Hinata sensei

He was frustrated that it was five days before the Chunin exams, and he had nothing. He needed some help. He needed advice. He was wondering if Hanabi would be helpful.

As if his prayers could be answered, he saw her, along with her other teammates and her sensei.

"Naruto, what are you up to? Shouldn't you be with her team?" asked Kurenai, curious as to why Naruto wasn't with his team.

"Can I borrow Hanabi for a second?" Naruto asked her.

"How important is this?" Kurenai, curious about what Naruto was asking, asked.

"I can't tell you this secret only between me and Hanabi." She looks confused.

"whatever Naruto wants to talk to you about it can't take too long meet us at the training grounds when you're done talking to him."Kurenai said to her.

After her teammates left, Naruto felt confident he could talk to her.

"I was wondering if you could help me."

Naruto asked her in a pleading tone, just what was his reasoning for wanting to talk to her one-on-one? She wanted to ask him; she was a little annoyed.

"This be better important I have to train with my team Naruto." She crossed her arms and waited for his answer.

"I want to know if you would be willing to help me make Hinata laugh and smile."

Naruto turned away in embarrassment.

"Wait, what?" Hanabi asked surprised.

"You heard me. I want to know if you will help make your sister laugh and smile." She couldn't comprehend what he said; it had to be a joke. There's no way.

"You dragged me out here, just to ask me to make my sister laugh? This is ridiculous! The Chunin exams are coming soon; shouldn't you be focusing on training?" She asked, scolding him.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not backing down. I want to make her laugh and smile. I want to see what a real smile looks like on her face, not these artificial smiles that she's been giving to everyone. I want to see a real smile - a warm smile - not the one she just puts on for show. Whatever happened to her? I want her to forget about it. I'll do it myself if you're not willing to help me; it'd be a lot easier if I had help."

Naruto said with determination that he wouldn't back down.

"Naruto even if what you're saying is true and that's what your intention is there's no way you're going to make her laugh."she challenged.

"you want to get bet on that?"Naruto asked her.

"A bet you want to make a bet are you sure you want to do that what are we betting on?"Hanabi asked him curious on what he's willing to put on the line.

"I'll go without Ramen whether I win or lose if I win I'll go without Ramen for a month."going without Ramen would be torture for Naruto. She was impressed though she had to test his resolve further and increase the stakes.

"if you fail to make my sister laugh before the time limit which is the end of the day before the Chunin exams you will have to go without Ramen for 2 years."she said wondering if Naruto would really give up Ramen for that long.

"I would do it for 10 if it meant I could see her smile."Naruto challenge was he out of his mind a decade? How much did he want to bet?

"Don't be ridiculous you're willing to bet a decade of no Ramen if you fail to make her laugh why is it so damn important to you?"she asked him.

"Because she's important to me and I want to see her smile I don't want to see her sad anymore I want to see what a smile that's real that's my reasoning I'll do a lifetime without Ramen if it meant I could see her smile at least once."

Naruto said determined to make her laugh and smile.

she can see in his eyes the determination these feelings he has for her sister they were deep much deeper than that of a friend. she couldn't believe her eyes and ears when she was hearing the Naruto of three months ago would never do this.

"She's important to you in what way is she important to you how do you feel about her?"Hanabi asked Naruto.

"I don't know I can't describe it I feel stronger when she's around my heart feels warm when I'm in her presence I have butterflies in my stomach I don't know what else I can say I don't know what else I can describe I just want to make her happy what am I kidding? I'm just a boy."

Hanabi was correct in her assessment from two days ago. Naruto did not simply have a crush on her sister this was love in the pure sense he doesn't know it yet and probably wouldn't for a while she could help him give him a better chance with her sister in the future by doing this.

She wanted to test his resolve how much did her sister truly mean to him? how worthy was he? she was determined to find out by his resolve what is he willing to give up to make her sister smile and laugh something that she wants to see herself.

"What else would you be willing to give up to see her laugh and smile?"Hanabi asked testing him

"Anything"he answered with no hesitation.

"Perhaps I do have some ideas, but they'll require you to go back to your roots." She smiled with mischief.

"Didn't you mean to pull a prank on the village?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Why not? There are certain people who make her angry, and she can't stand messing with them. She'd definitely be smiling if someone brought up that list."Hanabi thought about the list of people her sister hates and the kinds of people her sister hates.

Naruto looked like he was in deep thought then it clicked.

"It'll fuck with the people that she hates, thank you, Hanabi! Operation make Hinata Sensei smile commences now; it's an S-rank mission."

Naruto said energetically and left Hanabi where she was. She wondered if it was a good idea to give him the advice she just did. She shrugged if Naruto was serious, he would be someone she wouldn't mind calling brother in the future if he were to marry Hinata that is if he succeeded in making her laugh and smile.

"That fucking brat," said one of the Jonin.

Naruto was running for his life; the woman he had offended was one of the women Hinata could not tolerate. His skills, which he had picked up by dodging Abu as a child, were paying off; they couldn't catch him.

"I can't believe that his sensei would allow him to get away with this! I'm going to report him to the Hokage right away." said the woman, who was not pleased that Naruto had exposed her secret.

He wondered how his sensei would react; he hoped it wouldn't be negative, as she hates that woman.

He might have to hide from his sensei for a while, but it would be worth it if he could just see her smile and laugh just for once.

