*AN~ long chapter, around 3070 words. so enjoy and comment...
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I slowly opened my eyes. Looking around, I found out that I was still in the infirmary. I checked my body.
"No injuries... huh," the healing potion they made is truly miraculous. I could see that Neji was still sleeping beside me.
I raised my hand, guided my chakra towards my palm, and with full concentration, a ball of water started to appear.
This was made of my chakra. I quietly observed it for the whole 5 minutes, changing its shape and size. Then I looked at Neji, and a smile started to appear on my lips.
*Splash*
"Whoooo…" he jerked his head and instantly stood up on the bed.
"Heheh, big brother is awake. I was bored, so I woke you up," I giggled innocently.
"You... Why do you always do that to me?" He pointed his finger towards me with a wronged expression.
I felt hurt. Slowly, I lowered my head down, and a sob escaped me, "I-I just want to wake you up. If you don't like it, I will never do that again." I then slowly raised my head and looked at him; my tears were about to fall down. His expression changed drastically. How could he see his little sis cry?
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He quickly jumped on my bed and patted my shoulder with a smile. "Don't cry, little sis. In fact, I liked your way of waking me up. I just thought it was someone else," he quickly said with the most sincere tone.
"Really?" I asked, still not sure.
"Yes," he confidently said.
"You are the best, big brother," I said and jumped on his back. "Now let's go. We could play before dinner."
He nodded to me and started walking toward our playground while carrying me on his back. His brown hair was longer than mine.
"Why don't you cut your hair, brother?" I asked.
"I like them long," he said.
"You look like a girl, hehe," I laughed at him.
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"Don't make fun of my hair. I will look cool when I grow up, and all cool people have long hair," this was his childish reason.
"Ohh… so if you want to be cool, then I want to be cool," I excitedly said.
"We both will be the coolest," he said with enthusiasm.
"To become cool, we have to be the strongest. Even if we do something wrong, people will think that was cool," I whispered in his ear.
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"Yes, we will become the strongest," he said, and I could see the fire in his eyes.
"You are too easy, my dear brother," I looked at him with a smile.
Soon, we reached the playground, and he gently put me on the ground. "Now, what should we play?" he asked.
"Let's spar," I said and pulled out two kunai from my pocket, which I just took from a passing training ground with the help of a chakra string.
I tossed one kunai towards him, which he easily caught. I had so many hand-to-hand combat moves to recreate, and my big brother would be the perfect dummy training partner.
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He looked at the kunai in his hand. "It could cut us," he said with concern.
"We just have to be careful," I smirked at him. But before he could start, I stopped him. "Look, brother, I want to show you something cool. Activate your eyes," I said and raised my kunai. I masterfully moved my chakra and soon covered the whole kunai with it. In fact, many Jonin ninja struggled to do the same thing, but I made it look so easy. From now on, Neji would think it is easy, after all he's learning from the best.
I squatted down in front of a rock and moved my kunai in slow motion, cutting the rock neatly in two.
"Cool, isn't it?" I asked.
"Yes," he exclaimed and tried to do the same, but it didn't work. I chuckled at him. "You'll be able to do it in two or three days. Now, let's spar," I said, and our spar began, in which he lost miserably.
We sparred continuously for two hours, and it started to feel like a lot of fun.
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"Huff, huff," I panted and lay on the grass, watching the moon. Neji was beside me, and we were completely tired.
"That was fun," he said.
"Hmm..."
"Hey, brother, I saw some ANBU ninjas around the clan," I said to him.
First, he panicked, then he became angry. He had witnessed how they didn't help and just stood there for a good opportunity. Now, he only hates one thing, and that was the Hokage and I was whispering in his ears from time to time.
"What does he want now? Why can't he leave our clan in peace?" he said, clenching his fist.
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"Calm down, brother. First, we have to become strong, and then we won't have to fear anyone," I said in a reassuring tone.
"Hmm," he hummed and lost in his thoughts.
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It was the 12th time I saw the old lady's smiling face, and it started to irk me. Yes, I was in the infirmary again, and Neji was on the other bed.
We had started learning the stances, and my father and uncles had taught us how to envision the 8 Trigram seal. After the healing, Neji and I sparred for hours; this became our daily routine.
"Your smile irritates me, old hag," I said.
"Ah... don't be like this, princess. Everyone says the same thing. I have been nursing for at least six decades," she said, smiling. This old lady was around 80 years old. I didn't say anything to her. I taunted her every day, but this old lady's skin was really thick.
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Today was a rest day, but not for me. I was currently practicing my external vision, observing the things outside the clan. Ren and Ritsu were standing behind me in the shadows.
"That's enough for today," I thought out loud after depleting almost all of my chakra, which was too much.
After eating dinner, I told my father that I would be studying in the library so they wouldn't disturb me.
I was currently in the library and my mother had checked upon me if I was doing something naughty.
