Teuchi, Hinata

Although Naruto had moved out of the orphanage, his life hadn't improved much. The Third Hokage gave him money for living expenses, but it was barely enough to buy anything. And at the general store, all he could get was expired milk and cup noodles. When he walked down the street, people gave him strange, hostile looks. Sometimes children threw rocks at him, and the older kids would gang up and beat him.

Since he was often hungry, Naruto learned to hunt, fish, pick mushrooms in the forest, and gather wild fruit.

That day, Naruto went to the river to fish again. He'd taught himself by watching others; no one had shown him how. He'd made his own fishing rod, and whether he caught anything came down to luck. Clearly, his luck wasn't in. By dusk, he still hadn't caught a fish, and all he'd eaten were a few wild fruits.

Hungry, Naruto walked home, paying no attention to the hateful, malicious looks around him. A childlike smile never left his face.

He passed a shop called Ichiraku Ramen and caught the aroma wafting from inside. Naruto crouched by the entrance and peered in. Teuchi happened to notice the hopeful yet frightened look in his eyes, and kindly asked,

"Are you hungry, little guy? Would you like a bowl of ramen?"

"Um, but I don't have any money." Naruto had expected to be yelled at and thrown out. Staring at Teuchi's kind face, he answered blankly.

"That's all right, that's all right. I've got just a little bit of ingredients left over. It's free! Ayame, why don't you bring our little guest inside?" As he spoke, he began making the ramen.

Ayame came to the entrance, took Naruto by the hand, and led him to the table, where she had him sit down.

For the first time, Naruto saw no hatred or disgust in someone's eyes.

The ramen was ready before long. Teuchi piled on the toppings and asked Ayame to take the bowl over to Naruto.

"Hehe, one special tonkotsu chashu ramen, just for you. I hope you enjoy it!" She set the bowl down in front of Naruto.

The steaming ramen made Naruto swallow hard. Under the expectant gazes of Teuchi and Ayame, he picked up his chopsticks, pressed his hands together, and said, "Let's eat!" Then he tucked in. The moment the noodles touched his tongue, he froze. It was the best thing he'd ever eaten. As he ate, he kept saying, "It's delicious! So delicious!" Before long, he'd finished every noodle. He lifted the bowl and drank all the broth, too.

"Uncle, miss, thank you for the meal. That was the best food I've ever had." Naruto put down his chopsticks and thanked Teuchi and Ayame.

"Hahaha! Whenever you're hungry and want ramen, come by and I'll make you some," Teuchi said with a hearty laugh.

"Mm-hmm, thank you, Uncle. My name's Uzumaki Naruto. You can just call me Naruto. I have to go home now."

"Oh, all right. Ayame, see him off."

"No need, Uncle. I can get home by myself." Naruto waved to Ayame, then turned and left.

By the time Naruto stepped out of Ichiraku Ramen, it was already dark. He headed toward home. The street he took was deserted, with nothing but streetlights to illuminate it. People had lived there once, but after Naruto moved in, they'd gradually moved away.

He reached a dilapidated house, went up to the second floor, opened the door, and stepped inside.

"I'm home." Naruto said that every time he came home, but no one ever answered.

After washing up, Naruto lay in bed, thinking about what had happened that day. With a smile on his face, he drifted off to sleep.

Time flew by, and before long, winter arrived. Naruto went into the forest again that day, but now heavy snow was falling. He searched all day and found nothing. With night approaching, he had no choice but to head home.

As he walked, Naruto spotted a little girl crouched beneath a streetlight, quietly crying.

"What are you doing? Why are you all alone in a place like this?"

The little girl looked up at Naruto but didn't answer. She just kept crying.

"Don't just stand there crying."

"I... I..." the little girl managed to say in a faint voice.

"Where do you live?" Naruto asked. The little girl shook her head, indicating that she couldn't find her way home.

"Can't be helped. Come on, let's go." Seeing her shiver from the cold, Naruto took off his scarf and wrapped it around her. Then he took her hand and led her away.

At last, they reached a large house, and the little girl recognized it as her home. The words "Hyuga Clan" were written across its front.

"You've got such a huge house. Why were you crying? Look at me—I don't have a single person by my side, but I never, ever cry. Hehe." Naruto stared at the lavish house in amazement as he spoke to the little girl.

The little girl looked up at Naruto.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto. Hehe, see you!" When the little girl didn't answer, Naruto waved goodbye and left.

He didn't hear the little girl whisper, "My name... is Hinata Hyuga." By the time she said it, Naruto had already run off, so Hinata went inside.

As soon as she entered the house, a maid led her to her father, Hyuga Hiashi.

"Hinata, where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you." Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hinata with concern.

"Father, I went out to look for Uncle Hizashi, but I couldn't find him and got lost. Naruto brought me home."

Hiashi then told Hinata to go rest. His brows were furrowed, but no one knew what he was thinking...

Time flew by. Before long, two years had passed. The villagers still looked upon Naruto with hostility, and he carried on with his life as usual. When he had money, he went out for a bowl of ramen; when he didn't, he went into the forest to find food. But he hadn't noticed that, for all those two years, a little shadow had been following him. That little shadow was Hinata. She never approached him, only watched him from a distance.

That day, Naruto was wandering aimlessly near the Ninja Academy when he spotted several children bullying a little girl in the distance. It was Hinata Hyuga.

The oldest child pointed at Hinata and laughed.

"Aren't you from the Hyuga Clan? Show us your Byakugan!"

"Those eyes are so creepy."

"She's a monster! A Byakugan monster!"

They all laughed.

Naruto rushed over and stood in front of the little girl.

"Hey! Don't bully her!"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh, so you're that demon fox. You're both monsters. Who cares what you say?" The children rushed at Naruto and beat him savagely. One boy in green picked up a rock and hurled it at Naruto's head. With a thud, Naruto collapsed, blood slowly trickling from his head. The children were frightened by the sight of the blood and ran away. They didn't see the flash of light enter Naruto's mind.

Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared, scooped Naruto up, and hurried to the hospital. (This didn't happen in the original story; I changed it myself.)