Hinata was having a drink with Kakashi and Asuma. It was at the red-light district, and she didn't like this place because it was cheap and away from nosy people

Hinata was currently wearing a grey long-sleeved shirt underneath a pink shirt, black pants underneath a long cream-coloured skirt with pink horizontal stripes, and a pair of brown sandals. It wasn't anything special; it was kind of plain, but it did its job because she didn't want any attention from men who would stare at her lustfully.

"So, how are things going with you and Kurenai?" Kakashi asked him.

"Oh, well, we haven't considered marriage yet. We don't want to rush it, after all. We just started dating; we kind of want to take it slow." Asuma answered.

"Enough about me, Hinata. How are things going between you and your sister?"

Asuma asked her.

She lightly drank the sake, unlike the last time when she came, she didn't chug it.

"It's a little difficult, I would be lying if I said it wasn't easy talking to her after all these years. The bitterness these feelings doesn't go away. I don't like feeling this way, but I do. Am I a bad person? Kakashi-sensei and Asuma?" Hinata asked them; she wanted answers. She felt like she didn't know what was the right thing to do to deal with these emotions.

"Hinata, the fact that you two are talking is an improvement, but I'm not going to tell you to let go of those kinds of emotions. They won't disappear overnight. I know how you feel. I felt that way about my towards family members doesn't just go away overnight. It takes time. The fact that you are acknowledging this in the first place, at least in my opinion, shows that you're not a bad person." Asuma answered.

Before they could indulge in their conversation any further, a woman barged into the bar they were in. Hinata turned around; it wasn't the woman she wanted to see it was none other than Aki Animoto she couldn't stand this woman why was she here?

"your demon brat of a student is causing a fuss."Aki Animoto said with hatred in her voice."In what way is he causing a fuss?"Hinata asked her ignoring her as she took another sip of her sake.

"He exposed personal information about me publicly. I can never show my face again." The woman said angrily.

"Maybe you should stop sleeping with underage boys."

Hinata said, not caring if she was pissing the woman off.

"How many people did you sleep with to get promoted?" Aki asked angrily, trying to rile her up.

Unlike you, I got promoted on my own merit. I didn't sleep with 12-year-old boys; I actually do my damn job.

Hinata said, not caring that she was telling the public that her colleague was basically a pedophile.

"You fucking self-righteous bitch. I wouldn't be shocked if you slept with that demon. You're probably his whore." She wasn't taking the bait; she was obviously angry that Naruto had exposed her secret.

"Wow, so Naruto exposed that you're a predator; why should any of us care?" asked Kakashi indifferent to the woman's problems.

"He didn't just do that." She showed pictures of Naruto defacing all of his colleagues.

Asuma was laughing so hard along with Kakashi.

"You expect me to care you're all a bunch of self-indulgent, worthless, self-important people."

Hinata didn't get a chance to finish before the woman exploded.

"Your student has ruined my reputation, embarrassing both me and my colleagues. You are as much to blame your his teacher." She pointed her index finger pointing her finger at her.

"You're a pedophile; I don't care about your reputation; go away."Hinata said dismissively, not caring.

"I guess you really will let your student get away with anything you're probably sleeping with him."the woman said mockingly. Hinata put her drink down and got up from her chair and calmly approached the woman.

"You want to say that in my face?"Hinata said her voice deadly her Byakugan activated."There's no need for this."the woman said nervously

"You are throwing accusations against me that have no merit. I don't sleep with my students; they're all 13 years old for one and two. I know the law, and three. I'm not a sexual predator who preys on underage boys who don't have the mental maturity to know the consequences or have the ability to consent. I'm not like you. I'm nothing like you. If it weren't for your position as the Daimyo's niece I would have you thrown in the nearest prison and throw away the key. There's nobody I hate more than pedophiles."

Hinata said with disgust.

She went back to her friends, who were drinking, and resumed drinking. The woman attempted to insult her, but the bartender gave her a dirty look.

"My customers don't like it when people like you make disturbances. Get the hell out or I'll make you leave. I don't care who you are."

The man said, not wanting to deal with her shit.

"I'll tell my uncle about this; he'll have your heads." She pointed at the bartender and Hinata. "What are you going to tell your uncle? You go after little boys and sleep with them? That's not going to be a good look, especially on someone as honorable as our Daimyo. No, he won't do anything. You'll leave." Said Kakashi. The woman stomped out.

"Bitch" Hinata said, contentiously taking another sip of her sake.

"Are you really not going to discipline Naruto?" asked Asuma curiously.

"No, Naruto didn't do anything wrong by outing a pedophile. It's serving the community by making this information public. Now that it's out, parents will demand that she be removed from office. They may hate Naruto, but there's nothing that parents, especially those with ninja backgrounds, hate more than child molesters and sexual predators. Her career is over, but if I were the Hokage, she would be in prison. But nothing can be done about it, unfortunately, because of the civilian council. I wonder how many of them are pedophiles themselves?"

Hinata asked rhetorically.

"far too many"said Kakashi.

"You have to admit it's kind of funny how much Naruto pissed those people off."

Hinata couldn't help but comment.

"Though unfortunately, I can't laugh even though I'd like to, I can't."

Hinata said sadly, her friends noticed.

She took another sip, but they said nothing for the rest of the evening.

