A/N: Hi there. I am editing this story and continuing where I stopped. I am so sorry for taking this long fellas. But here it is. Enjoy! :)
Prologue.
Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village
The home of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, the Kyuubi, which is sealed inside a boy named Uzumaki Naruto.
Naruto is a fine boy. He was kind and persevering. He's funny and his personality was glowing and infectious. He was generally cheerful. Although everyone in the village was afraid of him or hated him for no apparent reason, he never held a grudge towards the inhabitants of Konoha. In fact he held them dearly in his heart. He even risked his life to save the beloved people from the wrath of Pain.
The recent battle caused a wide destruction in Konoha. Most of the establishments and infrastructures of the village were destroyed. The place that once was peaceful and thriving with joy seemed like ruins. But gratefully, the lives that were lost during the battle were returned, thanks to the marvelous victory of Naruto that convinced Pain to believe in him and pushed him to use his remaining chakra to revive those who were lost, even though it'll cost him his life.
The revival of those who died in the battle somehow lessened the devastation and agony felt by the people. The villagers, although homeless, became pictures of hope, a hope for a better tomorrow. After Pain was defeated, they started the reconstruction of Konoha. Everyone was eager to rebuild the village they call their home. Even people from other villages gave them a hand. All of them did their best; they helped each other with all their might. The results were incredible. Their labor was praise-worthy. Konoha was up on their feet again. A lot of things changed from then on, and one of those changes is the way they look at Naruto. He was no longer treated as trash, for he was now treated as treasure. He was no longer an outcast, for he was their savior; their hero.
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Chapter One.
Naruto's POV
A new morning, a new beginning. The sunlight peeking thru my window woke me up. What a nice day! I gazed at the clock at the bedside table. Waaah! I slept in! I gotta get to work! I quickly dashed to the shower and fixed myself up in record time. I ran out of my house trying desperately to make it there in time, but I suddenly got distracted. I was caught in the view, so I stopped for a moment to look at the surroundings. I smiled at the sight. Everything was fairly normal. Just a few more buildings to fix and we're good as new, like nothing horrible ever happened. I slightly frowned when I remembered the past state of Konoha. The damage was massive. The place did not even resemble a village. I shook my head to stop the trail of thought. I started to run again to where I was headed. Shit. Shit. Shit. I'm running late.
I was rushing to the site, when I suddenly bumped into somebody. I could tell that she was a girl because I bumped into something soft. Unless it's Choji. Oh dear lord, please not Choji. I hurriedly looked at the person I collided to. It was Hinata Hyuga. I stood there in awe. Aww, was he always this pretty?
"I am so sorry! I wasn't looking." I said apologetically. I held out my hand to help her up. She hesitated a little then blushed profusely when our hands connected. I wonder why she blushed… "Are you okay Hinata? You seem a little flushed." I tried to touch her face to get her temperature or something but she turned away. I tried to touch her again and failed because she suddenly ran off leaving me puzzled. What did I do now? I really can't understand girls. Then I remembered what happened when we are in the midst of fighting Pain. She saved me. Not only once, but many more times that she and maybe even I cannot understand.
"NARUTO!" I heard a loud voice calling my name. I snapped out of the cloud of thoughts that held me captive. I did not even realize that I was zoning out until Sakura called, or rather shouted, my name. Wait? What? Did I say Sakura? Oh my god Sakura! Chills ran down my spine. I slowly turned to where her voice came from. I tried to stifle a smile and tried to raise my trembling hand to wave at her. She just shot me a deadly glare. Oh shit. I'm so dead.
Hinata's POV
I woke up earlier than usual. I rolled around to find a comfortable space in my bed, but I failed. Ugh. This isn't working. I went out of bed, did my morning routine and then decide to go for a walk around the village. I stepped outside and found myself smiling. The recovery of our village was fast. The signs of the recent battle were barely there. People resumed living normally. Children are running around, rushing so that they'll make it to class on time. Their newly built school just started and I could see their excitement and anticipation like neon signboards on top of their heads. Everything was great. I let out a sigh of content.
I continued to wander around the village, until I noticed that I was headed to Naruto's home. I stopped myself from walking onwards. I can't go there. I don't want to see him just yet. After saying those embarrassing things. Ugh. Confessing in the middle of the battle. The timing couldn't be worse than that. I was about to turn back but somebody slammed into me. The impact was strong enough that I ended up lying on the ground. Ouch. That hurts. I saw the one that bumped into me through the corner of my eye. Orange? What the? I opened my eyes widely to take a better look and oh boy, it was NARUTO. Great. Earth, just swallow me whole. He looked at me and I think he blushed a little. My heart started pumping double time. Then he held out his hand to help me up. I am so embarrassed. I could feel my blood rushing to my face. My cheeks started to heat up. I took his hand and I blushed some more. Was that even possible? I think he asked me questions like "Are you alright?" or something like "you seem a little flushed." He raised his hand to reach out to my face, but I turned away. I don't think I can handle touching him again. He tried to reach for my face once more. Eeek! My feet just started moving on impulse. I ran as fast as I could to get away. I'm such an idiot. I mean who does that? Running away like a mad man for most probably no apparent reason. I ran and ran until I could no longer move my legs. I sobbed silently. That wasn't a good way to start the day.
I spent most of the day wandering around the plains around Konoha. The fields of flowers were beautiful enough to take my mind off things. I sighed, relieved that I got to calm down a bit. I took in the wonderful scenery then decided to head home. I was on my way when I heard my tummy grumbled. I haven't eaten anything all day. I looked around and saw a ramen shop nearby. Mmmmm. The smell was heavenly! I eagerly entered the shop to find it vaguely familiar. I was too hungry to worry about it so I sat down right away. I ordered a bowl and started digging in. It was fantastic. I smiled at the shop owner and he smiled back after seeing my satisfied expression. I should come here more often. I was busily eating my food when I heard the door slide open. Somebody entered the shop, and then I heard a familiar voice. I turned around to see Naruto. Again. Oh great heavens! So that's why this place was so familiar. It's his favorite ramen shop! I almost choked on my noodle. I silently sat on the corner and prayed to the deceased hokages that he did not notice me. I don't want him to see me right now. Not with the stupidity I showcased earlier anyway. I sighed with relief when I saw him focused on eating his ramen. Thank you hokages! I silently stood up, left the money on the counter and then walked away as silently as I could manage. Thank goodness for the ninja skills.