Naruto 1. First Impressions

Summary

Hinata had been Kiba's many firsts. As well as Kiba to Hinata's firsts. It seemed only right.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, although I made the fanfiction, it rightfully belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Firsts

...

Chapter 1-First Impressions

The first time Kiba had ever been frightened of a girl had been nearly three years ago, the first time he'd laid eyes on Hinata of the Hyuga Clan.

...

Kiba, like all others in his class at the Academy, had been awaiting this day with eagerness, though none more than he as the Inuzuka practically skipped into the large classroom with it's tiered desks and quickly took a seat. Not long after many other ninja-in-training alike filled in with a rush of speed, filling seats left and right until there was no room left. Moments passed uneventfully. Waiting, waiting, and more waiting as boredom set it.

Apparently, Akamaru possessed his master's capacity for patience as well, though he made it much better known as the pup began to growl and yip from the confines of his jacket, squirming in outrage. Kiba didn't necessarily blame him, as a Inuzuka member, many animal-like traits were often shared, and dogs were beings of action, not beings of 'waiting-until-you'd-rather-die'.

Frustrated and impatient, Kiba grumbled unhappily, patting Akamaru's head to momentarily silence him as finally, finally Iruka-sensei appeared to announce the teams of three that would be paired to a sensei and move onward on their journeys' as ninja. The excitement of it all was nearly suffocating, and he was not the only one to feel this way, the many other ninja-in-training that surrounded him formed a sea of excitement and ambition. It was almost intoxicating, the way it filled him with a untouchable euphoria at the prospect of becoming a world renowned ninja.

Moments passed and ninja after ninja were claimed by their sensei, and with each moment Kiba wasn't called he grew more and more restless and impatient. Kiba was not known for patience, and though he knew it would do him no good to fume, he could not will himself to calm down. Who would his sensei be? Famous ninja like Kakashi the Copy Ninja or the powerhouse brash ninja Azuma were already taken much to his despair, for he had hoped they would be the ones to aid him the future-ninja-of-badassery by tutoring him.

Who would be his teammates? Perhaps he would get someone strong and mysterious, like Sasuke Uchiha, and form a powerful rivalry to fuel his own progress. Or perhaps he would end up with someone useful, and yet weak enough to allow his frothing ego to thrive such as Sakura Haruno? What if he were paired with Naruto Uzumaki?

The thought was almost to terrible to comprehend. From the moment Naruto declared his dream to become Hokage he had despised the failure ninja student as he laughed to his face; perhaps for none other reason than for simply hoping beyond hope that he could even dare match the wisdom and strength of a famous Hokage. The bratty blond was annoying and loud, not to mention a complete nuisance. He feared he'd lose it entirely if he were paired with him.

The minutes seemed to take hours as he waited. And finally, finally, he was called. And much to his dismay he not only had a female sensei, but two students of whom he had not even met. Akamaru picked up on his master's disappointment, and burrowed further into his jacket, clearly entering a state of pouting.

Kurenai was his sensei's name, a strong looking yet beautiful young woman with untamable black hair and alluring red eyes that matched her equally red lips. She seemed nice enough, if not a little strict. It was nothing new to Kiba, he had lived his entire life surrounded by the strong and hard headed woman of his own clan, not to mention his own brutal family as well.

His male teammate ended up being Shino Aburame...He had seen the kid several times around the Academy, but he never really stuck out enough to make a good impression on him. Other than the knowledge that the Aburame clan held a strong affinity for insects and preferred many insect like ninjutsu, Kiba knew nothing of him, though he seemed nice enough. If a little reserved in a strangely off-put way.

And the girl...Hinata Hyuga...scared him. Actually _scared _him. After all, you'd have to be the biggest idiot in the world to not know the clan of Hyuga. The oldest, noblest clan in all of Konoha, and perhaps of all ninja time. They were world renowned for their powerful roots and even stronger optical jutsu, the famous Byakugan-said to be passed down for the Sage of the Six Paths himself.

Kiba had heard all the legends of course. Legends that spoke volumes of the Clan's specified jutsu which allowed them near 360 degree vision as well as x-ray vision that not only allowed them to see through an opponent's equipment and clothes, but the paths of chakra as well. He heard they were insanely powerful beings, even capable of pinpointing the chakra outlets in a method called tekkenjutsu that could actually s_top _an enemy's chakra entirely as well using their own extremely difficult and powerful style of taijutsu that took advantage of their ability to expel chakra from any point in the body to actually damage the innards and organs of their opponent.

All in an single instant. No warning whatsoever.

In other words, the Hyugas were legends all on their own, and perhaps even in a league none other clan could possibly hope to match. And for a taijutsu specialist, Kiba had never been more terrified.

His first impression of Hinata was that of a timid, shy, stuttering, and overall seemingly weak ninja. But he was not a fool, he could literally smell the intense level of chakra that flowed all around her, waiting at her beck and call. Furthermore, her lifeless, pupiless, near alien lavender tinted silver eyes marked her unmistakably as a Hyuga Clan member. That knowledge alone was enough to make him tremble, though he did his best to hide it.

He wondered if the others sensed her as well, and if so how they were not all on edge because of it. Hell, the mention of the Hyuga name ought to have them all beyond alert. It was only a matter of time before one of her not-so-gentle-gentle-fists struck one of them, though Kiba sincerely hoped it wouldn't be him. He swallowed, hating his sister with all his being in this very moment for telling him all these awful horror stories of the Hyugas and their powers.

At the time, he merely laughed it off, played it cool, because him meeting a Hyuga was never gonna happen. Not in a million years if he had anything to say about it. Nope, this Inuzuka was just fine with all his organs intact and not in any immediate danger of exploding by touch alone. And he would keep it that way, by avoiding all Hyugas as if they'd contracted the plague.

Now he could only curse and swear to the God's above, praying for them to smite Hana for all her sadistic, story telling torturous ways. He could almost hear her laughter and groaned, 'Become a ninja,' his mom had said, 'It'll be fun!' she'd said.

He'd been ready to quit for good the moment he entered at five, clinging to his mom's arm for dear life as he smelled them for the first time. The distinct scent of Hyuga. Sure enough, not feet from him, was a tall, commandeering man with milky eyes, and Kiba was ashamed to say he'd frozen in terror. His little boy mind flying through every nightmare-causing story his sister had been all too happy to contaminate his mind with. He was fairly certain a few feet was far too close to be to _them._

He'd been about three seconds from throwing himself at the ground in anguish, screeching and pleading for them to 'not make his bladder explode-literally' and shame himself eternally when he'd spotted her. A tiny, fragile looking mess of a girl cowering behind the milky-eyed man's legs as if they'd shield her from abomination if they had to, practically a mirror image of himself at the moment.

He remembered his boyish eyes blinking, almost shocked to see a Hyuga looking so very...normal. He'd entirely forgotten about his fear for that moment, and though her presence unnerved him and the knowledge that they'd be enrolling together was anything but comforting, he'd decided to go on with becoming a ninja anyway. If a plague ridden Hyuga could do it, so could he.

