*Author Note*

My intentions with this fic is to explore the beginning of the series all the way through to the end, and perhaps beyond. With some aspects I'll stick to canon while others I'll venture off in a new direction. As an important note, I will be introducing a 10th Bijuu. While this is hardly a new concept for a lot of fanfics I'm hoping I can do it justice and manage to bring something new to it.

I will be making Hinata the container for this Bijuu and further more it will be the Fox's mate.

I don't want to spoil too much here, just offer enough because I am aware some readers prefer more canonical fanfics.

I'm going to try and update atleast once a week, that being said I may update more then that!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

The resident troublemaker, Aka Naruto Uzumaki awoke with a deep yawn, before rolling out of bed. He landed with a loud thud before groaning. As he wiped the sleep from his eyes he blinked wearily as he looked up at his clock. His tired state shifted to a full blown panicked expression as he rolled up to his feet.

"AHhhh Iruka-Sensei will kill me if I'm late again" he cried as he quickly tugged off his toad pajamas before scurrying bare naked across his apartment towards his closet. Of course in his haste he missed the the ramen bowl lying on the floor and slipped before tumbling across the floor landing a few feet away from his closet.

"Oi...this has to be Karma for eating Ramen so late" he muttered as he slowly made his way to his feet before shaking the stars from his eyes.

He quickly flung open the closet and a few short moments later dressed he ran for the stopping for but a moment to grab his goggles and secure them before he dashed out the door, jumped the balcony of his apartment and began running as fast as he could towards the academy.

One would normally wonder why Naruto would be in such a hurry to not be late for school...he wasn't exactly known for being punctual much less caring. However what he knew that no one else knew was that there was a lot riding on this. Something he dare not risk...Iruka-Sensei had swore to not buy him another bowl of Ramen if he was late one more time and well it did wonders for convincing Naruto to forsake his typical ways.

With only a moment to spare he burst through the door into the classroom panting earning looks and jeers from most of the classroom.

Iruka however managed a small smile.

"Just on time Naruto take your seat" he said before nodding at the blonde.

Naruto sighed he stuck his hands in his pockets ignoring the comments he received as he walked forward.

Spotting a seat open near Sakura he almost darted forward like always, but instead he stopped himself. He realized today he wasn't really in the mood to have his head beat in by one of Sakura's tantrums instead he looked towards the back of the classroom spotting an open seat next to the Hyuuga Heiress. He barely knew her name and honestly she had always been sort of strange in his books, but she was the only person in entire class room who had never been anything, but kind to him.

He shrugged as he made his way towards the back of the room. If he was going to show up to class he might as well make an effort no matter how boring Iruka-Sensei could be.

'Who knows this might get me an extra bowl of Ramen' he mused to himself before he smiled widely.

Seeing her crush glowing closer Hinata blushed furiously and prayed she wouldn't faint before he got there.

'Ano just this once please kami don't let me faint' she thought to herself as she began fiddling furiously with her fingers.

As he arrived at the top of the stairs he leaned in closer then what was socially acceptable till only inches separated him and the Hyuuga heiress.

"Heya you're Hinata right ? Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head.

Poor Hinata could only blush a deep shade of red as she tried her best to summon a coherent sentence.

"Y-you W-want to S-sit nnn-ext to me ?" she stuttered terribly mentally cursing herself for her own shyness.

Naruto frowned.

'She really is weird..is she sick or something ?' he thought to himself.

"Um well yeah..but If it upsets you I guess I can find somewhere else" he said sounding slightly dejected as he begin to pull away.

"N-No" she half-said half yelled as she grabbed the sleeve of Naruto's orange jacket.

The boy in question turned with a raised eyebrow, to be honest he was surprised Hinata could even be this loud. Several others in the classroom watched with interest with the exception of Shikamaru who was sleeping and Sasuke who seemed lost in his own thoughts.

She dropped her head as she blushed again deeply before releasing Naruto's jacket as if it burnt her hand.