Naruto waited for his sensei to walk away from her group before find out the success or failure of his mission.

He saw Kakashi and Asuma, who were looking at him and smiling over what he had done.

"You caused quite a ruckus, Naruto. I don't disapprove of that." Asuma said with a smile.

"Did she laugh or smile?"Naruto asked them, which caught them off guard.

"Wait, what?" Kakashi asked, confused.

"Did Sensei laugh or smile?" Naruto asked again.

No, Kakashi answered.

"Oh" Naruto looked down, hoping to make her laugh by exposing all the people she hated and making a fuss about it.

"Why do you want to make her laugh, if you don't mind me asking?" Asuma asked curiously.

"I just want to see her smile, I want to see her laugh and not be sad all the time; is that so bad?" Naruto asked them.

"No, it's not. How far are you willing to go to make this happen?" Kakashi asked him.

"I'd go 10 years without Ramen if I fail. No, I'd go my entire life without Ramen if I fail. That's how much it means to me."

Asuma knew Naruto was serious; he had to know how far Naruto was willing to go and what Naruto's feelings were for his sensei.

"Naruto, we will not you judge you. What are your feelings towards her?" Asuma asked.

"She's important to me, the most important person in my life. I can't describe my feelings. I don't know if it's friendship or something else; the only thing I know for sure is I want to see her smile and laugh. I don't want to see her cry or be sad all the time. It's foolish, I know. I'm just a boy; I'm not even a man, and what I want is probably childish for her to smile for me, but that's what I want even if it's just once. I'd like to see her smile genuinely, not a fake smile, not a forced smile, but something that's real." Naruto said passionately.

"I'll be damned" Asuma thought he lit another cigarette Naruto is serious.

"I support you, Naruto. What's your time limit on this mission of yours?" he asked him.

"7 days though three have passed, tomorrow I will have only 4 days left. 4 days to figure out how to make her smile and laugh; I just don't know how I'm going to do it."

Naruto said, looking down, feeling down for his failure.

There is surely a way he can help Naruto, even if it's just a small one."I have a suggestion that would make her laugh, but you might get into trouble." he said with a smile.

"What do you mean? Asuma-sensei?" Naruto asked, hopeful.

"I can get into trouble for this, but considering I see Hinata as a little sister, there is something I could suggest. However, you'll have to run for your life if you try it." He said, smiling at the thought of Naruto defacing the civilian council building.

"Well, I never got the idea from you; it's all mine. That'll be the official story if I'm caught." Naruto said with a boyish smile, putting his hands behind his head.

"Thank you, I do have another idea, but I'll only use it as a last resort. Thank you, Sensei. I'll take what you said into consideration and use Plan B."

Naruto left Kakashi and Asuma. He looked at his friend and wondered what Kakashi was thinking.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to encourage him?" Kakashi asked him.

"People in love do foolish things for those they love, yeah, I'll support Naruto if he can make Hinata smile again; it'll be worth it to me." He said with conviction.

"Do you think he could cut through the darkness in her heart that she has built up over the years? You can't expect him to be able to do that, and even if he does, he's just a boy." Kakashi reminded him.

He looked up at the sky as he took a cigarette out of his mouth. "They said the same about Minato, and look what happened: Naruto is the result of their union. Everyone thought Minato was just a boy. Though like Minato, Naruto won't always be a boy; one day he'll be a man. Naruto is a boy who wants to be a man before his time. His love for his sensei is what's driving him to take such a risk. No one would do that if they weren't in love."

Asuma said to Kakashi.

"Even if he succeeds, you don't think Hinata is going to fall in love with anyone again, do you?" Kakashi asked him.

"I strongly believe that man will be Naruto one day, when he becomes a man and if he can succeed in making that woman laugh and smile again, then he will have my blessing. I support them 100%" Asuma finishes his cigarette.

"Well, it's going to be a lot of paperwork. The Hokage won't be happy with Naruto doing this." Kakashi sighs and gives up.

"Regretting bidding against me, Kakashi? You're not getting cold feet, are you?" Asuma asked.

"It's absolutely ridiculous I have to work to do. See you later."

Kakashi disappeared and left.

the next morning

Hiruzen Sarutobi was looking at a line of people who were angry with him, most of them being members of the civilian council and all the incompetent people they had appointed. It was a long list. He looked at it with disgust; he wanted to jail most of these people because of the things they had done. He might as well do it; he was the Hokage after all.

"That damn brat has caused us trouble; he's exposed our secrets." said Akemi Animoto, the niece of the Daimyo.

"Unless you have something serious to discuss with me, I don't have time for this. You should be in prison, but luckily for you, you have the Daimyo behind you. Otherwise, you would be in jail." He said, implying a threat.

"Of course, you'll defend that demon brat. How do we know Hinata isn't a pedophile? After all, she's from a clan of inbreds." said one of the Jonin angrily.

"Say one more word about Hinata, and I'll put you in one of those prisons where you'll never see the sunlight again. You're lucky Naruto hasn't exposed your secret. If he did, you would be killed by now." Hiruzen said, not really giving a damn about these narcissistic, self-important people.

"We demand action."

Said a woman in her 50s

"disciplinin the demon brat."A man in his late '60s demanded.

"Make any more demands of me, and I'll throw you all in the slammer. I'm the Hokage now; you're wasting my time. When I have important paperwork to take care of, you better have something important to tell me or else I'll have you thrown out." He said coldly.

