章節 317: Chapter 317 A Belated Date
"You brats better train hard and no slacking off."
"This is the Yondaime Hokage's extremely difficult and exclusive secret Ninjutsu. It's not passed on to men or women! If it weren't for my good mood today, I wouldn't have bothered to teach you."
A yellow-haired young man said this while lying on the couch.
"Arrgghh!!" Konohamaru's face turned bright red. He held the water balloon, and let out a thunderous shout.
For those in the know, it seemed like he was training, but for anyone else, it might seem like he was using all his strength to shit.
"Ah! Spin!" Moegi was working hard. She tried to rotate the water inside the balloon by continuously injecting a weak stream of Chakra.
"Ah! The water moved!" Udon exclaimed excitedly.
"Moved what? It's clearly just you shaking it!" Konohamaru pointed to Udon's hand and said, "It was all in your imagination!"
"Konohamaru, stop arguing!"
Meanwhile, Naruto turned a deaf ear to this and went to sleep on the couch with his head covered.
After a long while, Naruto got up, grabbed a glass of cold water, and stood on the balcony for a moment. Seeing that the heavy rain outside the window showed no sign of stopping, he simply went back to his room to sleep without any sense of responsibility.
The living room was filled with the continuous shouts of the three kids. Kurama had just woken up from his sleep in his room. He jumped on the floor with his head drooping, and was stunned the moment he opened the door.
Three pairs of eyes stared straight at him, and the fur on Kurama's back suddenly stood on end.
"Ah!!!! Doggie!!!" Moegi screamed with a piercing force that went straight to the sky, and little hearts suddenly appeared in her eyes.
Kurama had never felt this terrified, not even when facing the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama. Facts have proved that human children are still the most terrifying creatures in the world.
He immediately bolted, but unfortunately, he was a step too late and was pounced on by Moegi.
'Damn brat!'
The rain stopped, and Naruto stretched as he opened the door. Ignoring the now-ruffled Kurama, he called out to the three kids to hurry home. Before closing the door, he tossed Kurama a bottle of good sake and left as well.
Time flew by, and February quickly passed.
"Why hasn't there been any news from Sunagakure yet?" Naruto, sprawled out on a chair in the Hokage's Office, asked Tsunade with a relaxed expression.
"What kind of news are you expecting from Sunagakure?" Tsunade replied, "They're busy defending against the Akatsuki. While the Land of Fire doesn't have any Biju, we still can't let our guard down."
"After all, Akatsuki won't be swayed by rumors. We still have to destroy them sooner or later."
"That's true." Naruto agreed.
He had no reason to interfere in the affairs of Sunagakure for the time being. There's no way he could just run over and point at the Sunagakure's higher-ups, then say that there was a traitor among them.
There was still no sign of Jiraiya returning, even after months of waiting. One quarter after another passed… there are only four quarters in a year, after all. Winter gave way to spring, and now summer was nearly upon them, yet Jiraiya remained elusive.
Apparently, to Jiraiya, finding the Child of Prophecy had become more important than anything, even finding a wife.
Everyone around him was busy… Working on construction sites, doing missions, being all-purpose workhorses. While Naruto, thanks to the green light Tsunade had given him, had been lounging around for months.
Sakura was busy learning Medical Ninjutsu all day and had little time to meet him. It felt like everyone's life trajectory had shifted since the New Year when they turned sixteen.
Shikamaru had no interest in climbing the ranks, and even though he became a Chunin early on, he was only interested in shogi. He had complained to Naruto more than once that the elders of the Nara Clan seemed to be grooming him to take over Shikaku's role.
Ino, in between missions, was busy familiarizing herself with Inoichi's work. Choji had it easier, though his increasing weight meant he spent more time sleeping each day.
The Caged Bird Seal within the Hyuga clan still hadn't been resolved, but Neji no longer seemed troubled by it. Hinata was busy training, and Naruto occasionally bumped into her during his idle time.
All in all, most of his friends were busy, so they didn't meet up often. Naruto, on the other hand, remained free.
The next day…
After days of rain, the weather finally cleared up, and sunlight flooded through the window.
Naruto remembered the invitation he made to Hinata half a year ago, and today, their schedules finally aligned. He has always been like this, never owing anyone anything, and never forgetting a promise.
Hinata was so busy during the New Year's Festival that even though they often ran into each other on the street after the New Year, Hinata was always in a rush. Mission after mission piled up, leaving no time for anything else.
For the past six months, all the Genin teams had experienced similar schedules, except for the now-idle Team 7.
Hyuga Clan's compound.