"I-I mean...I would l-like it very m-much if Naruto-kun w-would sit n-next to me" she said meekly before shyly looking up at her crush.

Naruto allowed a smile, not one of his goofy smiles, but a rare sincere one as he sat down next to the blushing heiress.

Iruka who had been interrupted by the commotion in the back had almost started yelling again, but stopped as his gaze softened slightly. He relaxed his shoulders before he returned to the subject at hand...

Throughout the day Naruto actually made an attempt to listen to Iruka, however for some reason even he couldn't fathom he found himself sneaking glances at the Shy Hyuuga seated next to him. It was such a simple gesture of her insisting on him sitting next to her, but it was foreign to him, but as odd and new as this feeling was to him...he couldn't help, but feel warm and surprisingly welcome as he sat next to her. He wondered to himself if maybe...just maybe she would be his first real friend. Well sure he had JiJi and Iruka-Sensei, but no one really his own age. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice next to him.

"U-Um Naruto-Kun" the timid Hinata said shyly.

"Huh?" he asked absentmindedly.

"Sensei asked you question" she said before prodding her fingers together nervously.

Naruto gulped as he focused his attention back to Iruka who looked quite annoyed.

"Sorry Iruka-Sensei ...hehe what was the question again ?" he asked as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

A few of those in the classroom groaned.

"Naruto-Baka why do you even show up to class if your not going to pay attention" yelled Sakura.

Another student seated a few rows down piped in as he looked back at Naruto with a look of disgust.

"He shouldn't even bother being here at all, everyone knows he's the deadlast. He'll only end up failing the graduation exam for a third time." he said before chuckling.

Several others nodded and laughed agreeing with the boy.

Naruto's demeanor hardened as he clenched his fist, his soft cerulean gaze became much darker as rather than making one of his typical outbursts he focused intently on Iruka.

Iruka gritted his teeth before speaking.

"Enough... I won't tolerate that in this classroom" he said pausing a moment as he looked back to Naruto.

He felt a slight amount of pity and regret for asking Naruto such a question in the first place. He sighed before clearing his throat and speaking again.

"Naruto now that your with us...can you tell us the five basic elements ?" he asked as he silently prayed by some miracle Naruto would actually know the answer.

Naruto felt his stomach turn as he paused for a long moment he began to hear snickers coming from some of the others in the room. He was just about to admit he had no clue until he felt the smallest tug on his jacket. His eyes wandered to the girl seated beside him who was blushing slightly but had a determined look on her face. Her small hand lay on a piece of paper with several things written upon it.

His eyes widened as he quickly scanned the paper before he cleared his voice and finally spoke.

"Yes Sensei the five elements include Fire,Water,Wind,Earth, and Lightning." he stated.

Iruka was silent for a moment before a small smile spread across his lips. He had seen the subtle gesture Hinata had made and while he didn't condone cheating, in the real world teamwork was more important then anything else.

"That is correct Naruto thank you" he offered before quickly changing subjects.

A few of those in the classroom whispered among themselves surprised Naruto actually knew the answer to anything not related to ramen.

Naruto relaxed as his gaze looked over at Hinata. He felt a small smile tug at his lips, not one of his fake ones, but again she'd manage to solicit a sincere smile.

"Thank you Hinata" he said softly.

"N-Naruto-kun I-I know t-their all w-wrong I..I b-bel-lieve in y-you" she said shyly before she began to fiddle with her fingers once more.

Naruto without realizing it blushed faintly as he felt something warm in his stomach as he looked at the kind weird girl next to him.

"T-thankyou Hinata-chan that means a lot to me" he said.

'He called me Hinata-Chan' was the last thing the poor girl thought before she fainted abruptly.

As she swayed to the side Naruto caught her in his arms before she fell from her seat. He shook his head as he looked at her intently.

'She is so weird...but ya know she is kind of cute' he thought to himself before a foxy grin spread across his face.

"Naruto?" Iruka called snapping the blonde from his reverie.

"Eh ?" he asked looking around noticing everyone's gaze upon him before looking down realizing he was holding Hinata in his arms.