They all recoiled, scattering like the wind; he would love nothing more than to put them in jail, but he couldn't, because there weren't enough people. Unfortunately, there were too many scum in the government, so Danzo defended these kinds of people and made him sick.

There had been a ruckus yesterday, he couldn't help but smile on how angry those people were; their days were numbered. As soon as new leadership took hold, they would be gone; he knew that for sure. His top pick for someone to be his successor would be Tsunade; she wouldn't put up with any of these people. He was getting too old for this. When he was younger, he didn't allow these kinds of people, but with age, he grew exhausted and those that supported Donzo knew that.

"I'll be damned, the kid is doing it." said Jiraiya as he entered his office from the window.

"What is he doing?" Hiruzen asked, curious as he sorted through the paperwork he was currently working on.

"He's trying to make Hinata laugh."

He stopped doing what he was doing and then looked at his former student.

"He's what?" Hiruzen asked, curious.

"He's trying to make her laugh, but the first attempt failed. He's trying another way. Should we stop him?" Jiraiya is amused.

"No, I've got better things to do. Let the good for nothings suffer they deserve it" He said dismissively, not caring that Naruto was essentially making their lives hell for the next few days.

"So what's the time limit on this mission of his?"asked Hiruzen as he took a care of another pile of paperwork.

"7 days though he's on his fourth day if he fails he will not have Ramen for a decade."Jiraiya said in disbelief.

"Wait a decade without Ramen?"he asked curious.

"What I was told by Kakashi Naruto was serious; he's determined to make her laugh even going an entire lifetime without Ramen. I must say he's a lot like his parents, though more like his mother in temperament, his father, in his determination. Like father, like son."

Jiraiya remembered when Minato declared that he would make Kushina smile for him; he was 16 at the time when he made that promise.

"History is repeating itself I'll be damned" Hiruzen said smiling.

"you think he'll succeed?"Jiraiya asked him.

"Naruto doesn't go back on his word; my decision to have Hinata be the sensei of Team 7, I can't help but think I played matchmaker in a way." Hiruzen said when he was thinking about when he did the same thing with Kushina and Minato when she was the sensei for him.

"What I've seen from Naruto is that he is in love with Hinata and has been probably since he laid his eyes on her. It's rare that you see that kind of love from anyone, so I just hope he doesn't make the same mistake I made."

"It wasn't your fault about what happened to her, Jiraiya." Hiruzen said seriously.

"I can't help but think about her lately. I made the worst mistake of my life by not committing to her. She's gone, and all I have to show for it is a broken heart." He couldn't finish; he had rarely talked about the woman he had loved.

she had died 13 years ago 13 years she was the list of many failures of Jiraiya it's why he was reluctant to accept being the fifth Hokage.

"It's easy for you to say, 'Sensei,' I said some stupid things, I hurt her. I made a mistake; I can never walk away from that. That's why I want Naruto not to make the same mistake I did.' Jiraiya rarely spoke about her when he did; it was usually with sake.

"Let's support Naruto and his efforts to make Hinata smile." Hiruzen said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, let's do that." Jiraiya agreed.

"That damn brat the demon. I will get that fucker if it's the last thing I do. said one of the store owners whose entire shop was graffitied.'

"Kiss my ass." Naruto said, slapping his own butt and running, which startled some onlookers and even a few teammates who were with him during the Sapphire Mission.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Kiba.

"Sorry, I have to go." Naruto said as he ran.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Kagome, who was walking around the town square with Sasuke, who was also confused as to why Naruto was being chased by a bunch of shopkeepers.

"He's trying to make my sister laugh." said a voice behind them.

Kagome turned around; it was none other than Hanabi, with her team, who looked amused by all the chaos Naruto was causing.

"He's what?"Sasuke asked confused.

"He's trying to make you sensei laugh." Shino says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wait, what?" Kagome couldn't believe it.

"He's willing to go without Ramen for a decade if not an entire lifetime if he fails."Hanabi said almost in disbelief.

"Naruto giving up Ramen has the world ended? Sasuke said not believing it.

"Fools do crazy things for love, it seems."

Kagome couldn't help but comment.

"Does love that's what he feels towards your sensei? Interesting" Kiba commented.

"It was obvious to everyone that he had a crush as soon as he laid eyes on her, but love is just ridiculous." She heard someone behind them; it was none other than Ino, whom she had barely spoken to since Sakura's death.

"It's not ridiculous I've been through the same thing; he's lucky to have a chance, unlike me." Kagome thought sadly when she thought of Sakura and her unsaid feelings towards her.

"A chance ridiculous he's a boy what how old is he like 13 and Hinata how old is she 20?"Shikamaru said bored with this conversation.

"She's actually 19, and Naruto won't always be a boy; he'll be a man just like all of you." Kagome pointed out to all the boys in the group.

"Do not forget that everyone in Minato's generation thought he had no chance with Kushina, the age gap was even bigger than Naruto and Hinata; it was at least by10 years." Shino pointed out.

"it doesn't change the fact that it's literally night and day and besides Hinata shows no interest in anyone even if give or take 5 years nor to become a man I doubt Hinata would have him under her radar it would be a little weird if you ask me." Ino pointed out to everyone the obvious problem with such a relationship should it happen.

