Chapter Text
It was a rather peaceful day in the village hidden in the leaves, it had snowed last night which meant that most people would be indoors, creating the perfect opportunity for an energetic young blonde to go on a quiet walk and plan out his next pranks without being screamed at by the villagers. Putting on a pair of green goggles, an orange and white jacket and wrapping a red scarf around his neck to stay warm, he stepped out of his apartment to formulate some new ways to cause mischief.
“Maybe I should try painting the Hokage monument, that would be cool, it’d probably be super difficult though” he thought to himself as he stared up at the stone faces
“Or I could hide in the park and place traps to get some unsuspecting civilians, let’s see if I can find some good spots” he wondered as he made his way towards the tree covered area
“What are you, some kind of monster!” he heard a voice shout as he walked along the park trail. Instinctively, he turned his head to see if someone was yelling at him like usual but was surprised to find no one there. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he followed the sounds until he saw 3 bullies who must have at least been academy-age picking on a small, blue-haired girl dressed in a purple jacket and green scarf.
“Look at those eyes, you’re some sort of white-eyed freak” shouted one of them, causing the little girl to start sobbing
“Hey, why don’t you three pick on someone your own size, quit making her cry you assholes” he shouted angrily as he ran towards him, placing himself between the girl and the bullies
“Get out of the way runt or we’re gonna have to teach you a lesson as well” one of them spoke up, shoving the blonde to the ground
“That’s it, now you’re gonna get it!” shouted the blonde once more as he balled his tiny hand into a fist and swung it at the boy who had just shoved him. Instead of making contact with his face, the bully caught the punch and that was the last thing the blonde remembered.
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“A...are yo...you okay” whimpered a small bluenette girl as she knelt over the semi-unconscious body of the boy collapsed in the snow, tears forming in her eyes as she examined the bruises covering his face and arms, the tattered remains of a scarf on the snow around him.
“D...Did I win” spoke up the boy as he tried to open his eyes only to find one of them had been swollen shut, trying to move his battered body only for it to barely budge
“...guess not...I’m sorry” he said to the now sobbing girl
“W...why ar...are you a-apologizing, I-I’m the re...reason yo...you got so h-h-hurt” she responded, her sobs turning into full blown tears “I..I’m the one w-who sh...should be sorry”
“Don’t cry you know” spoke up the blonde as he adjusted his head to face the blue-haired girl “If I’m gonna be the Hokage I’m gonna keep on getting hurt until I’m strong enough to protect myself and the entire village and I’ll beat up all the bullies who were picking on you”
His sudden burst of enthusiasm despite the pain shocked the little girl, leaving her at a loss of words until she mustered enough confidence to string together a sentence. “I...I’m sure y...you will be a-an a...amazing Hokage” said the bluennette, smiling through her tears
“Wait, do you actually think so?” asked the boy in disbelief
“I...I do, y-you were brave enough to s...stand up against those b...bullies to p-protect me”
“You know, aside from old man Hokage, you’re the only person who has said that they believe in me” said the blonde as he forced himself up, wincing as pain shot through his legs
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“Hinata-sama where are you?” shouted a voice through the snowy forest
“I think someone is looking for you” said the blonde as he heard the voice
“Hinata-sama you must not run off like that” said the voice once more as a man with short brown hair and pupil-less eyes approached. “We must be going before your parents begin to worry”
“K...Kō-san, I...I d-don’t want t...to go back yet, I m...must tend t-to my friend’s injuries” responded Hinata, surprising the older Hyuga with her confidence and defiance of rules
“I’m afraid that will not be possible Hinata-sama, you have a curfew for a reason and you still have lessons for today, it would not be wise to keep your instructors waiting” he responded
“He’s right, you shouldn’t get in trouble because of me, I’ll be fine” said the blonde, trying his best to sound fine despite the pain he was in
Kō immediately recognized the boy as Naruto Uzumaki the notorious village prankster and pariah but chose not to say anything against the blonde, partially out of curiosity to see if Hinata would continue to defy him and partially out of pity for the boy, after all at the age of 4 he had already experienced more hardships than some do in an entire lifetime.
