Destiny's Path

Chapter Six

In the hidden village of Konoha at any given time there are roughly a hundred Genin. This number includes rookies, younger teams, those who have yet to pass a Chunin test, and those who retired without ever gaining ranks. From that hundred only half will go on to be Chunin. Those fifty people include teachers and older teams. With all these numbers there are still roughly only twenty Jonin, including special-Jonin. There is also a wide array of unranked shinobi or ones whose ranks have been hidden such as those of the ANBU and the Hunter-nin branch of that origination. There is of course only one Hokage.

Though they all are more then just numbers, they are shinobi of the leaf. They have names and stories and are all willing to sacrifice themselves for their village. The have hearts and souls and will fight until both give up if need be. That is what being a shinobi of the leaf is all about.

Of course out of all these shinobi's names and ranks, out of all of their stories only a few ran through the head of Sakura Haruno as she paced her bedroom floor. Today was her day off. Kakashi had asked her and Sasuke to only train on their own today and to report to him tomorrow to get back on schedule. Off days were required for a good shinobi. It gave them time to focus their energies, maybe build up some chakra or recover from some nagging injures.

For Sakura this should have been an excellent time to begin Naruto's second day of training. But Naruto still had a job at Ichiraku's to up hold and Sakura still needed some time to think. Yesterday she had made a promise to herself and to the world that she would make Naruto into a Genin. Now all she had to do was find out how one did such a thing.

During her sleepless night she had decided that she would need help. That point was one she was absolutely clear on. She had no way to tame the wild chakra that flowed through Naruto and she couldn't make his taijutsu any better then hers, which was sadly sub-par compared to her test scores. Help was what Sakura needed but from who she still could not decide.

The Hokage had made it clear that he was ok with her training Naruto but he had also made it crystal clear that it should be kept secret. But if Sakura was going to get help she needed to share the secret with someone. She couldn't just ask the Hokage to help. Though she was sure he would he was both too busy and she was too nervous.

Finally, after much thought and so much pacing she was dizzy, Sakura figured out who to ask for help. It was a perfect choice in her mind and would help Naruto control his chakra. Though she still had no idea how to help him with his taijutsu she was too excited about her choice not to act and didn't even bother walking downstairs instead just leaping out of her open bedroom window.

Racing towards her destination Sakura quickly realized she didn't have one. Not all Genin got the same days off and even if they did they do not all gather in the same place. Sakura began to panic and race to random areas of the village like a bee going to every flower in a field. Through some stroke of luck this random frantic searching actually paid off in the form of a girl sitting under a tree a little bit away from the noise of the village.

The area was quiet and no one came near it that often. The only reason Sakura had even checked there was because she knew from years ago that it was one of the few places in the village where quiet could be found on a busy day. She had gone there countless times with Ino to talk about what was going on in there lives. But that was long ago and now the area's lone occupant was a shy indigo haired Genin.

"Hi Hinata," Sakura greeted cheerily as she approached her and bit her lip slightly as she watched the girl jump at the sound of someone's voice.

Hinata Hyuga. You wouldn't know from looking at her but she was the heiress to the mighty Hyuga clan. But anyone who had gone to school with her just knew her as Hinata, the lonely girl who sat in the corner and was the only one in the class not to have a crush on Sasuke. The truth was because she was too shy to ever be mean and because she had never liked the class hot-throb everyone in class liked her and often told her things they wouldn't tell others. Her shyness kept her from telling anyone else and this made her the perfect secret keeper. But that wasn't the reason that Sakura had chosen her to help train Naruto, merely a bonus.

"Hello Sakura," Hinata said very quietly as she began to push her fingers together. She looked up for only the briefest of moments to confirm whom she was talking to and then disappeared behind her long bangs. She was most certainly the least outgoing girl Sakura had ever met. She was quiet when she stated school and instead of growing out of it like most did she just sunk into herself to the point she was almost mute. From what Sakura heard she never had anyone who inspired her to come out of her shell.

