When Naruto met Hinata.
(5 years, 03 July)
Naruto nervously scratched at ‘his’ head. She felt naked as she walked down the street. The Hokage solution was so simple while being so complex it made Nariko’s head spin. It was a small pendant Nariko had to wear that had a seal on it. The part that made Nariko’s head spin was the fact that to her it didn’t change anything. The Hokage had explained it to her, but she had sort of lost him when he got to the inner perception part… basically, it was a complex genjutsu that didn’t change her gender, it made people ignore her gender. He did tell her that it wasn’t fool proof if she irrevocably proved to be a girl, they would know she was a girl. When she looked at him funny, he told her “If you wore a skirt, they would look at you funny for dressing like a girl, if you stripped naked, they would know you are a girl.” Needless to say, she wished she hadn’t asked.
But still, it made ‘him’ nervous. Nothing had changed though in the 6 months that she had it. In the beginning, a few people looked at ‘him’ suspiciously, but ‘he’ suspected it may be because of how jumpy ‘he’ had been acting.
The first day had been hard. Sliding into a chair at Ichiraku Ramen Nariko had kept waiting for Ayame to laugh at her for pretending to be a boy. It didn’t come, and ‘Naruto’ had received the same smile and cheerful greeting as Nariko had. It had messed with her head. It was as if she couldn’t see the difference. And maybe she hadn’t. Naruto had never worn dresses and had never really acted like a girl so maybe it hadn’t been that surprising. It had still made her incredibly nervous to be outside though, and maybe a bit sad. Nariko couldn’t explain the sad part, she had felt the beginning of hope blooming in her chest and the relief bubbling behind her teeth, but her stomach had felt heavy, especially when looking at Ayame’s smiling face. Ayame had been smiling at Naruto as she smiled at Nariko.
‘Naruto’ hadn’t lingered long at the ramen stand. Her confusion had sent her back into her new apartment, trying to sort out her emotions. It shouldn’t have been a bad thing for Ayame to not notice, but it had. Nariko who had so few precious people to care about was upset that Ayame didn’t notice the change, that maybe she hadn’t cared about Nariko at all. Nariko had spent a week in her apartment trying to accept that the change had consequences, consequences she never imagined. It was during this time the Hokage came to see her, wondering how she was adapting.
Nariko was sitting in her living room. Her very own living room! She had been staring at Konoha from her window trying to soothe the rolling of her stomach. She was questioning everything, trying to swallow past the lump in her throat. She knew it wasn’t helping, avoiding everyone. But what if...
The knock on the door almost made her jump out of her skin, Nariko had to swallow twice to remove the knot in her throat, breathing heavily she opened the door to find the Hokage on the other side. “Jiji!” Nariko sagged in relief. No matter how conflicted she was feeling, she was glad to see him.
“Nariko” smiled the Third gently, He observed the tension in her frame and her obvious relief at the sight of him. “May I come in?”
Nariko felt heat spreading on her cheeks, embarrassed. “Of course, Jiji!” She stepped aside allowing the one figure that made her feel safe to enter her home.
Pausing after entering Hiruzen looked quizzically at the frozen Nariko. “Um, Jiji what do I do now?” She finally muttered embarrassed while kicking the ground lightly with her foot. The Hokage usually adept at understanding her questions was nonplussed, “Do what Nariko?” Nariko could feel fire spreading to the tips of her ears, leaving her whole head on fire. Pushing down the urge to hide, she took a breath, feeling herself straitening with the courage she didn’t know she had, and looked at her Jiji. “This is my house now Jiji, a... and, and I know I won’t have a lot of guests but, I want to do this right!” Smiling at the still blushing Nariko the Hokage nodded in understanding. “Well, first you would greet your guests and invite them in, and then depending on the guest you would let them sit down and offer some tea.” Nariko nodded and led the Hokage to the living room. “Please sit” She requested before freezing again. “Um… Jiji how do you make tea?”
The rest of the afternoon passed similarly. The knot that had been strangling Nariko slowly loosened its hold by spending time with her Jiji. He helped her make tea and then a simple meal. All the while watching Nariko with the same caring eyes as always. And Nariko let go of the questions, it didn’t matter that nobody noticed, that’s what she had wanted after all. There was someone who cared, and for Nariko that was enough.