“Kō-san, I...I’m afraid t-that I m...must r-r-r-refuse” spoke up Hinata once more, shocking herself and her caretaker
“Hinata-sama, I will not ask you again, we must get going” retorted Ko once more, clearly irritated at the heiress’s stubbornness
“...No…” whispered the bluenette in response
“Excuse me Hinata-sama, could you please speak up I couldn't hear you” said Ko smugly, hoping that the young girl’s paralyzing shyness would take over
“I said no Ko-san, I cannot go home yet and nothing you say will change my mind, can’t you see that this boy got so severely injured protecting me, if I don’t make sure he is properly taken care of I’ll never forgive myself and that scares me more than any punishment that you or mother or father or any of my instructors could inflict upon me” answered Hinata loudly, tears rolling down her face as she finished speaking
“Very well, I shall inform your parents that you will be delayed, however you should be prepared to face any consequences” he responded, unsuccessfully trying one more time to convince her to leave before turning to Naruto, pointing at him accusingly. “Until you return Hinata-sama home she is your responsibility and if so much as a single scratch falls upon her, you will incur the wrath of the Hyuga”
“I’m sure I can do better than you I mean you weren’t even there when she was getting picked on by those bullies” retorted the blonde snarkily,
With a sigh, the older Hyuga shunshined away, leaving the two children alone once more
Instantly becoming extremely aware of the puffy-eyed girl next to him, the blonde decided to try and cheer her up. “D...Did you really mean what you just said?” he spoke up quietly, “About us being friends?”
“Of c-course I did, i...is th-that ok-okay with you?” stuttered Hinata
“Well of course it is, i’m Naruto Uzumaki the future Hokage of the Leaf, it’s nice to officially meet my first friend” said the blonde enthusiastically, excited at having an actual friend
“I-I’m Hinata Hyuga, it’s ni-nice to meet yo...you as well” said the bluenette, bowing her head slightly earning a chuckle from Naruto
“N...Naruto-san, w-why are y-you...lau-laughing?” she asked as her face turned a light shade of red
“It’s nothing, it’s just that you’re so formal you know and I think it’s really cute” he responded, only making her blush even deeper. “Also just call me Naruto, san makes me feel like an old man”
“Oh...okay N-N-Naruto, w...we should h-head back to t...the village and g-get some ointment for y...your injuries”
“Ummmm, I’m kinda surprised that you don’t know this but everyone in the village hates me, no one is going to sell me ointment” he responded quietly
“B...but you’re hurt, i’m sure t...there must be someone who will” answered the bluenette in shock
Deep down Naruto knew that nobody would but he went along with Hinata back towards the village. As they walked through the streets of Konoha towards the market, Naruto could hear people whispering things as he passed them, nothing too out of the usual, mainly just the standard insults of him being a demon brat and that he would be better off dead. Despite how often he heard these things, they still hurt the blonde deeply, after all he was only 4 years old and no child deserves to have so much hate directed at them. Since he was injured however, there were some new insults thrown into the mix...
“Look, the demon brat’s hurt, hopefully whoever did that to him comes back and finishes the job, then we’ll all the rid of him for good” snorted a fruit vendor who hurled a rotten orange towards the blonde
The blonde heard him and even saw the orange coming at him in his peripheral vision and instead of thinking of ducking his head to dodge it or even say something back to the villager the only thing going through his head was the irony behind his favorite color being used as a makeshift weapon against him. Unbeknownst to the blonde, Hinata had been hearing these insults as well and had just reached her breaking point. Without even thinking, she spun around and using a palm thrust, grabbed the fruit before it could make contact with the blonde’s already bruised face. What happened next was extremely un-lady and un-Hyuga-like but the bluenette didn’t care. Feeling a white-hot rage building up inside her, Hinata whipped the orange directly back at the fruit vendor’s face, using all of the skill she had built up through her rigorous gentle-fist training.