"I was wondering if you could help me?" Sakura said as she tried to maintain a casually tone. She flopped down beside the quiet girl and winced when Hinata seemed to tense up.

"What do you need help from me for?" Hinata said as if to chastise herself and she tripped over her words in a way that told Sakura that she didn't like talking.

"Well I have a friend," Sakura said as she mentally slapped herself for being so generic, though technically true, "he has some trouble with chakra control."

"You are better at chakra control then me." Hinata interrupted quickly as if to squash the issue before she was proven to be good at something.

"Well I did better on the tests but those eyes of yours would make it a lot easier to teach him," Sakura said, revealing the reason for her choice of Hinata. The Hyuga eyes which could see chakra. You had to actually know Hinata to find out she had the technique, she made eye contact with no one after all, but Sakura knew she had the gift and that it could help.

Maybe she could find out where all this chakra was coming from and to help Naruto train it. Sakura needed Naruto to release the chakra before she could gage if it was the right amount but Hinata could do it without it ever having to leave Naruto's body. She could help him get the amount just right and then hopefully, once he gets a feel for it, he could do it on his own.

"I do not think so," Hinata said simple as she stood and Sakura's face fell, "I am not very good at training myself let alone others. Perhaps you should talk to a Jonin."

"But I need your help!" Sakura shouted, as she stood as well, afraid the girl might run away. "You wont tell anyone that you're helping and your eye really is the best way to help someone."

Hinata stood very still for a minute and Sakura hoped she was thinking about her offer and not a way to escape. "I do not know…" Hinata said after awhile, obviously at a lose for words.

"Just meet him. Just come see how much he wants to be a shinobi and then you'll see how much your help would…well…help!"

Hinata did not move again for a long time. Finally the wind swept the trees and blew the clothing of the two girls and Hinata nodded; a very slight nod that Sakura wouldn't have noticed if she weren't staring intensely at the shorter girl.

"I will go and met this boy," Hinata said in the formal manor she always used. For a brief moment Sakura wondered if she was so formal because she was afraid to speak any other way. Of course Sakura didn't really care as she was too excited to care and quickly took off in the direction of Ichiraku's without making sure Hinata was behind her.

Luckily Hinata was behind her; keeping pace a few feet back with her head down. Sakura wondered how she saw where she was going but quickly lost that train of though as she reached the quaint ramen bar.

She lifted the counter without asking as she had done countless times before, the only difference this time being Hinata's whispered plea of, "I do not believe you are allowed to do that."

Sakura didn't hear it though and just greeted Ayame who was working that day before heading right to the backroom, Hinata following close behind. Naruto was working at the sink the furthest from the door. Something seemed different about the backroom on this day and it didn't take Sakura long to figure out what. Naruto actually looked happy as he worked, doing a sort of dishwashing dance, and the emotion worked to lighten up the room.

"Hinata, I'd like you to meet Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura said as she waved her hand toward the blond haired boy.

Naruto jumped at the sound of someone's voice and instantly pulled down his sleeves as he turned. He seemed relieved to see Sakura and puzzled to see Hinata. Realization of what Sakura had said visibly dawned on his face and he smiled sheepishly as he gave a little wave. "Hey Hinata," he said in the laidback manner he used when he was happy; a tone that made Sakura smile.

"Hi." Came a shocked whisper from beside Sakura and this caused her to look down instantly. She was shocked to see that Hinata not only had made eye contact with Naruto but also now seemed unable to look away. She was also a little shocked to see how pretty Hinata was under her bangs. She hid behind them so much it was a shock to see them brushed away from her pale face.

Naruto had obviously noticed and smiled wide as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Hinata finally seemed to snap back into reality and blushed extremely red. She lowered her head at such an angle Sakura thought she would snap her neck and began pushing her fingers together so hard they looked like they might break.

Sakura smiled but inside she felt a slight pain in her chest that she could not place. There was no way she was jealousy of little Hinata because that would imply that she liked Naruto. Sakura's mind stopped for a moment but then she shook herself out of it. There was no way. Besides, Hinata may not even like Naruto; she did just meet him after all. For some reason this thought gave Sakura some hope.

