not some Konoha spies trying to get information themselves?" asked Kankuro.
"Doubt it," said Temari. "Could be, but this kid's penmanship needs work. It also fits if he's one of those soft-living Leaf kids that maybe he's just repeating stuff he's heard and doesn't understand everything about it. If we turn our backs on this though, will we ever get another chance?"
Shikamaru Naru knew something was up. He'd known it for months. Go, shogi, and various other strategy games involved finding patterns and exploiting them. Tiresome as it was, when something broke patterns - he immediately started figuring out what had changed and tried to understand why.
Naruto Uzumaki, dead last in class, clown, loud and argumentitive idiot, was making several breaks in his usual patterns all at once.
First he was still a clown, still loud, but there was something odd about it all as if his heart wasn't in it. He also wasn't getting into arguments with Kiba, despite Kiba trying to get into arguments.
Shikamaru frowned as he watched the clouds. Naruto hadn't spent a lot of time arguing with ANYONE actually. He was avoiding them and had periods of contemplation.
Then there was the looks he sent towards that Hyuga kid, who tended to look everywhere else but looked at Naruto when he wasn't looking. If he didn't know better, he'd think that the Hyuga girl had a crush or something on Naruto. That was too ridiculous though, as every other girl he'd seen was suffering from fangirl-itis towards Sasuke Uchiha.
Yeesh, just the crowd surrounding Uchiha during kunai practice to praise him on performance had Shikamaru retreating from all the estrogen in the air. How tiring.
No, there was something going on. He wasn't sure what though, and that was annoying.
Maybe one of the times Naruto'd asked Sakura out and she'd hit him with the nearest blunt object, she'd somehow gotten his brain to start working? No, his grades would have improved if that had been the case.
Still, Naruto being quieter was welcome for the lowering of aggravation but was likely to change the expected patterns eventually.
It was all so troublesome.
August 3rd
"Another coded message, Hokage-sama!"
"Same code?" asked the Third Hokage.
"Yes sir," agreed the ANBU. "Using an old ANBU code that is only used rarely."
"Let me see this one," said Third Hokage.
"So what does it mean?" asked the ANBU.
"It means that Orochimaru is in a 'noisy field' and to successfully strike against him we would need the other two of the legendary Sages," said the Third. "Combined with the previous two messages, it would indicate that our message-leaving associate is at least against Orochimaru's side. That doesn't mean that he or she is on OUR side, of course."
November 4th:
The Nine-tails stretched within its cage.
The sewer had gradually lightened, the sewage drained, and things had begun to get more comfortable.
"Whelp? What are you doing? HOW are you doing it?"
The boy stood before the gate that held the seal. "You are a force of rage and destruction, however someone pointed out to me that even then you can be bargained with. So here's the deal. You can sit there behind that door as is, or I can redecorate. Let you hear what I hear, see what I see, feel what I feel. The Eight-tails has a similar deal with its host."
"You'd let me experience the world again?" growled the Demon Fox. If it was in greater detail than the vague hints and images he'd gotten already, that made it tempting. "What do YOU get out of the deal?"
"You help me out," said Naruto. "If you get any of your freedom, don't hurt my friends."
"You have no friends, whelp," responded the Nine-tailed Demon Fox.
"I have one," admitted Naruto. "I will protect her. I will get more. I will protect them too. I will do everything I can to help them and the people who trust in me."
The eyes in the cage narrowed. "What kind of help are you talking about, whelp?"
December 27th
Hinata drew a deep breath. She was now ten years old. She was also hurting a great deal as various chakra points were closed off after the latest training session from her father.
That wasn't new though.
She was harder, leaner, stronger, taller, bustier...
Well, that wasn't anything she'd really worked on. Though it WAS one thing she noticed she had above the rest of her class. Though her father might have regarded it as inconsequential or even a detriment to martial arts skills.
Sitting down with her back against a tree, she had a quiet moment as she tried to relax. Then she could see if Naruto was... in the tree above her smiling down at her?!
"EEP!" managed Hinata Hyuga just before a gaily wrapped present was dropped down upon her.
FAINT!
"Oh HECK!" said Naruto, nearly falling out of the tree himself. "What was that for?"
"You... what are you doing with Hinata-sama?!" asked one of the Hyuga branch members as he looked down at the unconscious Hyuga heir and then at this boy.
"Giving her a birthday present, jackass," said the little boy.
"Oh," said the branch member, going silent for a moment. "Her family does not celebrate such things."
"I know," said Naruto. "That doesn't mean that I can't observe her birthday, does it? I ain't in her family!"
The branch member was silent for a moment, looking down at the package with its little ribbon and bow. "Good point."
"Eh?" asked Naruto.
"Your intentions regarding Hinata-sama?" asked the branch member.
"I'm her friend," said Naruto. "And if the Hyuga family don't allow friends, then I don't care! I'll be her friend anyway! You ain't got a say on that for me."
"I see," said the branch member of the Hyuga clan.
Hinata stirred, opening her eyes, then realizing that was Naruto up there talking to one of the branch family members. What was going on?
"You're a 'friend' of hers? Aren't you the Uzumaki boy?" asked the branch member.
"Yeah, and yeah," said Naruto. "She's my precious friend."
Eyes wide now, Hinata froze. Naruto-kun considers me precious?!
"You know that people tried to kidnap her once before, don't you?" asked the branch member. "What will you do if someone comes for her again?"
