Naruto 1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It had been twelve years since Hinata had set foot in her hometown. She had been five years old when her father had left with her and her one year old sister, Hanabi, shortly after her mother passed away from illness.

Those twelve years had not been the best for Hinata. Her father, who had always been a stern and slow to show emotion, became even more stoic and strict. Especially where Hinata was concerned. Hiashi, Hinata's father, had had high expectations for his eldest daughter, the heiress to the Hyuga Empire. The Hyuga Cooperation owned many different companies, but it all started with Hinata's great grandfather starting a chain of dojos across the Fire Country. Since then the company has only grown and expanded. It had been expected of Hinata that when her father decided to step down she would take over. Hiashi had spent years training and prepping Hinata for this role. She was trained in Judo, Karate and Gentle Fist (the Hyuga style of martial arts, which targets the nervous system and pressure points of the human body). She was pushed to excel in school, and to always be the best. Unfortunately she wasn't the best. In her father's opinion, it had taken too long for Hinata to master the different martial art styles, and her grades in school were never good enough. Despite being an A student, those few B's made a difference.

In Hiashi's eyes his younger daughter, Hanabi, showed much more promise. Already having her black belt in Gentle Fist and Karate, and making quick progress to mastering Judo and Kendo. Hanabi also never received a grade lower than an A+.

Because of this Hiashi had decided that he was going to strip Hinata of her right to the company and give it to Hanabi. Now Hinata didn't resent her sister for this, honestly she was somewhat relieved to not have to take over the company, but it still hurt. And even though she no longer was the heiress, Hiashi still put a tremendous amount of pressure on her. And no matter who hard she tried to please him, it was never enough. The sad thing was that she couldn't remember the last time her father had smiled at her or congratulated her.

It had gotten to the point where Hinata was so stressed out and insecure about life at home, she decided to leave. Now she didn't runaway because she knew it would never work. If she left without her father's knowledge he would have men after her to bring her home within a day. So instead she went to him, and told him she wanted out. It had been one of the most painful experiences of the young girls life. Not because Hiashi had been angry or upset with her for wanting to leave, but because he hadn't been. He had simply called her and ungrateful child who didn't realize what she had been given and said she could leave the next day.

That whole night Hinata had cried while she packed a duffle bag and suitcase full of clothes and other belongings she would need. She of course had known that he father cared little for her, but she had been hoping that he could've been less willing to let her go.

Hanabi had come in while Hinata was packing. The sisters had always had a strange relationship. Hinata loved her little sister, but often felt too inferior to actually act how most older sisters would. While Hiashi's influence on Hanabi had the girl confused. Hanabi had always held a certain amount of admiration for her old sister, but from the way their father acted, Hanabi was under the impression that Hinata was someone who didn't deserve admiration. What this meant was that Hanabi would often bounce between being a brat to Hinata or acting like an admiring younger sister.

So when Hanabi came to visit Hinata she had been surprised.

"Are you really leaving?" Hanabi asked.

"Y-yes," Hinata stuttered, folding a blouse into her bag while wiping the wetness away from her eyes.

"But why?"

Hinata sighed, "I j-just need to get away for awhile."

"But you will be coming back sometime right?"

The younger girl sounded so hopeful, and it made Hinata wonder briefly if she underestimated the amount of weight she had in Hanabi's life. "Yeah, maybe."

But Hinata seriously doubted it. There was no happiness to be found for her while she lived under her father's roof.

"Where will you go?" Hanabi asked, sitting on the bed beside Hinata's luggage.

"I'm going b-back to Konoha where w-we were born."

"Where do you plan on staying?"

Hinata had finished packing and zipped the duffle bag shut. "We have a distant cousin, Ko, who still lives in the city. I am hoping he will be willing to let me stay with him for a bit."

It was because of all of this that Hinata now found herself standing outside the Konoha train station. She had sent Ko an e-mail asking if she could stay with him, and he had responded promptly and without question saying yes to her request. They had arranged to meet outside of the train station at 5 pm. So there she stood with her duffle bag slung across her shoulder and suitcase in hand, scanning the busy sidewalks of downtown Konoha for her cousin.

"Hinata?" a hesitant voice question somewhere from behind her.

Turning in the direction the voice had come from Hinata was met face to face for the first in twelve years with her cousin, Ko. She would never have been able to recognize him if it hadn't been for the pale lavender coloured eyes that marked him as a Hyuga.

"Ko!" she smiled relieved and walked towards him.

He smiled back and took her suitcase from her without asking. "You have grown so much! I always knew you would be a beautiful young woman."

Hinata blushed at the compliment, fiddling with her fingers.

"Th-Thank-you."

Ko was still smiling at her when he gestured for her to follow him. "It will be dark soon, we should get back to my apartment."

Hinata nodded and trailed after him, taking in the city as they went. Konoha was a big city with plenty of large buildings and interesting people walking around. As they neared Ko's apartment the buildings began to get more worn and grimy. It was definitely nothing like the upper-class subdivision full of mansions and large properties where she had been living up until that point. But she didn't turn her nose up at it. She had never been content in her previous luxurious home.

Ko's apartment was situated just on the outskirts of downtown, near where the businesses were more rundown and there were a couple of buildings with boarded up windows.

"A little different from the mansion's and gated communities, huh?" Ko asked, when he noticed his younger cousin curious glances at her surroundings.

She nodded silently.

They walked up to the front of a four-story building. Ko entered a passcode into a keypad where the numbers were so worn out you couldn't even see them. He held the door open for her and Hinata was greeted with a stench that reminded her of cat piss and old people. On their way to the stairs, she noticed an out of order sign taped to the elevator doors.

Ko only lived on the second floor, down the hall a little ways. He stopped in front of a door with the number 205 painted on to it, but the paint on the 0 had begun to peel and it now looked more like a C. Unlocking the door Ko ushered her inside.

The apartment was small but surprisingly clean. There were no walls dividing the kitchen, dinning room, and living room, but Hinata found she preferred it that way, it made the apartment seem a little more open. Everything was pretty plain, and there wasn't much in the way of decoration, but that didn't really bother her, in a way it made it easier for Hinata to see herself living here.

