A Belated Date, Carrying Giant Plush Bears In and Out

"You bunch of brats, practice properly and don't slack off."

"This is the Fourth Hokage's extremely difficult and unique secret technique, which is not passed down to men or women. If I weren't in a good mood today, I wouldn't bother teaching you."

A blond-haired man lying on the sofa said this.

"Auntie!!" Konohamaru's face turned red as he held the water ball in his hand and let out a thunderous cry.

Those who knew were practicing martial arts, but those who didn't would have thought he was mourning his aunt.

"Ah!! Spin it!" Moegi was trying very hard to make the water in the water sphere spin, constantly injecting a small amount of Chakra into it.

"Hey! The water's moving!" Udon exclaimed in delight.

"What did you move? You were the one who shook it!" Konohamaru said, pointing at Udon's hand. "It's all in your imagination!"

"Konohamaru, stop arguing."

Naruto ignored this and went to sleep on the sofa with his head covered.

After a while, I got a glass of ice water and stood on the balcony waiting. Seeing that the heavy rain outside showed no sign of stopping, I simply went back to my room to sleep, completely lacking any sense of responsibility.

The living room echoed with the incessant shouts of three children. Nine-Tails had just woken up from his room. Still groggy, he jumped onto the floor and froze as soon as he opened the door.

Three pairs of eyes stared straight at it, and the Nine-Tails fox's fur immediately bristled.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!! Doggy!!!" Moegi screamed, her voice piercing the sky, and little hearts immediately appeared in her eyes.

Even the Nine-Tails wasn't this terrified when facing the First Hokage Hashirama Senju. This proves that human children are still the most terrifying creatures in the world.

It took off running, but it was too late; it was tackled to the ground by Moegi.

Damn brat!

The rain stopped, Naruto opened the door and stretched. Ignoring the battered Nine-Tails, he called the three children to hurry home. Before closing the door, he tossed Nine-Tails a bottle of good wine and then left.

Time flies, and February has passed in the blink of an eye.

"Why haven't we heard anything from Sand yet?" Naruto asked Tsunade, leaning back in his office chair with a relaxed expression.

"What news could we expect from Sand?" Tsunade asked. "They're busy guarding against Akatsuki Organization. The Land of Fire doesn't have any Tailed Beast, but we still can't let our guard down."

"After all, the Akatsuki Organization won't believe rumors, so we still need to destroy Akatsuki Organization."

"That's true," Naruto agreed.

He had no reason to interfere in Sand's affairs for the time being. He couldn't just run over there and point at Sand's headquarters, saying there was a traitor there.

News of Jiraiya's return to the village seemed endless, and three months passed after three months, for there are only four Marches in a year. Winter turned to spring, and summer was almost here, yet Jiraiya still hadn't appeared.

They say they're looking for Child of Prophecy, but they seem to care more about it than finding a wife.

His friends were all busy working on construction sites, doing quests, and being treated like slaves. Only he, thanks to the green light Tsunade gave him, was able to lie in bed for months.

Sakura was busy learning Medical Ninjutsu all day and didn't have much time to see him. It seemed that everyone's life trajectory changed starting from the new year when they turned sixteen.

Shikamaru had no interest in advancing to higher ranks; even after becoming a Chunin early on, Chunin was only interested in shogi. He complained to Naruto more than once that the Nara Clan elders seemed to be grooming Shikamaru to succeed Shikaku.

Ino was busy getting familiar with Inoichi Yamanaka's work in her spare time, while Choji was more relaxed, but his weight gain caused him to sleep longer each day.

The Hinata's Caged Bird problem remains unresolved, and Neji seems to have stopped worrying about it. Hinata is busy with her training and occasionally bumps into Naruto, who seems to be doing nothing.

Overall, everyone was busy most of the time and didn't have much time to meet, except for Naruto was always free.

The next day.

After several days of continuous rain, the weather finally cleared up, and the sun shone brightly outside the window.

Naruto remembered the invitation he had made to Hinata six months ago, and today the timing finally matched up. He's always been like this; he never owes anyone anything, and he never forgets a promise he makes.

Hinata the New Year Festival, and even after the holidays, when the two frequently bumped into each other on the street, Hinata was always in a hurry. One task after another left her with no time to spare.

For the past six months, apart from Team Seven which has been stalled, all the Genin teams have gone through this process.

Hyuga compound.