"You do know when Minato and Kushina got together, they didn't see each other for almost 6 years. Yet nobody talks about how weird and problematic their relationship was." Sasuke pointed it out.

"That was a different time than today." Ino said in disagreement.

"Well, I support Naruto if he can make my sister smile again; he has my blessing as far as I'm concerned." Hanabi, being one of the only people who are openly supportive of a future relationship between the two, said.

"Well, I don't care about this love nonsense; it's too much trouble. Whatever I want to stay out of it. I really don't want anything to do with girls; it's way too complicated for me."

Shikamaru said he was bored with the conversation.

"We should cut this conversation short before my sister comes."

Hanabi advised in a tone of voice that sounded like an admonishment.

As if her words could summon Hinata, who appeared, looking disappointed that Naruto wasn't there.

Then, behind them, a man approached Hinata, who looked angry.

"Are you the demon Brat's sensei?" he asked angrily.

"Don't call him that." Hinata said, with a dangerous calm.

"Or, what are you going to do about it? Is he your fuckboy?" This caused Hinata to lift the man up by his collar and she spoke in the calmest but angriest voice that anyone had ever heard.

"Accuse me of being a pedophile again, and I'll make it so you'll never be able to have children. Is that clear?"Hinata said in a voice as cold as ice.

"I'll remember this: I have a spot on the civilian council." The man said spitefully as he left.

she couldn't help but notice that Hinata was struggling to smile it was starting to form she's even holding a laugh back.

It was small, but she saw it. He may not have succeeded today, but Naruto at least cracked the walls that she had built, even if only a little.

"I'm going to have to talk with Naruto."Hinata said in a serious voice as she left the group, wondering how it would end.

"It looks like we're not going to train with our sensei today." Sasuke said, bored.

"Our sensei taught us to be able to take care of ourselves if she's not available to teach us, and we will just practice the lessons that she had taught us previously."

Kagome said this as if it weren't a big deal.

She looked in the direction of her sensei, Naruto, and wished him luck.

Naruto has been doing his best to avoid Hinata despite everything she'd done for him. He wasn't going to fail. He had one day left. He didn't want to resort to what Asuma suggested, but he was out of options. It was drastic, but he was willing to do what he had to do to make her smile and laugh.

There were two possibilities: he could vandalize the entrance to the Hyuga compound, which would piss off the elders, or he could vandalize it and then run, risking the ire of both the civilian council and the elders. Both options would be risky.

"You're really determined to make her laugh, aren't you? You could do it at any time. Are you really that determined to give up your favorite food?"

Kyubi was impressed by his resolve.

"Yes, I'll do what is necessary because I want to see her laugh and smile; it's stupid and probably foolish, but I won't go back on my word."

Naruto said to his companion.

"You're running out of options, kit. What do you intend to do? Do you tend to vandalize the Hyūga compound or the civilian council? Either way, your options are limited, so what do you intend to do?"

Kyubi asked Naruto. He thought about it. He didn't have enough time; he had less than a day left. He couldn't just choose one of the options and call it a day; he would have to do both. He had been dodging Hinata for days, and he didn't like hiding from her, but he was determined to make her laugh and smile even if it meant he would lose the ability to eat ramen for the rest of his life.

Hinata hadn't used her Byakugan, which was fortunate for Naruto. But she would use it now. He was lucky that he had picked up the way to dodge the Abu when he was a child; it served him well, but even that had its limits. Hinata could spot him at any time with her Byakugan. He had to use it now.

He created thousands of shadow clones, some calling him foolish for using so much chakra on a prank, but it didn't matter. He was determined to make her laugh and smile. If he failed, he would try again. Without ramen.

"What do you want us to do, boss?" asked one of his shadow clones, who was the closest to him.

"I want those on the left side to deface the entirety of the Hyuga compound and those on the right I want you to do the same to the konoha council but I want you to do more than that I want you to expose all their secrets for everyone to know dig up any dirt that you can find." Naruto informed them.

"What are you going to do, boss?"

Ask one of the clones on the left.

"I'm going to help those on the right deface." Naruto smiled mischieviously.

The clones dispersed, and Naruto went with his shadow clones. It would anger the Hyuuga clan, but he didn't care. He was going to make Hinata laugh, or he would go the rest of his life without ramen. He wouldn't go back on his word.

With determination, Naruto headed to his destination, the final gambit that had to pay off; he wouldn't know what to do if it failed.

"That demon brat" said one of the Hyuga, a woman in her 50s.

"Where is that daughter of yours?" asked Hiashi's father.

"That boy is out of control, and your daughter, despite being his student, is not keeping him under control." said his father.

"It will take us all day and all night to remove all the paint that damn boy." His wife, whom he married a few years ago, who is almost the same age as Hinata.

"We should search for the demon brat and make an example of him." said one of the younger members of the Elders, who are in their 30s, a woman who was angry that she had to clean up the mess Naruto had created.

Heated particularly, he felt they deserved everything they were getting.

"It should have been you who died"

Hiashi, no matter how many years have passed, the regret of those words never leaves him. He knows he is responsible for why his daughter hates him and refuses to call him "father". It's why he hasn't said a word; he has no right to complain about everything he's been getting from everyone.

He knew what Naruto was up to.

Naruto was trying to make his daughter laugh and smile. The woman who resembles his late wife.