"I'll show you to your room," Ko said, heading down the single hall that branched off of the kitchen. "The bathroom is here." He explained as the passed the first door in the hallway. "This is my room, and this one will be yours." He showed he to the last room at the end of the hall, opening the door and walking in. Hinata followed him in. The room was as simple and clean as the rest of the house. It was small, maybe a fifth of the size of her room in her father's house. There was a small twin sized bed pushed against the wall beside the window, and a small desk and chair on the wall opposite it beside the closet., and next to the door was a short wooden wardrobe.

"I know it's not what you are used to, but it should do you fine."

Ko seemed a little embarrassed. Like he felt ashamed for offering an heiress such civilian accommodations.

"No, it's p-perfect Ko! I-I don't know where I would b-be if you hadn't let me stay here. Thank-you very much!"

Letting out a heavy breath Ko dropped her suitcase he had been carrying on the bed, before turning back around to face her. "Listen Hinata, I know that it is none of my business, but if you are willing to tell me. I was wondering why you aren't still with Hiashi?"

Hinata looked at the ground, playing with her fingers, not sure how to explain.

"It's okay you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She shook her head. "No, i-it's okay. I just don't know h-how to explain."

"Did Hiashi kick you out?" There was an edge to his voice, like Ko was getting ready to get angry.

Again Hinata shook her head. "N-No, not exactly anyway…"

"Then what happened?"

"I decided t-to leave." She took a deep breath trying to gain the courage to say what she really wanted to say. "Father has no use for me, and life with him was coming to be unbearable. I told him I wanted to leave and he agreed with me. As far as he is concerned I am no longer his daughter."

Blushing at her blunt forwardness, Hinata studied her hands and feet intently, not looking up at her cousin.

Suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and realized that Ko was hugging her. And then she began to cry when she realized that this was the first hug she had received in years. Her father had always been too cold and emotionless to hug either of his daughters. She had never been close enough for that kind of sisterly affection, and Hinata had no close friends from school she could ever share such an embrace.

Ko didn't question her tears, but just held her tighter until she had calmed down again.

When he let go Hinata wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her shirt and sniffled lightly.

"I am going to go and make something to eat for dinner. Why don't you unpack and get yourself settled in here, and I will call you when it is ready."

Nodding in agreement, Hinata turned to her luggage and began to unpack while Ko left the room.

When he was gone, she let her mind wander. Really she didn't remember Ko very well. She had been five the last time she saw him, but she did remember that in those early years he had always been there. He had kind of been like her caretaker, or babysitter when Hinata was young. He was the one who took her to and from daycare and school, would always play with her, and he had been one of the first people she would run to if she had been hurt or upset. Ko was ten years her senior, meaning he was currently about twenty-seven years old. But other than all of that Hinata didn't really know much about him. Well that wasn't entirely true, she did know one other thing. Shortly after the family had moved away from Konoha Hinata had missed her cousin and she had asked her father why he hadn't come with. Most of her other relatives had. It seemed like almost all of the Hyuga had been removed from Konoha except for a small handful. Her father's explanation for this was that some of the family didn't know what it meant to be loyal to family, and were better left in Konoha. Hinata hadn't known what he meant when he said that, and honestly she still didn't, but she felt like she was starting to get a better idea.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Hinata had moved back to Konoha and has been living with Ko. During this time she had found out that her cousin was attending school at the local college for Business and was currently in his third year, while he also worked a part-time job as a supervisor at the superstore downtown. Because of all this, Ko was hardly ever home. Although Hinata had managed to keep herself fairly busy as well. She had spent the week getting all her papers and information in order so she could enroll in Konoha High School as soon as possible. She had never been to a public school and she was somewhat nervous to see what it was like. On top of that Hinata had been going out looking for jobs. She knew without Ko having to tell her that he didn't have a lot of money to spare between paying for college, rent, and food, and Hinata didn't want to be a burden and wanted to be able to take care of herself as much as possible.

So, most mornings after eating breakfast Hinata would head out with a couple of resumes tucked into her bad in search of work. She walked into every shop she passed, asking if they were hiring. Most places weren't but they would sometimes take a resume anyways incase a spot did open up. It wasn't until her fifth day of searching that she got lucky.

She had walked into a flower shop that was situated in the heart of downtown. It was a small place but packed to the bursting point with different flowers and arrangements. Inside there had appeared to only be one girl manning the cash register. The girl was pretty and looked to be around Hinata's age. She had long pale blonde hair, pulled back into a high ponytail, and he bangs hung a loose in front of the right side of her face and blue eyes.

"Hi," the girl greeted cheerily. "Is there anything I could help you with?"

"Actually," Hinata started as she walked toward the counter where the girl stood. "I was w-wondering if you were hiring?"

The girl looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled. "We are actually, would you like to apply?"

Hinata nodded, "Y-yes please."

"Great!" the girl exclaimed. "Just let me ask you a few questions."

"O-okay," she stammered, not prepared for such an abrupt interview.

From under the counter, the blonde pulled out a clipboard with a piece of paper fastened to it. "Alright, first off: Do you have an previous experience with plants?"

"I always would do the garden back home." Hinata wasn't sure if that would be a good enough answer, but she didn't want to lie either.

The girl nodded, ponytail swaying as she did. "Do you have any previous work experience?"

Hinata shook her head, no. Her father had always said that she didn't need to work another job when she should be preparing for the future job she already had laid out for her. Of course that was irrelevant now.

After that there had been a few more questions and Hinata wasn't sure whether or not she had been able to give enough of the right answers, but when the girl smiled and held out her hand, she felt relieved and took the outreached hand and gave it a light shake.

"Congrats!" the blonde enthused. "We have a part-time position open. It would be mostly closing shifts during the weekdays, three days a week, and depending how busy we are you might need to work a weekend here or there. The job is yours if you want it?"

Hinata smiled. "Yes! Thank-you very much."

