Chapter Text
“Ah I heard that you got into a fight again Naruto!” The pink-haired beauty was obviously pissed at Naruto; she glared at him, her eyes like daggers, piercing him. “Geez...you and Sasuke need to show some resistance. Principle Kakashi is going to be so mad...” “Sorry Sakura,” Naruto said sheepishly. “We didn’t mean anything by it. You know how we are-always messin-” “Yes yes I know best of all...” Sakura pulled Naruto’s ear and spoke loudly and clearly into his ear. “Be more mature, Naruto!! Gosh, you need a girlfriend.” Naruto winced in pain. “Well, I dunno. Speaking of which, how have you and Sasuke been doing? Owwww Sakura let goooo!!” Sakura reluctantly let go of Naruto’s now pink ear and blushed at the thought of Sasuke. “W-we’re doing fine, thank you. He actually asked me out on a date today. I’m so excited!” Sakura grinned, oblivious to Naruto raising an eyebrow at Sasuke, who just happened to spot them in the courtyard and overhear Sakura. “I’m glad you’re excited, Sakura.” he said in a clear cool voice. “S-Sasuke?! I-uh...I didn’t-um yea me too!” Sakura’s face turned as pink as her namesake. Naruto chuckled at this, causing Sakura to shoot him a death glare, effectively shutting him up. Sasuke smiled a little. “So I heard Naruto needs a girlfriend?” Naruto’s smile turned upside down. “What, no! I don’t need something like a girlfriend! I’m fine just being by myself.” Sakura sighed and shook her head. “You know Naruto, there’s this girl who likes you, but you just don’t give her the time she deserves! I’m sure you two would be perfect for each other.” Naruto looked at her skeptically. “There are a lot of underclassmen who like me, me being the hero and all. I don’t really know any of them really well though... Who is it?” Sasuke whispered in Sakura’s ear, and Sakura nodded promptly. “Even Sasuke knows who it is! Ugh, Naruto you’re so dense.” Naruto sighed and rolled his eyes. “Let’s talk about something else please? Or, better yet, eat! The lunch bell is going to ring soon, you know!” But even as they began to eat, Sasuke and Sakura shared a look that Naruto couldn’t quite interpret.
Naruto nodded his head to the beat. Class was over and he’d stayed behind to talk to Iruka-sensei. Now, the school was mostly empty. To him however, the music in his ears filled up the silence. As he turned the corner he bumped into a pretty girl with kind lavender eyes. The papers in her hands flew everywhere. “I’m so sorry!” the girl said, her voice melodious and soft. “I wasn’t watching where I was going...” Naruto shook his head, picking up his fallen ipod. “It wasn’t your fault. I should have noticed my surroundings more!” The pair started to pick up the papers on the floor. “Um, I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Naruto-kun.” The girl’s long dark blue hair swayed as she knelt to pick up the last piece of paper. “How does she know my name?” he wondered. Naruto quickly dismissed this thought. Most students knew his name; it was quite common to be known. “It’s fine, I’m partially at fault anyways.” he replied. Naruto racked his brain for her name. Suddenly he remembered. “Oh! You’re Hinata-chan right? You’re always near the top of our grades and you’re quite popular with the-um with my friends.” Hinata blushed a little, and she nodded her head. “That’s right, I’m Hinata... I have to get going. These papers are for the Principal. I-it was nice seeing you, Naruto-kun.” Hinata moved past Naruto, but before she could leave completely, Naruto grasped her wrist. “Wait! I, uh...” Naruto was confused by his own actions. Why had he stopped Hinata? He didn’t even know her that well. “Oh I, um, I want to get to know you better. Is there a chance...we could be friends?” Hinata’s face immediately lit up and she nodded eagerly. “I would love that!” she replied cheerfully. Naruto gave his trademark grin in reply. “B-bye then Naruto!” Hinata couldn’t help but blush as she walked away. She was overflowing with giddiness. Naruto stood there for a minute, thinking back to when he was younger. His childhood had been rough-but hadn’t there been someone who supported him even back then? He scrunched up his face, trying to remember who it was. He shook his head and sighed, slowly walking away.