Of course, it would be years later when he'd laugh off this encounter, though his paranoid state of mind caused him to still completely avoid her at all costs up until this moment. This moment were the god's damned him, and his once shadow of a fear which had stemmed from a five year old's horror, now grew exponentially once again.

He had never considered the possibility of having her for a teammate, considering how very many others were included.

However he blinked at the memory, what was she even doing here at the academy? He knew all Hyugas trained in private, mastering their own styles with a brutal training regimen most ninja could not handle. Perhaps she was abandoned? Perhaps she deserted?

He might never know, but for now he contented himself with looking as aloof as possible. As if he really didn't give a damn either way of his sensei, nor his teammates, nor his suffocating fear. As if the small girl in front of him was not making him regret getting up this morning. As if it didn't bother him that those eyes poured into him, and was all too capable of pinpointing his every flaw and weakness.

Regardless introductions were made, all of which Kiba noted but didn't indicate so. When at last his turn came, he only smirked, baring his canine like teeth, daring them to fear him as he jutted a thumb out to indicate himself.

"I am Kiba of the Inuzuka Clan." He declared proudly, boasting of his confidence and status. Now he indicated to the pup hidden beneath the folds of his thick grey coat, the pup was irritable to say the least, and let out a feral growl. Kiba shrugged, Akamaru was right to suspect any strangers he came upon, and who was he to stop him, especially with a Hyuga around. He was clearly the perfect example of man's best friend.

"And this, is my partner, Akamaru."

Shino merely nodded, his tinted sunglasses glinting suspiciously and Kiba got a strange sensation to shudder under his gaze. It was as though he was inspecting him like some sort of specimen, watching him like an insect he intended to capture and study. An uncomfortable feeling to say the least.

It was Hinata who actually spoke, though she did so with her chin to her chest, fingers fumbling in a nervous habit, as if he had scorned her, as if he had ridiculed her. He had done no such thing, but still felt a sense of guilt overcome him. And then those unsettling eyes peeked at him from her indigo lashes.

"Y-your d-d-dog...He is s-s-so c-cute."

Cute.

Akamaru had never _ever _been described as _'cute_'. He was a nin-dog. A force to be reckoned with. A feral beast when provoked. Sure, he may be rather fun-sized now, but any and all nin-dogs, Inuzuka dogs especially, would soon become a monstrous behemoth to which he would partake in epic battle with one day.

In short, He was definitely _not _'cute'.

And yet that was what she had described him as anyway, even if Akamaru had done nothing but growl and hiss from the folds of his coat at her. An intimidating sight even when partially concealed and pint sized. Kiba knew the face he gave her was a mix of outright shock and general disdain at such a stinging insult, to which she huddled even farther into the confines of her equally as thick jacket, as if to hide from his reaction.

To an Inuzuka, a man's dog is like a part of him, and whatever someone thought of his dog, went for him as well. He was definitely not cute either.

She was intimidated by him, though that didn't surprise him. It seemed like she was intimidated by _everything_. Which did not go unnoticed by Kiba when she jumped when Kurenai clapped her hands together, drawing each of her new students her attention.

Kiba's eyes narrowed as he took in her clearly forced smile, a sign that she was not enjoying this insufferable awkwardness anymore than they were. Regardless, she seemed determine to hide it as she continued.

"Isn't that nice? Well, I'm Kurenai and I will be your sensei from now on. Now, why don't you all tell me what you hope to achieve as a ninja?"

More awkward silence, until Shino finally spoke up about wanting to become some sort of legendary bug wielder or something. Kiba could care less about that right now, it was his time to shine after all.

"What do I want as a ninja? Well, I guess I can only ask to become the strongest ever." He replied simply, not even blinking twice at the previous unselfish reasons. He was only interested in his own benefit, and everyone else could either help, or get the hell out of his way. Akamaru barked his agreement.

He wasn't exactly sure when that statement change, but he was pretty certain it all began with Hinata's last sentence.

She was stumbling, stammering, tripping over her words. Her head bent down low, eyes focused on her feet though they shifted unsettlingly, her fingers tapping together in a nervous manner. Her very being exuded awkwardness and insecurity. She was something to be pitied, something to be looked down upon, someone who had no backbone, no resolve, nor hope.

A broken girl. In need of a protector.

"W-well...I-I only r-really w-want t-to make my f-father and m-my clan p-proud as h-heir."

In that instant he felt guilty as hell for ever looking down upon her, for pitying her, for believing her pathetic. She was noble, with a goal to be proud of, even if she was much less than that. Even he could understand a burden of living up to a clan's high standards, though he himself was not crown prince of the Inuzuka's. It was almost a personal expectation, to make his clan as strong as it could with all his heart and soul.

But he knew Hinata's story would be different somehow. She was heir, after all. And heir's, above all else, had to be the epitome of the clan's power. Her burden was far more intense than his own, even as he too, struggled along just attempting to live up to his clan's proud name. He was a fool for thinking less of her, and suddenly, those watery silvery, bloodline trait eyes weren't as scary as he originally thought.

Somewhere in those murky depths, he knew he'd find a fire so strong it would blow her clan away, it simply had to be ignited.

His fists clenched, and he knew without a doubt he would be her unnamed protector and devote himself to aiding her ignite said flame.

...

Hinata, for her part, was equally as terrified of him as he were of her. Though she would never be able to see it by simply looking at him.

Her heart was racing at a unhealthy pace, and she knew if she couldn't calm down she'd most likely faint. But looking at her new teammates, she couldn't help but feel a hint of fear. Shino wasn't so bad, now that she examined him closer, but his concealed eyes unnerved her so. And the very mention of the infamous insects nesting within his body gave her an awful queasy feeling in her stomach.

Kiba was worse. Even if the small dog helped comfort her, Kiba in himself was a sight almost akin to monstrous. She stole glances at him at times, and couldn't help but hone in on his canine like teeth, slitted eyes, and deceptively normal hands that she knew would elongate into claws in a moments notice.

She forced her to take in small breaths, ignoring how very shallow they were. She had seen them both before, of course, around the Academy. She hadn't liked what she saw then either. Kiba was a roughhousing, brutal beast; and Shino was the unnerving, intellectual insect collector.

And who was she? The abandoned princess of her proud clan? The reject child? The one that was always unwanted?

No one noticed her then, and she was fine with that. But now...now everyone was noticing her, and she was caving under their stares. She knew what was expected of her, be polite, be friendly, and above all, be useful, but suddenly she felt her newfound resolve slipping once again. She was failing them once again, failing her comrades, failing their expectations, failing her clan and they hadn't even began their first training session together.

Why did it have to be them? Why them, who looked so very terrifying without even trying? Sasuke Uchiha would've been far preferable, at least she knew his aloof nature would allow her to go unnoticed. Shikamaru would be better, who would be having to much of a drag to bother with her. Even Choji would've been the best, at least he was friendly and wouldn't disturb her quietness with his food devouring nature.

Wait, was that her imagination, or had Kiba's slitted eyes soften just the slightest bit?

