"I used to always cry and give up... I nearly went the wrong way... but you... you showed me the right way... I was always chasing you... wanting to overtake you... I just wanted to walk with you... I wanted to be with you... you changed me! Your smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because I - love you..."
Those were the last words she had said to him before he left. She had finally managed to speak her feelings. She knew he felt something for her. His passion had allowed him to awaken the terrible beast within him, defeat Pain, and save Konoha. Now he was gone once again, leaving Hinata Hyῡga alone.
News had returned from the Summit of the Five Kages. The Fourth Great Shinobi War had begun, and Naruto was in the middle of it. It had already been over three years since he had left to train with Jiraiya, and now, as soon as he had returned, he would be gone again. She had overheard her father discussing plans with the other village leaders. They wanted to keep Naruto in hiding, far out of reach of Akatsuki.
She often wandered around the village, thinking of him and praying he could avoid the dangers that were in store. As she walked, she noticed that Konoha was beginning to resemble what it had been before the attack. The sound of hammers and saws filled the air around her. These people, she mused, were all saved by Naruto…
The people seemed to have no difficulties accepting the one they had once reviled as their savior. Mr. Ichiraku had awarded Naruto free ramen for the rest of his life, and Yamanaka Flowers was inundated with delivery orders for the young hero. She did not know how Naruto would react to this rapid change in the villagers' perceptions, but she didn't care. She had always loved him, even when no one else could see his worth.
She hoped he would return safely, that the war would end; she hoped that she would be able to see the one she loved soon, and know that he would never be in harm's way again. She felt suppressed by her fears, choked by the possibility that she could lose him. She was so close, and yet she could still only pine for him.
Despite her anxieties, she would carry on. He had truly changed her. She would continue to chase him, until the day she could walk with him and be with him, secure in the arms that had saved her.