After receiving a nod of approval from her father, Hinata felt so nervous that her heart seemed to pound loudly in her ears, her face burning red. It wasn't until she saw her father and Hanabi slowly walking away that she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As the night wind blew, Hinata pursed her lips slightly and looked around, suddenly realizing that she had no idea where to go.
She was standing on a mountain path. If she continued further, she would reach the entrance to the Hokage Rock. The path wound its way upward, leading to the top of the monument. On one side of the path was a low cliff, and on the other side was a dense forest.
Heading in the direction of the forest would lead to a small lake, not very large. If she ventured deeper, the forest paths would open up, leading to several mountain ranges.
At the end of these mountains was an impassable cliff. The other side of the cliff is connected to the border between the Konoha Forest and the Land of Fire's forest. From there, one can go down along the narrow plain to reach the Valley of the End.
The constant popping of fireworks filled the air. Being so close to the Hokage Rock, Hinata covered her ears to muffle the sound.
"What should I do? I forgot to ask if Naruto-kun would come?"
There was a rustling sound in the bushes, and Hinata was about to turn around to see what was happening, but she almost bumped into someone's arms.
"Hinata, are you looking for me?" The person said.
"Ah!" Hinata quickly took a few steps backand lost her balance.
Naruto, with quick reflexes, grabbed her just before she could fall off the low cliff, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you by appearing out of nowhere."
"… It's okay, um." Hinata stared at her hand, which Naruto was still holding, her face flushed red.
"Hmm?"
Following Hinata's gaze, Naruto realized he was still holding her hand. However, instead of letting go, he gently squeezed it, and a firework happened to explode in the sky.
Hinata blinked and her mouth opened slightly.
Naruto, with no hint of embarrassment, smiled and said, "This is also part of the training."
"Ptui!"
Kyubi, who was held by Naruto with one hand, gave a very human-like fake spit, interrupting the tender moment.
"What's that? It's so cute!" Hinata exclaimed, trying to pull her hand back, but found she couldn't.
She looked at Naruto, but he looked like he didn't understand at all.
Kyubi, irritated at being called cute, was about to retort and show off its sharp tongue, but Naruto, catching his intent from the corner of his eye, tightened his grip around his neck.
"Ahem! This is a stray dog I picked up on the street. I'm planning to take it for breeding."
"Bre…" Hinata started to say but then realized what he meant and stopped herself.
The threatened Kyubi stopped making trouble and curled up quietly. Naruto, still holding Hinata's small hand, continued to explain, "It's just a thought for now. I haven't made up my mind yet. If it turns out to be too aggressive, I'll send it for breeding."
"Hinata, if you like it, you can pet it."
Hinata was a little overwhelmed as she felt the kneading sensation coming from her palms.
'Naruto-kun was also working very hard to overcome his weaknesses, so how could I back down?' Such thoughts ran through her mind.
In the end, Hinata decided to control how often she blushed.
She was always too easily flustered in front of Naruto. After repeatedly reflecting on it, she concluded that she couldn't keep being so shy.
"Can I?" Hinata asked tentatively.
"Yeah, it won't bite." Naruto said, "I don't think it really wants to breed right now, so it should behave."
Hinata blinked, while the Kyubi, with a defeated look, reluctantly complied.
"It feels like fox fur, so warm." Hinata said softly, lowering her face slightly as she looked at Kyubi in Naruto's arms. A genuine smile spread across her face.
It was a smile of pure relaxation, something rarely seen on Hinata's face. At this time, she wasn't the usual composed heiress of the Hyuga Clan at all. She is just a young girl, Hinata.
'It turns out that Hinata likes fluffy things like this. Well, it wasn't surprising, as many girls liked warm and fluffy animals.'
The adorable sight almost made Naruto blurt out, "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
But if he says that, it will be really troublesome, because this 'dog' is not an ordinary puppy, but Kyubi in the appearance of a puppy.
"… Thank you, Naruto-kun." Hinata's face flushed again, "I... I should head back now."
"Huh? So soon?" Naruto, still toying with her hand, tried to prolong the moment.
"Yeah." Hinata nodded, feeling incredibly nervous.
"Do you like pinching little girls' hands so much?" A slightly angry voice came from not far away, sounding unusually familiar.
Naruto turned around and saw Ino standing there with her hands on her hips, while Rino covered her mouth as she laughed.
"That kid's quite popular." Rino said with a playful tone, clearly enjoying the situation.
Hearing this, Naruto suddenly felt a little embarrassed and instinctively moved to shield Hinata. Hinata, however, quickly pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted, and her face turned a deep shade of red in an instant.
Unable to handle the situation, Hinata took a few steps forward. As she passed by Ino and Mrs. Yamanaka, she paused momentarily, then bowed her head respectfully.
After saying 'excuse me', both Ino and her mother returned the bow, and Hinata hurried away, her face still red.
The night wind was cold, and suddenly only three people were left on the side of the low cliff.
Ino frowned. She wasn't angry because Naruto pinched Hinata's hand. She just felt a little bit sour when she saw him instinctively moved to shield Hinata. It made her feel a tiny pang of jealousy.
"Auntie, you look stunning tonight." Naruto subconsciously felt that Rino was the key to easing the tension, so he greeted her with a smile, "You and Ino look just like sisters when standing together."
"Humph." Ino interrupted, trying to break his charm, "My Mom won't fall for that!"
"Indeed." Rino chuckled with her hands covering her mouth, "I'm no longer a young girl, but Ino is quite susceptible to such things."
"Mom!" Ino protested, tugging at her mother playfully, "He's just a pervert! Let's ignore him and go home!"
After saying that, Ino shot Naruto a sharp glare.
Naruto felt a bit helpless and could only stand there and scratched his face awkwardly. He didn't expect that he would be caught after just touching Hinata for a while.
"That's the Hyuga Clan's child, right?" Rino asked with a gentle smile.
"Yes, I just happened to run into her." Naruto replied honestly. No matter how elaborate a lie, it would eventually fall apart. As said before, sincerity was his ultimate weapon.
"Such a sweet child." Rino remarked, then glanced at the slightly dirty, fire-red puppy in Naruto's arms and added with a smile, "Is that a puppy? Ino loves them too."
"Yes." Naruto responded, though he wasn't sure if Rino was referring to him or Hinata as the 'sweet child', he understood the additional words.
"Thank you, Auntie." He said with a smile.
Rino nodded slightly and said, "Ino, Mom have something to take care of. Can you get home on your own?"
"Huh?... Oh." Ino hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed.