Author's Note:

Welcome to my first fanfiction! It's taken me a lot of courage to finally write one so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Just a couple of notes about this fic:

This story is an AU. The setting takes place in the earlier days of Konoha so Naruto and his friends are part of one of the village's earlier generations. A lot of what happened in canon will still happen in this fic, but with my own twist on things ;) Anything that's different from canon will be explained in the story.

The main pairing in this story is Naruhina. I'm perfectly okay with not everyone liking this pairing, but if you do not like Naruhina, this fic is probably not for you. Also, this story is not a fluff-fic. I plan on writing what I believe will be a satisfying love story, but there will be some dark chapters ahead before we reach a happy ending. If you're not looking for a fic with drama and dark moments, this fic may also not be for you.

Naruto may seem a bit OOC at times as he initially will be a more dark, disturbed character in the story. I've also made him a little bit smarter compared to how he is in canon.

The M rating is for language, graphic violence, and sexual situations

Last but not least, Naruto and all its' characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I've written this fic purely for fun :)

"You sure we're going the right way, Uruki?" asked a young shinobi clad in a black cloak etched with red clouds. The man wore the traditional hitai-ate of Kumo around his forehead with a line scratched through, indicating that he was a rouge ninja. Uruki also wore the same attire with the only exception being a scratched out hitai-ate from Kiri instead of Kumo.

Uruki nodded in reply. "Yes Nori, the spot should be just ahead where we left Yuri to keep watch for any signs of those damned Konoha shinobi. He never gave the signal to abort the mission, so we should be able to bring back a through report on the Kyuubi's location!"

The two men soon reached their destination but were confused upon not seeing their comrade anywhere. "This is where we left him…right?"

Uruki looked around in confusion. "Yeah this is the spot, he should be—"

The man stopped when he felt something wet fall onto his head. Uruki carefully brought his fingertips to the top of his scalp and widened his eyes when he looked at the dark liquid staining his fingers. "Blood! But how—?"

He then noticed his comrade visibly shaking while staring up in horror into the canopy of trees above them. Uruki followed the young man's gaze to where the body of Yuri was gruesomely impaled through several thick branches, his blood dripping down onto them like drops of dew.

Uruki nearly vomited at the sight. "We need to retreat!", he shouted but before he could take another step, a kunai zipped through the air from above and went straight through his throat. Blood from his jugular splattered onto Nori's face, who then took off in the opposite direction.

'How did he find us so quickly?!' the young rogue ninja thought with a fright.

He then tripped and fell. He immediately reached for one of his kunai when he sat up, ready to defend himself from the invisible attacker. The young man's breathing started to slow as he realized that he had escaped from the enemy. He sighed and brought his weapon down. The rouge-nin then noticed movement in the reflection of his kunai so he turned it around to get a better look. He froze upon seeing dozens of red, slitted eyes reflected in the trees above him. Nori slowly turned his face upwards only to be met with the sight of several shinobi grinning down at him from the tree branches. All of the shinobi were clones of a certain blond-haired jinchuriki that the rouge ninja and his comrades were supposed to be gathering intelligence on. However, they were given strict orders to not engage the jinchuriki…because it meant certain death.

The man remained frozen in terror as he watched one of the clones jump down to land just in front of him. The jinchuriki knelt down, eyeing the dark robes the terrified young man was wearing.

"Akatsuki, huh?" the clone remarked in a deep, scratchy voice. The jinchuriki then grabbed Nori forcefully around the neck and lifted him off the ground while grinning in amusement. "When will you bastards ever learn?", he drew his arm back with his sharp fingertips pointed at the young man's chest, "You will never catch me!"

The young man screams filled the forest, as the jinchuriki ripped his heart out while the remaining clones in the branches laughed maniacally.

To say that Hinata Hyuga was lovely would be an understatement. The seventeen-year old possessed a warm smile and kind, lavender pearlescent eyes. She had waist-length indigo hair that gracefully fell over her shoulders and back, while perfectly framing her gentle face. Her ivory skin was soft to the touch and free of blemish. She was blessed with a thin figure and an ample chest, which was hidden elegantly under the layers of her kimono.

As Heiress to the Hyuga clan, Hinata was well-educated. She could read and write at an advanced level and was also very well-versed on the current politics going on throughout the Land of Fire. She could easily carry an intelligent conversation on various topics ranging from the decisive battles of the late Second Shinobi War to the trading policies of Kusagakure.

In her clan's eyes however, her biggest fault was that she was born a woman. While the surrounding clans and Hidden Villages had allowed their women to become shinobi over the past decade, the Hyuga have held fast to their ancient traditional view of a woman's place in society. To the Hyuga, women were primarily mothers and homemakers. They did not become shinobi — that was men's work. As far as the elders were concerned, Hinata's main purpose in life was to marry well and produce a male heir that will lead the clan someday.