The girl returned her smile. "My name is Ino Yamanaka. My parents own the shop, they will be happy to hear I found someone to fill the position. What's your name by the way?"

"I'm Hinata Hyuga."

"Well Hinata, if you just right your information down here, you will probably get a call from my mom early next week letting you know when you can start."

She did as she was told, shook Ino's hand and left the shop, feeling a great sense of accomplishment at being able to get her first job all on her own.

Now two days later Hinata was preparing herself to jump her next big hurtle and survive her first day at a new school that was pound to be polar opposite of the small, pristine private schools she had been attending up until that point.

It was about a half hour walk from Ko's apartment to Konoha High, but Hinata had always enjoyed going for walks, and if she really wanted to she could take the public bus, though she doubted how often she would want to spend the money on that. As she rounded the final corner Hinata came face to face with her new school. She had known not expect anything fancy, but she hadn't expected anything quite this… ghetto.

The building was essentially a two story concrete rectangle with windows. No embellishment or character to the architecture asides from the graffiti that riddle the walls or the squares of miss-matched paint that was obliviously hiding previous graffiti. The little bit of grass that surrounded the property was dead and torn up, and the black top was cracked with the occasional pothole.

Taking a deep breath she tried to keep an open mind.

Hinata had arrived a half hour early so that she could find the office and make sure everything was in order there and so she could receive her timetable.

With that in mind she took her first steps on to the property and made her way into the school. Where she found that the exterior of the school foreshadowed the interior perfectly. The tiles were a dingy brown colour and most of them were cracked and chipped away, the green lockers were decorated with graffiti and sported dents of all shapes and sizes.

Luckily for her the office was located right across from the main entrance doors. She walked in to be greeted by a woman with short brown hair and dark eyes. The woman, who Hinata assumed to be the secretary looked up from the computer screen she had been working on when she heard Hinata come in.

"Hello," she said. "You must be the new girl. Hinata Hyuga, right?"

Hinata nodded, her fingers fidgeting together anxiously.

"Great!" the lady smiled. "My name is Shizune. Principle Tsunade has been expecting you. I will just let her know you are here."

Nodding again, Hinata thanked the woman.

It wasn't a minute later that an attractive woman with blonde hair and a chest bigger than any Hinata had ever seen, walked into the room.

"Ah, Miss Hyuga," Ms. Tsunade greeted. "So glad you could be joining us here at Konoha High. According to your transcripts this is going to be quite the change of pace for you, but I am sure you will fit right in."

She wasn't so sure about that, but didn't argue nonetheless.

"Here are you timetable, locker number, and combination." Shizune said from beside Principle Tsunade, handing Hinata a couple pieces of paper.

"Thank-you Shizune," Tsunade said. "Now Hinata how about I give you a tour of the school, before you go to class?"

"O-Okay."

Tsunade lead Hinata out of the office and into the hallway, which was slowly beginning to fill up with students. The first thing Hinata noticed about her new schoolmates was that they looked nothing like her old ones. Her former school had had uniforms, and the dress code for them was strictly enforced. By the way some of these kids were dressed Hinata wondered if Konoha High even had a dress code. There were boys with pants hanging almost around their knees, girls in midriff bearing tops; many of the students had multiple piercings and wild hair colours.

It made Hinata feel even more out of place, which only got worse as some of the students began to take notice of her, trailing after the principle, and stared openly. She did her best to ignore them, but she could feel her face gradually heating up, no doubt turning bright red.

The school was quite large, at least by Hinata's standards. According to Tsunade there were just over 1500 students in attendance at the school. They had two gyms, an auditorium, library, cafeteria, a computer lab with heavy security, and an art studio. Of course each of these things could be improved upon and were in need of more supplies, but Hinata figured that it could be worse.

By the time the tour was done the class bell had already rung five minutes ago and classes were in session. Tsunade had shown Hinata where all of her class were and left her first period English class with Mr. Kakashi Hatake , for last. She knocked on the door, and opened it without waiting for a response, motioning for Hinata to follow her, which she did, suddenly feeling very nervous.

Inside the classroom a man with silver hair stood at the front talking. He looked to be relatively young, maybe thirty years old, and wore a strange mask over his mouth and nose and a headband that covered his left eye. An odd fashion statement, Hinata thought. Sitting in the desks that were lined up in the room were about thirty students, most dressed and styled in the same outrageous manner she had seen in the hall.

When Tsunade walked in Mr. Hatake stopped speaking and turned to them in the doorway, along with the rest of the class who hadn't been paying attention to teacher at the front.

"I have a new student for you Kakashi," Tsunade said, pushing Hinata in front of her. There was a rise in noise, as the students began to whisper amongst themselves, casting glances at Hinata. "This is Hinata Hyuga, she just transferred here." She turned to direct her attention to the students who were suddenly went in to a hush under the principles stern gaze. "I expect all of you to make her feel welcome."

There was a small collective chuckle from the class that made Hinata nervous. Tsunade just rolled her eyes and left the classroom, shutting the door behind her.

Mr. Hatake turned to Hinata and smiled. At least she thought he was smiling, it was hard to say for sure since most of his face was covered. "Ms. Hyuga, why don't you take one of the empty seats and we can continue with the lesson."

Nodding Hinata turned again to the class, searching for a set she could take when she heard someone call out to her. "Hinata! Over here!"

There was something about the voice that Hinata recognized, and when she looked over to see who it was she saw a familiar had of long blonde hair and pale blue eyes sitting at the far back of the classroom.

"Ino?" Hinata whispered to herself, walking towards the same girl who had given her a job just a few days before.

"Hey Hinata!" Ino greeted enthusiastically. "Have a seat."

She pointed to the empty desk beside her. Nodding, Hinata began to put her things down. Up front Mr. Hatake had already restarted the lesson. From what she could gather he was talking about Shakespeare's _Merchant of Venice._ A play Hinata had already studied at her old school.

"So," Ino's voice diverted Hinata's attention from the front of the room back to her. "What's brought you to this little corner of hell, in the middle of fall semester?'

"Oh, I, um. I just moved to the c-city this past week."

