Friends Hidden in the Leaves - 4

Haku noticed her timid voice. How could such a loud mouth and a shy girl become friends?

Naruto ran up to her. His face was one big grin, "Hi Hinata-chan! I told ya I'd be back!"

She nearly fainted when he hugged her. Was this a dream?

"I-I know..." Hinata answered softly. Her face was so red it resembled the shade of Gaara's hair.

"Hi...Naruto." The pink haired girl said with a small smile.

Naruto looked over the top of Hinata's head, "Oh...Sakura, um...hi."

Sakura? Gaara made note of her name, as did Haku. Time to get acquainted with the people of their new village.

Sakura appeared guilty-looking, and when the blonde finally backed away from Hinata, she bowed her head in apology.

"Naruto, I...I'm sorry for what I did to you. It wasn't fair. Ino she..." Sakura watched as the boy's face became mistrusting, "Ino…she wasn't nice. And I still want to be friends with you Naruto, I don't care what my parents say."

Gaara and Haku watched the blonde boy carefully. For once his face appeared grim. What was going on?

"So, are we still friends?" Sakura asked uncertainly.

The blonde's frown melted away, "I think we can be."

"You...you aren't mad?" The pink haired girl was relieved.

"No way! Friends stick together!" Naruto declared, brandishing his usual foxy grin, "Now, I want you two to meet my other friends I met outside Konoha!"

He grabbed Sakura and Hinata by the wrists and pulled them over to the two boys behind him.

Haku immediately liked the girls. He could sense they were agreeable, "Hello, I'm Haku."

Hinata nodded quietly while Sakura answered, "Nice to meet you!"

They turned to the red haired boy. He simply said, "Gaara."

"Don't worry, he doesn't talk much anyway," Naruto assured them, "And guys, this is Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan!"

Hinata wore a small smile and a huge blush, while Sakura was more open with them.

"So, where did you all meet?" The pink haired girl asked curiously.

"We all met each other in Kuro Town," Haku explained, "It was more of an accident really, but we all want to become ninja."

Gaara kept looking at Sakura's hair.

"Hinata and I are going to be ninja too!" Sakura announced, "We'll be the best kunoichi in the entire village!"

Hinata was silently praying that was true, since her father expected much from her.

Naruto looked curiously at Sakura, "So, Sakura-chan, where's Ino?"

"Oh, she..." She lowered her voice, "...I decided that we can't be friends anymore if she was going to be so mean to you."

"You didn't have to-"

"I know, but I wanted to," Sakura smiled, "And Hinata-chan is the best! We spent all day yesterday pressing flowers."

Hinata smiled, "Yes, it was nice."

A voice came from behind them, "Hinata-sama?"

The children looked back at a tall, dark haired man and a young boy. They both had the same eyes as Hinata. Gaara recognized them from before and he frowned, sensing something strange about them.

"Hinata-sama," The boy spoke again, "We should be going now."

She nodded quickly, "Oh...yes, Neji-niisan."

Hinata turned to her friends, "I...I should go home now."

Sakura and Naruto appeared the most disappointed that she couldn't stay.

"Can we see you tomorrow, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked hopefully.

The girl took another look at Neji and his father, and the solemn expression on Hizashi's face made it clear she would be confined to the Hyuga compound for a while.

"I...I don't think so. I'm sorry." She said softly, and she then turned to Haku and Gaara, "It was n-nice meeting y-you."

Haku smiled, "It was nice to meet you too, Hinata-chan." Gaara nodded in agreement, and watched as she went up to her uncle.

Naruto and Sakura appeared perplexed as to what was going on and why the tall man looked so upset. Neji looked at Gaara and Haku curiously, immediately recognizing, as his father had, that they were not natives of Hidden Leaf.

Before Neji could talk to the red haired boy he had seen before, Hizashi ushered them on, "Let's go you two."

Hinata waved goodbye to her friends as she fell in step with her uncle.

Naruto looked confused, "Neji-niisan? She never told me she had a brother!"

Sakura sighed, "She only has a little sister, Naruto. That was Neji, her cousin. She sort of considers him like a brother she can look up to."

Still, he didn't get it but nodded anyway.

"I saw them before." Gaara said and Haku looked at him.

"You mean when we left Hokage-sama's tower?" He asked.

Gaara nodded.

Naruto folded his arms behind his head, "I wonder what has them all so freaked out."

A sad look came over Sakura's face, "Didn't she tell you?"

The blonde looked at her oddly, "Tell me what?"

"Neji, Hinata's cousin," Sakura continued, drawing Gaara and Haku's attention, "She told me something about a seal that he'll be getting tomorrow. She said it isn't good, and that they haven't told him about it yet."

Haku didn't like the sound of it, "What kind of seal, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't know, she didn't say anything else after that."

"Well that's dumb," Naruto sniffed, still upset that Hinata had to go home so soon, "Why wouldn't they just tell him? Is it that bad?"

Gaara only frowned.

"He's a Branch Family member," Sakura added, "They all get it I, guess, so the Main Family stays stronger."

"Hinata-chan must be from the Main House of her clan then?" Haku realized.

"She is," The pink haired girl sat down on the swing, "But she's really worried. She told me that she doesn't want Neji to have this seal put on him."

"So don't let him get it!" Naruto resolved, "What's the big deal?"

There was a silence. Naruto's lack of understanding could be a pain at times.

"The point is its bad and we can't do anything about it." Gaara said shortly. Family matters didn't have to be publicized in his opinion.

"Who says?" Naruto smirked, "We'll go find Hinata-chan tomorrow and see if we can help her, uh, her cousin."

"You're crazy Naruto!" Sakura snapped, "Have you seen her house? It's huge! We'll never be able to get in."

"We can get in," Haku said, finding he liked Naruto's idea, "Jiraiya-sama has taught us how to climb trees using our chakra."

"Yeah!" Naruto recalled, "We'll just climb up the side of her house if they won't let us in!"

Again, the pink haired girl was flustered, "What will you do about guards? You can't just sneak into someone's house whenever you feel like it!"

"We'll be careful!" The blonde insisted.

"You'll get caught! And then what?"

"I can handle the guards if we have to." Gaara volunteered.

"You can't fight grown-ups!"

"Yes he can!" Naruto declared confidently and slapped Gaara's back, "Gaara's sand-power is awesome!"

Sakura couldn't believe how arrogant they were being. She turned to Haku and Gaara.

"Naruto's being silly! We can see Hinata-chan another day! Are you really going to listen to him?"

Haku nodded.

Unbelievable.

"Boys are so stupid..." Sakura grumbled. Was she the only one that realized that the Hyuga compound was nearly impenetrable and off limits to unwelcome outsiders?

Gaara took a long look at Sakura. She was smart, he liked that about her. But still, Haku had sided with Naruto's idea. Haku was also smart.

Was this really a bright idea?

"I'm going too." Gaara confirmed, not taking his gaze away from Sakura.

She couldn't have made it any clearer how they were being foolish. Yet, she still felt they should do something to help Hinata and her cousin.

"Well, if you really have to go, fine, but..." Sakura sighed, fearing she would regret it, "I'm coming with you!"