A Family Of Foxes & Snakes: Rewind!

He was currently lying on the grass as he was tired from his private training of doing chakra control. Anko had drilled into him the art of deception and he followed that advice to the letter. As popped up to his feet and was about to go at it again. He felt that he was being watched. He zeroed in on where he was getting the feeling and threw a kunai at the spot. He heard a small squeak and rushed over to the area. He saw someone and immediately tackled the person. He spun the intruder on their back and faced them. He was surprised to see the girl from his class.

"Hey, your name is Hinata right?" Naruto asked. Hinata could not answer him as she was currently out cold. Naruto was very confused as to why her face was as red as a tomato.

X-X-X

A gentle groan and the fluttering of eyes signaled the awakening of one Hyūga Hinata. She sat up and realized that she was on a couch. She recognized the couch as it belonged to her former caretaker, Yūhi Kurenai. She was wondering how she got here when Kurenai came out of her kitchen. Following her was her crush, Naruto. She 'eep' and was a little red in her cheeks. Kurenai just smiled at her while Naruto looked confused.

"Hey, is her fever coming back?" Naruto asked.

"I don't believe so. How are you Hinata?" Kurenai asked.

"I-I am f-fine. H-How did I g-get here?" Hinata asked.

"You have to thank young Naruto here. He was carrying you toward the hospital when we ran into each other." Kurenai explained.

"Yeah, you were all red in the face and I guess I startled you into your fainting spell when I threw that kunai. Sorry about that though, I was trained to be very aware." Naruto said.

"I-It's alright." Hinata said.

"Wow, you sure do stutter a lot." Naruto said. Hinata hid her face a little.

"Now, that's a rude thing to say. Hinata is just very shy." Kurenai said.

"Really? But isn't she a Hyūga?" Naruto asked. Hinata looked dejected after that. She was sure that he would not hang with her because of that. His next words surprised her though. "I guess that's ok. Most of the Hyuga's I've met look really constipated, especially the clan head." Kurenai nearly choked on her tea as Naruto said that about Hinata's father. Hinata looked at Naruto in surprise.

'He doesn't see me like the rest of my clan.' Hinata thought.

"So, you use that style of yours right? What is it called? Oh yeah, it's called the Jūken right?" Naruto asked.

"Yes b-but I'm not that g-good a-at it." Hinata said.

"Well, you won't get good unless you practice. Say, how about, as an apology, we train together after school?" Naruto suggested.

"R-Really?" Hinata asked with surprise.

"Sure, you don't act like the typical Hyūga. You seem nice. Why don't we train together?" Naruto said. Hinata couldn't be happier. Naruto didn't think of her like the rest of her clan and he was willing to hang with her. It was a start that she could work on. Kurenai was happy for her. She knew how much Hinata admired the blond jinchūriki and would help her any way she can.

"I think that is a great idea. You can both grow from training from each other. Who knows, you two might become friends." Kurenai added. This made both of them smile. Hinata smiled because it would mean that she would be spending time with her crush. Naruto smiled because he might be gaining a friend. Things were changing in the life of Uzumaki Naruto and it looked like that it was getting better.

Naruto was lying a few feet away from Shikamaru and Choji. They had decided to cut class today and made their escape thanks to Naruto.

"You know Shikamaru; I can see why you like doing this. It is kind of relaxing." Naruto said.

"See, I know what I'm talking about." Shikamaru said.

"You're still a lazy ass though." Naruto added. This only got him a mendōkusei (How Troublesome) from the lazy Nara. Naruto just smirked and kept looking at the sky. How did he ever become friends with the laziest person ever was a surprise to him, Shikamaru and the whole academy. It began over a game of shogi (general's board game)

Flashback

Naruto was eating lunch with Hinata. He enjoyed it much more when she would cook and share with him. It was amazingly good and he enjoyed it a lot. It had been a month since the two met and they had become very fast friends. They learned things about each other and helped each other. Hinata helped Naruto become more attentive and helped him eat a little healthier. Naruto helped Hinata become a little confident and showed her how to have some fun. Both enjoyed the friendship and were becoming best friends.

They suddenly turned to a commotion. They watched as two guys were dragging someone else away from two other guys. Naruto instantly knew the two as Choji and Shikamaru. He wondered why the guy was so angry about.

"What do you think is going on Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"H-He must be angry with S-Shikamaru. H-he must have won again in s-shogi." Hinata said.

"Shogi?" he asked.

"I-It's a game but you would find it quite boring." She answered.

"It can't be that boring. Can you teach me how to play?" Naruto asked.

"W-What are you planning N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. She was wary of the grin on his face.

X-X-X

A week later, Naruto walked up to the two friends with Hinata in tow. The Hyūga heiress had tried hard to deter Naruto's idea but she knew how stubborn he can be. Naruto stood in front of Shikamaru. The lazy Nara gave him a bored but curious glance.