Hinata was tempted to use her Byakugan, if only to see through his tough guy facade to see what was the source of that softness. She needed it to be real. She had dealt with nothing but stern faces and grimaces all her life from her strict clan's upbringing, she didn't need more of it.

But those eyes...Was their a cuddly puppy underneath the vicious hound's exterior? Hinata didn't know, but she knew she'd find out for herself one day. They were teammates after all.

So there they were. The dog lover, the bug hoarder, and the forgotten princess. Misfits, rejects, outcasts. The thought was a cold comfort to Hinata, for at least if she were in a team, it would be a team of people just like her. A team of the unwanted.

...


	2. Fear Only Fear Itself

It was days later when Kiba began to overcame his fear of this strange Hyuga girl, it was his first step to their future friendship.

...

Chapter 2- Fear Only Fear Itself

...

"_I heard you're newest teammates were pretty quirky," _His oh-so-sassy sister drawled the next morning, just before she would head off to her clinic to resume her veterinary work. _"And I heard one's a Hyuga." _She had added, smirking a smirk that was far too childish for one of her age. And Kiba thought she was past the whole, 'torturing-little-siblings-is-fun-while-very-immature' stage.

"_You're not scared...are you, little brother?"_

Apparently, the answer was still, 'no'. She had not grown out of that stage just yet, and as Kiba's luck would have it, she never would. His mother had snickered from her place at the stove, crisping perfectly delicible bacon for his well deserved first breakfast as a full fledged ninja. His mother didn't dote on him often, and he was thoroughly looking forward to this...until Hana opened her mouth just moments ago, that is.

"_Of course I'm not sis! Like some horror story from eight years ago scares me!" _He had stubbornly growled, Akamaru as always having his back with a resounding yip of consent. Regardless, Hana had merely chuckled and rolled her eyes. Currently her actions annoyed him, but at the same time fueled his resolve for breaking that insistent fear. Shoveling down his meal and bidding his sister and mother a hearty goodbye, he set off with every intention of doing just that.

...

Now he wasn't so sure.

"You're first task as a team will be to effectively work together to find me somewhere in this area." Kurenai-sensei had stated sternly once she had greeted them all upon her arrival. "This is a pass or fail test, no exceptions. You have until noon." A hand seal was formed, and he watched with growing hopelessness as his sensei literally swirled away in a blur of colors.

His first impulse, as usual, was anger. A moment later his foot had stomped the ground in rage, drawing attention to himself as he growled, meanwhile Akamaru leapt from his perch about his head and aided in the spectacle by yipping insistently.

"What the hell was that for!? I thought a sensei was supposed to teach us stuff, not disappear!"

It was Shino's even voice that broke the silence first, a resounding hum from his insects portraying his hidden anguish akin to Kiba's own, though he curbed it a lot better than Kiba ever could. "I agree it does not seem right, but I will not question it either."

He was about to make a rude comment followed by an equally rude gesture when a small voice piped up, shattering his building outburst just as quickly as it came.

"I t-think Kurenai-sensei w-wants us to p-prove ourselves t-today. M-maybe even a-analyze our n-natural skills."

He shuddered, he'd almost forgotten the girl was there she was so easy to pass by. As if she was transparent. How could he have missed such a thing? What if she decided to take advantage of such a weakness of his and explode him from the inside out? He absolutely refused to die in such a horrible, undeserving way.

The girl flushed under the weight of their eyes resting on her, clearly entirely uncomfortable with having undivided attention for even a moment. His eyes narrowed, perhaps beneath her shy exterior she was just itching for the chance he'd drop his guard and strike. This, however, didn't prove fruitful as she caught his gaze and snapped her head down once more, fumbling with even greater intensity.

Well, if she was waiting for him to cave, he certainly wasn't going to. She could act all she wanted...He wouldn't allow his insides to explode that easily.

"Perhaps she is right." Shino agreed, "It makes sense for her to evaluate our skills before training in order to pinpoint what needs improvement. Also, I believe she intends for us to use our clan's specialized tracking capabilities as a team to excel for this exercise."

So there they were, now consumed by silence as they stood in a triangular formation, each of the new ninjas brimming with ideas, but unsure of how to go about it. Kiba sighed, it was clear he was not in the most social of groups, not that he expected any less.

Shino he could understand, after all the guy _did _carrying living insects in his body, though they also seemed to double as a sign that seemed to say 'Do-not-talk-to-me-ever.' Not that the bug wielder seemed to mind in the first place, as his own personality was quite reserved like most members of his clan.

But Hinata...Hinata was just one huge puzzle, though Kiba was not a fan of puzzles for he often couldn't work his way around them, after all he wasn't any damn genius like Sakura or Shikamaru. Regardless, this shy, reserved nature of his was somewhat startling to him. After all, she was a princess of one of the most noble clan's in all of Kohona, and he knew just as well as everyone else, that heirs were expected to not only be powerful, but polite and conversational, lest they reflect badly upon their clan's upbringing or general being.

Either his eyes were betraying him, or she really was quite the opposite of what one would expect from a noble clan's heir. Sure there was a regal look to her, though the effect was ruined by her bulky hoodie and otherwise baggy looking clothes. Her posture was great too, if one overlooked her nervous habits. Though she seemed unable to converse fluidly, as if the action itself was taboo to her very being. It was ridiculous to Kiba, though he supposed he didn't have room to talk.

After all, it appeared out of his three teammates, it was he who would be labeled the motormouth.

"Fine then. Looks like our best bet is to split up until we find her."

...

Kiba had suggested it simply because it was an escape from his imminent death by Gentle Fist Art. Though he would surely swallow his own dog before admitting such a thing. Instead, he had used his knowledge of tracking to present a solution to all their problems. His fear of death, and the shared need to find their sensei and progress as ninja.

It was a win, win.

Or at least, he'd originally thought so. Now, he wasn't so sure. Kiba hated being unsure. Regardless, he seemed to becoming ever more unsure as his ninja life went on. Maybe he should consider becoming a vet like Hana since clearly these were signs that the ninja life just wasn't for him.

The problem was the fact that no matter how hard he and Akamaru sniffed, there was literally no trace of a scent anywhere. Though he supposed if he would've been thinking properly he would've snagged a strip of fabric or strand of hair from their sensei before she disappeared, or at the very least committed her scent to memory while he had the chance.

It was all so frustrating, even his highly enhanced eyesight couldn't pinpoint any trace of the sensei at all. Not a fingerprint, not a footprint, not even any indentation was to be found. His ears were of little help anyway, there was literally nothing else to hear besides the insistent chirping of the insects and other animals of the forest.

Why couldn't he have been the good student his mother so rightfully wanted him to be and stayed in class? Maybe then he'd actually have a clue with what he was currently dealing with, damn that Naruto and his enticing antics. Thanks to the jinchuriki, he completely missed the schooling of Genjutsu...and was now, unfortunately, paying for it.

So there they were, just a boy and his dog leaping from branch to branch, scanning fruitlessly through the foliage for their sensei as if she'd be so naive and idoitic as to hide in plain sight. Unfortunately, he could only wish and it was only serving him as frustration now. Oh well, she _was _a Jounin , it's not like its supposed to be easy.

