Ask Husband Flowers Good, Slave Face Good

"Why did Naruto-kun suddenly think of giving me flowers?" Hinata happily cradled the bouquet Naruto had stuffed into her arms without a word.

"Why..." Naruto scratched his cheek and answered frankly, "I just suddenly realized that after knowing each other for so long, I'd never properly given you flowers even once."

Hinata: "..."

What a powerful reason. Hinata found it both irritating and funny. What was she supposed to do when her boyfriend was so dense? Of course, forgive him.

Hinata gently breathed in the floral fragrance and asked without much expectation, "Then Naruto-kun doesn't know what these flowers mean either, right?"

"I know this one. Pink roses represent keeping someone in your heart, first love, liking your radiant smile..." Naruto showed off the knowledge he had just learned from Ino. He hadn't remembered all of it, but he recalled some of the key words.

The more Hinata listened, the happier she became. When she heard "eternal love and promises, lifelong devotion and joy," her face was already covered in blush.

Naruto watched her with a smile. The shy girl was even prettier than the flowers. That's my wife. That Person on the Moon, if you try to steal her, I'll knock your head off!

The two of them strolled down the street. Seeing how nice the atmosphere was, Naruto blinked and asked, "Hinata, why don't you ask me whether the flowers are prettier or you are?"

"Um..." Hinata found it a little hard to ask. Looking at Naruto's encouraging gaze, she finally managed to say, "Naruto-kun, do you think the flowers are prettier... or am I prettier?"

Naruto pretended to ponder seriously, looking at the flowers, then at her, then at the flowers, then at her. Finally, under Hinata's expectant yet bashful gaze, he said, "The flowers are prettier."

"Huh?" Hinata's shy, expectant expression froze on her face. This guy...

Hinata was so annoyed. She really wanted to hit him with a set of Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists.

Teasing Hinata once in a while was pretty fun, but it wouldn't be fun if he made her explode with anger. Naruto hurriedly tried to make up for it. "Just kidding. Of course Hinata is the prettiest."

"Hmph~" Hinata gave a soft snort. She would barely count that as a pass.

"Hey, Hinata, you've heard about the war too, right?" Naruto changed the subject.

"Yeah, the atmosphere at home has been a little tense lately too," Hinata said. "If there's a war, a lot of people will get hurt and die, right...?"

Naruto asked, "Is anyone complaining? Like saying Hokage-sama started a war without authorization or something?"

Hinata shook her head. "No. Hokage-sama explained everything clearly. We'll be joining forces with the other villages to stop those people who want to overturn the world. So everyone is really fighting to protect their own families and friends. No matter what, they won't back down."

At that, Hinata asked, "Naruto-kun, you're one of their targets too, right?"

"Yeah." Naruto smiled and patted his stomach. "They're after the Fox Spirit in our family who spends all day eating, sleeping, and beating up Shukaku."

Inside the Sealing Space, Nine Tails raised an eyelid. What kind of description was that? Did this brat not want to live anymore? What did he mean, eating and sleeping all day? It was just that he didn't like charging that Floating City with the tongue-twisting name.

Hinata also knew Naruto did not truly dislike Nine Tails. "Don't say that. Hasn't he helped Naruto-kun a lot too?"

"That's true." His wife was even speaking up for the Fox Spirit, so what else could Naruto do? He could only keep raising him.

Naruto was truly a conversational genius. During what should have been a pleasant date and shopping trip, he forcefully dragged the topic to war, leaving Hinata with no appetite at all. The snack stall owners watched two major customers walk right past them and felt as though they had missed out on One Hundred Million.

"I don't really understand what other people think, but for me, the reason I'm joining this war is to protect Naruto-kun. All the hard training I've done over the years... maybe it was for today."

After Naruto escorted Hinata home, her words continued echoing in his mind. Naruto admitted that he had been moved, and right then he almost...

Then, in a burst of emotion, he almost raised a flag, saying something like they would get married after the war. Luckily, he realized he was still too young and kept the words from bringing disaster.

On his way home, Naruto picked up a small stone and threw it at a utility pole behind him, making it ring with a ding. "Come out. You followed us all the way here. Are you asking for a beating?"

"Hehe~" Konohamaru ran up to Naruto with a foolish grin. "Big Brother Naruto, I want to fight to protect you too!"

Naruto hooked an arm around his neck and lectured him, "What war are you talking about, little brat? Did you finish your homework?"

"I can't breathe!" Konohamaru grabbed Naruto's arm with both hands and was forced into doing a pull-up, his legs flailing wildly in the air.

Naruto let him go and knocked him on the head. "Do you even know what war is? And you dare to shout nonsense. Laifu, you're almost graduating. Give your grandpa less to worry about."

"Of course I know! I even know this war is to protect the entire world!" Konohamaru argued indignantly.

"Wrong. That's only the surface objective. There's actually a real objective." Naruto rubbed Konohamaru's hair.

"The real objective?"

"Yeah. We old folks are going to war so that youngsters like you won't have to go to war anymore. So listen to Iruka-sensei and stop causing trouble."

Naruto shook his head, shoved his hands into his pockets, and left, presenting Konohamaru with a lonely, profound back.

"Yeah!" Konohamaru nodded, tiny stars seeming to shine in his eyes. "As expected of Big Brother Naruto. He can say such sensible things."

After a while, Konohamaru scratched his head and muttered to himself, "But Big Brother Naruto is only fifteen, isn't he? Why is he part of the older generation?"

"Once this war is over, let's get married." Asuma fearlessly said the line Naruto had not dared to raise a flag with.

Mostly because Kurenai's belly was getting hard to hide. The night before, Asuma had also gotten a furious scolding from Biwako. You got that girl pregnant so early, and when exactly are you planning to hold the wedding? Are you trying to avoid taking responsibility? And so on.

Besides, Ino had been nagging in his ear lately. She had even joined forces with Shikamaru and Choji to steal his cigarettes and lighter. That lighter had been expensive, okay?

Shikamaru was usually lazy about everything. Why was he so enthusiastic about doing this kind of thing?

And Choji too. Such a kind kid had been led astray. He actually cooperated with Ino to distract him!

Could they please stop using Ino-Shika-Cho teamwork in weird places?

Asuma was troubled. He had thought about proposing before, but he had never made up his mind. Yet today, the words had simply slipped out.

Kurenai Yuhi looked at Asuma speechlessly and said with a coy glare, "I thought you wouldn't dare say that until after the baby was born."

"Haha~" Asuma laughed awkwardly and habitually reached for his cigarettes, only to grab empty air. "So, do you agree?"

"In your dreams!" Kurenai rolled her eyes at him. What kind of person was this? If he had at least been holding a flower, she could have had an excuse to say yes. But this was it?

"If you don't properly give me an answer after the war, this child won't have the Sarutobi name!" Kurenai shut Asuma outside the door, leaned against it, and looked up at her ceiling. "You'd better come back safely..."