"Yeah? Why'd you move?"

Hinata was saved from answering when the door the classroom opened once again and two boys walked through. The students fell into a hush for the second time and watched the new comers.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha you're late." Kakashi stated, not really sounding like he actually cared.

Looking at the two boys, Hinata decided that they couldn't look more different from each other. The first boy was tanned with spiky blonde hair and clear blue eyes, with whisker marks on his cheeks. He wore a black and orange jacket, with black pants and orange shoes. His mouth was set in a smirk that seemed both cheerful and terrifying at the same time. There was something about him that Hinata found very familiar.

The second boy was pale and had black hair that stood up in the back and framed his face; his eyes were equally as dark, as were his clothes. He wore a black wife beater with a black leather jacket over top, dark jeans and black shoes. There were also black wristbands around both of his wrists. His face was expressionless, but he gave the distinct impression of not wanting to be there.

"Sorry Kakashi, we got side tracked on our way here." The blond said, as the two boys made their way to the back of the classroom. In front of Hinata there were two empty desks, the dark haired boy took the one that was to the left of where a girl with strange pink hair sat. Before he sat down he rested his hand on her head and she smiled at him, though is blank expression didn't change a bit. The blonde boy sat down in the desk to the right of another boy with long brown hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail. The boy was currently napping, but when the blonde walked by he deliberately flung his bag of his shoulder in a way so it hit the other boy in the face, causing him to cry out in indignation.

Another thing Hinata noticed was the amount of people who continued to stare at the two boys, even after they had sat down and Mr. Hatake had begun the lesson again. Some people, mostly girls appeared to be checking out the teens, whispering to each other with light blushed on their cheeks, but mostly the stares seemed to be nervous and somewhat fearful. Like these boys scared them. Really it wasn't hard for her to believe, both of them had a presence that she found very intimidating.

But there was one thing she couldn't get over, and that was how familiar the blonde boy seemed to her, but she just couldn't place where she could know him from.

It wasn't until near the end of class when she heard another boy with messy brown hair and red triangles tattooed on his cheeks talk to the boy that she figured out who he was.

"Hey Naruto, do we still have that meeting after school?"

_Naruto? _The name sounded so familiar to her. When suddenly the image of a obnoxiously loud little boy with blonde hair and a goofy grin popped into her head. _No way!_ She thought. There was no way this scary and intimidating teen was once the happy-go-lucky boy from her childhood.


	3. Chapter 3

The realization had opened a floodgate of memories that she hadn't realized were still stored away in her mind. She suddenly remembered her childhood crush from crush; the little boy named Naruto who she would sometime see at the park, when Ko would take her out to play. At first she was scared of him, because he always seemed to be getting in fights with the other kids and was always yelling, even when he seemed to be happy. But as time went on she started to feel bad for him, because she noticed that he always seemed to be alone.

Being the shy child she was she didn't get the courage to talk to him until one day she got into some trouble with some bullies at the park. Ko's wasn't anywhere near by because she had gotten upset by something, she couldn't remember what, and had ran away as fast as her four year old legs would take her. She accidently bumped into a group of kids who were maybe a year or two older than her, and they started to pick on her, making her even more upset than she already was. Until Naruto came along and told them to leave her alone, and when they didn't he fought them. He lost the fight, and Ko showed up just then and dragged her away, telling her she shouldn't have ran away and not to play with boys like them. She didn't get a chance to thank the boy who helped her.

Later that same week she saw the boy who had rescued her from the bullies, he still had a bruise on his cheek and she felt guilty for it. Usually she would never approach another child on her own, but he made her feel brave, so when Ko wasn't looking, she approached the boy.

He was playing in the dirt, drawing pictures with a stick. The drawings weren't very good however so she couldn't tell what they were of. When Hinata approached he looked up. They stared at each other for a bit, while she gathered the courage to say something.

"Th-Thank you," she stuttered out in a quiet voice.

"What did you say?" The other boy asked loudly.

"Thank-you," she said again, only slightly louder than last time. "For h-helping me."

"Oh! Your that girl who was getting picked on the other day!" He exclaimed, apparently just recognizing her.

She nodded shyly, not making eye contact.

"Your weird," he said, making Hinata blushed, ashamed. "That's okay though! I like weird people!"

This only made Hinata blush even more, and she began to fidget with her hands.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

"I-I'm Hinata Hyuga."

"Well Hinata, if your just gonna stand there you may as well help me plan my prank." Naruto said, resuming his drawing in the dirt.

"P-prank?"

"Yeah it's been a while since I pranked the sisters and they are getting on my nerves." He scowled and Hinata thought she saw a sad look pass over the boy's eyes.

"You have sisters?" She asked. She herself had just gotten a little sister. Mommy said her name is Hanabi.

Naruto continued to scowl. "They aren't really my sisters. I don't have any family. They are the nuns at the orphanage, but for some reason they insist that I call them sister."

Hinata was confused. _He lives in an orange?_ But she was to shy to ask for clarification. Over the next couple of weeks when she got to know him better, she realized he was talking about a home for kids who don't have a mommy or a daddy. This also confused her because she thought that everyone had a mommy and a daddy, but Naruto proved otherwise.

As time went by Hinata and Naruto would meet at the park whenever they could. Hinata made Ko take her almost everyday, and Naruto could come at anytime he wanted because he would just sneak out of the orphanage, which was fairly close to the park. When Hinata asked if the nuns would notice he was gone or if they would be upset that he left, Naruto just shrugged. "They don't care about me. No one there really likes me anyway, so it doesn't matter."

When Naruto and Hinata first began to play together Ko would always try and deter Hinata. He knew that Hiashi would not approve of his daughter hanging around an orphan boy who was basically a street kid and he didn't want to get Hinata nor himself in trouble. But eventually he saw that there was no helping it and he noticed that his young cousin was significantly happier when around the boy.

The year went by and the two had become close friends, but then came the day when Hinata's mother passed away. Honestly not even being five years old at the time Hinata didn't quite understand what death was. All she knew was that mommy hadn't been feeling very good for a long time and now Ko told her that she went away and wouldn't be able to come back. This made Hinata really sad, and all the adults around her seemed to be very sad as well.

