Neither I nor Azure Poe 21 own Naruto or it's characters. They are the property of Kishimoto Masashi and his bosses at Shonen Jump.

The following is a collaboration between Poe and Keyote based on our shared view on what Naruto may have been like if certain things had not been done at editor request (from our personal beliefs and from we have heard) and from info gathered from various things Kishimoto has said in his many notes and interview's about the series.

The story below starts with the second arc, which introduces Hinata. Once completed, I'll go back and do the first arc (making it out that Naruto is telling Hinata about it via flashback).

Naruto Overdrive

Chpt. 11: The Next Mission

Naruto opened his eyes, groaning a little as he sat up in his bed. Looking over at the three pictures sitting on the table by his bed as he always did each morning, he sighed as he got up and prepared for the mission he and Kakashi would be getting today.

Once he was dressed in his usual attire, black pants and a black long sleeved shirt with an orange vest that was blue along the shoulders and a white turtle neck that wrapped his neck and red spiral design on the back, he ate his usual breakfast of ramen before heading out to head to the Konoha Shinobi HQ.

After emerging from his small hut that he called home and entered into the main section of the village, Naruto's neutral features immediately shifted into his normal scowl as he saw the happy families and young couples around him. He sped up his walking in order to escape this sight as soon as possible.

The truth was though that he didn't hate any of them. Well, he didn't hate them for being happy like this. After all, families are suppose to shown love, encouragement, and support to one another while young couples showing each other affection was also a natural thing. No, he didn't hate them. He was jealous of them. And why was he jealous of them?

Because seeing this just compounded the truth he knew was his life. And that truth was that this was a world he would never know.

He soon arrived outside the the large building were the shinobi of Konoha would gather and receive their mission's from their leader and his advisers. As he entered and made his way to the briefing room, the negative looks being sent his way didn't fail to escape his notice or his irritation over it.

Arriving outside the briefing room, Naruto stopped and realized that Kakashi was likely not going to be inside when he entered. Shaking his head at that thought, he knocks on the door, earning an "Come" from the familiar voice inside.

Stepping inside, Naruto immediately sees Lord Hokage sitting in his seat situated at the center of the table. He was surprised to see Iruka sitting two chairs to the Hokage's left. There was no sign of the two advisers and to no surprise at all, no sign of Kakashi either.

"Ah, Naruto. You're here right on time, I see. That just means we need to wait on Kakashi-sempai before we can begin" said Iruka, smiling at his former student.

"What a surprise. Bet that lazy bum is slaking of with that damn book of his somewhere" said Naruto, not hiding the irritation in his voice.

"Naruto, show some manners. That's no way to speak of your sensei" shouts Iruka.

"Some sensei. Seeing as we're here with out him, why don't you tell me why I was cursed with such a sloth like him as a sensei? Haven't I suffered enough in my life already, old man?" asked Naruto, his anger over this situation coming through in his voice easily.

"NARUTO" shouts Iruka, slamming both fist into the table as he stands. "You will show respect to both your sensei and especially to your Kage."

Naruto looks away, then turns back just enough to let one eye fall onto them before saying ""Why should I care? No one has ever really cared where I was concerned in the past."

"Naruto" says Iruka, not sure if he should be angry or hurt by that remark.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage of the Leaf remained quiet during this exchange, silently puffing his pipe in his usual calm and serene way. But, hearing Naruto's words did cut into his heart. He had made a promise to the boys father about insuring his future and he had failed to keep that promise. And worse was rather than try to correct that failure, he only added to it. He thought making him a ninja would be a step in the right direction. But even that seemed to have more negatives than positives for the boy.

"Naruto" the Hokage said at last, bring both the boy and Iruka's attention upon him. "I know Kakashi seems a little...lax in his style, but I promise you he is one of the best and you are lucky to have him. I would have thought that your time with him in Wave would have proven that."

Naruto looked down, remembering that mission and all that had happened on it. "He did show he was good at being a ninja, but still...it seems he only takes his status seriously when he needs to. And when it comes to training me, his always seems to have better things to do."

"If you want, I will have a talk with him about it" said the Hokage, trying to quell his anger.