"I will protect her with my life," said Naruto, no trace of the prankster showing.
"I see," said the branch member, sounding very thoughtful. "You consider her to be 'precious' to you? Why?"
Naruto cocked his head at that. He was sure this was some kind of trick question, but what? Hmmm. Maybe. "She's cute, smart, and nice. In the future, I know she's going to be an AWESOME kunoichi. Believe it!"
Hinata blinked several times. Cute? Smart? Nice? Awesome? He's not talking about ME is he? There are so many more attractive women, and my grades are third in the class - not first, and Father says nice is overrated. I need to be strong and ruthless, not relying on anyone.
"Hinata? Awesome?" asked the branch family member.
"Yeah!" said Naruto, warming to his subject. "I can just see her as she'll be in a few years. She'll be a Gentle Fist practitioner who kicks serious butt and will have other skills too! She'll have longer hair, and she'll be even cuter, and she'll come up with jutsu in her own ninja style!"
"You're going to make her 'awesome' somehow?" asked the branch member skeptically.
"No," said Naruto.
I knew it. He doesn't think that, he's just being nice. Hinata closed her eyes, willing the ground to just swallow her up.
"SHE is gonna make herself an awesome kunoichi," continued Naruto. "If she wants my help, she's got it, but it's all her - she's the one who decides what path she's going to take. If she wants to be a medic-nin, she could be an AWESOME medic-nin like Tsunade. If she wants to go as a reconn specialist, she could be thoroughly awesome at THAT too. Believe it!"
Hinata's eyes opened again and focussed on the boy. Almost. When I hear him say that with that conviction. I can almost believe it myself.
June 4:
"Okay, Naruto, spill it!" said Iruka-sensei. "I know you know better on this test. You crossed off the right answers on three questions to write in wrong ones!"
Naruto winced. He knew he was slipping up on occasion. How to cover his lapses? Maybe just enough truth to mislead? "Uhm. Iruka-sensei. This is all S-class secrets. I can't even tell myself this stuff."
"Oh?" asked Iruka.
"There are people who don't like me, LOTS of people," said Naruto with all the seriousness a ten-year-old frequent-prankster could pull off. "As long as I'm just a dead last clown, they aren't scared or nothing. If they saw what I could do when I want - they might make a serious effort to kill me."
"Oh, why are you thinking you're surrounded by enemies?" asked Iruka.
Naruto lifted an eyebrow, looked seriously at Iruka, then shook his head. "Because so many of the adults see the prisoner and not the prison?"
Iruka's eyes widened as that penetrated.
"Don't let on that I know, please Iruka-sensei," said Naruto. "This is something I have to do. I promise I'll bring my grades up in my last year, how's that?"
September 7th
"Ah, the wonders of research," said Jiraiya.
"Ah, the wonders of perverts," said a young boy.
"Eh?" asked Jiraiya, glancing around. Finally he noticed a fox watching him from a bush. "What are you talking about? This is research in the pursuit of art!"
"Yeah, yeah, that's an excuse and you know it," said the fox, cleaning one paw. "And I know about your hobbies and that you use the 'super pervert' wandering old man thing as a cover. Not that you aren't super-pervy, but it allows you to get underestimated by people who forget you're the great Toad Sage."
Jiraiya blinked and forgot about the lovely ladies bathing a few yards away. For the moment. "Do I know you?"
"I'm your godson," said the fox, glancing up with blue eyes.
"Someone's been talking," muttered Jiraiya, anger showing itself on his face as he went into serious-mode.
"That's beside the point," said the fox. "Listen pervy-sage, I need your expertise on seals. There ain't nobody in the Five Shinobi Nations who knows more about seals and sealing techniques. If you don't know it, you can invent it."
"Hmmm," said Jiraiya, knowing his ego was being stroked here but intrigued despite himself. "So you're having trouble with your seal?"
"No, but I'm making some modifications in the living arrangements to get more help out of the guy," said the fox. "There's also a kid in the Sand Village I'm trying to get out this way. He's the container of the One Tailed Beast, and his seal isn't working too good. If he falls into a deep sleep, his prisoner takes over the jail - and that ain't cool for anyone near the prison."
October 10:
Naruto stretched, having gone and spent most of the day training as usual. His taijutsu was coming along, his strength and speed increasing, and he was developing a bit more fully than he had the first time around.
Hopefully he wouldn't be so short this time around. That had really bugged him when he'd gotten to twenty and almost everyone he knew managed to get a little taller. If he was going to 'tank' - be the point attacker who charged enemy positions - he needed to be a bit more physically capable. Stamina could only get you so far.
Which was why he ate all those vegetables and stuff. Didn't help the taste. He'd get taller later on, but he had been the short-guy up until he went off with Jiraiya. When he'd heard (repeatedly) that he could have been even taller if he'd ate regularly a more balanced diet - he'd regretted not doing so.
When he saw the package outside his door, he was surprised. When it turned out to be a set of clothes, he was more surprised.
Who could have sent him this? Why a red so dark it was almost black? It looked expensive, it was sized correctly, and it was -
Naruto sniffed it, then broke into a smile as a particular scent came across. He wasn't exactly an Inuzaka, but his sense of smell was a bit better than most. He'd have to find a way to thank Hinata. A change of clothes was definitely welcome.
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(Posted Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:03)
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