From Present to Future

Chapter 7

The sphere stopped glowing showing the end of her projections.

Now another one will go.

The genins were looking at each other. Waiting for the next person to go. But who will that be? One from Team 7, one from Team 10. Really they should have put some slot or something. Pressuring us poor genins. Hmph. Was the thought of one of them. But lets keep some secret between us, okay.

Now with Sakura and Ino done, the elders and sensei waited for the next person to come forth. And they didn't had to wait for long. A meek voice spoke.

"I,....uh...I would like t-to g-go." A lavender hair girl spoke. Hinata Hyuga. The meekest girl among rookies.

Seeing someone taking a step, especially someone like Hinata, the Hokage smiled warmly, encouraging the girl to go forth.
Hinata, moved forward, not once daring to look at her father. Seeing Sakura and Ino's future, and how proud their parents looked, she hoped, maybe her future too would be good enough to atleast get one small acknowledgement from her father. No, she doesn't think too highly of herself to ever imagine her father being proud of her. But an acknowledgement, yes she could expect that, right. She atleast has that right. She is scared. Very very scared. She doesn't want to be a disappointment to her father. She already is but if her future self is too...... Before her thoughts could continue their path, she bumped into someone. Looking up she met with a whiskered cheek boy. She,....uh,....

"Ne Hinata, don't be scared. You are awesome, now or future, doesn't matter. I believe in you. Go and show everyone the awesome Hinata that I know of". The boy grinned at her, showing all his teeth. Putting his thumb up, he declared rather loudly, " You are gonna rock Hinata, BELIEVE IT."

That brought her spirits up. Yeah, she can do it. Her father will too look her way. She will make sure of that. Future or not, the one who will decide all of it is the present her. She smiled back at Naruto. Finally she moved and reached the sphere. For last time she looked back and prepared herself for whatever her possible future holds for her.
She hopes like Ino, she too get her love and like Sakura, she too find her strength.

It's time now.

The projection started.

Training ground 67. Two people can be seen fighting. One is wearing fishnet T-shirt and orange pants while other is wearing lavender color sports bra and cargo pants. The two surprisingly were Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga. It seems the spar has been going on for sometime now, seeing how the ground is littered around with kunais, shurikens, and other ninja tools. Some trees obliterated and grass burnt. It was surprising how well they were sparring and brutally dare one say. They kept fighting for sometime before one defeated the other. Naruto Uzumaki stood behind the Hyuga heiress with a kunai placed at her neck. Admitting the end of the fight, they both went towards their bags to grab water.

Now looking at the two, they both had surely grown quite a bit. While the Hyuga heiress height hasn't changed by much, her hair has grown to shoulder length,  her eyes no longer held that shyness. Albeit the gentleness is still there but not the naivete. She has developed in other areas as well. She truly matured beautifully.

The blonde on the other hand is another story. Its like he had a growth spurt or something. Standing 5'9" tall, the boy looked smart. His hair more spiky now, the fishnet showing his perfect abs and a broad chest. Like Lee, his face no longer had that baby fat but has taken a square shape with more pronounced, wide jawline. The boy too matured handsomely.

Having gained some spirit back, it was Hinata who spoke first.

"Thank you Naruto-kun for helping me spar. With Kiba and Shino gone on a mission, I really had no one to train."

"Anytime Hinata" Smiled the blonde ninja. "But why didn't you go on the mission?"

Looking down, she really didn't know how to tell her companion why she didn't go. Can she really tell him her father has asked the Hokage to demote his own daughter from her ninja status. Or can she tell him how her father wants to put a curse seal mark over her head and practically disown her. How could she when she is asking him to train her. How can she just tell him all of this might just go in waste if that is what her father wants.

"Its your father, right?" The blonde spoke  again.

Or may be she didn't have to tell him. Like always he knew what is bothering her without her ever saying a word. Busy in her thoughts she once again forgot to reply to the blonde. A warm hand made its way to her cheeks before lifting it up. A gesture the said person really likes to do.

His cerulean blue eyes met her pupilless ones.

"Hinata, you can only be suppressed as long as you want the others to suppress you. Don't hide. They will take it as your weakness, not strength." A sad smile adorned the whiskered face. Like someone telling this from experience. Those eyes which always held mischieviousness, carelessness and are always shinning like twinkling of stars, now had immense pain in them. Open for her to see.

" Naruto-kun, how can you be so nice to me after what I did to you. When we were 7-......." Her eyes again met his but this time the coldness in them chilled her to the bone. She knew she shouldn't have said that, not brought the incident from the past.

Naruto, having realized his mistake, looked sideways before hiding his emotions behind a smile, like always. "Hinata, what's in past is past. Lets not go there" Patting the girl on her shoulder, he started his walk back to konoha but then turned around in mid step, addressing the girl once more.

" Hinata, you make your own life. What happened 7 years ago, you couldn't control it but what happens now, you can control it. Don't make the same mistake Hinata. "

With that the boy left, leaving the Hyuga heiress to her own thoughts.

"You know the brat is right."

Hinata jumped in fright at the new voice. How she didn't notice the new arrival; some ninja she is. Turning towards the voice, she saw a familiar face. The one she saw in Chunnin exams.
Anko Mitarashi stood there, leaning against a tree, chewing on a  pocky stick. Her clothes, like usual, were way too revealing. But Hinata doesn't mind. She, in fact, wish to be like that. Bold and carefree.

" Ohaiyo, Anko-sensei", greeted Hinata softly. No matter how much she tries, she can never speak harshly. That's one of the reason her father finds her unfit to lead the clan.

" Hinata Hyuga....I see."Anko moved out of trees to walk towards the lavender haired girl.

"Listen here princess, starting today you are my student. You will do what I say, how I say and when I say. No questions asked." The T&I dept head spoke seriously.

Hinata nodded and walked towards her sensei. Stopping a few feet from her new sensei, she bowed respectfully and greeted her new sensei. "Its pleasure to meet you Anko sensei. I will be in your care from now on."

" You know I never wanted to take a meek girl like you in. Like your father, I too think you can never be a leader. Ninja world is not for softies like you". Anko looked at her soon-to-be-student, waiting to see some reaction but the girl kept her head down. She could only continue. " But I lost a bet to that brat and he wants me to train you. But again that's not how I work. So Hinata Hyuga, prove me you are worth my time. Fight me. But loose and I will drop you. Understand? "

Hinata looked up. Naruto-kun did. Fire and determination burned in her eyes. She wants to prove herself. Naruto-kun has already done enough for her. Now it is her time to write her own path. And she is not backing down. Not now. Not ever.

With that the two faced each other. Taking their fighting stance, the battle began.