well actually, if im not wrong.
konohamaru aknowledge naruto really early. shiat. he even made a fan club.
as for hinata.
the reason why she wasnt good before, was that she lacked the self esteem, thus making it quiet impossible to tell the one that she love about how she feels.

it would be a big slap in the face if hinata would die, since she was the one who liked naruto for what he was before he became known as the one he is now.
i would hope that perhaps in the battle between sasuke and naruto. naruto gets whooped and when hes lying there and bleeding, hinata pops up and stands in the way and voila! a forced confession of her true feelings (iex. "dont lay a hand on naruto! hes the one that i love, i shall protect him with my life")
she gets a litle slapped around.
then naruto turns into a huge frenzy...
it could happen you know [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] atleast im hoping so. would be fun.