6 Chapter 4: How to make friends
Befriending someone is very complex process that requires of at least two willing participants with their own distinctive personalities, hobbies and aspirations. It is by no means an easy task to perform given than requires both a compatibility between the individuals and the right circumstances to allow it to happen in a natural and healthy manner. Despite what some people may believe about making friends, it is NOT recommendable to try to force the process since such action is likely to backfire in a horrible way.
Of course, only because you can't force people to become friends with you or with someone else (at least they shouldn't, but common sense and good manners clearly didn't stop most anime protagonists), it doesn't mean one can't try to start the process. David Bowie knows that it may not be easy for most of us to make the first step in order to connect with other human being, but it is not an impossible feat, just remember that all you need to start is a simply ¨hello¨.
"Hello Hinata, my dad told me to hang out with as many Hyuugas as possible. Do you want to be tested to determine if you are capable or surviving my friendship or die trying?" Was the first thing that came out from Sasuke Uchiha's mouth when he entered the classroom.
"What?" Was Hinata Hyuuga's very appropriate answer for such question.
Dear readers, please make sure to not imitate Sasuke Uchiha, or, in case you do, please inform the rest of us about your concurrent localization so we can avoid you as the plague you are.
"Do not worry too much about the details, no one has died after becoming friends with me yet… unless you count all those shadow clones that decided to *poof* themselves after interacting with me for more than five minutes, but who cares about those fakers?"
"WHAT?"
---------------------------------
This was not like Hinata expected her day at the ninja Academy to go. Instead of spending her time using her doujutsu to check on Naruto-kun at the other side of the classroom or feeling happyher father acknowledged her existence twice this week, she was signing a provisional friendship contract while the rest of her classmates looked at her with ither eyes full of pity or fleeing from the classroom as subtlety as they could.
Maybe she should have read the contract before signing, but there was always the small the chance of Sasuke-kun regretting it and she really wanted to have friends.
"Don't sign the optional clause about the dodging practices. It is a freaking trap." A bored Kiba spoke up from his seat.
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Shush you, those are a great way to learn important life lessons?"
"Yeah, like what?" The Inuzuka asked defiantly.
"Do never waste a good tomato in front of me."
----------------------------------------------
"Ok, now that the legal stuffs are out of the way and you can't longer legally sue me for neither physical or psychological wounds that you may suffer during our adventures." If she wasn't yearning so much for any form of social contact, she might have regretted not reading the contract, thankfully that wasn't the case. "How about we visit your house and play with Neji? Please remember that you are not officially my friend yet, you're still on probation."
The Hyuuga princess was just about to nod fervently at the opportunity to hang out with someone that wasn't a product of her imagination (especially now that most of his imaginary friends had faded away into the nothingness and the remaining ones spent the day telling her that happened because she didn't love them enough), when she remembered was supposed to be a rule in her clan that specifically mention Sasuke-kun by name.
It was strange that she couldn't remember, but the girl blamed it on all those concussions she suffered during her daily sparring sessions. It was a short one, it was mostly directed to the members of the main house and it wasn't mentioned frequently since everyone in the clan believed that it was unnecessary to do so since it should be obvious for anyone with a functional brain.
Putting a bit of effort, the little girl tried her best to explore everyone of her memories in hopes to find the forgotten law. She remembered those times that her father spent some time with her, Hinata, and not with the clan heiress whose back would held the whole might the Hyuuga together in a future that everyday felt closer and closer.
-----------------------------------
(Flashback)
"Hinata, you are weak as a blind Uchiha and more disappointing that your granduncle who was born armless. If a kumo-nin want to kidnap you again, you let him."
(Flashback)
-----------------------------------------------
…wrong flashback.
Maybe if she tried to remember her birthdays. People rarely scolded her in those days.
--------------------------------------
(Flashback)
"Hinata, these are trying times for us. The rest of the village has always resent own clan's visual progress and they now decided to slander our good name behind our backs." Hisashi said with a resolute expression on his always stern face. "You must not believe the lies those people are spreading on the streets."
"Does that mean that our family doesn't really support slavery?"
"Well, that we do, but it isn't really slavery as much as it is an honorable tradition of honor and duty to the clan."
"What about the rumor about you torturing the child of the man that willingly gave his life for you?"
"There is a very complex and emotive story behind that one. I refuse to speak any further about the subject."
"And-"
"Look at the time, I have to go. There are some presents and a cake in your room, have fun today and do not make too much noise."
(Flashback)
------------------------------------------------
That one was slightly less traumatic but it still wasn't relevant for the situation.
Ok, the third time's the charm. She…would just focus in her last conversations with Neji, those sounded safer for her already low self-esteem.
----------------------------------------------------------
(Flashback)
"Hinata, no matter what may happen in the future, please remember to never, and I meant NEVER, let Sasuke know that the clan dictated a law that forbids you of speaking to him." Her older cousin said. His expresion was more serious than she had ever seen before. "He will take it as a challenge."
(Flashback)
------------------------------------------------
And just like that, her hopes of not having to play at seesaw by herself faded like the anyone's faith on humanity after they discover the internet.
"I've remembered that father said I wasn't allowed to associate with you." Thoses words were physically painful for her to utter.
"Oh, I see."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I really wanted to be friends with you like Neji."
"Don't worry. I have a plan." The young Uchiha gave her a thumb up. He had plenty of experience at convincing people of something.
"If it involves explosives seals, I'm not letting you do it." The Inuzuka reminded him.
"And how are you going to stop me?"
To the surprise of many, Kiba's response consisted of throwing a heavy looking book at Sasuke who, as a good connoisseur of the rules of comedy, did not try dodge and let it smash his face. After making sure that his nose was still in the right place, he calmly started to read the book page by page until he finally sighed tiredly and put it down.
Thanks to the ggreat eyesight that the byakugan provided her, Hinata could read that the book's cover, it said ¨things that Sasuke isn't allowed to do unless he wants to rewrite the rules by becoming Hokage¨ and she could even see the Sandaime's signature at the bottom corner.
"Plan b it is." He relented after weighing the pros and cons. "Hinata, let me tell you all I know about a little beautiful thing called blackmail."
By then end of the lesson, Hinata still couldn't fully grasp how knowing where people liked to sleep would help with the situation, but she did as Sasuke-kun said and spoke with some clan eldres about X person liking to go a place called ´red pleasure´ using Y amount of money and do W things with someone of Z gender. Later that day her father told her that she was now allowed to play with Sasuke.
Hinata couldn't wait to see Neji and tell him that now the three of them could cook together using the gentle fist.