Inside the Clan Head's house, Hinata hurriedly held down her skirt as she rushed out, only to spot her stoic father in the hallway. Her heart skipped a beat, and she slowed her pace.
Hyuga Hiashi, who was standing quietly in the corridor, also noticed Hinata and frowned slightly.
With her head down, Hinata walked quickly past him. When she reached her father, she quickly bowed and performed a greeting, then called out 'Father' nervously.
"Heading out on a mission?" Hiashi asked while his eyes sweeping over her outfit, though he already knew the answer.
After all, who wears a skirt to a mission? But at this moment, Hinata's brain was so muddled with nerves that she hastily replied with a quick 'Mm' and hurried off.
Hiashi stood there, frowning. Perhaps because he was too accustomed to being stern, he didn't know what to say, so he could only let Hinata leave with a flushed face.
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章節 318: Chapter 318 In and Out of the Giant Plush Bears
For the first time, he waited by the Hyuga Clan's compound's main gate. The sunlight streamed through the trees, casting dancing shadows on the ground.
The warm light fell softly on the young man waiting outside, casting a faint shadow on the wall behind him. Soon, there was movement from inside the gate as Hinata walked out, looking a bit nervous.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Hinata apologized, bowing hastily, her long black hair fluttering around her.
"Uh, no problem." Naruto was stunned for a moment.
Though he always knew Hinata was pretty and had a good figure, she usually hid it under her conservative long-sleeved tops and pants. Even in summer, her outfit didn't change much.
But today was different. For some reason, Hinata had donned a rare white dress, revealing a small portion of her fair, delicate calves. Her skin was smooth and porcelain-like, glowing like white jade.
Her hair also seemed styled, with her black locks now draping down past her shoulders. It seemed like this was her first time trying this kind of outfit, and she was still a little uncomfortable with it. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, like cherry blossoms, glowing with vibrant beauty.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata lowered her head immediately when she saw Naruto staring at her.
"Oh! Sorry, I spaced out." Naruto said, then immediately praised her without hesitation, "Hinata, you look great in that dress. It really suits you."
"Thank you." Hinata replied, with a shy but satisfied smile appearing on her face.
Although wearing the dress was just a small change she wanted to make before reaching adulthood and not necessarily meant to impress for this date, deep down, she had hoped for some praise.
She is different from other girls. If other girls need a bucket of praise to be satisfied, Hinata only needs a small cup's worth.
Just a little bit of praise was enough to make her happy and keep her spirits up for a long time. This joy could last for months, sometimes even half a year.
Naruto, on the other hand, had become accustomed to showering Hinata with compliments whenever they met. It wasn't hard for him to throw out a few kind words, and besides, Hinata genuinely looked beautiful with her smooth, glowing skin.
"Did you change your hairstyle since the last time I saw you? It looks different from last time." Naruto asked curiously.
"Yeah, I made some changes, but not many actually." Hinata replied while her gaze drifting to the side. She nervously played with the hem of her skirt, and her face is still blushing.
"Really? It suits you very well. You look so cute." Naruto said, effortlessly throwing out another compliment.
"C-Cute?" Hinata felt her heartbeat speeding up to a point where she could hardly bear it. She quickly turned her head and quietly exhaled a couple of deep breaths.
If she normally only needed a small cup of compliments to feel happy, then Naruto was now driving a sanitation sprinkler truck and using a thick hose to fill that cup with praise.
They are on a completely different level. As they walked, Hinata's heart rate stayed elevated the entire time.
But Naruto, who had become a natural at flirting, didn't realize that he was doing anything out of the ordinary. For him, it had almost become a passive skill.
He even gently touched Hinata's forehead when he saw her flushed face, 'Huh? She's not sick, is she?'
After he confirmed Hinata wasn't sick, he figured she must just be really happy.
"Hinata? What's wrong?" Naruto called out a few times before Hinata finally snapped out of her daze.
She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to regain her composure, and nervously clenched her fists, "N-No, nothing at all."
Last year, Kurama had wandered over to Hinata's place for some sake, and Naruto had yet to repay that favor. It was mostly because Hinata had been so busy with missions and clan duties that they hadn't had a chance to meet up.
This date had been postponed from last year until now, but Naruto figured it was worth the wait.
"Oh, right! How about we pick out a gift together? See if there's anything you like." Naruto suggested with a smile, "We said we'd do this to thank you for taking care of my dog."
"Huh? Oh, there's no need to worry about that." Hinata replied, tucking her hair behind her ear guiltily. She didn't dare to say that during that time, she had treated Kyubi as a stand-in for Naruto, pouring all her thoughts into him.
