If my portrayal of any of the Naruto characters is slightly off, make sure to point that out, too.
And by the way…I don't own Naruto.
Naruto is the copyright of Kishimoto-san.
I do, however, own some of the self-invented jutsus.
Chapter 2A moment of silence breathed onto the clearing before the column of rock in front of the dark-haired boy crumbled into dust and fell over the hole that had been created. Reassembling his chakra to mount another attack, the thirteen-year-old number one rookie of Konoha stood back before raising his Sharingan-activated eyes at the next targeted cluster of boulders.
It had become his newest goal to strengthen the power behind his Chidori attack in his other arm, just in case his stronger one was injured to an extent that would deter him from using it. Typically, he wouldn't expect such a problem on a usual mission, but it was always better to be prepared.
His thoughts ended as his right arm sliced right through the rows of the most hardened rocks in the group. Making sure that the chakra concentration was packed densely enough throughout his entire shoulder and arm, Sasuke jumped off to the left as quickly as he could before the stone behind him crumbled like a detonation.
Standing up slowly to stabilize his arm, the Uchiha avenger decided at that moment that the other boulders should be spared for training at a different time, considering that he had already tried his ultimate attack three times for today.
If this was the most that he could do for the Chidori attack, he probably should improve on something else.
Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan.
Ninjutsu?
He easily had all the basics down, thanks to the extra time he spent after school training himself. The Katon ninjutsu attack series was something that all Uchihas learned about from a young age, even though several required a chuunin or even jounin level control over both chakra and skill. Sasuke admitted mentally that there were plenty of attacks he could watch out for beyond the walls of Konoha.
But then again, Itachi would be able to read through his attacks anyways if he used something that had seals. What was the use if his opponent could see and even copy the same attacks he used?
Sharingan?
He had only two commas in each of his Sharingan eyes, and considering the fact that he still had one more to add and a special condition to fulfill in order to the same Mangekyou Sharingan as Itachi, Sasuke made a mental note to set aside a time each day to study more about the different levels of Sharingan.
Taijitsu?
Considering that he had copied enough of a certain bowl-haired genin's moves to possess quality speed and hand-to-hand combat prowess, it wouldn't surprise him if he could defeat almost every genin in Konoha with just that.
What did he need to improve on, then?
Sasuke glared at the dirt in front of his ninja boots. Everything has been annoying to him these days.
The dobe…
His teammate Sakura…
…and now the pace of his improvement.
There has to be something that he was doing wrong; otherwise, he would be improving much faster.
Even Naruto has improved so much.
Damn it!
Last time he checked, the dobe had actually defeated what was originally his opponent in the chuunin exams, even though summoning toads was not Sasuke's idea of ultimate power.
Itachi was still out there somewhere and he needed to get stronger. Fast.
What was going on these days? Where is he holding back?
A noise came from the bushes at the other end of the clearing and he decided that it was better to pay attention to his surroundings.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he turned towards the direction of the sound, body position ready to fight. If he was on a mission right now, he had better be prepared to face an opponent at a moment's notice.
The opponent, however, didn't seem to even notice that he had been detected, nor did he seem to be asking for a fight.
Silence settled across the clearing again.
"Come out. I know you're there."
A gasp was heard behind the brush.
"A…anou" were the words from the unknown visitor as a dark-blue haired girl stepped out behind a tree hesitantly before walking out into the sunlight, her gaze kept at her feet as if she didn't want to be there in the first place.
Sasuke turned away indifferently and began to gather his kunais to work on his accuracy, praying mentally that this visitor wasn't one of his fangirls.
He was already distracted enough from his training by the fact that she was there.
"A…anou…Um…Uchiha-san…I…I have a question."
Sasuke stopped and narrowed his eyes. So…she wasn't a fangirl.
The next few words and the moment when the girl lifted her head confirmed his last thought.
A timid pair of creamy orbs met his gaze cautiously. "…How…do you…manage… your confidence…in a battle?"
Recognition then poured into his consciousness.
Hyuga Hinata.
The timid girl on Team 8 who has a crush on Naruto.
The only girl who didn't look his way. In terms of asking for a date, that is.
Sasuke arched his left eyebrow at the last thought as he realized that this so-called Hinata seemed to be slightly scooting away from him.
It sure was an unusual feeling; he had never been alone with a girl near his age that didn't want to be with him.