“DON’T YOU DARE SAY ANYTHING ABOUT NARUTO YOU WORTHLESS SCUM” she shouted angrily, releasing an unholy amount of killing intent from her body
Unfortunately she was only 4 years old and that was pretty much the only insult she knew and in the face of fully grown villagers, she was far from intimidating. “Heh look at that, the demon brat’s got himself a pet bitch” said another bystander “she should probably just die along with him, clearly she’s got anger issues or maybe she’s also another demon” he continued, laughing carelessly as others joined
Now, if they knew that this little girl who they were hoping died was the Hyuga Heiress the villagers might have acted differently but in their hate of Naruto, they let their true colors show. Naruto had been used to the insults and he’d been hearing them for as long as he could remember but hearing someone say those same things to his first friend and to such a sweet and cute girl was too much for his little heart to handle.
“I...I’m sorry Hinata, you...you don’t deserve any of this, I’m so so sorry” he said as tears started flowing down his cheeks. Before Hinata had a chance to respond he had already started running away through the alleys hoping that the villagers would chase after him and leave the bluenette alone
Hinata shot the villagers one more hateful glance before taking off after the blonde, trying to find him in a maze of different streets and back-alleys without any luck
Naruto ran, he ran as far away from these monsters as his little legs could carry him until he ended up at the one place he felt most safe...no, not his apartment, they knew where he lived...at a lake near the border of the village where he would go when he wanted to be alone, a place only him and Old-man hokage new about. Once he knew he was fully alone, he sat down on the grass and started to cry and before he knew it, the sun had gone down.
The same thought kept on repeating through his head the entire time...“I was stupid to think I could make an actual friend, anyone as amazing as Hinata to wants to be my friend doesn’t deserve all the hate that she’ll get...and maybe, I don’t deserve a friend”
Of course Hinata was more determined than ever to be there for the blonde and after looking for hours she still had no clue where to find him...if only I could use my byakugan she thought, and that was when an idea hit her. Running back to the Hyuga compound, she rushed past the gates and searched for her mother, not caring that it was against the rules to run in the halls. After searching for a few minutes she found her mother relaxing in her private garden reading a book.
“Okaasan I need your help” said Hinata frantically, her eyes pink and puffy from how many tears she had cried since starting her search for Naruto
“My angel what’s wrong” said her mother as she immediately jumped off the bench she was sitting on and wrapped her daughter in a hug, using her sleeves to dry Hinata’s tears
“I...I was being bullied b-but then a boy s-saved me but h-he was hurt s-s-so I to...took him to t..the the...village ma-market to g...get o-ointment b-but they c-called him a d-d-demon a-and t...then I y-yelled a-at the v...villagers b-but he r-ran off c-c-crying and I...I ca-can’t find him” she said as she continued to cry into her mother’s chest
Hitomi Hyuga was by no means an aggressive person and had been retired from active duty since having Hinata but if you looked at her entry in the bingo books you would know that she was ruthless when it came to protecting others.
“Alright Hinata i’ll tell you what we are going to do, I want you to go into my bathroom and get a jar of my homemade ointment for your friend’s injuries while I go get changed and then we can use my byakugan to find him. Meet me in front of the compound in 5 minutes” she said calmly
“O...Okay Okasan” replied the younger Hyuga as she dried her tears and ran towards the bathroom to find the ointment
5 minutes later, mother and daughter left the compound, searching for the blonde
“So Hinata, would this boy’s name happen to be Naruto Uzumaki?” asked Hitomi as the two of them jumped from rooftop to rooftop
“Y...yes, how did you know?” answered Hinata curiously
“Most adults know who he is, the story of that poor boy breaks my heart, I’m glad that you made friends with him despite what people say about him” replied her mother
“Okaasan, why do people hate him? He seems to be a very sweet and courageous person?”