All of this eternally struggle went unnoticed in the real world and Naruto was left to look in-between his frozen friend Sakura and this new shy girl. "How's it going Sakura?" he asked after a minute of waiting.

Sakura snapped out of it and remembered why she was there. "Oh right. Naruto this is Hinata and she's going to help you with your chakra control. Right Hinata?"

"Alright," Hinata said very quietly before saying a bit louder, "I mean, yes I will be assisting you Naruto-kun."

The honorific came as a shock to Hinata, who blushed, and Sakura, who felt that weird pain again. Naruto didn't seem to notice and just smiled.

"Cool. You're a Hyuga right? I recognize your eyes. They're awesome. I've read all about them in history books." Naruto said in a rush as he crossed the room and stood right in front of Hinata. "You're going to use them to see my chakra righ-"

Naruto cut himself off and seemed to pull back a little as his smile dropped. He looked like he was about to cry and then said to Sakura, "Are you sure it's ok to tell people what we're doing?"

Sakura was about to respond but Hinata spoke instead. " I am a very good secret keeper and would tell no one."

"You promise?" Naruto asked and Sakura thought she heard some fear in Naruto's voice. What was he afraid Hinata would see if she caught a glimpse of his chakra.

"I promise." Hinata said and she once again looked up to stare into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto smiled, his million-dollar smile, and gave Hinata a low bow. Hinata didn't seem to know what to do and gave a weird, jerky bow in return. Sakura smiled, all thoughts of jealousy that may or may not be there forgotten. Naruto was happy and Sakura finally had a way to help him with his lacklustre chakra control.

I took at least an hour for Sakura to explain to Naruto and Hinata what days they would be training together and how they would be doing it. Luckily Hinata's team had just done a big mission and would be taking a break from the field for a while. This gave Sakura plenty of opportunities to set up training sessions between the three preteens. Naruto wanted to get started today but Sakura had more to do and half of the time she spent there was trying to convince Naruto to let them leave. Finally the fifteenth call of Teuchi to "Get back to work already!" did it and the two girls rushed out of the back room as Naruto sulked.

Hinata remained quiet throughout the rest of the meeting; nodding or confirming things in as little hushed words as possible. Usually this wouldn't be odd at all because she never talked much but after her first meeting with Naruto that seemed to have changed. Now though as the two left the back of Ichiraku's Hinata seemed to be back to normal, if not more quiet, and her fingers had been pushed together for so long Sakura though they may be stuck.

"So then you're ok with all this then?" Sakura asked as she walked out into the afternoon sun. She had arrived in the morning and had forgotten how long a day was.

Hinata gave a curt nod and walked beside Sakura, not because they were walking together but merely because they were both going the same way.

"Good," Sakura said with a smile. She continued walking beside Hinata in silence and kept glancing down at the silent girl. Back at the bar something had happened to Hinata. She was still shy, still quiet, she was most definitely still the same girl but something had changed her just slightly. She talked more, even if it was only a little bit more, and she was more open, just a little more. Sakura could find no reason for this change beside the fact that Naruto was there.

Suddenly Sakura began to remember how Naruto used to be before they had started talking. How he was quiet and awkward. He had been almost like a guy version of Hinata, if not a bit less shy to begin with. Now he was outgoing, happy, and rambunctious. The catalysis for change with him was her; maybe the catalysis for Hinata was Naruto.

Looking down at the purple haired girl again Sakura meant to ask 'Do you like Naruto?' instead what came out was, "Now I just need some help on his taijutsu."

Sakura was so busy mentally slapping herself that she barely heard Hinata's whisper of "Rock Lee."

"Who?" Was Sakura's initial response to Hinata's suggestion. She thought she might have known someone by that name, maybe she had only heard about him in passing somewhere.

"He is a skilled taijutsu genius. He is on my cousin's Genin team. I heard him speaking negatively about Lee to Father." Hinata said in her quiet, cut-off manor. She seemed to flinch when she talked about her father and Sakura couldn't help but frown.

