The night enveloped the Hyuga compound in a deep silence. Every sound—the soft whisper of the wind in the garden trees, the distant chirp of a cricket—was a solitary note in a symphony of order and quiet. In her room, Hinata Hyuga felt a happiness so chaotic and vibrant that it broke through that forced calm.

She stood before the full-length mirror that adorned one of her walls. On her futon, carefully laid out, were two different sets of clothes. One was her usual outfit, the practical and comfortable lavender jacket she had worn for years. The other was a blouse of a slightly darker violet shade, with shorter sleeves and a cut that felt a bit more… bold. It wasn’t extravagant, but it was different. It was a choice.

Her reflection watched her. She saw the same girl as always: the long, dark hair, the pearly eyes. But something in her gaze had changed. It was no longer the look of someone who wished to disappear. It was the look of someone who, for the first time, wanted to be seen.

She remembered Naruto’s compliment to Sakura. “You look absolutely beautiful today.” It hadn’t been a joke. It hadn’t been a clumsy attempt to flirt. It had been a sincere observation. He had noticed the effort.

With a determination that surprised herself, she put her hair up, trying a different style. She let a couple of strands frame her face, softening her features. She looked again. She felt… pretty. The thought made her blush, a pleasant warmth spreading through her chest. Tomorrow wouldn’t just be a photo. It would be a promise.

“What are you doing?”

The sharp, cutting voice shattered the bubble of her thoughts. Hinata jumped, spinning around. Hanabi stood in the open doorway of her room, arms crossed and an expression of pure disdain on her childish face.

“Hanabi-sama…” Hinata whispered, her body tensing by instinct, returning to the submissive posture she had been taught since birth.

Hanabi’s white eyes scanned the scene: the clothes on the bed, her sister’s new hairstyle, the lingering blush on her cheeks. A grimace of disgust twisted her lips.

“Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about that loud-mouthed boy. Father already warned you.”

Hanabi walked into the room and picked up the violet blouse between her fingers as if it were dirty. “Associating with the village scum is a disgrace. Do you really think a different piece of cloth is going to change who you are?”

“Naruto-kun is not scum,” Hinata replied, her voice firmer than Hanabi expected. “He’s my friend.”

“Friend?” Hanabi scoffed, dropping the garment. “And that’s why you’re getting all dressed up? To impress a clanless orphan? Pathetic. You’re the failed heiress, sister, but you’re still from the main house. Have some dignity, please.”

Each word was a precise blow, designed to hurt. And they did. But they no longer broke her. The Hinata from a few days ago would have collapsed in tears. The Hinata of now felt a cold, silent fury building inside her.

“You don’t understand, Hanabi-sama,” Hinata said, her voice quiet but with an edge that made her sister look at her with renewed attention.

“What don’t I understand? That you’re throwing away what little honor you have left for an idiot?”

“You don’t understand what it’s like to have a friend,” Hinata corrected. “Someone who sees you for who you are, not for who you should be. Someone who doesn’t judge you. Naruto-kun… he’s the most determined and brave person I know. He doesn’t see a failure. He sees a person. And I… I don’t see a demon, either. I see a friend.”

Hanabi was speechless for a moment, taken aback by her sister’s strange conviction. She scowled, her arrogance taking over again.

“Whatever. Keep playing at having friends. But when Father finds out, don’t come crying to me. You’re still weak, no matter how you do your hair.”

With that, she turned and left, leaving Hinata alone again. Her sister’s words hung in the room, but instead of extinguishing her new flame, they only fanned it. She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, and the girl looking back at her no longer seemed so fragile. She had a mission. She had a secret. And she had a friend waiting for her.

****

The next morning, Naruto waited at the entrance of the Hyuga compound, bouncing on the balls of his feet with boundless energy. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, but for him, the day was already bright. He ignored the icy glares from the guards, his attention fixed on the gate.

When it opened and Hinata walked out, Naruto’s breath caught.

It wasn’t a drastic change. She wasn’t wearing heavy makeup or an extravagant dress. But the details were enough to transform her. The violet blouse highlighted the color of her eyes. The new hairstyle softened her face, giving her an air that was both delicate and confident. And the shy smile she gave him when she saw him… that’s what left him speechless.

“Whoa…” he managed to say, his usual torrent of words reduced to a whisper. “Hinata… you look… different.”

“D-different?” she asked, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“Different in a good way! I mean, a really good way!” he hurried to correct himself, feeling his own face heat up. “Did you do something with your hair? It looks awesome! You look super pretty today, for real!”

The compliment, so direct and pure in its sincerity, warmed Hinata’s soul. The effort, the small, silent rebellion in her room, had been worth it. He had noticed.

“T-thank you, Naruto-kun.”