Inside the clan head's mansion, Hinata hurriedly pressed down on her skirt and ran out, only to see her stern-faced father in the corridor. Startled, she slowed her pace.

Hyuga Hiashi, who was standing quietly in the corridor, also noticed Hinata and immediately frowned.

Hinata lowered her head and walked quickly past. When she reached her father, she quickly curtsied and greeted him nervously, "Father."

"On a mission?" Hyuga Hiashi glanced at his daughter's attire and asked knowingly.

Who wears a skirt on a mission? But Hinata's mind was in a daze at the moment. She hurriedly hummed in agreement and left quickly.

Hyuga Hiashi stood there, his brow furrowed. Perhaps accustomed to his usual imposing manner, he didn't know what to say and could only watch as Hinata blushed and left with her head bowed.

He stood in front of the gate of Hinata for the first time, waiting amidst the dense Nikko and swaying shadows of the trees.

The warm Nikko fell softly on the boy, casting a faint shadow on the courtyard wall. Then, a noise came from inside the gate, and Hinata nervously stepped out.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting." Hinata hurriedly bowed, her long black hair flying in the wind.

"Uh, no." Naruto paused for a moment.

Even though he already knew Hinata was beautiful and had a great figure, she usually hid it all in conservative long clothes and trousers. Even in summer, she dressed the same way, without changing at all.

But for some reason, Hinata wore a white dress today, revealing a section of her fair calves. Her skin was porcelain white, as smooth as jade.

Her hair seemed to have been styled specially, long black hair that reached past her shoulders. She appeared somewhat unaccustomed to this style of dress, as if it were her first time trying it. Her cheeks were flushed like cherry blossoms, fair with a rosy glow, incomparably beautiful.

"Naruto." Hinata lowered her head when she saw Naruto staring at her.

"Oh, I was distracted, sorry." Naruto made no attempt to hide his praise for Hinata. "Hinata, you look really good in this outfit, it suits your figure perfectly."

"Thank you." Hinata gave a shy yet satisfied smile.

Although I initially wore a skirt simply to make a change before turning 18, and didn't intend to dress up specifically for a date, I still harbored a sliver of expectation, hoping to receive compliments.

Unlike other girls, who need a bucket of praise to be satisfied, Hinata only needs a small cup.

Even the smallest praise is enough to keep her going, and she can happily spend some time with it. This happiness can last a long time, even up to half a year.

Naruto was already used to showering Hinata with compliments whenever he saw her; after all, it didn't take much effort. Besides, Hinata really was beautiful, with smooth, supple skin.

"You didn't have this hairstyle last time I saw you? Did you change your hairstyle?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Well, I made a few modifications, but not many." Hinata's eyes darted to the roadside, her hands clutching the hem of her skirt, her face flushed.

"Really? It suits you perfectly, you look so cute." Naruto complimented her effortlessly.

"... Cute?" Hinata felt her heart racing so fast she could barely stand it, and she turned her head away abruptly, letting out two quiet breaths.

If she only needs a small cup of praise to be happy for a long time, then Naruto is now driving a sanitation worker's sprinkler truck, using a thick water hose to fill the cup with water.

The two were not even in the same league. The two walked together, Hinata's heart rate increased the whole time.

However, Naruto is so good at flirting that he's become numb to it and it's become a passive skill. He doesn't even realize that he's said anything special.

Seeing that Hinata was red the whole time, and that he even touched her forehead with his hand, he thought, "Huh, isn't she sick?"

Since it's confirmed that she's not sick, let's just assume she's happy.

"Hinata? What's wrong?" Naruto called out several times before Hinata finally came to her senses.

She shook her head abruptly, clenched her fists as if she were a little uncomfortable, and nervously responded a few times.

"No, it's nothing."

Last year, Nine-Tails) went to Hinata to freeload drinks, and Naruto hadn't had a chance to repay that favor. Mainly, Hinata was either on missions or dealing with clan matters, so she simply didn't have time to accept the invitation.

A date was postponed from last year until now, but all the waiting was worth it. It's not the theft itself that's scary, it's the thief's persistent eye on you; and damn it, this thief has a great memory.

"Oh, let's go pick out a gift together, see if there's anything you like," Naruto said with a smile. "We agreed, thank you for taking care of my dog."