But why did it have to be so damn hard?

A branch jiggled under his weight as he deftly leapt to another, stopping breifly as he reasoned a break was in order since they'd been doing nothing but leaping on and on for an hour now. Which only left about five more hours to complete the search...Not good odds. Regardless he took a moment to halt his leaps and perched on the nearest branch, allowing himself to close his eyes and simply _breathe._

That was when he smelled it. A scent. _The _scent.

A excited yip from Akamaru was heard, and Kiba knew that he smelled it as well. In an instant the two entered predator mode, sulking through the foliage with much more stealth and discretion that ever before. All senses on high alert and nose working overtime. Moments passed and he determined their sensei was moving closer to them, only a matter of moments before she entered ambush range.

Kiba chuckled, silently counting to three as he readied himself for the ambush.

_1_

Perhaps his sensei really w_asn't _a Jounin. Or perhaps she was merely taking it easy...underestimating her genin's abilities rather foolishly.

2

That, or perhaps Kiba was simply _that_ good. After all, he w_as _an Inuzuka. Either were quite plausible.

_3_

In the instand of approach Kiba leapt from his branch with inhuman speed and accuracy, Akamaru as always by his side. A feral grin rose to Kiba's face as he imagined just what Hana would look like when he pronounced how he single handedly captured his Sensei, and all without any organal disruption from an impending Gentle Fist .

Akamaru yelped suddenly, a sign of warning. A sign of something amiss. Quickly Kiba was jolted from his gloating thoughts as his senses went into overdrive once more and his head snapped up with clear eyes. Suddenly he then wanted to yelp just as Akamaru had, though no such luck would grace him. Instead a very high pitched girlish scream rumbled from deep inside him as he collided with his prey.

His prey that was not his Sensei. His prey that was instead _Hinata_.

...

Shino paced himself. He hadn't known his comrades for very long, but he already concluded he was certainly unlike them. He wasn't like Kiba, who rushed through the boughs of the trees like the Nine Tailed Fox was chasing him to Hell. And he wasn't like Hinata, who hesitated with every dainty step taken through the forest floor and startling at every foreign sound.

No, Shino wasn't like them at all. Instead, every step was purposeful, every movement measured and unwasted. Currently his insects were searching in an organized parameter in every direction, but so far he wasn't getting any trace of their Sensei anywhere. Not that he'd imagined any less, she _was_ a Jounin after all.

He also didn't think Kiba and Hinata were having any better luck either, as none of them had reported anything thus far. Though he felt perhaps the possibility they'd overlook him was also plausible, after all Shino found himself to be an unimpressionable person indeed...

As he walked on, a moment passed, and then two, then more. Eventually Shino came to the conclusion that something was amiss. It was too quiet...The forest was never silent...then was it Genjutsu? Or was it the fact that the life around them anticipated something astronomical occuring in the near future and was cloaking itself from it? He'd heard of this defense mechanism once, how plants and mammals alike all seem to still to avoid detection...But from what?

He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"_

Shino's thoughts were disrupted immediately by the high pitched yell. Seemingly never ending as it echoed on and on throughout the forest, making it hard to pinpoint. Was the voice female or male? Did they find their sensei, and if so, what sort of horrible monstrosity was happening to them at this very moment? What could cause such heart rending fear?

Shino didn't have to wait long, as his chakra beetle landed atop the tree trunk nearest to him, clearly awaiting his signal to relay information. A moment of hesitation, and then his hand was reaching from the insides of his pocket to allow the creature to crawl atop his outstretched finger, a almost welcome sensation knowing word of his comrades and sensei were within reach.

A moment later and the hum of the insect told all. Though he wasn't quite sure he'd heard correctly.

"Wait, Kiba and Hinata are _what!?_"

...

"_Don't touch me!" _

"K-Kiba, I s-said s-s-sorry. It w-was an a-accident!"

"_Yeah right, I am not exploding today!"_

"J-just c-calm down! I-I don't know w-what you're t-t-talking about!"

"_Likely story!"_

Hinata, for the life of her, could not figure out what Kiba's problem was, only that it had something to do with her and exploding innards. The whole ordeal was quite a blur. Hinata had just been maneuvering her way through the forest when she'd sensed a foreign chakra signature. Naturally, she assumed it had been her sensei and had approached to investigate and report to the others.

However what she hadn't been expecting was the animialistic boy and his dog that promptly toppled her into the ground. A flash of canine teeth and the weight of a bulky body crashing into her was all she could recall. After forcing all the air out of her with a massive body slam that left them both sprawled in a tangle of limbs on the forest floor, they had both been disoriented and stunned, unable to do naught more than groan in pain.

However, that had all ended shortly after Kiba opened his slitted eyes to come face to face with her own wide eyed lavender eyes that stared in a daze. In that moment of his intense gaze neither of them had moved and seemed to cease breathing, and Hinata was ashamed to admit the intense attention painted her face a startling tomato red as the blood rushed to her face.

A moment passed and then, as if burned or jolted by lightning, Kiba's slitted eyes became almost imperceivable and a mouth full of fangs opened wide to let out the most girlish scream Hinata had ever known. It seemed an eternity before it ended, but by that time Kiba had scrambled his way off of her and ended with his back to a tree. Ever since then he couldn't stop screeching nonsense and colliding with the tree again and again as if he would somehow phase through it if only he tried harder.

It was all quite frightening.

Hinata didn't know what to do, for no one had ever raised their voice to her in such a way before, and after this, she hoped no one ever would. Several times she had attempted to calm him after scrambling unsteadily to her feet, but he never allowed her to get closer than a few feet from him. She didn't want to push it either, she feared any more shock and he would really lose it and begin throwing things mindlessly.

He was very much the cornered animal at this moment. One bad move and it would furiously attack it's predator in an instict to live. And so there they were, at a stalemate yet again.

"P-please, let's just t-think for a m-m-moment!" She pleaded, arms raised in a surrender position with palms facing him. Though that didn't seem to comfort him at all, because his eyes constantly darted from her face to her hands as if they would attack him at any moment.

"I-I won't h-hurt you!" She added desperately.

"_Uh huh, I bet that's what you tell all your victims!" _

Victims? Did he really...He couldn't! He couldn't...fear her...could he?

Deep breaths, she reminded herself, though his panicky state wasn't helping her out one bit. In fact, with every moment spent in his presence her own anxiety raced. Her heart beat to an unhealthy pace and sweat soon coated her body, any more of this and she fear she'd faint, or worse, cry.

She was so preoccupied with him that she nearly forgot about his puppy companion.

Akamaru stood idly by, his head lowered with his paws placed over his head. He trembled and whined insistently, as if he and Kiba were literally linked and the pup shared his anxiety. If Hinata wasn't so currently preocuppied, she may have thought it cute, though now was certainly not a moment for doting. Though the dogs presence did comfort her some, perhaps he would be able to get through to his stupor-induced partner?

"A...Akamaru?" She inquired, and was rewarded when said pup lifted his head just the slightest, and one onyx eye peered up at her.