From a distance, hidden behind a lattice window of the main house, Hanabi watched the scene with a disgusted scowl. Naruto saw her and, instead of ignoring her, gave her one of his biggest, brightest smiles and waved at her with an exaggerated gesture.

“Hey, little sister! Have a great day!”

Hanabi just let out a disdainful sound, an “Hmph,” and turned away, disappearing into the shadows of the house. Naruto laughed.

“Your sister’s a little grumpy, huh?”

“S-she’s just… complicated,” Hinata said as they started walking.

****

The walk to their teams’ meeting point was, for the first time, completely comfortable. They talked about everything and nothing. Naruto told her his plan to prove to his new sensei that he was Hokage material from day one. They laughed. It was easy. It was natural.

But as they neared the bridge where they would part ways, a melancholy started to settle in Naruto’s heart.

“This sucks,” he said suddenly, stopping.

Hinata looked at him, confused. “What does?”

“This. Splitting up,” he explained, with a childish yet profound honesty. “It’s the second day I have a real friend to walk with, and now they put us on different teams? It’s not fair! We should be together! Imagine what we could do!”

The feeling in his voice was so genuine it made Hinata’s heart ache.

“W-we’ll still be friends, Naruto-kun,” she assured him, her voice soft. “And… we have our secret mission. That doesn’t change.”

The words seemed to calm him. He smiled at her, his good mood returning.

“You’re right! Our secret mission! Don’t forget! After I survive whatever crazy test my new sensei throws at me, I’ll meet you right here. For the photo mission. Okay?”

“Okay,” she promised with a smile.

They reached the bridge. Team 8 was already there, waiting for her. Kiba greeted her as Akamaru barked cheerfully. Shino gave a silent nod. Hinata turned back to Naruto.

“Well… I’ll see you later, Naruto-kun.”

“You bet! Good luck, Hinata-chan!”

He watched her go, joining her team. He felt a genuine pang of loss, the feeling of his only ally walking away. The resignation lasted only a second. He shook his head, and the excitement for what was to come—his new team, his new sensei—returned in full force. It was the beginning of a new day!

****

When Naruto arrived at Training Ground 7, Sakura was already there. And Sasuke, of course, was leaning against a post, as distant and silent as ever.

Naruto greeted Sakura with an energetic nod and, instead of sitting as far away as possible like he would have before, he sat on the bridge railing, at a safe but close distance.

Sakura glanced at him, a mix of surprise and uncertainty on her face. In that hesitation, Naruto found an opening.

“Well, if we’re going to be a team, I guess we should… I don’t know, talk?” he began, trying to sound casual.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. “Talk? To you? About what?”

“Team stuff!” Naruto insisted. “Sounds cool, right? Team 7! Seven is my lucky number!”

Sakura snorted, but it lacked its usual venom. “I didn’t know you had a lucky number. I thought your only luck was managing not to burn down the kitchen every time you try to make ramen.”

“That’s a talent, too!” Naruto retorted, grinning. “But seriously, Sakura-chan. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. We should get to know each other. For example, what’s your favorite color? Mine is orange, obviously! The color of champions!”

The question was so simple, so childish, that it disarmed Sakura. No one had asked her that since she was a little girl. “Why do you want to know that?”

“Because teammates know that stuff! It’s for bonding!”

“I don’t know…” she said, looking at her own gloves. “Red, I guess.”

“Red is awesome!” Naruto exclaimed. “It’s a strong color! Like you! And like tomatoes! Tomatoes are good in ramen! See? We already have something in common!”

Sakura couldn’t help it. A small smile formed on her lips. “You’re an idiot, Naruto.”

“The best idiot you’ll ever have as a teammate!” he declared proudly. “So what do you like to do? Besides staring at Sasuke with a dopey look on your face, I mean.”

Sakura’s smile vanished, replaced by a blush. She was about to yell at him, but the way he said it, without malice, like it was a simple observation, stopped her.

“I… I like to read,” she admitted in a low voice.

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Read? For real? Whoa! You’re a brainiac! That’s awesome! I fall asleep after the second page! What do you read?”

“Books about ninja history and jutsu theory, mostly.”

“Great! So when our sensei explains something complicated, you can translate it for me!” Naruto said enthusiastically. He turned to the other member of their team. “Hey, Sasuke! What about you? What do you like? Or hate?”

Sasuke didn’t even look at him. “Hn.”

Naruto waited another second, then shrugged, turning back to Sakura. “Well, I guess he just likes being mysterious.”

The conversation continued. Naruto, with his insatiable curiosity, kept asking questions. And Sakura, to her own surprise, answered. She found herself talking with him, having a normal, pleasant conversation.

Time passed. A minute, five, ten. The sun climbed higher in the sky, and their sensei didn’t show up. But Sakura didn’t mind. For the first time, the wait wasn’t torturous boredom. It was… okay. She was talking to Naruto. And, to her absolute and utter astonishment, she was enjoying it.