She was breathtaking, as she always had been. Naruto looked at Hinata as she talked with some of the girls from their class. However, because the Uzumaki was paying attention to his girlfriend as opposed to the game he was playing with Kiba, he had inadvertently lost.
"Eh?"
"Ha! You can't become Hokage if you can't win a simple game at a festival, moron!" the triumphant Inuzuka bellowed.
Naruto countered the insult with his own yell. "Shut up, dog breath!"
A small rupture of giggling could be heard very near the two teenage boys, like water surfacing from the ground, quietly and slowly.
Turning to look at the noise, Naruto found Hinata covering her hand, the white sleeve of her kimono cascading down her arm lazily.
"You're still a wonderful candidate for Hokage, Naruto-kun," she reassured him. Her giggling lifted the pout from his lips and replaced it with a big grin.
"He's still an idiot though," mumbled Sakura.
Ignoring his teammate's comment, Naruto walked up to his girlfriend and placed his arm around her shoulders, ignoring everyone around them. That happened a lot, whenever Naruto was with Hinata. He would get lost in the features of her being. The way her eyes looked lavender as opposed to total white, like he had always thought. The way her hair felt and appeared to be dark ink dancing with the breeze. The way her skin, white as snow, was as soft as clouds.
And most importantly, the way she smiled at him.
Naruto had begun noticing the special smile Hinata reserved for him alone. In return, he had started reserving special looks for the Hyuuga as well.
"Let's get out of here, Hinata," Naruto said, abruptly taking her hand and leading them away from their friends without so much as a goodbye.
"N-Naruto-kun! You can't leave without saying goodbye!" she said, turning and waving so as not to be rude.
Always being kind, he thought with a smile. She's so polite and kind, it really puts me to shame. Not that the Uzumaki had ever been known for being polite.
"Where are we going Naruto-kun?" she asked. Their pace had slowed, and they were walking at a relaxed pace. The streets of downtown Konoha, rebuilt after the Fourth Shinobi War, were teeming with people. The summer festival always attracted a number of pedestrians, from young children to the elders themselves. The promise of innocence and laughter was always welcomed by those in the village. Naruto and Hinata had been no different.
"I just wanna get away from everybody for a while," he said.
Truthfully, Naruto didn't really know where they were going. He was just walking with his girlfriend, away from people. He wanted to be alone with her.
The blonde smiled as he looked down at Hinata. She was hugging his arm, her head resting against the muscled limb. It had been an interesting six months. Last winter Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister, had been kidnapped by an Otsutsuki named Toneri. Together, along with a few others from their class, Naruto and Hinata had managed to rescue the missing Hyuuga. However, that was not the only thing that came from that mission. At long last, Naruto finally realized his feelings for Hinata, and realized just how deeply she loved him. What made the experience even better was that Hinata had loved Naruto back when he was in the academy, before he could even properly make a clone.
You've always seen the potential in me, even when I couldn't see it myself, he thought affectionately. You say that my smile saved you. Well, perhaps, your love saved me.
Once they were far enough from the city center, the young couple found themselves by the lake. The sun was beginning to set, casting brilliant oranges everywhere in one last attempt to light the world with vivid and dazzling light.
"Let's go sit on the dock, Hinata," suggested Naruto. The navy-haired beauty was still hugging his arm, though she shifted her head so that lavender-tinted eyes could look up at him.
"Okay," Hinata said with a small, gentle smile.
As they sat on the dock, watching the sun begin it's descend before giving the sky up to the moon and stars, Naruto couldn't begin to focus on the beauty of the nature surrounding him.
Azure eyes couldn't see the glimmering of the light reflected upon the lake, softly distorted by the small ripples as the breeze danced upon the water.
No, instead the Uzumaki was focused on the breathtaking beauty of the young woman sitting beside him. Her pale hands were absentmindedly playing with her dark tresses, combing out tiny knots within the expanse of her long hair. The white of her kimono looked so lovely when contrasted to the darkness of her hair; Naruto loved seeing Hinata in white. Hinata's outline entranced Naruto, to the point that he was openly staring.
Hinata, he thought. You've grown so much since our academy days. You've matured into a strong woman, but your true strength lies in the kindness of your heart.
And…thank you for loving me, even when I was an idiot and a loser.
As if Hinata could read his mind, she turned to look at her unusually silent boyfriend. Once she noticed that he was staring at her, Hinata quickly snapped her head back. A light dusting of pink spread across her cheeks, transforming them into the softest of rose petals.
Unable to stop himself, Naruto gently grabbed Hinata's chin between his index finger and thumb, gingerly bringing their lips together as the last rays of the intense summer sun were swallowed by the cool purple tendrils of the night time sky.
Their kiss lingered as the orange of the sun and the purple of the sky became one in a breathtaking blending of color and light.