Because she couldn't see Naruto at all during that time, she almost closed her heart after they parted that day, focusing solely on training and missions to grow stronger.
That is, until one day, she happened to spot Kurama on the wall. His fiery red, lustrous fur was so eye-catching that Hinata recognized him instantly. Kurama also recognized her, as another one of Naruto's 'owners'.
Everything that followed came naturally. The silly fox loved nothing more than drinking. At first, Hinata offered him high-quality sashimi, but the dumb fox spat it right out.
Kurama, with a rather pathetic look, used his paw to write the Kanji for 'sake" on the ground, looking like a total suck-up. Although Hinata was shocked, seeing as it was Naruto's 'dog', she secretly sneaked out some of the Hyuga Clan's finest exclusive sake for him.
Kurama enjoyed the premium sake for nearly half a year before Naruto eventually found out and dragged him back home.
The situation was simple: Naruto didn't really need to take Hinata to pick out a gift. He had already chosen one during the New Year's Festival, but he had decided not to give it to her at the time.
Giving a gift is not a big deal, but it's a shame to waste such an excuse for a date. He has been too idle recently and has only been waiting for the news from Sunagakure.
Hinata didn't understand much, so she nodded and followed Naruto into the gift shop.
The gift shops in Konoha didn't offer much in the way of surprises, and most of the items were cute plush toys, the kind young girls might like. Even though Hinata was quite wealthy, she is very sensible.
Perhaps because she didn't want to spend too much of Naruto's money, she ended up torn between two small plush bears.
"You like these?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah." Hinata blushed slightly, then worried that Naruto would think she was childish, she looked up and quickly added, "Hanabi likes them too."
Poor Hanabi, unknowingly dragged into this. She was currently in their home's courtyard, diligently practicing the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms on a wooden post. The post was covered in splinters from her rapid strikes, while her bandaged hands hitting the post again and again.
Hanabi actually didn't like stuffed bears, and preferred more boyish toys like Ninja Tools. But at that moment, she didn't sense her sister's betrayal and continued her training seriously.
Naruto let out an 'oh' in response. Thankfully, he wasn't crass enough to follow up with something as ridiculous as offering to buy one for Hanabi too.
Although Naruto usually appeared casual, he knew how to prioritize things when it mattered.
"Ah, as long as you like it, that's all that matters." Naruto glanced around the shop, pointed to the biggest plush bear, and said, "How about we get the largest one?"
"No, no! That's not necessary!" Hinata waved her hands quickly. She wanted to say that since Naruto hadn't been on many missions, he might not have much money to spare.
But she didn't dare to say it out loud, as she was afraid of hurting Naruto's self-esteem, so she simply kept quiet. In a panic, she looked at the huge size of the plush bear and made up a random excuse.
"It's... too big. I can't carry it back."
Naruto looked at the bear, then at Hinata, rubbed his chin, and showed a sly grin.
"Don't worry about that."
…
On the way back.
Hinata's eyes were misty. She walked a few steps and Hinata's eyes shimmered with a slight mist as she walked, occasionally glancing back at Naruto. Her voice, soft and tinged with pleading, broke the silence.
"Naruto-kun, about the gift…"
"Hm? What's wrong with it?" Naruto looked at Hinata and asked seriously, "Is it not enough? Let's go buy some more. I really don't mind."
"It's not that... it's too much." Hinata whispered, nervously rolling her hand into a small fist. She looked around, and after confirming that there was no one around, she lowered her voice and said softly, "Could I... maybe not take so much?"
"Nope." Naruto stopped in his tracks and said seriously, "This is from my heart. How could I let you reject it? Are you uncomfortable with it, Hinata?"
His practiced lines left Hinata fumbling for words, unable to come up with a solid 'no'.
And so, at the entrance of the Hyuga Clan's compound, Naruto calmly took out the human-sized plush bear from the seal space. He handed it to Hinata with utmost sincerity and said, "I am an outsider, so I can't help you carry it inside. This is a small token of my appreciation to you, Hinata. And there's more, so be sure to come out and grab the rest."
Hinata, with her face as red as a tomato, hugged the massive plush bear and managed a soft 'mm'.
Meanwhile, Hiashi looked at the current situation with a slightly surprised look. He watches as his eldest daughter blushing as she went in and out of the house seven or eight times, each time holding a huge plush bear.
He couldn't believe his eyes, but to maintain his dignity as the head of the clan, he pretended not to notice.
Hinata's heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest, caught between embarrassment and joy.
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