Her father Hiashi had slightly different views though. He never challenged the idea of not allowing the women in the clan to become shinobi, yet he wanted his daughters to know how to protect themselves should an attack ever come upon the Hyuga compound. So, he taught Hinata and her younger sister, Hanabi, the taijutsu style of the Gentle Fist. Hinata did not have much occasion to use her shinobi skills so it was fair to say that she was not one of the strongest Gentle Fist users in her clan, but she could still defend herself should the occasion ever present itself. Unfortunately, Hinata's gender was not her only fault as seen through the eyes of the clan elders.

Hinata had a meek and overly kind personality. She was soft-spoken and had trouble maintaining eye contact while talking with someone. She hardly ever asked the servants to do anything for her and when she did, it was more of a polite request rather than an order from one of the highest-ranked members of the clan. Hinata mostly did things for herself; she cooked, cleaned up after herself, and did most of her own chores. The elders saw Hinata as a weak-willed woman that acted beneath her station.

This harsh criticism caused Hinata to grow up under an unrealistic pressure to be a perfect Heiress; doing whatever was necessary for the benefit of her clan. However, it seemed that no matter what Hinata did, she was always a disappointment to the elders and the other members of the Main Household. Speaking her mind and expressing her feelings were always looked down upon, so Hinata has learned to keep her emotions hidden from those around her (with the exception of her immediate family and her trusted lady-in-waiting, Hotaru). This endless strive for perfection, caused Hinata to never be satisfied with the person looking back at her in the mirror. There was always something she was lacking in. She could be more feminine, she could be more confident, she could be more intelligent — she always had to be more.

Tonight, Hinata was on her way to her father's office. She shuffled quietly through the halls wondering what her father was summoning her for. Though he was a strict man, Hinata had a good relationship with her father and loved him dearly. Hiashi Hyuga was often stern and stoic in his role as Clan Leader, but when it was just him and his daughters, he was warm and approachable. He had stuck up for Hinata many times when the elders put pressure on him to disinherit Hinata and name her sister, Hanabi, as Heiress instead.

That was, until recent events transpired.

Hinata pushed back those awful memories as she approached her father's office. A few months ago, she had suffered the biggest humiliation of her life — one that even left her own father disappointed in her. Things had been strained between the two since then so Hinata was surprised when her father asked for her presence this evening. She had hoped that he was entrusting her again to resume her Heiress training, which included accompanying him to his meetings and listening to him as he briefed her on world events. Hinata had missed that time with her father over the past few months.

When she reached the shoji door leading into her father's office, she stopped and bowed. "Father, I am here as you requested," she announced timidly.

There was a brief pause before she heard, "You may enter."

Hinata straightened up and carefully slid the door open and stepped through. She immediately closed the door back behind her and knelt before her father, "You wanted to see me, Father?"

"You can sit up Hinata," her father ordered.

Hinata complied as she nervously awaited to find out the reason for her father calling her here tonight.

"As you know, the Yondaime and I have been working on an alliance between our clan and Konoha for several years." Hinata nodded her head in understanding as Hiashi continued, "I'm happy to say that we have finally reached an arrangement to have the Hyuga clan join forces with Konoha. The alliance was drafted just this morning."

Hinata's heart beamed with joy and she smiled at her father's news. Hiashi and the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, had been friends for many years. Back in the days of the Second Shinobi War, the Hyuga sent their strongest shinobi to assist Konoha's forces in the battle against Iwa. Hiashi himself was one of those shinobi. It was then that he had met and fought alongside Minato. By the time the war was over, the two men had forged a strong respect for the other which was the basis of their friendship. One of Hiashi's ambitions had been to bring the Hyuga clan into an alliance with Konoha and become part of the village.

Presently, the Hyuga clan were independent of any village affiliation. They had been peaceful neighbors with Konoha ever since the village was founded several decades ago, but the elders and the clan leaders before Hiashi had been vehemently against joining the village despite several invitations during those early years. They argued that the mighty Hyuga clan had no need to affiliate itself with any village and that it put their kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, at risk of being stolen by outsiders. Hiashi disagreed. Between the constant warfare amongst the hidden villages and the recent threat of rouge ninja banding together, Hiashi believed that it would only be a matter of time before the Hyuga became the target of an enemy that would be too powerful for them to stop. By joining forces with Konoha, they would have the protection of their shinobi forces which was made up of several members of powerful clans. They would also have access to Konoha's vast intelligence on enemy forces. In recent years, Hiashi realized that his clan did not have the resources they needed to keep up with protecting themselves from the unstable shinobi world growing around them.

For Hinata, this also meant that better resources would become available to the branch members of the clan. The Hyuga clan had a brutal system in which the branch members were placed in servitude to the Main House. To protect the Byakugan and maintain control, each branch family member had the Caged Bird Seal placed on them when they turned three. Every male member of the main house knew the secret jutsu to activate the seal, which could literally liquefy the brain of any branch member in the event they threatened to step out of line. While members of the Main House lived in the lavish Hyuga Mansion at the centre of the compound, the branch members were forced to live on the outskirts of the property in decrepit shacks and barely enough food to survive on. Becoming part of Konoha would mean that they would have access to more plentiful supplies and opportunities to work within the village for better pay. Maybe, the Hyuga women would even finally be allowed to become shinobi! Joining forces with Konoha, could only bring good for the Hyuga clan and Hinata was ecstatic that such an achievement was finally in sight.