"Please h-help. K-K-Kiba...S-something's w-wrong...I-I..." She stuttered, hoping beyond hope that Akamaru's nin-dog status allowed him to communicate with others aside from his partner.

In any case, the dog seemed to understand and take a moment to collect himself. Once standing upright and strong, as big as the small dog could make himself, he seemed to analyze Kiba's condition. After a moment of proper accession he took a few long strides to his master's side, sniffed curiously, and opened his little jaw and subsequently bit him.

On the hand. _Hard._

...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Kiba yelped, "Akamaru! What the heck!"

Kiba founded himself backed against a tree, coated in sweat, and hand stinging viciously all for a reason he couldn't seem to recall right this moment. Though the sting he felt was undoubtly from the fact that Akamaru's jaws were currently clamped down onto it. Though that still didn't explain why he couldn't recall why his heart was racing, nor why his lungs ached for air suddenly.

Momentarily, after Akamaru seemed to think he'd calmed proficiently, his small jaws released his hand. It was small comfort to Kiba, who now saw the crimson blood leaking from the offending puncture marks. In an instinct to ease the pain he brought his hand to his mouth and began to gingerly suck the would clean, all the while grumbling to his dog.

When the scent of blood finally receded, he was once again brought alert by _that _scent, and in a moment of horror recalled he was not alone and why, precisely, he was not alone. _She _was here. Worse, he'd caused himself to be near her when he'd foolishly attacked without a second thought. He'd doomed himself and his first offical day as a ninja wasn't even over.

"I-I-It's y-y-you...H-H-H-Hinata..." He sputtered, tongue betraying him as his normally cool tone teetered on the edge of a small girl hopelessly terrified. He bit his tongue to stop the flow of babble, but it was too late, she'd already heard and was currently focused on him. Those pearlypurple eyes solely concentrated on him, though for the moment she looked just as shaken as he felt.

"Y-Yes...A-Are y-you okay, K-K-Kiba?" She managed to stammer out, looking partly relieved for him but more so for herself. He must've scared her while he lapsed into his fear. A pang of guilt was felt, though it was quickly washed away with another bout of fear from a mental image of exploding innards.

After another moment of awkward silence and hostile atmosphere, he found he just couldn't keep it up. Her innocent question, paired with her attentive gaze and obvious concern, humbled him. He wasn't quite ready to let his guard down yet, though he supposed acting with such hostility wasn't quite fair either. After all, she had plenty of chances to Gentle Fist him while he was in his panicked state, and as far as he could tell, his insides had yet to be exploded.

He took the opportunity to clear his throat and breathe, though he still couldn't force himself to look into those soul peering eyes quite yet. "Y-yeah. Sorry I...scared you." Though clearly Hinata wasn't the only one scared in this situation.

His calm demeanor seemed to affect her as well, for she too settled herself into a more comfortable kneeling position in front of him and allowed herself a deep breath before a genuine smile appeared on her face. Though when his eyes finally rose to meet hers she squeaked and snapped her head down once more, hands rising to fumble as she struggled for words.

He sighed, not that he minded not having to face her eyes for the time being, it was a bit discerning how afraid she seemed to be of him. Though he didn't blame her, not when he was certain he was more fearful of her than her of him right now.

"Don't worry, Kiba."

She didn't stutter. And for some reason, that brought a slight smile to his face for just a moment.

...

And then that moment ended.

A shrill trill of laughter from the surrounding area sounded. Immediately the two ninjas jumped and whipped around wildly in search of the infiltrator. To their bewilderment it was their sensei, only their sensei was partially phased into the tree above them and was currently doubled over in laughter.

Part of him wanted to scream, 'I told you so!' considering this proved he actually _had _smelled their sensei at the time he'd tackled Hinata, though the other half wanted to strangle himself for ever being so fooled...Genjutsu 101: Phasing. Even he could recall that...

Kiba, with all his wrath, cursed his life to Hell even as his own face flushed. He didn't think it could get much worse at that moment, when Shino appeared in a flourish of insects. The only relief with Shino's appearance was the fact he was just as stone-faced as ever, and if he felt any amusement at their situation, he masked it smoothly.

Just when the awkward moment passed and Kiba was ready to declare a bad situation avoided, it happened.

Hinata tripped, or perhaps more accurately, fell. She had just scrambled to her feet, struggling to speak so greatly that it came out in an incoherent jumble, when her clumsy footing sent her stumbling back down almost the moment she got up. Gravity took over and she fell.

Fell on him. And her hands, her damned hands that had outstretched to catch herself collided right with his body. More specifically, his head.

'_Here it comes,' _he thought as he faded into the darkness, thinking his matter of unconsciousness was a direct result of her Gentle Fist rendering his brains to jelly. _'Death by Gentle Fist just like Hana warned...Damn sisters and being right all the time...'_

Turns out, Kiba didn't die. Though he would mostly likely have wished to at that moment. For the first time, Kiba had _fainted_. Thankfully it would be the first and last time, though not for Hinata, who would soon faint enough for the both of them.

_..._

Hinata would always remember that day with fondness. It had been the first time she ever felt unintentionally intimidating. It was the first time she'd ever seen Kiba faint. And perhaps most importantly, it was the first time she'd felt like she could find a place for herself. Right there in Team 8, as they all laughed at Kiba's misfortune and pitied his unconscious state.

It would only be after they'd all ate that Kurenai-sensei announced they'd all passed in their own amusing way, though Hinata knew she meant they were just too amusing to fail. Kiba had woken and subsequently wolfed down his food as if nothing ever happened, and Hinata didn't push him.

She never did find out what exactly about her had scared him so terribly, though she believed it had something to do with his family and her's. And perhaps a little something to do with exploding organs. Before she knew it, Kiba's mother and his sister, who she had learned to be named Tsume and Hana, arrived and said they were here for Kiba.

After introductions were made, Hinata felt terribly insecure as both Inuzuka women scrutinized her for a moment before turning to Kiba, who in turn colored a sickly pale and sputtered all the way home with the too women tousling his hair, punching his shoulder and doubling over in laughter the entire time as their nin-hounds followed suit. And Hinata thought _her _Clan was strange.

Such a strange family they made, the bug whisperer, the dog boy, and the Hyuga heiress. But a family nontheless.

A/N: Hope it made sense! It all seemed to be just a bunch of jumbled words to me, but perhaps after editing it again and again it finally panned out...What do you think? Like? Hate? Have any suggestions? I'd love to hear some! :D


	3. Fainting Firsts

Chapter 3-Fainting Firsts

...

Kiba didn't know what to expect the first time he met Naruto Uzumaki in the company of Hinata. She fainted, of course, but he was always there to catch her. Frankly he didn't blame her, for rhe sight of the Uzumaki never failed in making the hairs on the back of Kiba's neck stand alert. He wouldn't realize it quiet yet, but they did so for entirely different reasons.

...

"So Kiba, y-you walk with Akamaru e-everyday like this, right?" The timid Hyuga prodded curiously as the pair meandered their way through an abnormally busy street of Kohona. Kiba supposed this was to be expected, after all, the Chunnin Exams were right around the corner and, as a result, everyone was preparing like no tomorrow and running around as if aflame.

