[Naruto watched his son walk away and smiled helplessly. Then he said to Hinata:]
["All right, Hinata. Bring Himawari to the Hokage's Office the day after tomorrow. Shikamaru will go over the itinerary and everything you need to know."]
["Okay." Hinata smiled and nodded, then began clearing the dishes.]
The Canopy Screen's broadcast ended there.
Naruto Uzumaki stood in the middle of the Training Ground, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg. With a trembling finger, he pointed at the sky, then at himself.
"Ahhh! My f-future? My wife? Hinata? Hinata's my future wife?!"
He could barely string a sentence together. It was more than his brain could process.
Meanwhile, at the Hyuga Clan Compound, every eye turned toward Hinata. She let out a short cry, her cheeks blazing red and steam practically rising from her head. Then her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Before she lost consciousness, only one thought remained in her mind: Everyone knows now. What will Naruto-kun think...?
Hiashi's usually impassive expression shifted dramatically.
Shock came first, then scrutiny. Finally, a calculating look entered his eyes, along with a trace of satisfaction almost too faint to notice.
"An alliance with the future Hokage through marriage?" he murmured.
The Hyuga marrying into the future Hokage's family? And that Hokage was Naruto Uzumaki, a man who could overpower the entire Shinobi World. It was a perfect chance for the Hyuga House to rise higher. He looked at his unconscious daughter, Hinata, then at the seemingly unruly blond boy on the Canopy Screen.
For the first time, he regarded Naruto as a future son-in-law rather than a nuisance to the village.
He cleared his throat and told the clansmen beside him, "Take care of Hinata."
His voice betrayed neither pleasure nor displeasure, but everyone heard the weight