"I can explain I swear this isn't what it looks like" he exclaimed.

A few hours had passed since the bizarre day at the academy and now the blonde sat with his Sensei at his favorite Ramen shop in the world. He had an uncharacteristically thoughtful look on his face as he stirred the noodles of his Miso Ramen rather than inhaling them as he normally would.

"Naruto are you listening to me ?" asked Iruka as he cast a worried glance at the young blonde.

Naruto laughed nervously before turning to look at Iruka. "Sorry Iruka-Sensei, I just had my mind on something" he said before raising a bundle of noodles to his mouth.

Iruka shook his head but grinned at the boy. "Are you sure rather than something you were focused on a certain someone?" he said suggestively before laughing.

The blonde In question began choking before flailing around for several seconds before he finally managed to swallow the noodles.

"What do you mean ? " Naruto finally screeched as he looked at Iruka like he'd grown another head.

"Pipe down Naruto..no need for everyone in the village to hear you." Iruka said chiding the blonde before laughing.

Naruto crossed his arms childishly but finally spoke again after a moment.

"Alright what do you mean Sensei ?" he asked again quietly.

Iruka smirked as he looked at the blonde.

"Well you and Hinata seemed to be getting pretty comfy back there during my lesson...speaking of tomorrow maybe you can actually be early and take some time from snuggling up with Hinata to actually pay attention in class." he said as he barely refrained from laughing as he watched Naruto's expression.

Naruto's mouth fell ajar as his face glowed beat red.

"No..No No sensei it was nothing like that at all! You see Hinata-chan was sick or something and passed out and ...I um caught her from falling...we're actually just friends" he said nodding vigorously.

Before Iruka could comment Naruto stood up grinning with a blush still on his cheeks.

"Well thanks for the Ramen Sensei see you in class tomorrow" he exclaimed before darting off at full speed leaving half a bowl of his favorite ramen untouched.

Iruka just smiled to himself as the owner Teuchi stepped out of the back with a smile on his face.

"Ah Iruka-San Naruto tells me that your to be handling his outstanding tab" he said with an evil gleam in his eye.

"T-tab ?" squeaked Iruka as Teuchi handed him a piece of paper.

Iruka's eyes widened before he went red in the face.

"NARUTO" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Naruto lay on his bed with his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling

a smile spread across his lips as he remembered something from earlier in the day.

-Flashback-

After the crazy day at the academy they had finally been excused for the day.

Rather than leaping up and dashing out the room as he did normally he remained in his seat a moment as he watched Hinata next to him slowly begin packing up her belongings.

Naruto felt a bit embarrassed as he spoke up .

"Heya Hinata ?" he asked.

The young girl looked over at her crush with a bright blush on her cheeks.

"Y-yes N-naruto-kun ?" she managed softly albeit with a stutter.

"Do you mind if I sit here from now on ? It was ummm nice it almost felt like I had a friend today." he said before he looked away slightly wishing he had worded that better.

It surprised him again for the second time today when he felt her small hand on his shoulder. As he looked up she was blushing furiously, but finally she found her voice.

"I-I w-would l-like it v-very much if N-naruto-kun sat h-here e-everyday and...a-and I would like it v-very m-much if N-naruto-kun w-would be m-my f-friend" she said mustering every ounce of courage she possessed as she smiled shyly as her porcelain cheeks were stained red with a pretty blush.

Naruto's eyes widened before he reached out and hugged the girl in front of him.

"Yipeee! We're friends believe it!" he exclaimed.

Only moments later did he realize his new friend had fainted again, her face a fiery red, however even oblivious to the world a happy smile graced her lips.

-End Flashback-

Naruto smiled to himself before closing his eyes and quickly drifting to sleep.

Hinata lay on her side starring at the far wall in her bedroom. She cradled a large fox plushie in her arms so tightly as summoned what strength she could muster to keep herself from crying as she had in the past.

After returning home she had been told by her father that if she failed to improve her skills by the time she graduated the academy that she would have the title of Heiress stripped from her.