The thought made Kiba grin. In a matter of weeks he'd become a Chunnin...so near he could practically smell it. The very thought made him tremble with excitement. No more ridiculous cat-catching, ditch-digging D-rank missions for him come the Exams.

However, Hinata on the other hand, wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the whole ordeal as Kiba was. She simply didn't feel the confidence needed to take the step into Chunnin life. Unlike Kiba, she was perfectly content with the somewhat ridiculous tasks placed on them as Genin, and even those proved a challenge to her at times.

It wasn't really the fact it meant more dangerous missions for her future that concerned her, but the idea that all attention would be on her and everyone would be on the lookout for her many flaws as a ninja-even if it was only for a mere moment. They would see what a failure she was and mark her as a dishonor to her Clan and villiage both. Though the fact both Shino and Kiba would be subsequently counting on her for aid-which she wasn't even sure she could provide-didn't help either.

No, as far as Hinata was concerned, she'd probably be more of a hindrance than a help at this point. But alas, a three man team were the only acceptable applicants eligible for the Exams...So she'd have to, if not for herself, but for them.

"Yup! Akamaru loves it, isn't that right boy?" Kiba howled as his canine partner bounded ahead of them with gusto that Hinata couldn't help but think was a bit cute. The pup weaved in and out of the unsuspecting villiagers legs, and Kiba howled with laughter when a particularly burly ninja fell to the ground when Akamaru deftly sweeped his feet out from under him.

Since their first training session together, Kiba was proud to say he'd safely quelled his fear of the Gentle Fist style, though that didn't stop his sister from holding it over him like a trophy every time the Hyuga was mentioned. For weeks on end he'd heard nothing but retelling of his own fear of the 'innocent' and 'dainty' Hyuga teammate of his, and still-unfortunately-continued to hear so.

It wasn't _his_ fault that those dainty, innocent hands of hers were perfectly capable of imploding a grown man's innards with one strike.

The Hyuga merely smiled at his reply, now just as much relieved over his now relaxed demeanor towards her than he was. Now that she didn't have to witness anymore traumatizing break downs from the Inuzuka teammate, they were both really quite at ease around one another. Though she did refrain from using her Gentle Fist as much as possible in his vicinity.

Poor Kiba...Did he realize he still flinched every time her palms made contact with his body or other training material whilst sparring?

"How wonderful! I-I've always w-wanted a d-dog..." She chimed, now comfortable enough to speak the her mind, no matter how irrelevant the statement, in his presence. Kiba never minded anyway, he was quite the chatterbox when prompted after all.

Thankfully, both had benefited from this mutual acceptance, as since then Kiba had been graciously aiding her with training whenever possible-something she would be eternally grateful for. His keen eyesight and even better combative instincts allowed her to pinpoint mistakes and sharpen her skills that she would otherwise miss on her own. Much like Kiba himself was a talented blacksmith forging her to be his own prized weapon, and she the delicate metal awaiting reformation under his supervision.

Hopefully, she'd become a weapon capable of taking action against her enemies.

Not that Kiba himself wasn't privately pleased that the excerises together waned his fear. It seemed the more time he spent around the Hyuga, watching her every move whilst swallowing the burning bile that rose to his throat and shaking off the neck hair raising fear, the less those feelings overwhelmed him-and the more they benefited. She trained to become a better ninja...He trained to overcome his somewhat shameful fear...

Shino also helped-when he was able-saying something along the lines of 'A comrade aids his comrades in whatever way possible, so I will do the same for mine own'. Kiba had muttered something of the same reasonings, though sometimes she wondered if he really just wanted her to be less of a deadweight for the Exams.

She wouldn't blame him either-for she too wanted to be strong and make them proud. And Kiba was oh-so very excited for the Exams, she wouldn't stand for it if he didn't pass because of her. And though Shino never really said much at all, she always saw the glint of his eyes whenever the Exams were discussed, and knew-he too-shared this excitement.

So even if he helped her for selfish reasons, so be it. Anything for her teammates and Clan's approval.

Hinata couldn't help but think though, in moments like this where he'd invite her to do things afterwards like walk Akamaru, or even when Shino 'needed' her help with bug hunting-she thought she could feel the bond forming between them. Each day it grew stronger, and the knowledge that they offered to let her escape from her detestable family if only for a moment in favor of their company only reinforced it.

Kiba just laughed at her statement, whistling lowly as Akamaru heeded his master's call and returned to loping by his side faithfully. Akamaru was progressing wonderfully as a nin-dog as he practically defined 'protector' and 'obidient' to a fault. But then again, Kiba was an excellent master when he wanted to be, and it showed with the bond they shared and absolute loyalty they carried to one another. "Then I suppose we could just share Akamaru then, right Hinata?"

Of course, he'd been joking. Kiba would never 'share' his beloved dog. But nonetheless, the comment made Hinata smile and laugh, and she supposed, thinking later, that had been the purpose of his statement all along.

...

"I-I love t-to...t-that is...if Akamaru doesn't m-mind!" The heiress replied, after recovering from her laughing as Akamaru situated himself between the pair walking down the street-yipping merrily as his little pink tongue stuck out his mouth.

"Are you crazy? Akamaru loves you! Of course, he wouldn't mind!" Kiba assured, and he supposed to a degree, it was true.

Absolutely nothing could replace the bond Kiba and Akamaru shared, but Hinata was pretty close. This surprised Kiba immensely, for ever since the day Hinata had proclaimed Akamaru 'cute', the pup had always insisted otherwise and subsequently detested her for voicing such a thought aloud. Though that quickly ended when a generous belly rubbing was given to him one day after training.

Afterwards, all Akamaru could think of was her and her 'magical' belly rubbing abilities. For days onward he ranted on and on about the amount of care and gentleness she possessed that was just too rare in any one Inuzuka, and the pup gradually loved the change from the rambuncious and rough lifestyle all Inuzuka's embraced in favor of her much more polite and subtle approach from time to time. Strange almost, considering Inuzuka's often tended to keep to themselves as most outsiders often branded them as 'barbarians' or 'scoundrels'as befitted their loud and rough nature.

Regardless, after hearing such great things from his pup, what kind of cruel master wouldn't allow his dog to see the object of his affection?

Kiba certianly couldn't, and soon found himself volunteering for things like aiding in her training or simply walking about Kohona with the heiress in tow. Not that he minded, for eventually- he too-began to see the changes from his inset preconceptions about the uptight and strict, 'untouchable' Hyuga clan to the meek and insufferably polite girl before him, and soon found his once fear of her transform into something akin to friendship.

Yes, Kiba's pack was now gradually expanding. First to Hinata, then to Shino, and now Kurenai-sensei as well.

Every day he learned new things about them, and they learned new things about him as well. It was quite interesting, as before Kiba had only breifly met with the other 'troublemakers' of the Academy to ditch class or partake in some other form of 'goofing-off', as was just now establishing some form of 'relations' with his teammates. An interesting experience no doubt, as it began with his blinding fear of all things Hyuga and eventually progressed to a mismatched sort of respectful disgust of everything 'insect' and now made itself clear that Kiba personally felt genjutsu was the worst form of jutsu and vowed never to learn or teach it anytime soon.