“That is not my place to say dear, but just know this, everything the villagers say is false and I know that you’re sweet and smart enough to judge him based on his individual merits, not village gossip. Now, tell me where you’ve looked already?” respond the older woman, quickly changing the topic before her daughter could ask more question
“I’ve looked in the market and most of the surrounding areas” she responded
“Hmmm she is so worried about this boy that her determination to find him is overpowering her stutter” thought Hitomi to herself. “Alright then let’s not waste time there, let’s start with the forests and parks along the border of the village first and then work our way inwards” she suggested, using her tactical experience to formulate the best plan to find the blonde
After searching for about 45 minutes, Hitomi located a small boy sitting alone by a lake crying
“I think I’ve found him sweetheart, he’s by the lake sitting alone, why don’t you try to cheer him up and then i’ll make sure he gets home safely” said Hitomi as she took a seat on a high branch
“A...Alright Okaasan” responded the young girl as she double checked for the ointment in her pocket before slowly walking towards the river. As she got closer she could near Naruto crying and it broke her heart.
“Whoever you are go away” said Naruto through his tears as he sensed a presence approach him, not knowing that it was Hinata
“I’m sorry but I can’t do that Naruto” responded Hinata as she walked towards him and sat down on the grass next to him
“H...Hinata w-what are you doing here?” he asked as he looked up at her with his red, puffy eyes
“I...I w-was worried a-about you a-and wh-when you ran off I a-and I c...couldn't find y-you I was so s...s...scared” responded Hinata as tears streamed down her cheeks
“Hinata you shouldn’t be here, you saw how people treated you when they saw that you were with me, you’re way too sweet and kind to be treated like that...you don’t deserve it”
“So are you saying that you deserve all that hate? Because if it makes you a demon for saving me from bullies and being energetic then nothing would make me happier than being a demon too” she responded as she used her sleeve to wipe some tears from the blonde’s face
“Please Hinata, you don’t understand, I...I can’t watch people treat you like that. I know I’ve only known you for a few hours but you’ve shown me more kindness in that time than pretty much everyone else I’ve ever met and I don’t want someone as amazing as you to be hurt or be treated so awfully because of me” he replied as he started crying even harder
“I don’t care about anyone else and I have so many people who make every decision for me but I’m not going to let anyone but me decide who my friend is and who I choose to care about and I’ve already decided that I want to be your friend and care about you. The future Hokage won’t make decisions about who his citizens can and can’t care about will he?” asked the bluenette, trying her best to make her first and only friend feel better
“I...I guess not, b-but what if you get hurt because of me or what if I’m actually a demon like they all say and I hurt you”
“No, don’t say that, you’re not a demon, you're a very very sweet person and I know that the boy who protected me from 3 bullies more than twice his size would never hurt me. And if I thought you were a demon or was scared of you would I do this?” spoke up Hinata confidently as she wrapped her arms around the blonde and pulled him close to her.
“Naruto-kun, if you’re gonna be the Hokage then I want to be right there with you and help you achieve that goal”
For most kids Naruto’s age, a hug is something that they’re used to, but for someone like the blonde who grew up without any parents or friends it was an entirely foreign concept and he quickly found himself melting against Hinata’s warm embrace, slowly mimicking her actions as he wrapped his arms around her back. What was equally shocking was her use of the new honorific. People barely even called him by his name and tended to prefer “demon brat”, “demon child”, “cursed child” or some other variation of the same insult, so to hear someone use such a term of endearment towards him felt like a dream.
“H...Hinata-c..c..chan, I pinky promise to always protect you from bullies and harm and to always be your friend” said Naruto as his earlier tears of sadness and loneliness were replaced with tears of joy
Hinata blushed at his new name for her but nonetheless continued to hold him tightly “Naruto-kun, I pinky promise to always be by your side and care for you even if the whole world is against you”
Slowly, the two of them broke away from the hug and sat back down on the grass next to each other, watching the waves of the river reflecting the moonlight.