She closed her eyes and bit back a sob but stopped as she thought of a certain blonde. Slowly a small smile found it's way to her lips. Despite all else she had managed to finally talk to her crush and furthermore they were friends now. She sighed before leaning down and kissing her plushie.

"Goodnight Naruto" she said softly before she began to drift off to sleep unaware of the the conversation regarding her that was happening not that far away.

"She has no business being Heiress of this clan she is but a demon, The fact Hiashi has even given her a chance is an insult" The man stated

"Hiashi is no fool he will soon replace her with her sister as Heiress of the Clan. Then the Hyuuga will have a strong future" the older woman responded

"But what will that mean for the..." the man trailed off

"It will remain a secret of the Leaf...and perhaps a valuable tool in the future.."

Lavender pools traced the contours of her large room, the room was warm in stark contrast with the rest of the Hyuuga Estate. Hinata had learned long ago even as a child that while at home her room was often the greatest sanctuary she had. Many of her clan saw her as a failure...but there were a few that looked at her with something akin to disgust and she almost believed she could detect fear in their cold eyes.

Her family life was far from ideal, she and her sister loved one another, but were forced to fight constantly in which she would always lose on purpose. Her father was a difficult man, she knew that he truly loved her, but he often had to choose to be a clan head rather than a father. She missed her mother greatly she had been told that shortly after giving birth to her that her Mother had took ill and had never truly recovered only to die giving birth to her baby sister, Hanabi. Their was always a part of Hinata that blamed herself for her mother's death. It was a burden no child should have to carry on their shoulders and most had no idea just how strong she truly was.

Most people would harbor hate for such difficult upcoming, but despite her difficulties with her family, Hinata was an individual that while shy and meek due to her families neglect and abuse held nothing but compassion for others and admiration for a particular blonde haired knucklehead.

She parted the door to her room before slipping outside, she kept her head downcast as she tried to ignore the stares that seemed to follow her every step. The way they stared at her at times...almost as if she wasn't even human ...it often made her want to cry, but she wouldn't let that happen. If Naruto could face that kind of treatment then she would too and she wouldn't let them break her.

Passing through the gardens and the gate she quickly made her way out into the village and towards the Academy.

Despite the weight of her family on her shoulders she skipped through the streets, eager to see her crush...to see her new and only friend once more.

Naruto dove into the classroom in a dramatic fashion just as Iruka walked in behind him.

The Chunin blinked before shaking his head.

"Cutting it close Naruto, but I'm glad to see your here on time again. Please take a seat" he said before he turned and made his way to the board.

Naruto sighed before scrambling up the steps till he arrived at the back row where a blushing Hinata was seated already with a small smile on her face.

He plopped down beside her before flashing her a grin.

"Morning Hinata" he beamed.

"G-good m-morning N-naruto-kun" she replied softly as she looked shyly at her crush.

As Iruka began checking who was present by calling roll Naruto leaned close to Hinata...closer then most people found acceptable.

"Oi Hinata-chan I was wondering if I could borrow your notes ?" he asked

"B-borrow m-my Notes ?" she squeaked.

"Hai your like really I bet you take really good notes" replied Naruto with a smile.

"Hinata Hyuuga" Called Iruka

"Here" she replied as loudly as she could muster before looking back at her crush who still was far too close at the moment.

Hinata found speaking hard at the moment so she just nodded at the blonde and offered a shy smile before sliding her notebook over to him.

"Sweet" exclaimed Naruto as he finally gave the poor heiress some space and began to study her notes.

"Wow Hinata...you should be a teacher one day...this stuff makes a lot more sense the way you put it." he said quietly.

Her meek reply was muffled by Iruka as he called out the next person's name.

"Sasuke Uchiha" called Iruka as he looked around for the boy in question only to see he was missing.

The fangirls seemed in stitches as all of them were quite vocal in their concern for their Sasuke-kun.

Finally a moment later the door to the classroom opened up as Sasuke stepped into the room before yawning loudly.