“Hinata-chaaaaaan!” Hinata lifted her head from the book she had been absorbed in. Sakura was walking towards her, bento in hand. It was lunch break and instead of eating with her usual team, Shino and Kiba, she had decided to go out to the school yard and enjoy a peaceful lunch with her book. Even though she had resigned herself to do so, she was a tad bit lonely and upon seeing Sakura Hinata smiled and put down her book. It was only until she looked closely that she realized that Sakura was not alone. Naruto was right behind her, his face a mix of confusion and awkwardness. When they got close enough, Hinata noted that Sakura had been dragging him along. A pang of jealousy hit Hinata at their closeness. She knew it was irrational- Sakura told her about how much she loved Sasuke all the time. Sakura even knew about Hinata’s not-so-small crush on Naruto and was cheering her on. Even so, Hinata sometimes wished she could be as close to Naruto as Sakura. Snapping back to the present, she greeted them as Sakura let go of Naruto. Naruto sheepishly smiled. “Sorry for intruding Hinata... Sakura said she wanted us to be better friends so I- OW what was that for Sakuraaaa!?” Sakura had nonchalantly punched Naruto, who was now grimacing in pain. “Hinata, I was hoping we could maybe join you for lunch? I mean if you want us to leave that’s fine too, I jus-” Hinata gently interrupted her and said “Of course. The more the merrier.” Internally she was trying not to crumple down at the fact that she was eating lunch with Naruto-kun. It was all she could do to not start stuttering like a fool again. As they sat down, Naruto watched her curiously. His eyes finally fell to the book besides her. “Oh I’ve read that book! It’s one of the few books I actually like.” He said animatedly. Hinata couldn’t suppress her grin at his excitement. “Yeah, I really like it, too! Especially the part when...” Sakura giggled as the two chatted away about the book. Discreetly, she opened her phone and took a couple pictures of them laughing together. Then she grabbed her bento and said, “Sasuke just texted me that he wants to meet up. See you guys later!” The pair raised their heads and nodded in response. Hinata suddenly became aware how alone they were. There weren’t many people on the lawn and now with Sakura gone, it felt even more like it was just the two of them. Naruto noticed she had fallen silent and inwardly scolded himself for talking so much. What if she was just being nice and letting him talk away? He immediately felt guilty. “Sorry for getting carried away, I know we aren’t even that close yet,” he said nervously. Hinata couldn’t help but feel hurt about what he said. It was true that they hadn’t actually talked much, but she had hoped he thought of her as more than just an everyday friend. But then she realized he had said “yet”. He was hoping for them to become close, or so she wished. She shook her head. “Not at all Naruto. I-I really enjoy talking to you. And, um, just so you know, you can talk to me whenever, about anything. I promise I’ll listen.” she said earnestly. Hinata could feel her face growing redder as Naruto slowly started to grin. “Thanks Hinata. You’re such a great person!” Was it just her or was he blushing a little too?
On her way home Hinata did something she usually didn’t do. Typically she went straight to her Hyuuga family home. Not today. Today she decided to dine out, as a small treat for being bold enough to say all that to Naruto. She stopped at a ramen shop that seemed to be quite popular and decided to eat there. She texted her little sister that she would be home a bit late and settled on a stool as a kind energetic man took her order. As she waited for her ramen, she surveyed her surroundings. She spotted a few people walking by, but what really caught her attention was a small group of boys who were looking in her direction with expressions of interest. Abruptly Hinata turned around. She knew she was probably strong enough to at least get away if they did something to her, but she didn’t want to take her chances. Besides, with this many people around, they wouldn’t do anything. Would they?
Hinata sighed happily after finishing her meal. “Thank you!” she said to the man who had served as she leaved a generous tip. As she walked away and turned into a quiet section of the street, she bumped into the group she had seen before. They chuckled at her surprised expression. “Why hadn’t they left yet?” she wondered. Hinata quickly recomposed herself and spoke tightly. “Sorry, could you please move?” One of the guys, presumably the leader, replied haughtily. “Not unless you want to come with us of your own free will. The other option is force.” Hinata glanced around but they were too far from the bustling street to catch much attention. Biting her lip Hinata realized she didn’t have many options. Fighting her way out wouldn’t work with so many people, leaving her with limited options. The gang had already cornered her. She was ready to scream.
Naruto had been let out late since there had been a student government meeting after school that day. He sighed as he thought of all the things he had to do soon, but smiled after remembering how sweet his lunch had been. He recalled the way her hair had flowed down and caught the sunlight. The way she seemed to always smile softly. The way her eyes enchanted him. The way she always seemed to blush so cutely when he was around. He unconsciously started to grin goofily. He headed to the ramen stand he always went to after he had a meeting. As he walked towards it, he noticed a gang seemingly cornering somebody in an alley nearby. He stopped and slowly walked closer to the alley. Was that Hinata they were bullying? It was. He could recognize her anywhere. Anger seared through him as he realized what was happening. Not sure what he was planning to do, he stalked towards the group. “Hey,” he said loudly. “What are you scumbags doing to her.” Naruto had successfully captured their attention. He met Hinata’s worried eyes briefly before returning his attention to the gang. “Just having a little fun.” replied one of them. Rage like never before built in Naruto. He shoved them out of his way to reach Hinata. Skillfully he dodged their attacks and punched the assumed leader right in the face. Astounded, one of the other members recognized Naruto. “Boss,” he murmured. “That’s! That’s Naruto Uzamaki!” Fear etched its way onto their faces. Everyone knew of Konoha Highschool’s famous president. Getting on the wrong side of him would result in a nightmare of a life. Nobody moved as Naruto grabbed Hinata’s hand and lead her away from the gang. He looked behind him and gave a glare so dark and dangerous that they all shivered. “Don’t touch her ever again.” he said with obvious anger seeping in his voice.