"Come to think of it I may have heard of him," Sakura said as she racked her brain, "Wait! Isn't he the one who passed the Genin test on taijutsu skill alone?"

"I believe so." Hinata said and without saying goodbye turned down a street different from where Sakura was going. Obviously she hadn't had enough conversations to know how to end one. Sakura waved after her but the small Genin never looked back as she walked.

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Later that day Sakura found herself at a training ground where older shinobi usually trained on their off days. Sakura's hope of finding Rock Lee had paid off as she watched a lone boy working out amongst a sea of training dummies. He moved from one to the other like the wind. Quickly landing a dozen blows on one dummy before effortlessly moving to the next. Sakura watched him from a distance with awe as he finally stopped after delivering a blow that caused the stuffing to explode from the offending dummy.

"Rock Lee?" Sakura asked as she approached the older boy, she hoped that this really was Rock Lee and not some Jonin.

He turned around with a bright smile on his face that nearly blinded Sakura. His thumb out in front of him giving a triumphant thumbs-up as the sun seemed to sparkle off his white teeth. "That's me!"

Out off all these sparkling overdramatic actions Sakura spotted just one thing, "Eyebrows." Thick caterpillar eyebrows that rested under the boy's bowl cut.

Lee's smile dropped enough for his eyes to open and they instantly sparkled with extreme devotion when he saw Sakura standing there. He instantly ran over to her and got on one knee. He took one of her hands in his and looked up into her eyes with no lacking supply of confidence. "What is it you desire me to do oh sweet lady."

"Um, hi," Sakura said as she yanked her hand from the boy's grip, "my name's Sakura."

"Sakura." Lee practically shouted as he stood again with his eyes sparking so much Sakura though she was seeing stars. "A proper name for a beautiful flower as you. Let's go out together."

"No." Sakura said rather abruptly as she stared at the weird boy in front of her. The question had come out of nowhere and Sakura had no other answer for the taijutsu expert. "I would like your help though?"

Lee looked depressed that his offer had been met so coldly but he seemed to be redeemed when she asked him for his help. "Anything for you Sakura. I'll race around the village a hundred times, or fight off an army of warriors, all for you."

"Well, you'd have to keep it a secret."

"If it is a secret between you and I then I shall keep it until the flame of youth in me has long since died out."

Sakura wasn't sure what that meant but he sounded trustworthy so she pressed on. "I was wondering if you could help me train a friend. He's not very good at taijutsu and nether am I so I was hoping you know anything about teaching."

"Within a week he shall be the best taijutsu expert in the village's history. That is beside Guy-sensei." Lee said as he once again took up hi triumphant pose.

"Great!" Sakura yelled. Even if this boy had weird eyebrows and a weirder outlook on life he was a great taijutsu artist and Naruto would do great under his training. "It's getting a bit late though so I don't think you'll be able to meet him till tomorrow. Could you come to training ground six tomorrow mourning? You can start training then."

"Yes! I shall be there at six o'clock, after mourning training with Guy-sensei." Lee said and he happily smiled that eye-blinding smile.

"Great, see you then." Sakura said as she walked away. She looked back and saw Lee giving her the most exuberant wave Sakura had ever seen. She gave a smile one in return out of embarrassment only to watch Lee's wave become even more energetic. Tomorrow was the day.

A/N:

Longest chapter yet and; dare I say it, out ahead of schedule. Yes, I started this the second I finished the last chapter so I hope you've enjoyed it.

Well then, I added some new characters to the mix with this chapter and I hope they're welcome. With Hinata I was especial trying to show how Naruto's absence has affected the world. You'll see some more of that in the next chapter too.

Anyways on to reviews.

Radioactive-man, all shall me answered in time when it comes to your question. Kokuou no Shin'en, as you've seen in this chapter you're going to have to wait for any kind of reassurance. Besides, it's always more interesting to leave things unknown till the very end, it keeps people reading.

So please, keep reading, and when you're here leave a review. I love reviews so very much and enough of them will help get chapters out quickly.

Thank you.