Mizuki who was sitting at the desk while Iruka called roll raised an eyebrow as did a few others in the classroom. The fangirls all begin squealing to which Iruka staved off by waving his hands frantically.

"Alright alright enough ladies...Sasuke why are you late ?" he asked as he looked over at the boy who looked exhausted.

Sasuke groaned as he searched for an excuse..and at that a good one.

As he opened his eyes he smirked settling on an entirely plausible scenario.

"I woke up later than usual this morning...I would have still been here before class started, but I had to lose a mob annoying fangirls" he stated quite confident that this was a full proof excuse.

Iruka sighed as he face palmed.

'With Sasuke this could very well be a true story' he thought groaning as he shook his head.

"Alright then Sasuke try to not let this happen again alright ? Now take a seat so I can finish calling roll." he said

Sasuke just grunted as he turned to head to his normal seat but groaned seeing the fangirls eying him with hearts in their eyes as he walked towards his normal spot. He quickly changed direction as he made his way to the top of the stairs and took a seat next to Naruto and Hinata.

"Oi Teme what are you doing don't you want your normal seat ?" Naruto asked before laughing at the raven haired boy beside him.

"No way in hell Dobe..in fact I think I'll be sitting here until graduation" he replied before he laced his hands turning as he offered Naruto what resembled a smirk.

Naruto shivered at the looks coming from the other females in the class, while Hinata fidgeted slightly as she tried to advert her gaze.

'Great teme now Sakura-chan,Ino, and every other girl in this room are going to murder me and Hinata for sitting next to their precious Sasuke-kun' he thought before sighing out loud.

"Oi it's going to be a long day" he groaned before he face planted his desk.

After a few hours into Iruka's lesson when Naruto couldn't bare to wait any longer he leaned over close to Hinata.

"Oi Hinata would you like to train with me after Class today?" he asked.

"T-train with N-naruto-kun ?" she asked before blinking a couple of times and blushing as she imagined being alone with her crush.

"Well...?" he asked as he stared at her intently.

"H-hai" she replied finally with a shy smile.

"Woohoo" he exclaimed before hugging her and pulling away.

Of course the poor girl couldn't handle it as her face turned beat red and she proceeded to faint.

"Naruto is there something you'd like to share with class?" Iruka said in a firm voice snapping Naruto back to attention.

The blonde scratched the back of his head sheepishly before laughing.

"Hehe of course not Iruka-Sensei" he replied.

"Good then be quiet" he said employing the big head jutsu.

Naruto cringed as he sank back into his seat looking worriedly at Hinata.

"Does she do that all the time?" a voice beside him asked.

Almost forgetting he had company other then Hinata Naruto turned to look at Sasuke.

"Eh I think Hinata gets sick a lot" he said quietly.

"Hnnn you really are an idiot..." Sasuke said simply before he folded his hands under his chin and stared with a bored expression as Iruka droned on.

"What was that Teme?" he asked as he stood up and glared at the boy.

"NARUTO"

The blonde gulped as he looked down at his Sensei.

"I'll see you after school Naruto...now take your seat" Iruka said sternly.

Naruto groaned before sitting down slowly.

'Oi I hate school' he thought glumly.

Thirty minutes after the rest of the class had been let out Naruto found himself still being lectured by Iruka.

"Naruto why can't you pay attention in class ?" Iruka asked as he crossed his arms as he studied the blonde intently.

"But Sensei it's not like that I'm trying to do better believe it...I was even taking notes today" he said as he glanced at the door wondering if Hinata was still waiting for him or if she'd gone home.

"Naruto you have been here more often and your participation has improved but your test grades haven't improved a bit. In fact I think their even lower now " Iruka said exasperated.

"But Sensei I'm trying but I just don't understand the tests...it's like it's another language. How am I suppose to know the angle of how throw a kunai at an enemy when the wind is blowing against me?" he asked folding his arms across his chest.

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Naruto there hasn't been a question like that on any of the tests Mizuki or I have given." he said.