It wasn't until a couple weeks after the funeral that Hinata got to see Naruto again and when he saw how said she was he was quiet. Which was unusual because normally young boy was so loud and exuberant you couldn't get him to shut up, but for once in his life the five year old seemed to realize that the situation called for at least so tact. He sat with her quietly on the swings, every once in a while one of them would talk but they didn't say much.

Not long after that Hiashi decided that it was time to get out of the city and move. It happened so fast and Hinata didn't really understand what was going on, so before she knew it she was in another city living in another house, without ever having the chance to say goodbye to Naruto.

"Hey Hinata!"

Hinata was brought out of her memories by Ino who was leaning across the aisle between their desks trying to get her attention.

"Y-yes?" She asked, still a little shaken from the realization that the teen sitting in front of her was a long lost childhood friend.

"You zoned out for a bit there. You okay?"

"Oh, y-yeah I'm fine."

Ino smiled, "Good. So why don't you have lunch with me and my group today?"

The idea of having lunch with Ino and a bunch of other people she didn't know, scared Hinata but she decided it would be better than sitting by herself. So she nodded her agreement.

"Fantastic! What do you have next?"

"Ummm…" Hinata looked at her schedule tucked away inside her binder. "Mathematics with Mr. Gurosu."

Ino made a face. "Oh that sucks, you've got Ebisu."

"Why is he strict or s-something?" Hinata asked.

"Not really," Ino said, still pulling a bit of a face. "He's a pervert that's all. Well a closet perv anyway. Call him out on it and he will deny it left right and centre. But almost everyone has caught him trying to sneak a peak under a girls skirt at one point or another."

Hinata couldn't help a slight blush rise as she thought of a teacher doing something so inappropriate.

The bell rang shortly after this and Hinata gathered her books and made her way out of the classroom. Ino walked out of the classroom with her until they had to separate in the hallway. She told Hinata that she would see her at lunch and continued on her way, the pink haired girl joining her, a group of guys following behind them, including Naruto and the dark haired boy. Hinata wondered if they were the group of people she would be sitting with at lunch. A part of her hoped so but another part was terrified.

She watched them for a bit as the group made their way down the hall. There was something about the group that made them intimidating, almost dangerous, and apparently most of the school thought so as well because the crowds in the hall parted like the Red Sea as the group passed. She knew she was staring and that if she didn't hurry up she would be late for class, but Hinata just couldn't bring herself to look away from their retreating figures. Naruto trailed at the back of the group, with his hands shoved into his pockets. She just couldn't believe how much he had changed since they were children. There was something about him that still seemed vaguely carefree but from the most part there was what appeared to be a hard edge to him. His walk was confident but relaxed and his very presence seemed to demand the respect and submission of everyone near him.

As if he had felt her staring Naruto looked over his shoulder in her direction and immediately she turned away and started walking towards her next class. Hoping that he hadn't caught her staring.

**Hey to you awesome people who have been reading thus far!**

**Hope you are enjoying the story Just a request to those of you who wouldn't mind, I would love to hear what you have to say about my story, what you like and what you dislike so please don't be afraid to REVIEW. Constructive criticism is welcome. **


	4. Chapter 4

Math class went by quick enough. Hinata had found that Ino was right about Mr. Gurosu and that he was a total closet perv and spent a lot of time glancing over at the new girl. Which made her grateful that she was wearing denim jeans and a long sleeved blouse.

The cafeteria was basically a jungle. There were kids everywhere yelling and screaming at each other while sitting at or standing on the long rectangular tables. Hinata had brought her own lunch so she didn't have to worry about waiting in the long cafeteria line. She scanned the room for Ino, but didn't see how she was supposed to find the blonde girl in this sea of students. It wasn't until she noticed that there was a section in the far corner of the cafeteria that no one seemed to bother. She spotted Ino sitting at the table there just as the other girl spotted Hinata as well and waved her over.

Carefully she maneuvered her way through the rowdy students, doing her best to make sure that no one spilled their cafeteria slop on her. As she got closer one of the boys she recognized from first period, the one with the red triangles markings on his cheeks, called out. "Hey it's the new girl!"

Everyone at the table turned to look at her and Hinata blushed lightly from the attention. Ino got up from her spot, took Hinata's hand and dragged her back over to the table. There were eight teens gathered at the table, some she recognized from first period English. The first two she noticed were the most obvious, Naruto and the dark haired boy who had come to class late. Both had vetoed the benches in favour of sitting on the actual table. Hinata thought she saw Naruto give her a look, but she couldn't be sure, otherwise both boys looked rather serious like they had other things on their minds. The next person she recognized was the pink haired girl, who was currently sitting on the table bench between the dark haired boys feet. She was currently eating an apple with her elbow resting on the boys knee. Hinata assumed that the two of them were together.

There were a few others; the boy with the spiky ponytail who had been sleeping during class, and brunet with the red triangles who had called out to her earlier, a boy wearing dark shades even though they were indoors, and a heavier set boy who was munching on a bag of potato chips.

They all had very different styles and really didn't seem like your typical group of friends, but there was one thing that she noticed they all had in common. Each one of them had something in their eyes and the way they looked at people, it was a certain edge that was both slightly scary and sad. She wondered what it was that brought these kids together.

Some of the group looked at her slightly intrigued while the rest continued eating their lunch. Ino directed Hinata to sit, before she got the groups attention.

"Alright guys, this is Hinata, she just moved to town and actually just got a job at my families shop."

"That's great Ino but why is she here?" Spiky Ponytail asked. Hinata tried to not let the comment get to her.

"Because Shikamaru, she is new to the school, and my friend, and since she had no one else to sit with a figured she could just sit with us." Ino shrugged.

A couple of the teens gave each other looks, and Hinata got an uneasy feeling. It almost seemed like inviting someone to have lunch with them was something this particular group of teens almost never did. At that moment Naruto stood up and everyone watched as he moved. He took a couple of steps away from the table. "Ino can I talk to you for a minute?"