"Na, don't worry about it" said Naruto as he waved that idea off with his hand. "I'll find a way to deal, I always have after all. How about we just focus on the matter at hand. What's this new mission you have for us about?"

"Sorry Naruto, but we need to wait till Kakashi-sempai arrives" said Iruka as he sat back down.

"So, we're going to be here awhile" said Naruto as he went and sat down on a small stool by the wall.

After waiting another twenty minutes, the door opened as the eternally bored looking Kakashi entered the room. He looked around and saw Iruka and the Hokage give him their usual exasperated expressions while Naruto gave him a flat out evil eyed look.

Grinning beneath his mask and closing his one exposed eye in a happy manner, he reached up and scratched the back of his head and said "Sorry for the delay, but I had to help a little boy find his puppy."

"A likely story" spat out Naruto as he sat up and walked over to his sensei. "So, NOW can we get this briefing underway?"

The Hokage nods as he pulls out a scroll and hands it to Kakashi who opens it and starts reading it. He then clears his throat, then says "The mission I have for you is another C-ranked escort mission. And it entails..."

"Oh for the love of Kami, not another one" whines Naruto as he rolls his eyes at hearing this.

"Naruto, what did I say about this attitude of yours?" shouts Iruka again.

"But it's true. The last one you gave us saw us escorting some drunkard builder back to his home, only to find he lied about just how badly he needed help. And because of that, me and Kakashi-sensei were nearly killed" shouts Naruto back, unable to believe they would do this to them again.

The Hokage raises his hand to stop Naruto's rant before saying "I'm well aware of that fact, my boy. And I can assure you that this mission will not be like that one."

"Oh really, and how can you be sure of that?" asked Naruto skeptically.

"Because, our client this time is the Hyuga Clan from the northern mountains" said the Hokage.

"The who?" asked Naruto, genuinely confused by this.

Kakashi looked up from the scroll and said "The Hyuga Clan, huh? This is big. So, who are we escorting?"

"Hold on, who or what is this Hyuga Clan?" shouts Naruto, butting into the mission explanation.

"I'll tell you about them once we're on the go. So, you were going to say, Lord Hokage?" said Kakashi.

Naruto huffed, but nodded nevertheless as the Hokage continued. "The Hyuga Lord's eldest daughter. We are to take her from the home in Tamatsa and escort both her and her entourage to Rinoa Village in the Land of Amber, where her fiance lives. Assuming things go well, she will be remaining there to stay. After that and depending on the Hyuga escorts decision, you'll either return to their Lord with them or be freed to return home."

'The Lord's daughter? I wonder what she looks like?' thought Naruto.

"Lord Hokage, why are we being sent? Considering it's the Hyuga Lord's first born, wouldn't a team of Jonin ranked shinobi be sent, if not an Anbu detachment? It seems sending just one Jonin with a still wet behind the ears Genin is a little lax on our part" asked Kakashi.

"While you do speak the truth here, Kakashi. The money we were given for this mission does not cover anything higher than this. The Hyuga Lord must not be worried about there being any problems or does not care if any occur at all" said the Hokage.

"So, the rumor must be true about the young Lady Hyuga after all" said Kakashi.

"What rumor?" asked Naruto.

"Again, I'll tell you while we're en-route to Tamatsa. So, is there anything else?" asked Kakashi.

"No, that will be all. If there is anything else that you need to know, Lord Hyuga himself will tell you when you meet him" said the Hokage.

"Very well. Forest Shadow 7 member's Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto will leave at once and make haste to Tamatsa to complete this mission" said Kakashi as he bowed. Naruto also bowed, but not nearly as much as Kakashi did.

As they turn to leave, Iruka speaks up one final time and says "Naruto, one more thing before you leave."

Naruto stops and turns back, asking "What is it?"

"Naruto, just make sure you remember you will be in the presence of a powerful clan head during the meeting and his daughter for most of the mission. As a shinobi of Konoha, we all expect you to behave yourself and to not do anything that would give our village and the ninja who serve here a bad name" said Iruka.

