Chapter 37: Daily Dog Food Sprinkling, Wow… Youth Is So Nice
"Here—cotton candy. Eating this will make you feel better."
Naruto handed over his cotton candy.
This time Hinata didn't hesitate—she accepted it.
"Thank you…"
Her voice was soft and sweet,
especially pleasant to hear.
It made people want to cradle her in their palms.
Little Hinata took tiny, slow bites.
The cotton candy… was very sweet, very heartwarming.
Though Hinata ate slowly, she could take big mouthfuls.
So it looked like she was eating quickly.
When she finally reached the spot where Naruto had taken a bite,
she hesitated slightly.
Shyly stealing glances at him,
checking his reaction.
As Hinata looked over,
Naruto also turned his head.
Their eyes met perfectly.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
Hinata replied softly.
Then she pushed aside all those messy thoughts.
Wasting food is wrong.
I… I'm not deliberately eating the part Naruto-kun bit.
I just don't want to waste food.
There's nothing wrong with that.
Hinata mentally made up an excuse for herself.
Three bites, five bites—she finished the cotton candy quickly.
That last tiny bit
tasted sweeter to Hinata than anything she'd ever eaten before.
Maybe it was just psychological.
"It's about lunchtime now. Hinata—have you eaten yet?"
Naruto asked.
Hinata clutched the hem of her clothes and answered honestly:
"N-no… not yet."
"Perfect—come eat with me. My treat today!"
"N-no… I can't."
Hinata shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Why not?" Naruto asked curiously.
Hinata shyly turned her face away.
"Because… I…"
I usually eat a lot.
I'm afraid Naruto-kun will distance himself from me because of that.
And eating so much… it costs a lot of money.
I don't want to make Naruto-kun spend too much.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?"
"Y-yes."
"Then it's settled. Let's go—Ichiraku Ramen. Oh right—do you want ramen first, or the super deluxe meal? You can choose anything."
"Ichiraku Ramen is fine. Um… Naruto-kun, I… I…"
Naruto grinned and, without further ado, took Hinata's small hand.
He led her toward Ichiraku Ramen.
Gotta admit—
Hinata's little hand was soft as boneless,
gentle and tender to the touch.
Very comfortable.
Good hands… good legs too…
cough cough…
Suddenly being held by Naruto—
Puff—
Hinata's face turned bright red. Her mind went dizzy, completely blank.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
The classic three-question combo instantly popped up.
Naruto-kun… he actually took the initiative to hold my hand…
Don't be nervous!
Hinata Hyuga—you absolutely cannot be nervous!
You can't make Naruto-kun uncomfortable.
Aaaah… I can't do this!
Sweat kept pouring from her palms.
Feeling the warmth from his hand,
hiss…
Naruto drew in a sharp breath.
Little Hinata was so nervous she was sweating buckets.
No other explanation for that much sweat.
A sweaty little hand.
It reminded Naruto of a very fitting advertisement slogan for his current situation:
Cadbury—enjoy the silky smoothness.
After a while,
the two finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
As a ramen shop with generous portions, fair prices, and no cheating old or young,
it was deeply loved by the public.
Today the place was packed.
Fortunately, there were still empty seats.
Teuchi of Ichiraku—the strongest ramen king in the ninja world.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he remained unscathed.
While everyone else was fighting to the death,
his shop stayed open like nothing happened.
Even during Pain's invasion—
Ichiraku Ramen kept running, as if nothing was wrong.
Clearly, the real final boss was Uncle Teuchi!
cough cough…
That was just Naruto's random thought—probably from watching too many Bilibili ghost-edits and parodies.
It was just a meme.
Mainly to give the protagonists a place to eat.
So in the original story, Ichiraku was always safe.
Even during Pain's chaos—no risk.
But this was reality.
What happens later…
remains to be seen.
"Yo… it's Naruto! What'll it be today?"
"Huh…? Is this your girlfriend? She's so cute~"
Ayame—Teuchi's daughter—greeted Naruto cheerfully.
Normally when Naruto came for ramen,
he was alone.
Sometimes with Iruka.
He had never brought a girl before.
This was the first time.
Yaha~ Looks like little Naruto has finally awakened.
Hinata's delicate body trembled lightly.
Girlfriend?
W-was that big sister talking about me?
I'm Naruto-kun's girlfriend…
Even though being called that made her happy,
she still wasn't sure how Naruto-kun felt about her—
Hinata's two small hands under the table had nowhere to go.
She kept stealing glances at Naruto, trying to read his thoughts.
The Hyuga clan had strict rules!
To preserve the purity of the Byakugan bloodline,
they could only marry within the clan.
No one was allowed to marry outsiders.
Especially as the future heir to the Hyuga clan head position.
Hinata's marriage options were entirely decided by her parents!
Even though Naruto's father was the Fourth Hokage,
it would be very difficult to change the views of her father and uncles' generation.
Thinking of this,
a thick layer of loss flashed through Hinata's eyes.
Lovers finally uniting
only happens in novels.
But this was reality.
"Ayame-neechan has good taste. I also think my girlfriend is extremely cute."
Naruto replied with a warm smile.
Not just girlfriend.
Future little wife too.
How could she not be cute?
Hinata at thirteen was one thing.
At seventeen or eighteen—she'd be a completely new concept.
Take the time Pain attacked the village—when Naruto returned,
Hinata had already grown into a graceful, beautiful flower.
Her figure, appearance—
all outstanding.
Especially that long, flowing hair.
And those beautiful legs.
Men understand.
Hm???
H-he actually admitted it.
A wave of joy surged in Hinata's heart, her chest fluttering.
Her small face flushed like a ripe red apple.
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