Looking down at Ino in his arms, Naruto saw that fragile, heart-wrenching expression on her face. Little tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill. She clutched his clothes tightly, and said pleadingly, "Please don't go. I'm scared… I'm scared my mom will say something terrible."
"It's fine." Naruto reassured her, completely unbothered.
At this point, he was certain that Rino wouldn't actually say anything harsh to him. But Ino didn't see it that way, and clung to his shirt tightly.
"I don't care… you have to promise me first." Ino held him tightly, "Otherwise I'm going to get mad. You're not allowed to go."
"… Alright."
Even after that, Ino made him swear several more times before she reluctantly left. As Naruto watched her figure disappear into the distance, he had a pretty good idea why she was so tense.
When people care too much, they worry.
Naruto looked around Konoha's main street, but he didn't see any sign of Rino. If he had seen her, even if he'd promised Ino, he would've gone up to say hello.
Since she wasn't in sight, it was likely that she didn't want to see him. And if that was the case, there was no need for him to push it.
Leaving the main street, Naruto made his way toward the Hyuga Clan's compound. He pulled out a toothpick and placed it between his lips, then called Hinata, "Do you have time?"
"…Yeah." Her voice was soft and faint.
After the call ended, the room remained silent except for the sound of her breathing. The curtains in the room were drawn. She lay on the bed, breathing steadily and slowly.
Hiashi had already reminded her multiple times that she was not allowed to have anything to do with Naruto. For the clan's reputation, at the very least, they shouldn't even be seen together.
Six years ago, she remembered that her father seemed to have said something similar, but he didn't directly tell her not to associate with Naruto, only to focus more on her missions. The details were fuzzy now, but the intent had been clear.
Hinata had wanted to prove herself and become a Shinobi who could stand on her own. In the first year, she fumbled her way through missions with her team, slowly growing through trial and error.
In the second year, she'd finally made visible progress and thought she was getting somewhere. But later, she realized that she was still so far behind him.
He has Ino by his side now, and they clearly have a very good relationship.
The third year passed slowly, the relationship between her and Naruto barely shifting. It was like enduring a long, cold winter alone. Time crawled by, like ants on her skin… agonizingly slow but unmistakably real.
Before she knew it, six years had gone by. She no longer thought about her own Ninja Way, nor did she stubbornly want to gain her father's approval.
She let go of the phone and lay dazed on the bed, with many images flashing through her mind… walking through snow-covered woods as a child, with the branches on both sides covered with white snow. Yesterday at dinner, her father's eyes full of disappointment.
She didn't understand why he was disappointed. Shouldn't it be her own choice as to what kind of life she wanted to live?
Yes, the clan's reputation mattered, but the Hyuga Clan had already changed so much. It felt like nothing she did was ever right.
She has to listen to the clan, think about the clan's interests, and take care of the clan's reputation. C Clan, clan, always the clan, as if she herself never mattered.
In the darkness, her phone rang again, cutting through her thoughts. She groggily turned over, grabbed the phone, and answered.
Seeing it was Naruto calling again, she froze for a moment before finally picking up.
She knew Ino had been the one who push for the development of these communicators, and they really were convenient.
"What is it?" She asked weakly.
"You sound tired. Are you okay?" Naruto's voice rang out on the other end of the phone, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine." Hinata felt better after hearing Naruto's voice, and forced herself to sound more energetic, "I just woke up. I'll be out soon."
"What's wrong? "Is something bothering you?" Naruto was walking through a narrow alley when a group of people approached from the opposite direction. He stepped aside to let them pass.
Hinata's nose almost felt sore when she heard his gentle voice on the other end of the phone. The grievances that had accumulated for the entire day nearly spilled over, but in the end, she held them back.
Her voice trembled slightly, "It's nothing."
"Well, if something's bothering you, don't keep it bottled up, it's not good for your health. You can always talk to me." Naruto was about to step aside to make way, but the alley was dark, and he couldn't see the faces of the guys coming toward him.
For some reason, one of them decided to be an idiot. Instead of taking the open path, he deliberately bumped shoulders with Naruto.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Without hesitation, Naruto slapped each of them hard across the face, sending them flying.
"…When you're upset, don't dwell on it. Go out for a walk more often." Naruto was still comforting Hinata slowly, and he squatted down and turned the guy who seemed to be the ringleader onto his back.
Cries of pain echoed through the narrow alley.
"Mm… I know. But what's going on over there? Why were there screams?" Hinata grabbed the phone, suddenly a little nervous, and asked anxiously.
"It's okay. I ran into some acquaintances on the way." Naruto said as he made a shushing gesture toward these young people, "We were just messing around. They accidentally tripped while walking."
Those people were trembling in fear, 'Didn't they say that Shinobi couldn't attack civilians? This guy seemed to be trying to kill us. All our teeth were knocked out with one slap.'
"Then… be careful," Hinata said softly, still worried.
"I will. Do you have time this afternoon?" Naruto kicked the group to the side like they were bags of trash, "Let me take you to the movies. There seems to be a new movie released recently."
"Okay." A smile appeared on her face. As long as she was with Naruto, she could forget a lot of unpleasant things.
He could be overbearing at times. He could lie, too. But most of the time, he treated Hinata genuinely well and paid attention to every little detail.
He's asking her how she is feeling and try to make her happy.
Those sweet words she'd heard so often felt like warm seeds, taking root in the barren, love-starved soil of her life… bringing her recognition, concern, and affection.
Even though she knew that Naruto had not given up on Ino, and even if she understood how greedy he was, she could still tolerate his blatant behavior, pretending she didn't see through him.
Because he was her sugar, she could always take a lick when things got hard.
Hinata knew she wasn't the only one Naruto cared about, but she also knew that he worked hard to balance both sides and never gave any extra love to the others.
Maybe he wasn't the faithful type, but at least he was always there for her, offering her half of his heart.
It's not that she doesn't understand what her father said, it's just that everyone's understanding of love is different. All she wanted was steady companionship, and Naruto to be always by her side.
Whether she was a qualified Shinobi or not, whether she had any future or not, no one else had the right to decide. Other people's standards and judgments meant nothing to her now.
If she continues like this, she would fall apart sooner or later.