For the record, he was just happy their was only _one _genjutsu specialist in all of Kohona, though it didn't really help his matter much as the _only _genjutsu master of Kohona happened to be _his_ sensei...Nonetheless...No one ever said they didn't make for an interesting team, that's for sure.

Regardless, Kiba knew it was only a matter of time before he ran into _him_...again. After all, how could you not? He was only the biggest, most annoying loudmouth and strangely talented prankster in all of Leaf. Just like that however, he paused in the street, startling a confused Hinata who nearly ran into him at his abrupt halt in front of her.

Damn it all, his mother always warned him the devil would appear whenever he most wanted him not to.

One sniff...Ramen. _'Alright',_ he thought, _'no biggie...Ramen is super popular and I'm sure it could be anyone'_. Not that Naruto wasn't famed for practically living and breathing the stuff day in and day out. Regardless, the smell made his stomach roil. Kiba, most Inuzukas actually, weren't huge fans of the over sodiumed, noodly soup Kohona was famed for. Inuzukas generally prefered more meat in their meals to anything else.

A second sniff. Was that...super glue? That had 'prank' written all over it. He definetly wouldn't put it past Naruto to use a bit of 'creative T-L-C' with his usually ingenius pranks...made them more interesting, he claimed. That was for sure, after all, how much more interesting could it get when he'd super glued Iruka-sensei to his chair? One thing was for sure, if Naruto was half as clever in his ninja skills as he was with his pranks, he'd be leagues ahead of them all.

A last, defining sniff. Currently ignoring Hinata-who stood faithfully behind him and began to smell slightly of worry- he smelled a final, deciding element. Angry presences. One, who smelled distinctly of smoke and pure strength, appeared to be Sasuke who was red hot on the sniffee's trail. Another, just behind Sasuke, reeked of cherry blossoms and fangirlishness, was no doubt Sakura Haruno herself- also in pursuit of Sasuke's target.

Kiba chuckled to himself-it was Naruto. No one else could cause both the usually deadpan Uchiha and the feigning innocent Sakura to rile up in such a way. Poor suckers, to get stuck with someone as truly infuriating as Naruto for a teammmate...

Sure enough, a very confused Hinata just had time to peek around the edges of his jacket when a orange and yellow blur came streaking through the street, bowling over innocent bystanders and shrieking apologises even as a dark blue and cotton candy pink blur followed after him.

A fireball just barely missed the young ninja's feet as he narrowly dodged it, effectively charring the ground and making bystanders gasp and shriek. No doubt a nice gift from the one and only remaining Uchiha around. Once again, Kiba was proven correct as Sasuke halted a moment to yell after him, bloody Sharingan eyes tracking for any sight of orange and yellow.

"Naruto, you loser! Better hope I don't catch you!" He growled, making a fist with one hand. Kiba almost doubled over in laughter at the sight of his other hand, which Naruto appeared to have super glued chopsticks to as his most recent prank. No doubt making the necessary hand signals for the fire jutsu very, very difficult. Nonetheless, a few more grumbles of 'loser' and 'idiot' was heard before the Uchiha skulked off again, hellbound determined to catch the chopstick gluer before the days end.

Hinata began to mumble something along the lines of 'poor Naruto' when Kiba was once again proven correct as his last scent appeared in the form of Sakura herself. However, due to her own lack of athleticism, she was lagging much farther behind Sasuke and was now panting as she stopped briefly to rest. Apparently raw emotions, like anger, could only fuel her for so long. Once again, luck seemed to favor Naruto, as Kiba had personally experienced the power behind those feeble looking hands of Sakura's the one time he'd let Akamaru feast on her outstanding homework, and it was not pleasant.

"Naruto...I'll get my hands on you...and then...you'll regret the day...you pranked...Sasuke..." She huffed, now bent over as she fought for air. Kiba shook his head, clearly the kunoichi possessed so much potential-as did Hinata-he could just _smell_ it. But with Sasuke harboring her every thought, even Kiba knew she would never reach her full potential, she was too focused on being a pretty face with a intelligent mind.

Regardless she seemed to realize Sasuke was now on the move once again, and frantically snapped her head up to scan for the black haired ladykiller. However, being as Sakura possessed no kekkai genkai and no other notable tracking skills, she gave a dejected sigh and chose a random direction to begin running towards at a much slower pace. Several shouts of 'cha' and 'Naruto' later echoed from her as she faded into the distance.

Now with all the once frozen citizens resumed their busy work, presumebly believeing to be safe yet again, Kiba took a breath before turning to Hinata nonchalantly.

"Well, that was pretty crazy wasn't it?" He mused as Akamaru settled himself atop Kiba's awaiting head. "Then again, I suppose everything that has to do with Naruto normally is right?"

However, much to Kiba's dismay, the stuttering, cherry red Hinata could only nod after several failed attempts of speaking. Kiba noted this, and thought it was strange to have her revert into such a secluded and nervous stage yet again when just moments before she'd been close to relaxed, if Hinata could relax, that is. Akamaru seemed to note this as well, and the two promptly escorted Hinata back to her home uneventfully, as the girl still couldn't seem to form coherent words after the whole ordeal.

Akamaru would later brush it off as being shaken after such a catastrophic event, but Kiba wouldn't truly understand for several days later.

...

Several days later, they met Naruto again. And it wasn't much better than before.

Shino, Kiba, Hinata and Akamaru-of course-had just left the newest meat oriented resturant in the Leaf-a much deserved reward after their first completed mission from Kurenai-sensei-when he collided with them again, quite literally. Luckily Kiba had sensed the incoming bulldozer before it's arrival and had plently of time to avoid the fleeing Naruto. Shino-who typically hung back anyway-also didn't have a problem.

Hinata, on the other hand, had no such luck.

Together, the blur that was the one and only Naruto collided head-on with an unsuspecting Hinata who had been currently wrapped away in her own world-leagues away from reality. Unfortunately, her Byakugan, which was amazing in itself, still didn't appear to had evolved into the nonexistent 'psychic' sight stage yet.

A feminine squeal and Naruto's own high pitched grunt was heard and the two found themselves sprawled on the ground, just moments before a seething Sakura decided that rather than leap over the fence, she would use her rare inhumane strength to punch through it. Kiba had a sickening feeling of deja-vu.

Regardless Shino and himself watched on as Sakura opened her mouth to chew out the fallen Naruto-no doubt to reprimand him for something or other wrongdoing he did to Sasuke this time- when Naruto's own voice interrupted her.

"Hinata!?" He screeched as the two fought to untangle one another, or rather Naruto did-Hinata lay frozen an icicle. "Man, you gotta watch where you're going next time, I could've really hurt you!"

