Chapter 154: The Next Goal
Disclaimer:
Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 154: The Next Goal
Hiashi let out a loud sigh of defeat as he watched his daughter clinging to Naruto's neck.
Her obsession with him had only grown stronger over the past few months. This was precisely why Hiashi had decided to visit Naruto alone, without informing Hinata of his return. He had hoped to have a quiet discussion with the boy first.
"I missed you!" Hinata exclaimed, her face buried in Naruto's shoulder.
"Me too," Naruto replied warmly. "Are you letting your hair grow long?" He ran his fingers through her soft locks, noting that they now reached her shoulders.
"You noticed! Do you like it? I thought I'd let it grow long like my Mom had. I can always tie it up so it doesn't get in the way during training," Hinata said with a bright smile.
Naruto couldn't help but notice how much she'd changed. The Hinata he first met would have fainted at the mere thought of hugging him, let alone doing it so boldly.
'This must be another effect of her experience in the Forest of Death,' Naruto thought. While it wasn't the intended purpose of that training, he wasn't entirely surprised by this outcome.
Now that Hinata had conquered her fears, she no longer hesitated to show her true self, unbothered by consequences.
"Your hair's gotten longer too," Hinata pointed out while moving her fingers across his blonde locks.
"Yes, I haven't really cut it once while I was away," Naruto admitted. His hair now bore a striking resemblance to his father, Minato Namikaze.
He briefly considered the possibility that people might start making the connection, even those who didn't know the truth. Not that it mattered much to him...at worst, it might draw the attention of enemies like the Hidden Stone, who considered his father a war criminal.
"How long are you staying this time? Can we go on another date tonight? Oh! I also want to train with you, I have so much to show you!" Hinata said, her excitement bubbling over.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be here, but I've got some free time now if you want," Naruto replied with a grin.
<><><><><><><><><>
An hour later, at Training Ground Number 3
"Your movements are much smoother now… I'm surprised you've improved so much, considering how strong you already were," Neji remarked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Alright, you've had your fun. It's my turn again!" Hinata said, trying to push Neji aside.
"But Lady Hinata… Master Naruto and I have only sparred for a few minutes," Neji protested and refused to move away.
After spotting Naruto at the Hyuga compound earlier that morning, Neji had boldly asked for a sparring session, and Naruto had agreed.
Hinata frowned. She had hoped this time with Naruto would be private...just the two of them. She had been waiting for this for so long.
"How about the two of you attack me together?" Naruto decided to suggest, given that none of them were willing to back down.
Hinata and Neji exchanged glances.
"Would that be alright?" Neji asked cautiously.
"Of course it will. Naruto is super strong!" Hinata said, already taking her stance.
"Well, since I'm up against two Hyuga geniuses, I'll have to get a little serious," Naruto said as chakra began to swirl around him.
"First Gate… Open!"
<><><><><><><><><><>
Around midday, Ichiraku Ramen Stand
"There you are! I thought you'd forgotten about me," Teuchi said with a grin as Naruto sat down at the counter.
"Of course not! I've just been away on missions. I'll take a Number Three with extra pork and a Number Five as well." He requested.
"Coming right up!" Teuchi replied cheerfully.
"You've been doing missions outside the village?" Ayame asked as she approached with a glass of water. Her expression was troubled. "But… I thought your team—"
"Ayame! Don't pry into other people's business," her father scolded.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to intrude," Ayame apologized quickly. "It's just… there are a lot of rumors going around."
Naruto wasn't surprised. The fallout from the Sasuke Retrieval Mission was still a hot topic in the village.
Most people didn't know the full truth...that Sasuke had left willingly and that Sakura had been killed during the mission, by no other than Sasuke himself.
The official story was that Sasuke had been kidnapped by Orochimaru's agents and that Sakura had died during the rescue attempt.
"Indeed, my old team isn't active anymore," Naruto said after a moment. "But I've been doing missions with someone else."
"Oh… I see." Ayame looked like she wanted to ask more but held back.
"Here you go," Teuchi said, placing the steaming bowls of ramen in front of him.
"This is the best!" Naruto declared as he began to eat. "After traveling all over, this is still the best ramen in the country!"
"Haha! Glad to hear it," Teuchi said, his grin widening.
"Naruto, your new look…" Ayame began, her gaze lingering on him. "You look a lot like—"
"There it is!" Chouji's voice interrupted her train of thought. "And there is Naruto too!"
"I told you we'd find him here," Ino said, stepping into the stall and sliding onto the seat beside Naruto.
"Hi there," Naruto greeted with a smile.
"Have you missed me?" Ino asked, flashing him a bright grin.
"Of course. Every day," Naruto replied playfully.
"Hey, Naruto," Chouji said as he joined them, already eyeing the menu.
"Hey, Chouji. It's unusual to see you without Shikamaru."
"He's off on a mission with the other Chunin," Chouji said, looking a little disappointed. "Oh, and the Hokage sent us to find you."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"We're your new temporary teammates for the upcoming Chunin Exams!" Ino announced, practically glowing with excitement. "Isn't that great?!. We are going to be spending a lot of time together."
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