July 14, afternoon.
The two sat across from each other in the dango shop, silently chewing the same faint sweetness.
Hinata could not hide the smile on her face. She was delighted that Naruto had taken the initiative, but at the same time, she was somewhat puzzled. Why had Naruto-kun suddenly come looking for her?
That was it—she had taken the initiative to deliver ointment to Naruto-kun earlier! So Naruto-kun had bought her sweets in return for the ointment!
The more Hinata thought about it, the more convinced she became that she was right. It seemed she had chosen the right path by taking the initiative with Naruto-kun.
Just then, she heard a soft sigh from Naruto across the table.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata immediately looked concerned.
Naruto did not explain. He merely smiled and waved his hand. "Ah, I just suddenly thought of something troubling. It's nothing worth mentioning."
But the more he said that, the more curious Hinata became. She could not wait to help her beloved ease his worries.
"Naruto-kun, why don't you tell me? I might be able to help." Hinata gazed at Naruto with her affectionate eyes, eager to hear the answer.
Heh, this is exactly what I was waiting for you to say.
Naruto paused, then slowly began, "You know that the Nine-Tails is sealed inside me, so I'm always being watched by the Anbu, right?"
Hinata nodded after hearing this. Her family had indeed mentioned the matter to her before.
"Well, I don't have a very wide circle of friends. Aside from you guys, I'm usually only familiar with a few Anbu brothers." Naruto smoothly began spinning a tale for Hinata.
"One of them is a brother in white. We're especially close, but recently... ah, forget it..."
Naruto suddenly fell silent and leaned closer.
Hinata