The next day ‘Naruto’ was back at Ichiraku Ramen, smiling at Ayame, and ordering the biggest bowl of ramen available. It was still bittersweet. ‘Naruto’ was glad it worked but it stung that it worked so well.
Distracted at her thoughts Naruto turned around the corner and almost ran headfirst into a confrontation happening in front of her. It was a small girl, about her age that was being beaten up by three big looking boys. Although their size being seen in relevance to Naruto’s that didn’t say much. Naruto didn’t know what started the fight, all she could see was the small girl with strange eyes being knocked down. That’s what kept happening, the boys would knock her down and tell her to bow in apology, but as soon as she gets up to do it, they knock her over, mocking her failure and telling her to apologize for her arrogance. Naruto couldn’t judge who was right here, she wasn’t there at the start. But Naruto couldn’t see anything in the girl that spoke of arrogance, all she could see was the defeated slump of her shoulders and the beginning of belief in the nonsense they were saying.
All the hesitance of entering a fight she wasn’t part of ended when she spotted the acceptance in her eyes. It didn’t matter if the girl did something or if she didn’t. No one had the right to make her accept defeat. No one had the right to make her believe she was less than they are. And if the girl with the strange eyes couldn’t (or wouldn’t) fight for her right, Naruto would fight for her. Because that acceptance in her eyes made Naruto angry, angry at those boys, angry at the girl for giving in and angry at herself for once having been in her place and for once almost having accepted defeat.
Naruto took a breath in and when the boys open their mouths to taunt the girl again, she moved. Quickly before they even saw her, she struck the first boy behind his leg, as he was falling, she shoved the next one into his friend. All three boys were on the ground but before she could shout in triumph the ringleader got up to face her. “Well, well, looks like there is another runt out looking for a fight today” Naruto had only a moment to think before she had to react.
She saw the first fist aimed at her face and dodged but then she felt a sharp pain in her back as she soared through the air. She tried to cushion her fall with her hands but that only tore the skin clean off. Naruto glared at the boy who kicked her, seeing their smug faces, believing they have won, her determination roared in her ears. It wasn’t even only about the girl anymore. Naruto refused to let the jerks think they are better than her, that they had defeated her when the whole village has tried and failed. It might have also been a case of bruised pride, but to Naruto, she had something to prove.
Naruto stayed low, lowering her shoulders and head. Just as she suspected the boys came to rub in her defeat. She kept her head low watching their shadows stretch towards her. When she felt they were close enough she threw her hand full of pebbles and dust in their eyes, and while they were swearing Naruto ducked low and tripped them. She didn’t bother to gloat this time, instead, while they were down, she grabbed the girl’s hand and ran into the forest surrounding the area.
Konoha’s trees were thick and tall, mighty titans who stretched to the sky to protect Konoha and hinder her enemies. For many kids, the forest in and surrounding Konoha was a place of mystery and forbidden adventure, and as such it was not a place many of them ventured to. To Naruto, it has always been a haven from the glares and mutterings of the general populace, so Naruto did what she always does when seeking shelter in the forest. She ran deeper into the trees until the sound of the village turned faint and the view around is only trees. Satisfied that the boys were behind them, and no one was pursuing them, Naruto turned to the girl whose hand she had been holding and offered her a sheepish grin.
Naruto didn’t know what to do. The roaring in her ears has died down and the anger was drained, all she felt now was sort of embarrassed and in a bit of pain. “Um… well that happened?” She offered the other girl. To her surprise, the girl with strange eyes looked at her and burst into tears. Naruto panicked. She never had to comfort anyone before and no one has ever comforted her as she cried so she might have lost her cool, a little. “Whaa… are you okay?! Are you dying?!” Naruto felt her heart doing jumping jacks in her chest. “Oh no… you are!” Naruto almost started crying as well. “We need a medic!” Quickly she ran around looking for a medic, how one would be in the forest she didn’t know but she needed a miracle quickly.
And surprisingly she got one. A giggle. A soft one but it was enough for Naruto to calm down and look at the other girl. She had her hands clapped over her mouth trying and failing to keep the giggles in. Naruto could feel her ears turning red. Her heart started boiling and her eyes prickling. She turned her head away so that the other girl can’t see her hurt. The giggling stopped. “I’m sorry” the girl apologised. “I, I wasn’t laughing at you.” Naruto turned her head back. Glancing out of the corner of her eye to see if she is serious or making fun of her. To Naruto’s surprise, the girl was bowing in apology. “Oh... um, it’s fine” mumbled Naruto, not use to this in the least. “My Name is Hinata Hyuga, thank you for saving me.” “Oh… I’m Naruto Uzumaki… and It’s fine I guess?” Naruto’s head was still burning in embarrassment, but her heartbeat evened out and the pressure that had risen in her lungs deflated.