It was a question but it didn't sound like one, and Ino didn't hesitate to comply, although she did let out an exasperated sight before she stood up to follow the tall blond further away to the wall.

As they went most of the table watched them until the dark haired boy sent a glare their way, which obviously meant 'mind your own business', and they all went back to eating and continuing their previous conversations. None of them paid her any attention, although she felt sidelong glances cast her way from time to time, like they were curious about her but didn't dare show their interest.

Hinata glance over to where Ino stood talking to Naruto. It seemed to be a calm conversation if not a little tense. From the looks of it, Ino was frustrated and Naruto was trying to stay calm. _Why was she the cause of so much debate?_ Hinata felt like maybe she should have just gotten up and left, she didn't think anyone would stop her, but something had her compelled to stay.

A minute later Ino walked back with a slightly smug look on her face, while Naruto just looked annoyed. He took his spot back on the table while everyone appeared to stare at him expectantly to which his only response was a shrug. Suddenly passive hostility left the air and the others seemed to relax a little more.

Now Hinata never would have said she understood teenagers, even though she was one herself. But never had she been so perplexed by a group of teens as she was with this one.

"Alright Hinata, lets introduce you to everyone." Ino enthused

"First," she said pointing to her left. "We have the laziest genius you will ever meet, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru didn't argue with Ino, and just raised a hand in greeting.

"Next we have Chouji." She indicated the bigger boy who was now on to his second bag of potato chips.

"Hi, nice to meet you." He said through a mouth full of fried potato snack.

Ino leaned over to whisper something in Hinata's ear. "Chouji is totally sweet most of the time but if you know what is good for you, you will never say the word 'fat' around him."

The blonde girls tone let Hinata know that she was serious, and she took a mental note of it.

"Then we have the loud mouth, Kiba."

"HEY!" The boy with the red markings on his cheeks cried out indignantly.

"And the extremely introverted, Shino"

Shino just look at Hinata, before looking back down at the textbook he was reading. At least she assumed he looked at her, it was kinda hard to tell with the sunglasses.

"Next is Miss Forehead, Sakura."

"Watch it Ino-Pig." Sakura threatened, looking like she was ready to jump over the table and tackle her.

Ino just shrugged and carried on with he introductions. "Mr. Tall-Dark and Brooding over there is Sasuke."

"And lastly we have-"

"Don't even bother Ino," Naruto interrupted, confusing Ino, and the rest of the group. "She already knows who I am. Don't you Hinata?"

He cast her a look that was impossible to read and Hinata nodded. "H-hi Naruto."

"Wait a minute!" Kiba yelled. "I thought she just moved to town. How do you know her already?"

"We were old childhood friends, until she moved away when we were five. Right?"

Hinata nodded.

"But Naruto, it you-" Ino started.

"Drop it Ino." Naruto cut her off, effectively put an end to any question she might have wanted to ask.

"Hey here come the others." Said Chouji breaking the silence as he crumpled up his empty chip bag.

"I wonder where they have been?" Sakura asked.

A group of three additional teens approached the table. Among them was a brunet girl with her hair pulled up into two buns, a boy with a hideous bowl hair cut and equally hideous green tracksuit as well as noticeably bushy eyebrows, and behind them a second boy with long brown hair tied back at the bottom and familiar light lavender eyes…

"N-Neji!" Hinata gasped a little louder than she had intended.

The boy looked surprised and glanced in her direction. "Hinata?"

This was not something she had expected, and clearly neither had Neji.

"Wait! You two know each other as well?" Kiba yelled.

The two just stared at each other, too shocked to say anything. When suddenly Ino burst out.

"Of course! I'm such an idiot! Hinata_ Hyuga_! Neji _Hyuga!_ They most be related somehow."

Neji spared her a glance. "She's my cousin."

No one really seemed to know what to say to that, but Neji wasn't looking for a response. "What are you doing here, Hinata? I can't imagine your father would allow you to go to a school like this."

Now the entire group was looking back and forth between the two cousins, as if they could smell the impending drama.

As kids Hinata had always been timid and shy around Neji, like her sister he had excelled ahead of her at martial arts and Hinata was berated for it. But despite her uneasiness around him Neji had always taken it open himself to make sure that she was safe and all right. However this didn't mean that they were close, really they never really talked much and despite not disliking each other, Hinata didn't think she could have called Neji her friend in those days. Then, five years ago, when he was seventeen, Neji left her fathers house and she never saw or heard from him again. Before then he had been an orphan, his mother being absent from the time he was born and his father passing away when he was only four. From that time on Neji had been living with her family and when he left Hinata had no clue where he could have gone to, but her father didn't seem to care much.

Hinata had no clue what it was, but something in her made her want to show Neji that she wasn't the same shy and timid girl she had once been, even if she was. So, stirring up her courage she answered. "Father didn't find me suitable as a daughter, and I didn't find him suitable as a father, so I left."

Mild shock flitted across Neji's face. Never had he heard such a bold statement come from his younger cousin.

"Where are you staying then?"

"Ko is letting me live with him," said Hinata.

A small look of distaste crossed Neji's face and Hinata wondered why that was, but didn't bother to ask just then.

"Anyways, now that we have the family reunion taken care of," Naruto said, getting everyone's attention. "What held you three up so long? Lunch is nearly over."

The boy wearing the green tracksuit jumped into the conversation. "Guy wanted to talk to the three of us after PE. He instructed me that I should continue to encourage Neji and Tenten here to be more youthful!"

The girl, TenTen, along with Neji went blank faced at this announcement. As if being 'more youthful' was the last thing they wanted to be.

"Lee will you shut-up already?" TenTen asked. "I know Guy is your mentor, but seriously, you take admiration past the point of obsession. It's creepy.