“I’m sorry for ruining your jacket Hinata-chan” said Naruto as he noticed a small wet spot formed on her shoulder where he had been crying “It’s not very hokage-like of me to cry so much” he said chuckling slightly
“Naruto-kun, crying means your human and it’s nothing you need to be sorry about and please don’t worry about the jacket, I can always get another one, I can’t get another you so please, if you ever need to cry again, you know just where to go” she responded, patting her shoulder playfully
“I know this may sound weird, but I’m really glad I bumped into you in the forest today, I know it wasn’t under the best of circumstances but I got to meet and befriend an angel” said the blonde sheepishly
Hinata turned red-faced at his words, all the adrenaline which had been driving her shyness away magically disappearing now that the situation had been resolved.
“N...Naruto-kun I-I-I’m t...thankful as w-well, I m-met a k...knight i-in shining armor a...and made my f-first friend” she said as she examined the boys features once more, noticing his black eye which she had somehow forgotten about until now. She quickly reached her hand into her jacket pocket and fumbled around before pulling out the ointment. “T-This is m...my mother’s sp-sp-special ointment that s...she makes at h-home to t-treat co...combat training in-injuries, I-I think i...it will h-help''
Slowly, Hinata removed the lid from the jar and scooped some of the cream into her middle and index fingers before gently reaching out and softly spreading the ointment around the blonde’s black eye, blushing slightly at the contact
Still not used to having someone caring for him and not knowing what exactly to do, Naruto stared into the bluenette’s eyes and said the first thing that came to mind. “Those bullies were dumb Hinata-chan, you have really pretty eyes, they’re like teeny-tine moons on your face”
“T-Thank you N-Naruto-kun, I li-like your eyes too, th-they’re so b...bright and blue l-like the sk-sky” responded Hinata, blushing profusely at the compliment, always having been self conscious about how strange her eyes looked
The two sat together for a little while longer until Hitomi approached them from behind
“Alright you two, it’s getting late and time for you both to head home” she said
Thinking that Hitomi was another hateful villager Naruto immediately jumped up, putting himself between the older woman and Hinata
“Look I don’t know who are lady and I don’t care if you hate me but you can do whatever you want to me but just don’t do anything to Hinata-chan” he growled as he examined the woman’s features, noticing her jonin vest, forehead protector and weapons pouch on her thigh
“Wait Naruto-kun, she’s my mother, she won’t hurt you I promise” spoke up Hinata as she placed a hand reassuringly on the blonde’s shoulder
“Oh my bad” said the blonde as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head “You two do look similar but you look a lot scarier and older than Hinata-chan...like alot older” he said, noticing how both women had pupil-less lavender eyes and similar dark-blue hair
Acting on reflex, Hitomi pulled a kunai out of her pouch and threw it towards the blonde, taking off a little bit of his hair. “Remember the scary part and forget the old part” she said, smiling sadistically
“What’s wrong with you, you could’ve killed me?” shouted Naruto in shock as he patted his face and head, making sure everything was still there
“I’m not gonna kill my daughter’s first friend” responded Hitomi as she slowly walked towards the blonde and pulled him close “but if you ever worry her like that again, I might just change my mind” she threatened, making the blonde gulp in fear
“Now, let’s get you two home before the weirdos starting coming out” continued the older woman, her tone changing from terrifying to friendly and a little air-headed
“Hinata-chan, your mom is super scary” whispered the blonde
“Okaasan i-is actually v-very sw...sweet, s-she just en-enjoys terrifying o-others” responded Hinata, sweat-dropping at her mother’s eccentric personality
“So Naru-chan, can you guide me to your apartment, I wanna make sure you get home safe and sound” asked Hitomi sweetly as the trio walked back towards the main village
Naruto led the trio through the village until they entered the neighborhood which housed his apartment, a rough part of town far away from the village center.
