No Headband, Not a Ninja

"You wait for me here."

Saying this, Naruto suddenly ran toward a wall. Hinata watched as he nimbly climbed up the wall, pushed his palm against the surface, and smoothly scaled it.

Hinata, distracted by Naruto, was flustered and didn't try to hold on anymore.

Normally, Hinata wouldn't run off like this.

Naruto jumped over the wall, climbed onto someone else's roof, and slipped between narrow gaps in stairways, quickly reaching Konoha's main street. He swiftly bought bandages, antiseptic, and a large package of anti-swelling medicine.

When he returned, Hinata was still standing there, unmoving.

"Hinata, take off the leg bandages."

"Huh?"

Hinata froze at Naruto's words.

"Huh what? Your leg's so swollen that the bandages are loose. There's bruising underneath."

Naruto shook the package of anti-swelling medicine.

"We need to treat the wound first. If you leave it like this, it won't heal in two or three days."

Despite being shy, Hinata nodded.

Naruto had been growing fast lately, probably because he wasn't picky about food and wasn't short on money. Hinata could only reach his lips when standing.

She looked down, standing on one leg like a crane, struggling to untie the bandages on her injured leg. Naruto sighed and moved to help her sit on a rock.

"Naruto-kun... where did you get all of this?" Hinata looked at him, a bit dazed.

"I bought it. I climbed over there, slipped through a wall gap, and came to Konoha's main street." Naruto pointed in the direction of the wall. "But there was a bit of trouble. The shopkeeper didn't want to sell it to me."

"Huh? Then... how did you?"

"It's nothing."

"I gave the shopkeeper a good beating, and he sold it to me."

Hinata was stunned and flustered.

"You're in trouble. Ninjas shouldn't hurt ordinary villagers."

Naruto shrugged, pointing to his clean forehead.

"I didn't wear my headband, so I'm not a ninja."

"And I don't have a mission, so I'm just an ordinary villager."

He took out the antiseptic and began untying Hinata's bandages. Her pants also had several scratches from training.

"This leg is really swollen. How did you make it back alone? Where's Kiba and Shino?" Naruto asked.

"I haven't had any missions recently. I went to train alone," Hinata said, a little embarrassed. "I accidentally fell down a slope."

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard. Overtraining is counterproductive," Naruto said as he removed the bandage from her calf.

He applied an emergency ice pack to the swollen area. Her socks had slipped down past her ankle. Contrary to Hinata's words, her ankle was indeed injured, and the swelling had temporarily numbed it.

Her leg, which had little fat, was unnaturally swollen. The smooth, fair curves of her leg were distorted by bruises and cuts from rocks.

It was hard to imagine how Hinata managed to walk back alone.

Naruto held the ice pack in place and looked up to remind her.

"The injury is serious. For now, we can only reduce the swelling. The Hyuga clan should have medical ninjas. When you get home, have someone help you treat it so you don't scar."

"Thank you... Naruto-kun."

"Is it better now?"

"It doesn't hurt as much." Hinata replied.

Naruto stared at her for a few seconds before suddenly asking in a strange tone.

"Did you push yourself so hard in training because of the Chunin exams?"

Hinata blinked a few times, instinctively wanting to shake her head.

"Be honest."

"Um." Hinata hesitated and nodded. "I'm far behind Neji-nii. The only person who could go back and forth with him during that fight was Naruto-kun..."

"I want to push myself to achieve something too."

"...I want to stand on my own!"

Sometimes, when a person becomes stubborn, a single sentence can shine brightly.

The shy girl's determination to overcome her unease in life shone brighter than the sun. It was so radiant that it made it hard to look away, as if seeing the light of the world.

After Hinata said that, she regretted it. She covered her face, unsure of what to do. She had spoken without thinking, and now she was worried Naruto would misunderstand.

"That's okay, Hinata. Just be careful next time you train," Naruto said, applying the bandages.

When he looked up, their eyes met.

"I..."

"Alright, let's go. I'll take you home."

Hinata blinked, clearly understanding Naruto's meaning—he was going to carry her back.

At this point, Naruto wouldn't leave Hinata here or let her walk back alone on one leg. It wasn't the first time he had taken her home, so he knew the way by heart.

"Do you really have to carry me?" Hinata lowered her face.

"At a time like this, let's just go with it." Naruto packed away the anti-swelling medicine. "There aren't many people on the road. If you don't want me to carry you, I could do the princess carry instead."

"Then I'll let you carry me." Hinata covered her face and whispered, "Sorry to trouble you, Naruto-kun."

"It's no trouble. I just happened to see you. If you don't want to bother me again, remember to take care of yourself during training."

Naruto crouched down, and Hinata carefully climbed onto his back.

"Actually... I want to bother you more." she thought selfishly.

Hinata's body was light, probably because she controlled her appetite. Despite the layers of clothes, Naruto could still feel how thin she was.

Hinata's face was buried in his back, not daring to look up because of her shyness. Her cold arms wrapped around his neck, and every few steps, a sweet fragrance wafted up from his neck.

"I'm leaving the village tomorrow." Naruto suddenly spoke.

"Huh?" Hinata immediately became anxious. "Is it a mission?"

"Kind of." Naruto didn't know how to explain, as searching for the Fifth Hokage was a mission without compensation, but it required secrecy. "I'll be gone for a while."

"Will it... be a long time?"

"Probably not too long. Maybe half a month or a couple of months."

"Is it dangerous?" Hinata asked quietly.

Dangerous? The Three Ninjas war? Killing two Kages, losing his hands—it shouldn't be that dangerous.

Naruto thought for a moment and said,

"It's very safe."

There weren't many people on the road, and those they did pass by weren't familiar. He didn't know if Hinata knew them, but he didn't recognize any of them.

When they arrived at the Hyuga residence, Hinata got down, her face red, and looked at Naruto. She quietly said,

"I saw someone I knew on the way."

"Do you want me to explain?" Naruto asked seriously.

"No, no, no!!!"

Hinata's face turned even redder, and she waved her hands frantically. If her leg weren't injured, she would have turned and run away.

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