**All right well there is the next chapter. Sorry not a lot happened, but I am still trying to set up the story. Things will get more interesting shortly. Also just letting you know that there will be a POV change in the next chapter. I thought I was going to keep it all Hinata based, but now I think it will be more beneficial to switch it up on occasion. **

**As always, I am happy to get any reviews including **_**constructive**_** criticism. **

**Hope everyone is doing well and that those of you who are college or university students are hanging in through your exams. I just finished my semester, which also happens to be the end of my program, so we can call this a celebratory chapter ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

The remained of the lunch hour went by without much excitement. Everyone finished their food, and Kiba tried to steal one of Chouji's chip bags, resulting in a mighty roar from Chouji and an immediate punch in the face. That was a bi-daily occurrence however. Neji didn't seem to know what to do about Hinata, and Naruto felt him send glares his way all through lunch. He knew that the Hyuga will want to talk to him later, and he was right.

The bell had just rung signaling the end of class. The entire cafeteria got to their feet and rushed of to their next classes. Hinata said goodbye to Ino, Tenten, and Sakura, who she had been talking to for the last bit of lunch and scurried off to whichever class she had next. The girls had been giggling and laughing the whole time, and it was obvious that in the short time they had grown to like the shy girl. Naruto had auto shop next but there was nothing Miyagi could teach that he didn't already know, so he didn't bother showing up half the time.

In the hallway the group dispersed all heading off to their own classes as well, or somewhere else to do what they wanted. Deciding he needed a smoke, Naruto was about to make his way outside, when Neji called out to him.

"Naruto! I need to talk to you."

Naruto didn't stop walking, just slowed down his pace slightly to allow the Hyuga to catch up.

"What do you want?" he asked

"What the hell! Why is my cousin hanging around us?"

They were outside now and Naruto walked around the school to where the auditorium doorsteps were. He sat down pulled out a smoke from his jacket pocket and offered one to Neji, who grudgingly took one as well. After they were lit and Naruto had taken a long drag, he answered. "I didn't know she was your cousin. Besides Ino was being way too fucking annoying, it was one less headache just to let her have her way."

"Bullshit! You knew exactly who she was. I know that you two were playmates way back. So you shouldn't know just exactly how fragile that girl is. She is not the type that should be hanging around our kind of group. Besides you I know you know that if she sticks around long enough she will have to join."

Neji was right, Naruto had recognized Hinata the moment he walked into Kakashi's class and saw her sitting in the back. He couldn't believe what he was seeing at the time. Hinata was a part of a past he had nearly forgotten, from a time when things were a little easier and a whole lot more innocent. The fact that she was already friends with Ino meant that there was a good chance she would be hanging around a lot more, because even though Naruto had the power in the group to say who stays and who was gone, Ino had an even greater power to annoy. It was usually easier to just give her what she wanted and be done with it.

Still, despite not showing it, Naruto was just as uneasy about the prospect of Hinata hanging around as Neji was. She was someone from his life before all this started. Before the gangs, guns, and drugs. He would have liked to keep her in the past, a memory he could go to when he needed a reminder of what it was like to be an innocent.

"The girls already seem to have grown an attachment to the girl, and honestly I don't feel like having my face punched in by Sakura for telling her who she can or can't hangout with. So either you can tell the girls yourself that they have to drop Hinata, or you talk to your cousin and tell her to stay away."

Neji glared slightly. "For the leader of a gang you have no balls."

Naruto shrugged, grinning crookedly. "You obviously haven't been a victim of Sakura's wrath. Go ahead and tell he she's not allowed to hang around with Hinata and see what happens."

The scowl didn't leave Neji's face, but Naruto knew that he knew he was right. There was a reason that each of those girls were a part of the gang, and those reasons relied heavily on their strength. Despite how small she was, Sakura had a punch so powerful she could easily knockout any of the guys in the gang, Tenten was a weapons specialist and shot a gun with amazing accuracy, although her weapon of choice was throwing knives. Then there was Ino, who was a decent fighter in her own right, but her real power fell in her mind games. The girl had a terrifying knack for getting inside your head, playing with words. If she really wanted to she could probably convince Naruto that his name was actually Carlos.

Taking one last drag, Neji dropped butt on asphalt before grounding it out with the heel of his sneaker.

"I'll speak to Hinata," he said.

"Fine," Naruto said. "Just don't tell her anything she has no business knowing as an outsider."

Neji nodded, and began to walk back towards the school.

"Oh, and Neji," the Hyuga paused. "If she does decide she wants to stick around make sure she knows about the initiation. Like the rest of us, she is no exception."

Not turning around Neji responded. "That wont' be necessary."

Shrugging Naruto let the other boy continue on his way while he lit another cigarette. He had too much shit going on right now to care about some girl. Things were getting tense with both Oto and Akatsuki, a couple of their rival gangs, and if they weren't careful things could get real bloody real fast.

Sometimes he wondered how he got dragged into this life, but then he remembered his fate had pretty much been sealed when he left the hellhole orphanage in favor of life on the streets. Konoha was a town filled with gangs and on going turf wars. There had been no way that Naruto could have survived as a young kid, alone on the streets. Luckily he had been able to meet people who were willing to help him and teach him how to survive, and they are the reason that he is still alive today. So really he had nothing complain about.

"Dobe," a voice said, pulling Naruto out of his thoughts.

"What do you want, Teme?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he took a seat on the steps beside him and lit the cigarette that was already hanging out of his mouth.

"Sakura is pissed that we didn't tell the rest of the gang about the deal this mornings."

"No," Naruto said. "She's pissed we didn't tell _her_ about the deal this morning."

"Hn," grunted the raven-haired boy. Over the years Naruto had gotten very good at interpreting the different ways this one syllable could be used, and in this case, it was agreement.

"It was a last minute arrangement and it was a good opportunity. We got a lot of money off that deal. Besides despite what she thinks she doesn't have to know or be a part of everything the gang does."

"But if it were up to her she would be," said Sasuke, in his typical monotone voice.

"Yeah and if it were up to you she would have no part in any of it."

"Damn right."

It amused Naruto to visibly see his friend show such aggressive protection over someone. Sasuke had never been one for displaying his emotions, and he still wasn't, it wasn't until this past year when he and Sakura had begun dating that this side was brought out. Honestly though he thought it surprised Sasuke more than anyone else. He had spent so much time shutting himself out from the world, only ever focusing on his personal goals.