He dares not mention her name. He lost the right to even mention her name out loud, because of how he treated his daughter. The hurtful words a father should never say to his child, he said it; it can't be taken back.

Though he has to give off the impression that he is displeased, because that's what everyone would expect from him as a Hyuga head.

"I will speak to Hinata personally," Hiashi said, ending the murmurs of everyone who was angry over their precious compound being defaced.

He would delay as long as possible, it being his way of helping his daughter and helping Naruto, the boy who cuts through the darkness and the ice that she has built around her since the day Itachi Uchiha ripped her heart from her chest and broke it into a thousand pieces.

If Naruto could successfully make his daughter laugh again and smile, he would give the boy his full blessing if he married her one day.

Though was unlikely, but then again, that's what everyone said about Minato and Kushina.

"That fucking brat, I swear we'll get that little shit this time." said one of the members of the civilian council.

"Kiss my ass, you have to catch me, assuming you can find out who the real me is."

Naruto said with a smile, angering a middle-aged woman.

"You'll come back here, you fucker!" said the man who had tackled Naruto down, only to realize it was a shadow clone.

"Wow, so many of you are pedophiles! Disgusting." said one of the clones.

They couldn't let their secrets get out in front of the Konoha public, as such, they would never be respected again.

They took out their pitchforks and weren't going to let Naruto get away. If they were going to keep their secrets by any means necessary, even if they had to kill the demon brat, the son of the Fourth Hokage be damned.

The man whose name was Ken was running as fast as his legs would take him, but Naruto, which was spreading the information like wildfire, was.

"What the fuck are you kidding me?" said a man who looked at Ken with disgust.

"My kid goes to the same school as yours. You're a sick bastard." said a woman, whose kids were 3.

"How many people in your circle are pedophiles? I don't want my kid going to the academy if people like you are running it." said a woman, who was holding her newborn baby.

"It's all lies, the demon brat" he was silenced by a ninja chop from a man in his mid-40s.

"My daughter goes to the same school as you, you sick fuck. I'm reporting this to the Hokage. You bastard!" He was getting assaulted by everyone; he was so pissed off. The records; how stupid was he to keep track of everything he did?

He would get that kid someday, he swears it.

There was chaos throughout the village. News of the civilian council being full of pedophiles spread like wildfire. Parents went to the Hokage's office demanding for them all to be removed.

Hiruzen wished Naruto wouldn't do such a thing at such a time, with so much paperwork, and Hinata was looking at the line of parents who were angry. at the civilian council, which were basically pedophiles.

"I will withdraw my child from the academy if those people aren't kicked out of the council immediately." said a woman who had at least two children in the academy. Hinata couldn't blame this woman for being angry; she would be too if she were a mother.

"That demon brat exposed secrets, which are confidential. You're not going to do anything."

Aki asked, and the parents looked at her with contempt.

"I may not like Naruto Uzumaki, but he's exposing secrets of predators like you. He has my respect; at least he's looking after our kids, unlike you - you sick fuck." said a woman whose son was in a relationship with her.

"Not my problem, maybe you shouldn't have been praying on kids." Hinata said as if reading the woman's thoughts.

"You will, though, have to talk to Naruto. He's been causing a disturbance, even if he's been doing a great service for our village." Hiruzen said with an evil smile on his face. The things he would love to do to everyone in the civilian council whose secrets were exposed. It's unfortunate; not all of them were exposed, but the ones that weren't were still put on notice.

She ignored the angry glares of the members of the council when she was out of earshot. When she was out of sight, she tried hard not to fall down on the floor laughing. It was difficult. It was extremely hard. When she was outside, she saw the elders of her clan who were angry at her, but that didn't stop her from holding in her laughter. It was difficult.

"Your father wants to talk to you after you do your job and discipline your student." said her stepmother in a cold and detached manner.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and saw that Naruto had stopped moving. He was at their sacred spot, but why was he there? It didn't matter; she had to talk to him one way or another, even if she was trying to hold back her laughter, she had to maintain discipline.

She left without looking back, ignoring the hateful glares and their hateful whispers. It didn't matter to her; she couldn't fall down and laugh in front of everyone.

She would have to discipline Naruto, although what he did was a good service for the village she has to do as his sensei discipline. He had violated many rules in the past week; she couldn't let it stand.

Naruto had done everything he had done, running. Whatever happened, he would accept the consequences. He had spread the information that he had found. He couldn't believe they would keep records of what they did. It disgusted Naruto. It would make their lives a hell, and to him, that was good enough. No parent would want their children to go to an academy run by predators. It was perfect.

The Hyuga clan was in chaos, but it wouldn't matter if Hinata didn't laugh.

He heard footsteps and saw that it was Hinata. He could tell that she was trying to hold something back. No, he couldn't fail. he'd make her laugh. He was almost there. He could see a genuine smile on her face. Struggling to form, he had to break through the ice. He had to cut through the darkness.

He didn't care about the ramen, what mattered was Hinata smiling; that's all that mattered.

"You've been causing a lot of mayhem, I can't let that go unpunished, Naruto-kun" Hinata said, struggling not to laugh.

"I know that I knew what the price would be if I failed," Naruto replied.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked him.

"I did this so that I could see you laugh and smile"Naruto answered.

Hinata didn't know how to respond, but he noticed something forming on her face. It was a warm smile—a happy smile—and she was struggling to stand up. She was laughing.

