Chapter Text
Chapter One: Hinata’s Request
“Uzumaki Naruko, will you never learn to behave?!” Suzume snapped. Suzume was the kunoichi arts instructor at Konoha Ninja Academy, and Naruko was easily her worst student.
“A cool ninja like me doesn’t need to learn to behave, ‘ttebayo!” Naruko shouted defiantly, her verbal tic as always coming to the forefront when she became passionate about something. She had just knocked over her basin of tea for the third time in tea ceremony class. Ink still stained her hands from messy, botched calligraphy attempts.
“You are loud, clumsy, short tempered, impatient, and tomboyish! I will never be able to make you a proper woman!” Suzume despaired.
Naruko’s face flushed and her blue eyes shone. “... Who cares?!” she shouted at last. “I don’t need your stupid class anyway! I’ll still become a great ninja, ‘ttebayo!” And she stormed out of the room.
“Uzumaki! Uzumaki Naruko, get back here!” Suzume demanded, but Naruko was long gone. Suzume sighed, irate, and turned to the rest of the silent, staring class of kunoichi. “You may all be dismissed,” she snapped, harsher than she meant to. “We’ll pick this up on Monday.”
Girls stood to their feet, still murmuring in shock about Naruko as they left the classroom. “It’s typical. Naruko brings it on herself,” Yamanaka Ino could be heard to say to Haruno Sakura as they left together.
“Yeah,” Sakura sighed, agreeing, “she’s so immature.”
Suzume went to arrange her things at her teacher’s desk, but she realized there was still one girl left. She looked around in surprise. “Hyuuga Hinata,” she said. “What is it?”
Hinata was a timid, shy girl, a reject for clan heiress position from a magnificent clan. She was nevertheless demure, graceful, sweet, calm, silent, kind, and obedient - a model feminine arts student. She dressed in reserved sweaters and nice pants, and her short, sensible hair framed her face nicely. Suzume had never had a single problem with Hyuuga Hinata as a feminine kunoichi.
“S-Suzume-sensei,” Hinata stammered out, pained, pushing her fingers against each other. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Yes. Go ahead,” said Suzume, a bit impatiently.
“Please… please help Uzumaki Naruko!” Hinata forced herself to say, wide-eyed and impassioned.
Suzume paused in skeptical surprise. “Help her? I’ve been trying to,” she said.
“But you resent her… I can see it… And I don’t know why, but I can tell you she’s a really nice person! The day everyone was signing up for Academy classes, she saved me from some bullies. She ran in between us and tried to defend me. She got beat up instead. But when I tried to thank her afterward, she just laughed it off and ran away!
“That’s why… I’m asking you…”
Suzume had paused. This story of kindness and bravery was something she admittedly hadn’t expected of Uzumaki Naruko, who’d always struck her as troublemaking, bratty, loud mouthed, and rude. And Hinata was right in one way. Suzume’s older sister had died in the Kyuubi attack, which could have been why she was so impatient with the girl who secretly held the Kyuubi fox demon inside her. Suzume was easily irritated by Naruko, impatient and bitter in a way most uncharacteristic of her.
And, she supposed, in a way also unbefitting of a proper woman. She felt an upwelling of guilt. You resent her. I can see it. Hinata was only a child. Was it that obvious?
Suzume sighed. “So what would you like me to do for her that I am not already doing? I am teaching her, am I not?”
“Perhaps… I thought perhaps private tutoring sessions,” Hinata admitted. “She needs someone to teach her. She’s an orphan. She lives all alone, she has no friends, and no one likes her. She needs someone to take her under her wing and help her with things.
“She’s more lonely than she likes to admit. It’s why she causes so much trouble. Suzume-sensei… Couldn’t you tell? Right before she ran out of the classroom? When Naruko makes that face… It means she’s about to start crying.”
Suzume’s eyes flew open wide. Her mind went back over every detail. Could Hinata have been right? Could a young Hyuuga girl really have seen things she could not?
For a moment, Suzume saw things from Naruko’s perspective. She was only half taught by hateful teachers, and she had no one to practice with or tell her what to do, so she did badly. Then those teachers yelled at her and told her she was a bad ninja. To not only put up with that, but put up with it all alone, with no friends or family… That would make anyone bratty.
“Hinata,” said Suzume at last, “you are my best student. I only give out a favor once. Is this what you want me to use your favor on? Uzumaki Naruko?”
Hyuuga Hinata nodded. “With all my heart, ma’am,” she said firmly.
Suzume examined her for a moment. “You really care for this girl, don’t you?” she said at last.
“I… I think she is amazing, Suzume-sensei. To never give up or become hateful and violent, in spite of how much people hate and doubt her,” said Hinata honestly. “She never hurts anyone, even when she causes trouble, and she still tries and hopes to be a good ninja. She even laughs in the face of the people who hate her. I think that’s incredible.”
“You could try being her friend. She could also use one of those,” Suzume suggested, eyebrows raising.
Hinata looked away timidly. “I… I don’t see why she’d want to be friends with me,” she muttered, fingers still fiddling with each other.
“Hm.” Suzume decided to work on this with Hinata over time. “Very well. I will do as you ask. I will offer private training in the kunoichi arts to Uzumaki Naruko.”
“Could… could you train her in the ninja arts too?” Hinata asked hopefully, her head shooting up.
Suzume was reserved. “... If she asks for it,” she said at last. “You have your answer, Hyuuga Hinata. Go. But since this is your favor, I expect you back here at the end of each week to hear how Naruko’s training has been going. Do we have a deal?”
“W-we do.” Hinata bowed low. “Thank you, Suzume-sensei.” And she left.
Suzume stared curiously after her. Naruko and Hinata were nothing alike, but sometimes opposites attracted. She sighed reluctantly. Very well. She would try to help Uzumaki Naruko. If she must.
The girl did not seem to be much to work with, but Suzume would do her best. She was a professional, after all.