Naruto was happy for his friend because he could see that he had finally found happiness somewhere neither of them had ever thought possible. Not that many other people realized this, but Naruto knew Sasuke better than anyone, along with Sakura.

"Well you knew how hard headed she is about these kinds of things before you decided to date her."

"Hn."

"Anyways we have that meeting after school today. With all that's been going on recently our ammo is seriously running low, and we should really organize some trades. Oto has been getting restless lately and I wouldn't be surprised if the tried to start something."

"Well we have more than enough money from the trade this morning. Send Neji with Lee, I am sure TenTen would want to tag along if she hears it's weapon related."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but figured Sasuke was probably right. "Sure, we will talk about it more this afternoon with the rest of the gang."

"So, what's with this Hinata girl anyway?" Sasuke asked, after taking a long drag from his cigarette.

"Ugh ," Naruto groaned. "I have no clue. Fucking Ino had to decide that she suddenly needed another best friend and is trying to drag into the group. What makes her think that a girl like Hinata would ever be able to be a part of a gang? I have no clue. I doubt she's ever raised her voice, never mind been in a fight."

"Well she is related to Neji, and he is the best street fighter we have."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"True," Sasuke agreed. "But if it is a problem she could always be weeded out during initiation. If she even wants to join that is."

"I know, I know." Naruto contemplated lighting a third cigarette, but decided against it. He never used to be a big smoker, but recent events have worked his stress level up so high, he found that he would be going through at least a pack a day.

He sighed as he put the pack in the back pocket of his jeans. "I think I am gonna bail for the rest of the day and go to the Pit. You in?"

The Pit was an underground gym, which also happened to be run by the schools very own Maito Gai. There were actually a surprising number of teachers at Konoha high who were involved in the streets, gangs, and/or the black market. Any way's Gai ran a gym in an old factory building. It is equipped with all the basic training gear someone on the streets would need to keep in shape; punching bags, weights, basketball court, and a fighting ring. The only people permitted in the gym were the members of Fire Judgment, one of the most powerful gangs in Konoha. Gai was a member of this gang, as was Kakashi, and Tsunade was the leader. The other people allowed in the Pit were Fire Judgments, sub-gangs; these were gangs like Naruto's that originally came from or had connections to Fire Judgment but now run independently for the most part but held a strong alliance with primary gang. To show their allegiance Naruto's gang was called Will of Fire.

"Yeah, lets go." Sasuke said, flicking away the butt of his cigarette before stuffing his hands in his jeans and slouching away. Naruto got up and followed him to the parking lot where Sasuke's black Audi was parked.

The factory where the pit was located was in Fire territory, just on the outskirts of downtown, and there was an entrance behind the building down an alley. Once inside the heavy bass of loud rap and hip-hop music could be both heard and felt, increasing in volume as they got closer to the double metal doors that lead to the main room of the Pit. Outside the doors was a guard, making sure no rivals tried to sneak in and cause trouble. He was familiar with the two teens and gave them no trouble. They nodded to each other as they passed through the doors.

The place reeked of sweat, smoke, and old leather, but Naruto loved it. They walked over to one of the benches along the concrete wall where they pulled off their jackets so that they were left in their wife-beater tank tops, Naruto's white, and Sasuke's black. There were a couple of people milling around, using the weights or the punching bags, but no one that the two boys knew well.

"What do you say we spar?" Naruto asked. "It's been a while, and I am sure you could use the practice."

"Watch it, Dobe," Sasuke warned. "You know I can beat your ass any day."

"Yeah right, Teme!"

With that it was settled and they made their way to the fighting ring, which was really a slightly raised wood platform. The music was really starting to get both Naruto and Sasuke pumped and they both stretched briefly while they squared off.

"Alright," Naruto goaded. "Give me your best, and once I beat you I can begin my real workout."

"Hn." Was Sasuke's only response before he advanced, making the other boy think that he was going to attack so that he would throw his own punch first, which Sasuke easily evaded and got behind Naruto. But being as quick as he is, Naruto was able to side step Sasuke before he dealt any blows.

They continued on like this for about ten minutes, each one landing a blow here and there, but no one ever gaining the upper hand for long. The fight would have gone on longer but a familiar voice pulled them to a halt.

"Hey you two, its been a while."

They looked over to see Asuma, a senior lieutenant of Fire Judgement walking towards them.

Naruto and Sasuke pounded fists, signaling that their watch was over and walked to edge of platform, sitting down. Both were very sweaty and breathing heavily.

"Hey Asuma," Naruto greeted. "Yeah we've been pretty busy lately."

"Kakashi told me." The older man took a drag from his cigarette. Naruto didn't think he could remember the last time he saw Asuma with out a cigarette hanging out from between his lips. "You know, if Oto is giving you too much trouble FJ is willing to back you up."

Naruto tensed slightly. "It's okay, we've got it handled just fine. There is no need for Granny to get involved."

It was a common conception among gangs that the sub-gangs will run to their primary gangs for help when they were in trouble, like a young child to their parent. Naruto didn't want to be perceived that way; he wanted his gang and his members to be known for their strength, so that the rivals knew that Will of Fire meant business. The rest of the gang felt the same way, so they would often fight out tough situations on their own. Yes, they took a lot of risks and had sustained quite a few injuries by doing so, but they had also built a fearsome rep for themselves, and everyone, especially the kids at school knew not to mess with them.

Asuma shrugged, "It's up to you, but if things get too bad, Tsunade will want to step in regardless of what you have to say. If WF territory gets over run that also means JF has lost territory as well. Tsunade won't sand for that.

With that he walked away, leaving a slight agitated Naruto and an ever stoic Sasuke.

Without saying a word Naruto went over to the punching bags to continue his work out. He had at least another hour until he would have to meet with gang, and he planned on releasing as much pent up frustration as he could before then. Which he was sure would be replaced by the end of the meeting.

**Hey so finally was able to post another chapter, hope you guys like it!**

**Don't forget to review and comment.**


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