"Huh? Don't worry about that kind of thing." Hinata guiltily brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't dare to say that during that time she had been thinking of Naruto as Nine-Tails and pouring out her longing for him.

Because she couldn't see Naruto at all during that time, she almost closed herself off emotionally after that day they parted. She focused solely on training and becoming stronger by completing missions.

Until she accidentally encountered Nine-Tails on a wall, its fiery red, glossy fur was so eye-catching that Hinata recognized Nine-Tails instantly. Nine-Tails also recognized Hinata, the other owner of that brat.

What happened next was a natural progression; that idiot Nine-Tails only knew how to drink. Hinata initially fed him the finest sashimi, but the idiot immediately vomited it up.

It wrote the character for "alcohol" on the ground with its paws, revealing a sycophantic expression. Hinata was shocked, but considering it was Naruto's dog, she secretly stole the premium alcohol specially supplied to the Hyuga Clan.

Nine-Tails enjoyed the fine wine for almost half a year before Naruto discovered it and forcibly took it back.

The matter is simple. Actually, he didn't need to bring Hinata to choose the gift in person. He had already chosen the gift during the New Year Festival, but after thinking about it, he decided not to give it to her.

Giving a gift isn't troublesome, but it would be a real shame to waste an excuse for a date. He's been so free lately, just waiting for news from Sand.

Hinata didn't understand much, so she nodded and followed Naruto into the gift shop.

The gift shop in Konohagakure didn't offer much variety; it mostly sold plush toys and other items that little girls would like. Hinata, despite being a wealthy loli, was very tactful.

Perhaps not wanting to spend too much money, he hesitated between the two small plush bears.

"You like this?" he asked.

"Mmm." Hinata blushed for a moment, then worried that Naruto would think she was childish, so she quickly added, "Hanabi too."

Hinata Hanabi was an innocent bystander caught in the Hanabi Hyuga. At that moment, she was diligently practicing the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms on a wooden stake in the courtyard. The stake was being shattered into pieces by her intricate palm strikes, her bandaged hand pounding against it again and again.

She didn't like plush bears; she preferred slightly uglier boys' toys, like ninja tools. However, at this moment, she didn't sense her sister's betrayal and continued her training diligently.

Naruto's guilt over dragging his sister down with him hadn't faded yet, so Naruto just said "oh." Thankfully, he wasn't so scum as to add some outrageous comments like, "Should I give her one?"

Although Naruto doesn't seem very serious, he can still distinguish between what's important and what's not.

"Ah, I'm glad you like it." Naruto looked around and pointed to the biggest plush bear, saying, "Why don't we buy the biggest one?"

"No! No!!" Hinata waved her hands repeatedly, trying to say that Naruto hadn't done any missions and probably didn't have much money left.

But it wouldn't sound good if she said it aloud, and she was afraid of hurting Naruto's pride, so she simply kept quiet. In her panic, she glanced at the huge size of the plush bear and made up a random excuse.

"It's too big. It's too big to take back."

Naruto glanced at the bear, then at Hinata, stroked his chin, and gave a shrewd smile.

"You don't need to worry about that."

On the road.

Hinata's eyes were filled with tears. She took a few steps and then turned to look at Naruto again, her voice carrying a hint of pleading.

"Naruto's gift"

"What's wrong with the gifts?" He looked at Hinata seriously. "Is it not enough? We can go buy some more. I have no problem with that."

"No... I bought too much." Hinata quietly rolled up one hand, nervously looked around, and only whispered in a low voice after confirming that no one was around.

"Can I not have so much?"

"No." Naruto stopped and said seriously, "This is my heartfelt wish, how can I refuse it? Will Hinata be troubled by this?"

He had mastered the rhetoric so well that Hinata stammered for a long time without being able to say no.

So, at the Hyuga Clan's compound, Naruto calmly took a life-sized plush bear out of the Sealing Space. He handed it to Hinata with a serious expression and said...

"I'm an outsider, so I won't help you take it in. This is just a small token of my appreciation for Hinata. There's more than one, so remember to come out and get it."

Hinata hugged the plush bear, blushed, and hummed in agreement.

Under Hyuga Hiashi's slightly surprised gaze, he watched his eldest daughter blush and go in and out of the house seven or eight times, each time carrying a huge plush bear.

I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen a ghost; what was going on? But to maintain my father's authority, I pretended not to see anything.

Hinata's heart was pounding; she felt both ashamed and happy.