The two arrived at a small river on the outskirts of Konoha.
"Come on, I'll teach you to skip stones!"
Genya eagerly picked up a few flat stones.
"Skip stones?"
"Right, like this!"
Genya turned sideways and flicked his wrist, sending the stone spinning through the air.
It skimmed across the river with a series of swishes, bouncing dozens of times before sinking.
"Wow..."
Hinata's eyes sparkled.
"Genya, you're amazing!"
"You try it too."
Genya handed her a stone, stepped behind her, and took her hand.
"Here, I'll show you."
Hinata blushed again as Genya wrapped his arms around her from behind, guiding her through the motion.
"Move your wrist like this... keep the angle a little lower... right, just like that... throw!"
The stone flew out and bounced four times across the river.
"I did it!"
Hinata turned around excitedly, nearly bumping into Genya's nose.
They stood face-to-face, very close together.
Hinata's face turned crimson. She quickly stepped back and lowered her head.
"Ahem... well, try it on your own again."
Over the next little while,
Hinata gradually got the hang of it, setting a personal record of six bounces. Every success brought a delighted smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
Genya sat on a rock by the river, watching her as the worries about his clan slowly melted away.
Now this was the kind of life someone my age should have...
That evening, the two went to Ichiraku Ramen.
"Two bowls of miso ramen, sir!"
Genya ordered with practiced ease.
"Coming right up!"
Teuchi greeted them with a smile.
"Just a moment! They'll be ready soon!"
While they waited, Genya started chattering about the amusing things that had happened lately, his face animated as Hinata listened attentively.
The ramen arrived, steaming hot.
"Here, try this."
Genya picked some