“Tha… Thank you again for saving me” Hinata stuttered still bowing. Naruto was pretty sure that her head was on fire. “I... it’s fine” she swallowed and then turned sternly towards the still bowing Hinata. “Stop bowing already!” Hinata jerked upright in surprise. Still looking stern towards the girl Naruto lectured her heatedly. “You shouldn’t bow your back for everyone, those boys didn’t deserve an apology and I don’t need one! Accepting fault for other’s actions and putting them on you is stupid! That’s like accepting the opinion of others as a truth!” Naruto felt like spitting fire. She wasn’t sure she was even talking about the girl anymore, and that made the words ash in her mouth.
Hinata looked at the other boy as if seeing him for the first time. Never before has anyone said that to her. Sure, there was plenty of lectures on how Hyuga’s didn’t bow to anyone, but always out of arrogance, a casual acceptance that they were better and didn’t need to bow. But this boy said it like a defiance, that as a person the only apology needed was for oneself, and that the only opinion that mattered was what oneself believed to be true. Hinata felt lightheaded, it felt like years of believe has been turned on its head by this boy who came out of nowhere and changed everything.
Naruto shook her head ridding herself of her contemplations. It didn’t matter for who she had said it, it was true but becoming upset at Hinata for things that can’t change in Naruto’s world was just as stupid as she claimed Hinata’s actions to be. Looking at the sky Naruto saw it was already late in the afternoon. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” She gestured to Hinata, showing her the sun. But Hinata was more fixated on Naruto’s hands. In all the excitement Naruto’s hands had remained dusty but with the passing time it had become muddy with the blood from the cuts. “Your hands!” Hinata rushed forward and grabbed the appendages. Naruto who had honestly forgotten about them was startled at the rush. “He… Hey! It’s fine! Honest!” She protested flailing a bit. Hinata was not amused. “Your bleeding!” She glared back at Naruto’s hands.
Naruto was stunned at the ferocious focus of the previous timid girl. She didn’t know how to respond. “I… I’m fine!” She tried protesting again, but it was useless, the girl, Hinata, had started dragging her to the river. Still having a focussed look in her eyes Hinata started cleaning the dirt and blood from Naruto’s hands. Naruto blushed from the tip of her ears; nobody had ever insisted so persistently to help her. It was nice, her heart beating fast in a strange way, but her face was aflame, she had never had to deal with a situation like this before.
“Th... There are no wounds!” Hinata exclaimed studying Naruto’s hands with fascination. Naruto flailed in embarrassment “I told you I’m fine!”. Hinata just stared at Naruto in amazement. Quickly trying to change the subject Naruto pointed towards the sun again. “We need to go back to the village; it’s getting dark soon.” As Hinata glanced around she saw that the boy was correct. The sun was setting. Hinata looked at the ground in embarrassment. “I… I’m sorry” she mumbled before remembering the brave boy’s words. Looking up she peered through her hair at Naruto. “T… Th… Thank you f…for sa...saving me.” Naruto felt heat spread over her cheeks as vivid as the sunset. Nobody has ever thanked her so sincerely. Blushing bright red, she mumbled back an “I… It’s fine…” Naruto shook her head, shaking off the weird feelings this strange girl invoked. Deciding it would be better to go back home before examining what happened, Naruto lead Hinata to the tree line bordering the market. “This is it.” Naruto showed Hinata the marketplace shuffling in place feeling an awkwardness creep into the air “G…Goodbye… and t… thanks” Hinata mumbled blushing bright again, before starting to head back to where her caretaker was last seen.
Naruto stared a bit as she walked away before shaking her head again. It didn’t work so well this time, the emotion lingering in her throat. It wasn’t the cementlike feeling of regret, more a longing for a could have been. This afternoon Naruto was treated normally, there were no glares no hissed ‘demon’. Just two girls in the forest, and Naruto wondered when she would ever experience it again.
Later half-asleep dreaming of what could have been, Nariko swore she will feel this again.