Naruto frowned as he began to look frustrated. "Well Sensei all I know is the test Mizuki-Sensei gave me had that and all these other weird questions on it" he huffed.

"I am trying though...I was suppose to be training with Hinata now, but I don't even know if she's still waiting for me." he said sadly.

Iruka said nothing a moment as he forced a smile. "It's alright Naruto you can leave now just please try to be quiet in class from now on." he said.

Naruto blinked surprised but simply nodded. "Well thanks I guess Sensei gotta run" he said waving a hand before he ran for the door.

As the door slammed shut Iruka's smile slipped away and his expression turned serious.

Naruto was many things however he was not a liar. He intended to get to the bottom of this immediately.

As Naruto bounded outside his frown turned to a wide smile as he saw Hinata kneeling down in a small garden right outside the Academy.

"HINATA" he called out as he ran over to her stopping as he watched her pluck one small yellow flower from the ground before very neatly folding the flower into a small book. Finally she turned and began to fiddle with her fingers.

"Gomensai N-Naruto-kun I was d-distracted" she said blushing slightly.

"What are you apologizing for I was the one who kept you waiting." he said smiling.

"Arigato" he said .

"Eh for what N-naruto-kun ?" she asked as she furiously tousled her fingers together.

"For waiting on me...I half expected you to go home." he said scratching the back of his head before smiling.

"I don't know much about being a friend, but I figure your a great friend " he said grinning widely.

Hinata's face darkened several shades as she tried to utter a reply but was silenced as Naruto took her hand into his.

"Oi come on Hinata we're running out of daylight, I'll show you where I like to train and buy us both Ramen afterwards." he said excitedly.

"B-buy m-me Ramen?" she questioned shyly 'Does that mean it's a date ?' she wondered.

"Hai my way of saying I'm sorry for keeping you waiting." he explained before bounded off practically dragging a nearly comatose Hinata with him.

"So what do you think ?" he asked as he looked around the clearing for a long moment.

"Ano I t-think this must have once been an old t-training ground." she said softly as her lavender gaze studied her surroundings noting the overgrowth that covered about half of the clearing.

As her attention returned to Naruto she began fidgeting in place as her nerves began to get the best of her.

"Oi Hinata are you ok ? " asked Naruto as he eyed her curiously as he wondered why she looked so nervous.

"H-hai I j-just d-don't w-want to h-hurt you at all N-naruto-kun" she said timidly.

Naruto grinned as he offered her a smile and a thumbs up.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan only by doing our best can we get better" he said as he took a sloppy taijutsu stance.

"H-hai N-naruto-kun I promise I will do my best a-and I won't back down for that is my nindo" she declared almost void of a stutter to which Naruto couldn't help but smile.

'That sort of sounds like my Nindo' he thought to himself not realizing that in fact it was and furthermore Hinata had chosen it because she admired him so much.

Naruto pushed aside a strange feeling in his stomach as he darted forward with his right hand cocked backwards.

As he lunged forward to strike, Hinata with ease knocked aside his hand causing him to fly past her.

Naruto rolled before springing back to his feet.

Throughout the ensuing fight Naruto would follow one sloppy maneuver with another to which Hinata would easily evade or counter attack. While she did not go on the offense, it proved unnecessary as within a few minutes of sparring Naruto found himself laying on the ground panting. Many of his Tenketsu were closed due to Hinata gentle fists strikes.

"N-naruto-kun S-should we stop? " asked Hinata quietly he felt horrible as the last thing she wanted to do was break Naruto's spirit.

Naruto sat up slowly still panting as he looked intently at Hinata.

"N-no Hinata when I asked you to train with me I promised myself that together we'd make each other stronger...what kind of person would I be now if I gave up now ? I won't turn back...together we will both get stronger...I always keep my promises...b-because that is my nindo" he said still breathing heavily as he forced himself to rise back to his feet.

Hinata blushed deeply. This was why she admired him so much it wasn't because he was the strongest, it was because he had the strongest will. If a proud failure could get back up and fight again to prove everyone wrong then she could fight on to prove herself to her family and more so to herself.