She couldn't inform any word she couldn't even say; she was laughing so hard he couldn't believe it.

He had made her laugh, but all he said was "he did this to make her laugh". Why was this funny?

"She was holding back laughter idiot." Kyuubi answered.

"Those people, those" She continued to laugh; she couldn't even speak. It was so hard for her to speak. He was starting to see tears, but they weren't tears of sadness. She was laughing so hard that she was crying.

She was on her back, holding her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

Naruto was laughing too; he loved that laugh. He loved her smile, the real smile, not the one he saw when he first saw her, which was fake.

It was so beautiful that he felt his heart beating. This was the woman he wanted to protect. He thought about the words Haku had told him during the Land of Waves mission. Hinata wasn't just his sensei; she was much more than that. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he didn't fight it.

Whatever it was, he wasn't worthy. He was only a boy until he became a man. Not just physically, but mentally as well. And was able to protect her he couldn't tell her.

"These feelings are love, boy. There's nothing wrong with it. Don't fight it, but you are right to think the way you do. You are a boy; she will not acknowledge you as a man until you are mentally mature enough to be one. And when you're old enough, until you can protect this woman with your own power, you are not worthy of her." Kyubi answered what Naruto was thinking.

Was it love that he felt towards Hinata? He was still seeing her laugh; she wasn't stopping, and the scene continued on for a few more minutes until she stopped and gained more control of herself.

The smile she had earlier changed to a serious expression.

"Naruto, as your sensei, I do have to discipline you for what you have done, even if I approve of you exposing predators, you did other things that disturbed the lives of the people in the village. Even if I agree with what you did to some extent, I still have to discipline you."Naruto was prepared and the way she said it was with reluctance; she didn't want to, but she had to, because that was their relationship.

He dared not think about them as anything more than friends, teacher, and student. It would never happen; he didn't even indulge in the thought of him having a seven-chance in hell of ever being in her heart.

That wasn't his priority; it was to make her smile and to make her laugh. He succeeded, so he would accept any punishment. It would be worth it to him.

"I'll accept any punishment, Sensei. I was prepared for the consequences, either success or failure, to make you laugh and smile. I'm okay with any punishment you give me."

Naruto said, which surprised Hinata.

"Why was it important to make me laugh or smile?" Hinata asked him generally wanting to know?

"Because I don't like seeing you sad, I hate it. I want to see what a genuine smile looks like, not a fake smile that you do for appearances but a real smile. I wanted to make you laugh as well; it's stupid, I know, but I don't like it when you're sad, even if it's in a small way. I want to do something to help you. You've done so much for me, I want to do something for you in return."

The revelation that he was told by Kyuubi that he was in love with Hinata. He couldn't tell her he wasn't strong enough to protect her, nor was he a man. In his eyes, he doesn't have a chance with her as he is now.

It was at this moment that he wished he were a man, not a boy. He buried his feelings deep inside, refusing to let this be about him. It was about her; that was the whole reason he had the operation in the first place, and to risk losing the ability to eat ramen forever.

To give up what he loves the most when it comes to food was him showing himself how determined he was to make his most precious person laugh even once.

"You didn't have to go that far, Naruto-kun. I appreciate it. However, I should discipline you, and I don't think I should do this because I'm your teacher. I'll overlook this once, but I can't have you doing this again."

Naruto was surprised that Hinata was willing to let him off.

No, he knew something she was likely to do a different kind of punishment.

"You won't have Ramen for a month," Hinata announced, which Naruto was going to do anyway, but he wouldn't tell Hinata that he wasn't going to undermine her authority. Another thing: the power dynamic between their ranks is another obstacle; no, he would tell her when he achieved the same rank as she is now, and when he is a man.

That was his promise to himself, and when he was strong enough to protect her as well. When he was old enough, he would tell her. Right now, he would keep it to himself. Him and Kyubi were the only ones who knew. Little did Naruto know that wasn't true.

Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai witnessed everything; she couldn't help but smile. Kurenai hadn't seen Hinata laugh or smile since the day Itachi broke her heart. It felt good seeing that side of her that she had thought was gone forever.

The darkness that engulfed Hinata was still there, though it was dimmer the walls that she had built around herself. Naruto had changed; things she was glad that their teams were switched. It would never happen like this if she was on Team 8 instead of Team 7.

"Well, we did everything we could to help him," said Asuma, who was watching the scene unfold.

"It looks like you owe me, Kakashi," Asuma said triumphantly. Kakashi reluctantly gave him the money they had agreed upon. It almost felt like a shining light was shining on Hinata when she laughed, as if the gods were blessing her with their light.

She never thought it would ever happen, even before the Uchiha Clan Massacre.

Itachi Uchiha was never able to make Hinata laugh to this extent.

Naruto is someone special; the seeds have been planted, and it would take time (possibly years) for it to fully materialize.

Kurenai could see in 5-6 years from now Hinata falling in love with Naruto.

The seeds were already planted; this was the same thing that had happened when Minato made Kushina laugh for the first time.

history was repeating itself neither one of them were aware of it.

"I think we will let time take its course" Kakashi said as if reading her mind.

"Agreed, with some help from us, Naruto had succeeded in his operation. The first time she's smiled since that bastard broke her heart. If only Naruto were five to six years older." Kurenai said aloud.