This statement made Kiba growl, just like Naruto to blurt something stupid. It was quite typical of him, for Naruto never realized Hinata had been minding her own business, and it had been Naruto himself who'd torn down the streets and bowled her over. Then again, most of the people nowdays had developed a keen sense of 'Naruto-Alert' and promptly dove for the nearest wall or shelter whenever an incoming Naruto was sensed-just as Shino and Kiba had done just before the incident.

"Oh yeah, Naruto, it's completely Hinata's fault." Kiba growled, voice dripping with sarcasm and Akamaru moved to nip at the inferior ninja's ankles, aiding the process of removing Naruto from Hinata's stiff and unresponsive body. He didn't think she'd fainted quite yet-though she was certainly acting it-because her eyes were wide as dinner plates and roamed around constantly.

As usual, Naruto didn't pick up on this, and continued on, now struggling with a determined Akamaru nipping at his heels. "Well, she was the one who was crowding the street after all." He belowed, legs desperately trying to shake off the pup and somehow managing to cower away from the Sakura who was red-hot with anger.

Shino, being ever so...Shino, decided now was the perfect opprotunity to intervene. "Naruto, I believe what Kiba is trying to communicate to you, is that your collision with Hinata was a result of your own actions, not hers. In short, you are to blame here, not Hinata."

Akamaru yipped, a clear sign of agreement while Kiba crossed the distance to aid Hinata to her feet, which she thanked him graciously for after his touch brought her back to her-more or less-disoriented senses. Shino remained in his position and Naruto was currently backed into the only undemolished line of fencing that remained while Sakura's shadow appeared to swallow him entirely.

Kiba secretly hoped Sakura gave him a good one. Perhaps if he was more skilled with genjutsu, a paralzyer wouldn't be too bad of an idea either.

But Hinata wasn't having any of it. "N-no, guys, r-r-really i-it's m-my f-fault! I s-s-shouldn't b-be so c-c-clumsy!" She pleaded as she steadied herself, but she failed to sound convincing considering she immmediantly began to play with the fur lining the bottom of her coat and simply refused to meet anyone's eyes.

She was a terrible liar. Though Naruto bought it anyway.

"See!? What did I tell you guys!?" Naruto screeched and then grumbled something about them 'never knowing when he was right' as he crouched to detach Akamaru from his now demolished pant leg, but failed to unclamp the jaws that were currently sinking into the material.

"Bull! Hinata, you saw what happened! It's totally Naruto's fault!" Kiba argued, with a discreet nod from Shino that may as well doubled as a hoot of consent. Naruto wasn't getting out of this one unscathed, Naruto had been causing all too-much trouble since he attained his Genin status, and it would only get worse until someone taught him a very violent, very excruciating lesson.

And Kiba, and perhaps Sasuke and Sakura, where just the ones to do so. See, ever since his beginnings as the Academy, Kiba had put it on himself that he would 'thin out the pack' as the Inuzuka saying went, and seperate the strong from the weak. Unfortunately, that led to many clashes with the hopeless Naruto, and subsequently also labeled Kiba as a 'bully'.

He remembered scoffing at the term when getting lectured about it profusely. What they called 'bully' he called 'alpha-male'. Few others held the title, such as Sasuke, Neji, and himself, but they were nonetheless worthy, if not profusely cocky about it.

A call from his mother had her explaining to the various staff at the Academy that he was acting on Inuzuka instinct alone, and got him free from punishment, much to Naruto's young dismay. However, that didn't escape him from literally sleeping in the doghouse for a full-on week while he learned to 'seperate his Inuzuka instincts from outsiders'. Apparently 'alpha-maling' everyone in his vicinity was 'unethical' and much too 'roughian-like' for the others.

Since then, he had calmed somewhat, and instead of using physical attacks, he instead switched to verbal, and continued his seperational tactics. That got him several soap-mouth washings-but even so, Kiba just couldn't resist teasing the overexuberent Naruto about his foolish Hokage dreams. Him, Hokage? Laughable.

Naruto was what Kiba classified as a 'Chihahu amoung nin-dogs', all bark and no bite. Sakura remained a somewhat docile personified labradoodle, for one with so much potential and yet overshadowed it with her 'important' looks yet all the while showcasing her inherit intelligence. Sasuke and himself were top dog breeds like german shepards or great danes that would rise to the top of the food chain in no time.

Which, unfortunately for him, put Naruto at the bottom of the food chain.

"Naruto..." He growled, putting Hinata's abrupt comment to a even more abrupt halt. "It's time someone taught you a lesson."

Sakura barked her consent, and long story short, Naruto did not walk away that night. Simply put, he couldn't walk. Sakura had literally beat him to a pulp with a sort of malicious glee as she cursed him up and down the street. Of course, Kiba couldn't resist throwing in his own attacks-more to intimidate than to actually harm-of course.

A nice black eye from Kiba significantly improved his appearance, and a fat lip from a particularly vicious bite from Akamaru completed the look, though a few harmless scratches and bruises marring the rest of his body didn't go unnoted either. And so, the medic-corp finally arrived to see a beaten, bloodied, and now poorly clothed-thanks to Kiba and Akamaru's efforts-Naruto moaning in agony.

Kiba had expected a scolding, or at the worst, banishment from the Chunnin Exams he'd been so keen on taking. However, it seems that with everything running so high with the Chunnin Exams just days away combined with the growing dislike of anything Naruto these days, all he got was a quick stern headshake of disapproval from the medics before they rushed him off to the hospital. Though Kiba liked to think they were annoyed at the extra work, rather than what they had done to the well-deserving Naruto.

Sakura, of course, put on her flawless facade. Smiling innocently while explaining the situation as a tragic mishap even as she blushed and batted her eyelashes at the bewildered crewmembers. Kiba sniffed, girls like that were just...too much girl.

Shino had nodded in approval before consenting to train with them for a few hours, as they had been meaning to for some time now. Though Kiba knew he'd probably get some offhand comment later, whether it was a belittlement or a praise.

By which time he turned to Hinata, and was shocked to see her form out cold on the concrete. Akamaru sniffed her curiously and whined when he turned back to Kiba with no answer as to how she got into this state. Right then and there, as Kiba dutifully lifted her onto his back for a long delivery of her prone form home, he chalked it up to the stress of the situation. She had never handled violence well, after all.

He sighed, he wondered if she'd be ready for the Exams. And if not, he knew he would blame himself for both pushing her into the Exam itself and not training her to her full potential.

It would be much, much later when he finally reflected back onto this strange circumstance and realized at some point it had been Naruto who had caused her to become like this. For at one point, he'd dashed right against her to use her as a temporary sheild from Kiba and Sakura's onslaught- and thus the contact caused her to faint from the rush of blood and emotions.

Just another thing to add to Kiba's list of 'Why Naruto Is the Bane of My Existence.'

Leaving Kiba to pick up the pieces, as always.

Though Hinata said nothing when she finally came to and the situation was explained, but the quiver of her lips meant disproval. Kiba understood this least of all, Naruto had well deserved what he got, whether she saw it that way or not. Regardless what was done was done. She would understand in time.

He was certain of it.

And until she grew a backbone, he would be there with enough for the both of them. He made damn sure of that.


End file.

Naruto, Humor, Romance