"Alright no way I'm going down as easy again...give it your best shot Hinata" Naruto said as fire could be seen in his eyes as he took a wild untrained stance.

Hinata smiled to herself as she took her family's fighting stance and reactivated her Byakugan.

"Hai Naruto-kun" she managed without a stutter as she studied his stance. She wondered how he would approach his next move.

Naruto smiled as he summoned the strength to make his tired body move again before he darted forward relying more on pure will then any energy left in his body. This time when he punched at her he instinctively stepped to the side to avoid her counterattack.

After trading a few blows as the time passed he once again felt himself growing thoroughly exhausted while Hinata was only slightly winded at the moment.

So rather than another flurry of sloppy strikes he decided to go with something unpredictable, He ran forward rather unexpectedly however when Hinata counterattacked with a open palm the Naruto in front of her was replaced with a log. She could see Naruto reappear right behind her with her Byakugan, she turned swiftly, but before she could counterattack he pounced her landing directly on top of her.

She looked at him with wide eyed as he pinned her arms down.

"Hah I did it" he exclaimed mere inches from her face.

"This is all too soon" she squeaked before blushing like a tomato and fainting immediately.

"Eh? " Naruto screeched as he looked at the unconscious Hinata.

"Hinata ? Hinata?!" he yelled

A few short hours later Naruto sat beside Hinata at Ichikaru's. He had just polished off his tenth bowl when he turned to offer Hinata one of his foxiest grins.

"Sorry again for earlier Hinata-chan...at the time it seemed like a good idea" he said laughing as he scratched the back of his head.

"N-no it's o-ok N-naruto-kun" replied Hinata timidly with a smile.

"Say Hinata if your so good why do you hold back in class? I'm sure you could give even the Teme a run for Rookie of the year" he exclaimed.

Hinata blushed as she ate some of her own ramen.

"I-I don't know I g-guess I only f-feel this strong when I-I'm around you" she admitted with a blush staining her cheeks as she kept her face down.

Naruto's eyes widened before he allowed a real smile to cross his face.

"Hey Hinata I realized after our training that we share the same Nindo... we should always do our best" he said as he reached out and squeezed her hand gently.

Hinata though blushing furiously nodded. "Hai -N-naruto-kun" she replied after a moment as she stared into those beautiful cerulean eyes.

"Hinata thanks again for today..you know other than Iruka-Sensei and the old man your my only friend" he admitted quietly as he looked into her lavender pools.

"Y-you don't h-have to t-thank me N-naruto-kun...t-there's no w-where I would have r-rather b-been today" she stuttered before blushing feverishly as she realized what she'd said.

Naruto sat there stunned by her confession, he'd never met someone so gentle...He couldn't help, but smile and scratch the back of his head sheepishly as a familiar voice from behind him nearly made him jump.

"Oh hey Naruto...Hinata " called Iruka as he approached the Ramen bar and took a seat on the other side of Naruto.

"Should have known I'd find you here...though I'm a bit surprised to see Hinata here..." he chuckled.

Naruto smiled oblivious to his Sensei's insinuations. "Oi I think I'd show Hinata the best place in the world.." he exclaimed.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm, and for some reason Naruto found himself cracking a smile. Something about her laugh was contagious...she looked better with a smile on her face...it suited her.

Iruka allowed a small smile as he looked between the duo. "Heh just don't stick her with your bill Naruto..."

Hinata noticing the time slowly slipped off her chair.

"Arigato N-naruto-kun for t-training and ramen, but I s-should be getting home now. I'll see you t-tomorrow.." she paused as she looked at Iruka.

"Goodbye Sensei" she said offering another quick bow before she slipped out of the Ramen stand.

"So did I interrupt something Naruto?" Iruka asked grinning slightly as he enjoyed ribbing the blonde.

"Eh ? No way! What's up Sensei, here to buy me some more Ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Not a chance I'm still broke after the last time you left me with the tab, Naruto I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry. I doubted you when I shouldn't have" he admitted.