"Hey, Ren, I have a question to ask," I said, and they both came out from the shadows. I daily asked him random questions, to which he replied honestly, but he often didn't understand the meaning behind them.
"Imagine a boy who was locked inside a cage by his own clan and wasn't treated as one of their own because they feared his abilities. Someone saved him from that hell. What do you think the boy would do?" I asked.
Both of them started to think, and after a minute, Ren replied, "He will always be loyal, faithful, and indebted to that person."
"That's right," I said with a chuckle.
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"Lady Hinata, why haven't you eaten your food yet? It's the middle of the night," Ritsu asked.
"This is not for me," I smiled as I looked at the tiffin box.
"Oh... so we are going to meet that boy. Do we have to do the same thing that we did before?" he asked with excitement.
"No, you just have to watch the surroundings," I said to him.
They both nodded to me.
"Let's go."
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We were standing 200 meters away from the orphanage. Everyone was sleeping except for one person. There were no ANBU or ROOT watching the orphanage at this hour of the night. We had waited for almost an hour for two ANBU to fall asleep.
I looked at the same rock where we had previously met. He was sitting there, slightly shivering due to the cold winds and low temperature. He looked weaker than the last time we saw him, and he appeared even skinnier, as if he hadn't eaten for days.
"Poor boy," Ren muttered.
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"Did you miss me?" I appeared behind Naruto without him noticing and sweetly whispered in his ear.
He quickly jumped forward when he felt my hot breath tickle his ear.
"Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed happily with a wide smile, and I could feel that he was genuinely happy.
"Were you waiting for me?" I asked sweetly.
"Yes, I thought you forgot about me," he said.
"So you waited for me daily in this cold?" I asked, to which he nodded.
'Now you are melting my heart, Naruto,' I chuckled.
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"How could I forget about my friend?" I said, smiling and touching his whiskers.
"Let's go there," I quickly grabbed his hand, and he happily followed me. We were in cover, so if someone accidentally woke up, they wouldn't see us.
"Why do you look so weak? Did something happen?" I asked with concern.
He just lowered his head. I raised his head and looked into his eyes. "Tell me. Am I not your friend? Friends don't hide anything from each other."
"They're not giving me any food or clothes for sleep at night," he said, tears welling up in his eyes. Having someone to listen to him really seemed to help.
"No, Naruto, you're not a monster. You're a special child. Look, I've brought food for you," I said and placed the tiffin box in his lap.
He looked at me, hesitating, but I opened the tiffin and grabbed the spoon. I fed him with a smile. "It's all yours," I said, smiling.
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He quickly ate all the food. I had prepared a lot for him. This was the first time he had filled his belly.
"Thank you, thank you," he repeated his words many times in gratitude. After all, I was the first person to show him kindness in this cruel world. He had finally found someone he could call his friend, and that was Me.
His attention was grabbed by a cut mark on my left hand, which I intentionally left there.
"Where did you get that cut, Hinata-chan?" he asked in concern.
'Worried about me, hehe, what a good boy,'
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"It's nothing. I got it while training with my brother," I said.
"Real ninja training?" he asked, staring into my eyes.
"Yes," I said with a smile.
"So you know some cool jutsu, right?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes, want me to show you?"
"Yes," he exclaimed.
I raised my hand, and a small water ball materialized on my palm. Raising my other hand, a flame appeared on my palm.
"Cool," he said and extended his finger to touch the flame.
"Ouch... it's hot..." he quickly dipped his finger in the water ball.
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"Hehe," I giggled. "Do you like it, Naruto?" I asked with a smile.
"Yes."
"Do you want me to teach you?" I asked him.
"Can you really teach me?" he asked. Nobody had taught him anything. He didn't even know how to read or learn because the caretaker didn't allow it.
I looked at him; he was the future strongest man.
'But this time, you have to surpass three more people, Naruto-kun. It won't be easy this time.'
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I knew Naruto wasn't dumb. How could the son of the Fourth Hokage be dumb? It's just that nobody had taught him, and the mistreatment by villagers had affected his mentality.
'But this time, he has me.'
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I picked up a leaf from the ground. "Look, Naruto," I said, and the leaf was cut into many pieces. Then, I pulled out a coin and tossed it toward him. "You have to cut it, just like I did with the leaf."
I picked up another leaf and handed it to him. Appearing behind Naruto, I grabbed his hand and slowly guided his chakra toward his fingers.
"Remember this feeling." I used my chakra and converted it into the wind, cutting the leaf into many pieces. If he could recreate this feeling, he would be able to convert his chakra into wind, and I knew he could do it.
As for chakra control, this wasn't the right time.
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"Wow," he exclaimed. This was an entirely new feeling for him.
"Hey, Naruto... don't show it to anyone," I said.
"Why, Hinata-chan?" he asked in confusion.
I activated my Byakugan, and when he looked at the veins around my eyes, he took a step back. 'Did I scare him?'
