Huh... Is This Your Girlfriend? She's So Cute!

"Here... have some cotton candy. You'll feel better after eating it."

Naruto held out the cotton candy.

This time, Hinata didn't hesitate. She accepted it.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was soft and sweet.

It was especially lovely.

It made you want to cradle her in your hands.

Little Hinata took small, slow bites.

The cotton candy... was sweet and thoughtful.

Hinata ate slowly, but she could fit a lot in each bite.

So it looked like she was eating quickly.

When she reached the spot Naruto had bitten,

she hesitated slightly.

Her face flushed as she discreetly studied Naruto,

trying to see how he would react.

At the same time Hinata looked over,

Naruto turned his head too.

Their eyes met.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

Hinata replied,

then pushed all those random thoughts aside.

Wasting food was wrong.

I... I'm not deliberately eating the part Naruto-kun bit.

I just don't want to waste food.

There's nothing wrong with that.

Hinata found herself an excuse.

In no time,

she finished the cotton candy.

That last little bit of cotton candy

tasted sweeter to Hinata than anything she had ever eaten before.

Perhaps it was all in her mind.

"It's about lunchtime. Hinata, have you eaten yet?"

Naruto asked.

Hinata gripped the hem of her clothes and answered honestly, "N-no, not yet."

"Perfect. Come eat with me. Lunch is on me today!"

"N-no, I can't."

Hinata shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Why?" Naruto asked curiously.

Hinata bashfully turned her face aside.

"Because, um, I..."

I usually eat a lot.

I'm afraid you'll start keeping your distance from me because of it, Naruto-kun.

And eating so much costs a lot of money.

I don't want you to spend so much on me.

"You haven't eaten anything yet, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Then that's easy. Come on! Let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen. Oh, do you want ramen, or a super-sized feast? You can choose either one."

"Ichiraku Ramen, please. Ah... Naruto-kun, I... I..."

Naruto grinned and took Hinata's little hand before she could say anything else.

He led her toward Ichiraku Ramen.

He had to admit,

Hinata's little hand was soft and boneless, wonderfully smooth to the touch.

It felt great.

A fine hand, and her legs were—

Ahem, ahem.

When Naruto suddenly took her hand,

Hinata's face turned bright red with a bang. Her head spun, and her mind went completely blank.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

The classic three questions flashed through her mind.

Naruto-kun... He actually took my hand first...

Don't panic!

Hinata Hyuga, you absolutely mustn't panic!

You can't make Naruto-kun uncomfortable.

Ahhh... I-I can't do it.

Her palm grew damp with sweat.

Feeling the warmth coming from her hand,

Naruto sucked in a breath.

Little Hinata was incredibly nervous.

Otherwise, there was no way her palm would be so sweaty.

Her sweaty little hand

reminded Naruto of an ad slogan that perfectly fit the situation.

"Enjoy the smoothness of Dove chocolate."

After a while,

they finally arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.

It was a ramen shop known for generous portions, honest service, and affordable prices.

It was beloved by everyone.

The shop was crowded today,

but luckily, there were still seats available.

Otsutsuki Ichiraku, the man hailed as the strongest ramen king in the ninja world,

had come through the Fourth Great Ninja War without a scratch.

Everyone else had fought until they were exhausted,

yet his shop was still standing.

And when Pain attacked,

Ichiraku Ramen had stayed open as if nothing had happened.

That proved it: the real final boss was Uncle Otsutsuki Ichiraku!

Ahem...

That was just Naruto's wild imagination. That was how things went in the ridiculous parody videos he watched on Bilibili.

It was just a running gag.

The main point was to give the protagonists somewhere to eat.

That was why the Ichiraku Ramen designed by Kishimoto never got damaged.

Even when Pain came to cause trouble, it was the same—there was no danger at all.

But this was reality, and what would happen later

was still hard to say.

"Hey... Naruto. What would you like to eat today?"

"Huh... is this your girlfriend? She's so cute."

Ayame, Uncle Teuchi's daughter, greeted Naruto.

Naruto usually came to eat ramen alone.

Sometimes Iruka came with him.

He had never brought a girl along.

This was the first time.

Well, I never thought little Naruto would finally figure it out on his own one day.

Hinata's slender body trembled slightly.

Girlfriend?

W-was that older girl talking about me?

I'm Naruto-kun's girlfriend.

I'm happy she said that, of course.

But I still don't know how Naruto-kun feels about me—

Hinata's hands, resting beneath the table, fidgeted awkwardly.

Every now and then, she stole a glance at Naruto,

trying to figure out what he thought.

The Hyuga Clan had a rule!

To preserve the purity of the Byakugan bloodline,

members could only marry within the clan.

No one in the clan was allowed to marry out or wed someone from another clan.

Especially since Hinata was the future heir to the position of Clan Head.

Her parents would have the final say in her marriage!

Even if Naruto's father was the Fourth Hokage,

it would still be difficult to change the views of her father's and uncle's generation.

Thinking of that,

a deep sadness flickered in Hinata's eyes.

Lovers ending up together

only happened in novels.

But this was reality.

"Ayame, you have a good eye. I think my girlfriend is really cute too."

Naruto replied with a smile.

She wasn't just his girlfriend.

She was going to be his little wife in the future.

How could she not be cute?

Hinata at thirteen was one thing.

At seventeen or eighteen, she'd be something else entirely.

When Pain came to attack the village and Naruto returned,

Hinata was already a beautiful young woman.

Her figure, her looks—

everything about her was wonderful.

Especially her long, flowing hair

and her beautiful legs.

Men would understand.

Huh????

He... He actually admitted it.

A wave of joy swept through Hinata, and her heart fluttered.

Her cheeks turned rosy, like a ripe red apple.

P.S. There are a few more slice-of-life chapters, then the real missions will begin.

I'm getting ready to head out and have some fun. I'll explain the Hyuga situation later, then quickly get Naruto out of the beginner's village.