"How did the elders react?" Hinata asked softly.

"Actually," Hiashi stated, "they don't know."

Hinata's eyes widened at the revelation. Though her father was clan leader, when it came to such an important decision as this, the majority of the elders would need to support Hiashi to make the alliance work.

"This isn't public knowledge yet," Hiashi continued, "Only myself, the Hokage, and now you, know about the arrangement."

Hinata was happy at this revelation as it meant that her father was trusting her again with such important clan matters. "Father, I'm glad to hear that our clan will finally join forces with Konoha!", she exclaimed, "But what about the elders? Are you certain that they would support it?"

A somber look came over her father, "That's where you come in, Hinata."

The young woman sat there in nervous anticipation at what her father had planned and what her role was to be.

"Traditionally, alliances such as these are sealed through an arranged marriage between one member from both sides. By bringing two families together, it strengthens the new bond and ensures that the alliance will last through the future generations the marriage will produce."

Hinata felt every muscle in her body stiffen and a weight settled in her stomach. "Y-you mean?—"

Hiashi closed his eyes. "Hinata, as my eldest daughter, you have a duty to always do right by the clan. This includes having to make sacrifices that lower-class members of our clan will never have to face. One of these sacrifices is to marry for duty rather than love." Hiashi opened his eyes again, looking resolvedly at his eldest. "In order to seal this important alliance with Konoha and to gain the support of the elders, it is suggested that you should be married to one of the most powerful shinobi soldiers that Konoha has ever produced. The children you would have with this man would not only represent the future of our alliance with Konoha, but they would also bring honor and power to our clan."

Hinata averted her gaze to the floor beneath her as she clasped her hands around the fabric of her kimono. "So this shinobi… he is from a different clan?" she asked meekly.

Hiashi turned away, "Yes…"

A tense silence fell into the room as the implication of what this meant settled in. As Heiress, Hinata had to marry within the clan in order to become Clan Leader after her father died. To marry outside the clan meant that she would never be allowed to lead it. By arranging a marriage to a man in a different clan, Hiashi was effectively disinheriting Hinata. The earlier hope the young woman had carried with her fell through the cracks and was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of defeat. It was official; her father no longer wanted her as Heiress. The elders had their way in the end.

Hiashi looked across at his daughter once again. "Believe me Hinata, in light of…recent events… this will be the best prospect you'll have." He slid a piece of paper over to her. "And I suggest you do everything to ensure that this man will choose to have you," he told her sternly.

Hinata only lowered her gaze even more, trying to push away the shame from the events her father was referring to. She unfolded the paper and her eyes widened as she read the name of the man she was to be married to.

Hiashi continued, "That paper contains everything you need to know about his shinobi career. I suggest you study it well tonight. He and the Hokage will be here tomorrow evening to join us for dinner."

Hinata said nothing back, her only reaction was a tighter grip on the piece of paper sitting between her fingertips.

"You are dismissed," her father finished sternly.

Hinata stiffly folded the paper back up and bowed once again to her father. Without looking back at him, she swiftly stood up and quietly exited the room. When she was several meters away from her father's office, Hinata broke out into a run down the narrow passages of the Hyuga mansion, not stopping until she reached the room she shared with her sister.

Upon entering the room, she was relieved to see her sister not there. She slid her bedroom door shut and then collapsed onto the floor, letting her sobs of anger, distraught, and frustration finally come out. She was still clutching the paper containing information about the man she was proposed to be bound to for the rest of her life. In between her sobs, she stared hard at that cursed piece of paper and threw it aside.

Hinata was not a shinobi, but she was very familiar with the legendary ninja to come out of Konoha. There of course was the Hokage himself, Minato Namikaze, the most powerful shinobi of his generation. There was also Kakashi Hatake, the copy-ninja who was reported to know over a thousand jutsu. Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin, was the greatest medical-nin in the Land of Fire.

But there were also those shinobi who carried a much darker reputation. This included Orochimaru, the rouge Konoha ninja whose twisted human experiments rivaled the most horrific images to come out of one's nightmares. There was the famed Madara Uchiha, who single-handedly came close to taking over the village and ruling it as a dictatorship. And there was also the Hokage's son, Naruto Namikaze: The jinchuriki of the feared Kyuubi who attacked the village eighteen years ago. The young shinobi was rumored to have viscously slaughtered over a hundred of his enemies within the past year with his own bare hands. This had earned him the nickname, "The Demon of Konoha". A warrior who was possessed the vengeful demon spirit that took over in the heat of battle.

And he was the shinobi whose name was written on that fateful piece of paper laying on Hinata's bedroom floor.

A/N: Please leave a review, especially if you enjoyed what you've read so far! Constructive criticism is welcomed but flames will be deleted. Also, please see my author profile for the current schedule on when future chapters will be posted. Thank you for reading!