Naruto blinked as he looked at his Sensei. "What do you mean Sensei?" he asked.

"I just mean that I know you've been trying harder and I want you to keep at it. I don't think you'll have to worry about getting anymore strange questions on your tests, just don't use that as an excuse not to study." Iruka said seriously before allowing another small smile.

"Hehe thanks Sensei" he said offering a rare sincere smile.

A couple of hours later Naruto sat with a small smile on his face as he stared at his favorite pair of goggles. They were one of his most prized possessions. He remembered the day he got him so vividly. He even had kept the box all these years.

*Flashback*

The nine year old boy sat with his arms hugging his knees against his chest. He didn't know why he expected anything to change, but he thought surely since starting the academy that someone...anyone would have wished him a happy birthday. There were times he wished everything was over, JiJi tried his best, but the old man couldn't fill the hole of loneliness he felt.

He sniffed as remembered how excited he was earlier.

But no one had remembered that October tenth was anything other then the Anniversary of the Nine tails' attack on the village.

Before he broke into sobs he heard a faint knock on the door before scurrying outside.

He sniffed once more wiping his cheek before he walked over to the door opening it slowly. There right in front of the door was a neatly wrapped box with a small Onigiri resting on top.

His large blue eyes widened as he looked around seeing no one near his apartment complex. He leaned down and picked up the box as a large smile spread across his face as he turned for the door looking back out one more time.

"Whoever you are Arigato" he said before he stepped inside shutting the door with his foot.

As he opened the package he was met with a wonderful lavender scent and inside the box along side the goggles, stuck in the wrapping paper he saw a yellow flower petal.

*End Flashback*

Naruto stopped in the midst of his reverie as he began to mull things over. He wasn't the brightest at times, but he wasn't nearly as thick as many would assume.

'That scent...the flower petal...could it have been Hinata' he wondered as he leaned back on his bed. After a moment a smile crept upon his face. It had happened so fast but she truly was his first friend...his first bond..he didn't want to lose that ever. After a moment he placed his hands behind his head as he wondered to himself what he could do to better prepare himself for Genin graduation exam. His heart ached as he thought of failing again and seeing Hinata move on without him. He shook his head vigorously.

'No together we'll kick that exam's ass' he thought to himself.

"Together with our Nindo" he mumbled as his eyes shut and after a moment he drifted right to sleep.

Hinata lay unable to move at all in her bed. When she had returned from the Ramen stand the Hyuuga Elders had forced her to fight her sister yet again. As exhausted as she was even if she was actually trying she would have been hard pressed to win, however holding back she had been quickly defeated by her little sister. She closed her eyes blinking back tears just as her door opened slowly.

Looking up her face held fear however her expression softened when she saw Hanabi standing there with a sad expression on her face.

"Oneesan why do you always hold back and let yourself get hurt like that ?" she said as she darted across the room and leapt onto the bed before wrapping her arms around Hinata.

"Imouto I love you and I would never let anything bad happen to you, I was so young when Mother died, but I promised myself and Mama that I would always look after you" Hinata said softly as she ran her hand through her little sister's hair.

"I know Oneesan...but it's just not fair how all of them treat you...just because you won't fight me" she said sniffling softly.

"Imouto it will be fine one day things will be right" she whispered as she hugged her crying sister harder.

'Maybe one day I'll know why everyone really hates me' she thought to herself smiling softly as she could feel Hanabi's cries growing fainter and fainter.

'Naruto-kun one of these days we'll both prove them wrong...with our nindo' she thought as her eyelids fluttered closed after a moment as she held her sister close and began dreaming of a certain ramen addicted knucklehead.

*Note*

As I mentioned above, I will be taking some liberties that stray from canon. Rather then the Yin and Yang side of the Kyuubi's Chakra instead there are two fox demons. I don't want to spoil much more, but I will provide an explanation going forward!

Anyways thanks for reading and take care until next time ! =D