"Yeah yeah, I know. I'll behave when I'm around those snobbish, self absorbed, mightier than thou, got bamboo up their asses, egoist that stick their noses up at everyone and everything they think and feel is beneath them" said Naruto in a matter of fact like manner.

"NARUTO, I'M SERIOUS HERE" roars Iruka as he jumps to his feet again, his face red with anger and a several veins popping out in his head.

"I know, I'll behave around them" said Naruto, waving him off as he left the room.

'Oh boy, this mission is gonna be as interesting as the last one' thinks Kakashi as he exits as well.

It wasn't long before Naruto and Kakashi were moving quickly through the tree as they made their way north to Tamatsa. As they moved, Naruto noticed Kakashi was back to reading his book again, yet was doing a great job of dodging tree branches while keeping his eye focused on the book before him.

"OK sensei, now that we're on our way, mind telling me about these Hyuga guys?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi ignored him, keeping to his book and continuing to dodge more branches, which made Naruto's anger rise quickly.

"HEY, I ASKED YOU A QUESTION" shouts Naruto.

"Hm? Oh Naruto, sorry about that. So, did you say something?" asked Kakashi as he turned to look at him.

"I asked you to tell me about the Hyuga" repeats Naruto, a more agitated tone present in his voice.

"Or right, I did say I would explain it. Alright, then were should I begin?" said Kakashi as he closed his book and placed a finger under his chin as he thought about the question.

"OK Naruto, as I'm sure you know, we are currently living in the southern region of Senai, located on the eastern most area of the continent. Now, the Senai region is home to four powerful clans; the Senju of the south, the Hyuga of the north, the Uchiha of the west, and the Uzu of the east" said Kakashi.

Seeing Naruto nod, he continues. "Now, of these four great clans, only the Hyuga still remain in any great numbers. The Uzu were wiped out several hundred years ago during the first great war between Senai, Fumala, and Keishu. The Senju, which most of the people in our village can claim family ties with, has been slowly dying off for a while now do to war and disease. And the Uchiha have been whittled down to just two known surviving members after they were betrayed by one of their own."

"Now, the Hyuga is a clan made up of powerful warrior's who are skilled at a fighting style they created called the Gentle Fist. Seeing as they don't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, they have mastered the art of chakra control to the point that this Gentle Fist style allows them to attack a person's internal organs with simple punches and kicks empowered with chakra." finished Kakashi.

"But, how do they know if they're doing any harm to an opponents internal system?" asked Naruto.

"From a young age, the men of the clan are made to study anatomy on the human body in great detail. The clan ranks their warriors based on how acknowledged they are on anatomy. However, it's only the men who are trained. Unlike our village, women are not allowed to be trained as they are just used for marriages to help build power for the clan" said Kakashi.

"So, I'm guessing my statement back home about them is accurate?" asked Naruto.

"The Hyuga are a vain and conceded group and we must be on our best behavior with them. Making enemies with them would not be in the villages best interest. Though they may be a clan, they see themselves more like royalty, so we need to treat them as such" said Kakashi.

"Fine, I get the message. I'll behave. So, what's this rumor thing about?" asked Naruto.

"Well, Lord Hyuga has two daughters and no son, thus forcing him to give the right of sucessorship to his deceased brother son. Normally, he would assign his first born daughter to marry him, but do to an abnormality she has had since birth, it has been decided his youngest will marry and his eldest is being sent away to marry another" said Kakashi.

"What's the abnormality?" asked Naruto.

"I'm not sure myself, but I here that it is seen as a birth defect to the clan and they wish her gone as soon as possible. It would explain the odd nature of this marriage seeing as she marrying a man who's family offer's little power gain for the Hyuga, according to what was written on the scroll. I guess the Hyuga see this girl as a black mark that they just can't wait to be rid of" said Kakashi.

Naruto lowers his gaze towards the ground, his eyes showing sadness as he thinks 'Just like me!'

As they continue on their way, Naruto makes a promise to himself. If this Hyuga girl is suffering inside as he is, if not even a greater suffering, then he will try to end that suffering just as Iruka had helped him with his, even though he didn't always show his appreciation over that fact.

Next time: The Lord of the Hyuga and the Escort Mission begins...