"Give it some time; the seed has already been planted, and it will sprout in due course. Things like love cannot be rushed, especially when someone whose heart was broken like Hinata. She isn't ready yet, and Naruto is a boy. I don't see anything developing between them until Naruto is at least 18 at the earliest." Asuma said as if he were saying something obvious.

"Well, either way, we should get going; your students will be taking the exam soon, and things will get really hectic in the next few months." Kakashi said.

She took one last look at Hinata and Naruto, and then turned her back. Her focus was on the upcoming exams.

This would be the last peaceful moment before the Chunin exams.

Hanabi noticed something different about Hinata they were alone, talking about what had been going on for the past few days. Her sister had a real smile on her face; it was Naruto's doing. He had succeeded in making her sister laugh.

"You should smile more, big sis."

Hanabi said this to her sister, generally meaning it.

"I don't know what you're talking about."Hinata said denying what was obviously on her face.

"Well, he succeeded; I'll be damned."

Hanabi said out loudly, not realizing she had revealed something she shouldn't.

"What are you talking about, Hanabi?" Hinata asked suspiciously.

"Shit," she said aloud, realizing she couldn't lie herself out of this one. She couldn't reveal too much.

"Let's just say that if Naruto can make you laugh and smile, he has to go a month without ramen, and if he fails, he has to go the rest of his life without ramen." Her answer caught Hinata off guard.

"I see", Hinata didn't know how to respond.

"So you're disciplining him, something he was going to do anyway, right?" Hanabi asked her older sister.

"I just didn't think it meant so much. I don't know why it matters." she confessed.

Her sister was completely clueless about Naruto's feelings for her, though it would be for the best for now, after all. The age gap of 6 years separated them: Naruto was 13 and her sister was 19. The seed that Naruto had planted when he made her laugh earlier today wouldn't sprout until five or six years from now; she would let it grow naturally.

Her sister isn't completely over what happened with her previous love. She doesn't know who it was, but she suspects it was Itachi Uchiha. Until she has completely moved on, it wouldn't be healthy for anyone if Hinata were involved in a relationship.

It was the last thing she needed at the moment, what she needed was time to heal. Naruto helped with that process by breaking down the wall that had been built between her and her sister for all those years.

She was grateful to Naruto, as he had done so much in such a short amount of time.

"Soon, we won't be able to have such peaceful times as these. The Chunin exams are coming. The eye before the storm. I don't know why big sister feels like things are going to change and I don't know in what way." Hanabi said, feeling a sense of dread.

"I felt nervous like you, when I took the Chunin exams. You'll get through it. I have full faith in you."Hinata said with confidence that Hanabi herself did not feel.

"I don't know, but I know I'll have to face Neji at some point." She said, thinking about her cousin who's been estranged from their family ever since the death of their uncle.

The conflict between the main branch and the branch houses was going to come to a head; she knew it would. Tensions between the two branches had been building for years.

"I wish I could say words of comfort, but I can't." She knew exactly what she meant; they were trying to avoid the elephant in the room.

Whether her sister likes it or not, she is the Byakugan princess. But she cannot tell her sister that she has been denying her heritage for a long time.

"I know you don't want to hear about this big sister, but you and I together can help reform the clan and bring back its honor. Not just any honor, but actual honor—the kind of honor our clan had prior to Natsu introducing the barbaric seal that we now have."Hinata tensed when she heard Natsu mentioned was the most hated Hyuga who ever lived.

He was the brother of Kanna, the most powerful Hyuga to have ever lived. Not much is known about her, except that she lived longer than an average human. However, that's not something Hanabi believes. But what was accepted if the legends were true, she was the last Byakugan Queen. Though that was centuries ago, it was said that she had lived 300 years before the founding of Konoha. And she doesn't believe that's even possible.

"The clan is beyond saving. Hanabi it's stuck in its ways, and it's never going to change."

Hinata didn't budge on how she felt about the clan.

"It won't change if we don't do anything to make it change. Our clan used to be strong, but now we are just a shell. At one point, we rivaled the Uchiha Clan! How did a clan like us become so weak? If we don't change, we will go the way of the Uchiha Clan." Hinata looked at her, understanding as if she could read what she was thinking without saying anything.

"What do you propose we do, sister? To change the clan, something radical would have to be done, and those who stand in the way would have to be dealt with harshly. Are you willing to risk a civil war?"

Hinata asked Hanabi; she didn't think it was an option.

"I don't know, I feel like things are not that simple once you become a Shinobi. The world seems to be far more complicated. It's so much easier to say you want to change things when you have a goal of changing things, but when you get into a position of power, things are not that simple. You want to be the Hokage; what you want to do is as radical as what I would like to do to the Hyuga Clan. How are we different, sister?" Hanabi asked Hinata.

"I didn't realize how similar our goals were. I'm sorry, Hanabi. I let my bitterness and anger cloud my judgment. I didn't even consider what your dreams might be."Hinata said sadly about her lack of involvement in her life.

"Let's talk about something else. We can continue this conversation another day. Let's relax until tomorrow." Hanabi said, which caused her sister's face to soften.

"Yes, let's do just that." Hinata said, continuing their conversation about everything and anything related to the village rumors, trying to keep her mind off of what was going to start the next day.

Things would change little, would the inhabitants of Konoha would know what that change entails.