Then again, she probably avoided his company altogether, and added to the fact that he was also a loner, it made sense that they wouldn't have been in the present situation before.
Sasuke turned back to his training before his memory recalled something a few weeks back when Naruto had dragged him over with Sakura to indulge in a Team 7 reunion at Ichiraku's.
Flashback from the time right after the Chuunin exams
"Neh, neh, Sasuke! GUESS WHAT?"
"…What do you want now, dobe?"
Naruto ignored the last word that his teammate used and continued with the new thing that he needed to say. "I know TWO people besides me now who can kick your ass!"
"Naruto! Watch your language! And there is no one who could defeat Sasuke-kun!"
"SAKURA-CHAN! You know who I'm talking about!"
Sasuke turned from his bowl of ramen.
From frantic I'm-telling-the-truth expressions on his teammate's face and the extended arm gestures, it seemed as though Naruto was serious about knowing someone his age with the same skill level, or at least in the blonde's opinion.
He arched his eyebrow and smirked as if to challenge his teammate's new declaration. "…Who, then?"
"Naruto! No genin can defeat Sasuke-kun!"
"SAKURA-CHAN! I thought you remembered! HYUGA NEJI! AND HINATA!"
At hearing those two names, Sakura's previously belligerent protests about any potential rivals to Sasuke's strength turned to hesitant thoughts on her blonde teammate's side of the argument. "Wait…now, come to think of it… wasn't he the guy who you fought in the last chuunin exam—?"
"YEAH! That's him! He almost defeated me then!"
Sasuke snorted. "Che. A dobe like you shouldn't be too hard to fight against."
"SASUKE-TEME!"
End of Flashback
If that was the case, considering that Naruto typically didn't overly praise anyone other than himself, then the girl in front of him did have some strength, anyways.
Why else would the dobe brag about her for two whole hours during lunch if he didn't know her from anything much other than the chuunin exams?
The last thought lingered on Sasuke's mind as he realized that this was a perfect chance for him to see if this girl was as strong as the dobe had said. If such was the case, he could improve himself by sparring against her in exchange for answering her question, or whatever serious business she was after him for.
"Why do you ask?"
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It was the first time that Hyuga Hinata was alone with Uchiha Sasuke.
Not just Uchiha Sasuke.
THE Uchiha Sasuke.
Number one rookie of Konohagakure.
The top student of her class.
The only other ninja near her age that everyone saw as an equal to Neji-niisan, who was considered the most skilled of the young shinobi.
The heartthrob of just about every other girl she knew.
The teammate of her own heartthrob, Uzumaki Naruto.
Hinata didn't know whether or not she should be intimidated, embarrassed, or confused.
She felt all three emotions.
And all three were fighting one other.
"Come out. I know you're there."
She jumped. So he knew about her presence minutes ago…
Well, Uchiha-san's reputation as a skilled ninja definitely wasn't there for nothing.
"A…anou."
Hinata hesitantly stepped out behind the tree and into the sunlight.
The fact that she did not know how to behave in his presence was now catching up to her.
Why had she never been alone with him before?
The other girls have done so once or more, whenever he tried to stay away from them.
Hinata then remembered that she also often tried to stay away from him. From most people, as a matter of fact, due to her fear of crowds.
It sure made sense that they wouldn't be alone with each other if both avoided any company, didn't it?
The nervousness that had been melting away at her confidence has now invaded most of her mind. At this rate, she was going to have a heart attack if she didn't get this over with in two minutes.
She should probably be quick with her question.
"A…anou…Um…Uchiha-san…I…I have a question."
Kami-sama, please let me get out of here in one piece.
She watched from the upper corner of her vision as Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her words.
Oh, what a bad idea this was! He was probably annoyed at her for wasting his time and might come after her blood.
Fear pervaded throughout her consciousness. Dear Kami-sama, she had better get the question out now. Hinata took a deep breath and forced out the last words she needed to say.
"…How…do you…manage…your confidence…in a battle?"
Her words were out. All that she needed was the answer and that's it.
She probably shouldn't ask him to teach her anyways. The fact that her nervousness was nearing its peak even from so much distance between them made her agree wholeheartedly.
She was bewildered when he decided that she was worth answering. "Why do you ask?"
preview for next chapter:
"…under one condition…"
The hair on the back of her neck bristled at this knowledge.