"My eyes can see the future, and if you show this, it will be very bad for you," I said.
He was surprised when he heard me.
'It's time for the real thing.'
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"Naruto, do you ever feel like someone is watching you?" I asked him. I was sure Hiruzen was watching over him through the crystal ball.
He thought for a while and nodded. "Sometimes, I felt like someone is watching me, but I thought it's just..." he wanted to find the right word, but it didn't come to his mind.
"Now, do you believe me, that I can see the future with my eyes?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, I believe you," he said.
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After playing with me for a while, he noticed something was wrong. "Hinata-chan, you look afraid," he asked.
'Took you long enough to notice.'
All of my smiles dimmed down, and I became quiet. "What happened? Did I say something wrong?" he said worriedly, afraid that he had offended me.
*Sob **Sob*
"Someone tried to kill me," I said between sobs.
"What? But who... how?" he said in horror. He didn't want his only friend to get harmed.
"My father saved me, but he said this could happen again, and the Hokage is doing nothing to prevent it. I am afraid," I said, crying some more.
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"No... no... this can't happen. Hokage, what is he?" he asked.
"You don't know about the Hokage. He's the leader of this village, everyone fears him. He knows everything and controls everything, but he didn't do anything to stop my killers," I said, wiping away my tears.
"But why didn't he do anything if he knows something?" he asked.
"You know, Naruto, everyone is not as good as me or you. Look around you; he is the same as these people," I said.
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"What should you do if something like this happens again?" he asked in concern.
"If he finds out that I am talking with you, he could order his men to kill me. That's what my father says, and I'm sure he knows why everyone calls you a monster," I said, planting doubts in his mind with my words.
"What... but... Does he really know... he can kill you..." His mind became a mess. Everything was too much for him, and my whispers were making it hard for him to understand anything.
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"Don't worry about me; my father will save me," I reassured him.
"But," I stopped him from saying anything.
"You know, Hokage knows everything, Naruto, and I'm sure he knows why everybody hates you. Maybe he knows about your parents..." I dropped another bomb on him.
"My parents..." he whispered softly.
"Yes, Naruto... he knew about your parents... Let me see your future," I said, and he looked at me.
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I activated my eyes and looked into his eyes. "After a month, they will kick you out from the orphanage. Then, an old man will meet you when you're fishing in the forest. He will ask for your fish with a fake, grandfatherly smile. When you ask him why everyone hates you, he'll say these people are fools who don't know anything, which is also fake. He knows the real reason why everyone hates you. And when you ask him about your parents, he'll say they died in the Kyuubi attack, which is another lie. He will tell you lie after lies." I completed my sentence and deactivated my eyes.
He didn't know what to say.
"Are you telling me the truth?" he asked.
"I will never lie to my friend."
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"Don't worry, Naruto, I will protect you if anything happens to you," I said with a smile.
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"Thank you," he said.
"If you ask me, I could ask my father to find out about your parents and why everyone hates you. Do you want to know the real truth, Naruto?"
"Please," his eyes were pleading.
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"It will take some years to find out. If your parents have a home, I will find out. Is that okay, Naruto?" I asked.
He nodded with a smile.
"And don't tell anybody that I'm your friend."
"I won't."
"And beware of Hokage; he's a bad person," I whispered.
"Yes, I will."
"And practice in secret."
"Okay," he said.
The night was getting colder with each passing moment.
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I unwrapped my red scarf and put it around his neck. "This is my gift," I said.
He looked at it with many emotions. This was the first time someone had given him a gift.
"This looks good on you," smiled sweetly.
He looked at his gift for a minute, then smiled. "I will never let it go."
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'That's the spirit.'
"I will be going now," I said.
"This early?" he was sad, wanting to spend more time with me.
"Next time, I will bring something for you," I said.
He nodded in disappointment.
"Bye-bye, Naruto. See you soon," I said and slowly walked away from there. He just stood there, watching my figure disappear.
His hands tightly gripped the scarf around his neck. "This smells so good, just like her," he smiled slightly.
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"How was it, Lady Hinata?" Ren asked as we were currently heading home. It had only taken 45 minutes to chat with Naruto.
"It was good," I said. Now that I had planted a seed of doubt in his heart against Hokage, with time, it would grow into a full-blown tree.
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'Oh, Naruto... I will never let anyone come near you, even if it's Hokage, Jiraiya, or Kakashi. I will be your whole world. This is just the beginning... hehe.'
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"Lady Hinata, I want to say something," Ren asked.
"I'm listening, go on."
"You walk like an angel, you talk like an angel, but you are a devil in disguise."
"Hahahaha..." I just laughed.
"An angel befriending a devil, what a story..." I thought out loud.
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End of the chapter. How do you like it? Tell your thoughts in the comments…
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Can you guess who was the person Hinata was talking with Ren…
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