Naruto first met Hinata Hyūga when they were children, where his open kindness and courageous spirit earned him her admiration, which grew into love. On his part, Naruto remained mostly oblivious to Hinata's feelings for him and even considered her "weird" because of her shyness around him and his socially ostracised childhood. However, that changed during the Chūnin Exams in Part I when they began to interact more and support each other, causing Naruto to like her as a friend.