“Well here we are” spoke up the blonde energetically as they reached his building
“Hina-chan, why don’t you wait here while I make sure Naru-chan is all safe and sound” said Hitomi as she formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone to watch over her daughter
“Bye Hinata-chan, I really liked meeting you today, hopefully I can see you again soon!” said the blonde excitedly before turning to her mother “You’ve already been nice enough to me, you don’t need to trouble yourself I know how to get into my apartment”.
“Yes...yes I do, call it motherly instincts”
Naruto led her up the creaky stairs and down the hallway teeming with unsavory characters to say the least before stopping in front of a door partially torn off its hinges.
“See, I’m home safe so you can go back to Hinata-chan now” said Naruto with as much energy as he could muster, clearly embarrassed and not wanting to be judged
“Alright Naru-chan but first there is something I must do first” said Hitomi as she wrapped the little boy into a hug “Thank you for protecting my daughter from the bullies” she said softly as she caressed the back of his head softly
“Don’t mention it, I just really hate bullies you know and I’m glad I was there because I was able to help Hinata-chan and make a friend and meet someone who doesn’t hate me just for living”
“Oh you poor sweet boy, I’m so sorry people treat you the way you do, if you ever want a safe space or just want to see my daughter, please come to the Hyuga compound any time and show them this” said Hitomi as she took a small scroll out from her flak jacket and handed it to the blonde “If the guards see this, they will know you are trusted and allowed to enter at will”
“You mean it?!” asked the blonde in disbelief as he examined the scroll in his hands
“Yes of course, it would be rude to not trust the future hokage wouldn’t it” she responded, giggling slightly as the boy’s face immediately lit up at the words ‘future hokage’
“Hitomi-obasan?”
“Yes Naru-chan?”
“W...Why are you being so nice to me, how come you don’t hate me like everyone else?” asked Naruto quietly as he looked up at her
“To put it simply, you are a very kind and sweet boy and I like to judge people on their actions rather than village opinion and right now you’re doing excellently” she answered, deciding to leave out how she knew his parents and how he should be celebrated as a hero for protecting the village from the nine-tails rather than be treated like trash
“...thank you...for being so kind” he responded as he smiled up at her
“Oh and Naru-chan, one more thing...obasan makes me sound old why not just call me neechan instead”
“Uh huh sure, anything you say Hitomi-obasan” he responded cheekily before turning to enter his apartment, pausing as he unlocked the door “...can you please not tell Hinata-chan about my dump of an apartment”
“Of course Naru-chan, i’ll see you soon” she answered, her heart breaking at the boy’s living conditions.
As she walked towards the exit she made a mental note to speak with the Hokage who was in charge of Naruto’s living conditions and see if Naruto could be moved to more suitable and safe living accommodations.
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“Is e..everything ok okaasan? You were in there quite a while.” asked Hinata as her mother emerged from the building
“Yes my love, everything is ok, I gave Naru-chan one of my personal seals so he will be able to come visit you whenever he wants and he was thanking me for that” she responded, leaving out anything which would hint to the abject poverty the boy was living in
“Really Okaasan! That will be so much fun!” said the younger girl excitedly “...are y-you sure otousan w-will be ok with it?” she asked a bit more worried of her strict father
“Of course sweetheart, i’m sure he will be glad that you’re making friends” said Hitomi reassuringly as she remember her husband telling her of a blonde boy who was the spitting image of Minato pranking him with a bucket of paint and impressing him with as her husband put it “his balls of steel”...not that anyone would ever hear the head of the Hyuga use such vulgar language in front of anyone other than his wife
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“Well Mr. Ukki, I finally made a friend today” said Naruto to his plant and only companion as he filled a small watering can
“She’s kinda strange and shes blushes and stutters a lot but she’s super sweet and I think she might be an angel and I’m gonna get to see her again tomorrow and I can’t wait” he continued as he watered the plant, recounting the story of the day to his leafy friend
“Now that I’ve got someone who believes me and someone who I want to protect I need to train hard and become the best Hokage ever so that no one will ever bully Hinata-chan again” he resolved with as much conviction as a 4 year old could muster