: holiday :

: a day of festivity


The children were laughing, the buildings were brightly lit, and not a single frown could be found.

"Good morning, Naruto-senpai!"

"Good morning!" Naruto greeted back at the children who ran passed him.

He just finsihed eating his morning ramen, he couldn't be happier with the kick-start of his morning! The warm broth of the ramen really was perfect with the cold winter air.

Decorations were already being put up, and cheerful little songs were being played in streets.

"A-Ah! Kiba-kun! Shino-kun! Stop!"

Naruto looked up and saw Hinata with her arms held out to both sides, and behind her were Shino and three Kibas with bags and boxes im their arms that were covering up to their heads.

"What?! Why?!" The real Kiba asked as he stuck his leg out and tried to find out what was in front of them, "Is it a wall?!"

"No..." Hinata said as she maneuvered them around, "A puddle... Y-You two might slip"

"And die?" Kiba asked, making her yelp and correct him, "N-No..! Just slip"

Naruto laughed and walked up to them, "Hey, guys!"

"Oh! Naruto-kun!" Hinata cheered as she smiled at him, "Good morning"

"Hey, Naruto!" Kiba greeted, lowering the boxes to peak from behind it, "Happy almost Rinne!"

"What's up with the stuff?" The blonde asked as his eyes studied each boxes, "Shopping spree, Hinata?"

"N-No!" She immediately denied as her cheeks burned red, "J-Just buying gifts for our clans and friends, is all"

"That explains all of those!" Naruto laughed as he made four clones, "Lemme help you guys out!"

"The help is very much appreciated" Shino said as he gave him a nod, making Kiba laugh and say "You've got strong holiday spirit, man! Thanks!"

"No problem!" The blonde cheered as each of him cut the others' loads by more than half.


Seven years consecutively, the people of Konoha have failed to properly celebrate the Rinne Festival due to the tensions from the past couple of years. So, this year, and with the help of Kakashi's proposal, the entire village agreed to make this year happened.

Instead of just honoring those who have passed on, it was also made to thank those who are still there.

It was usually a quiet festival, dimly lit by lanterns, flowers that survives the cold designed, and memorials of those of who are not anymore present were everywhere.

But, this year, they plan to bring life to it. Make it a lively festival, for friends and families to get together and enjoy each other's companies.

Only volunteers are going on missions the entire festival, and shop owners even cut the prices on their items.

A true festival where everyone gets along.


"No, Naruto" Kakashi said, not even looking up from the laptop.

"W-What?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped back in shock, "What do you mean 'no', sensei?!"

"I'm saying, you're not taking any missions this festival" The Hokage said, "You're staying"

"But I'm volunteering" The genin said, "Kakashi-sensei, I've got nothing to do, any-"

"You're staying," Kakashi said as he closed the laptop, looking at Naruto straight in the eyes, "And that's final"

The Uzumaki quickly looked down to the side, clenching his fists.

With a heavy sigh, Kakashi leaned back into his chair, pulling open his drawer with it, "Here"

A box was placed on the desk.

Naruto raised a brow and asked, "That's the mission? Which village am I deli-"

"It's for you" Kakashi simply said, "My gift for you this Rinne"

"Eh? You didn't even bother wrapping it!" The blonde said, examining the box, trying hard to suppress his excitement and put up a mature front, "And it's super light for a box this big, dattebayo! Is this a prank to get back at me or somethin'? Last time I was pranked, it costed me my clothes!"

"Well, lucky for you, then" The Hatake chuckled, "Go ahead, you can open it now. It's better if you see it soon"

Naruto didn't even bother covering up his excitement this time, his eyes shining bright as he grabbed the lid of the box and slowly lifted it for his own suspense, "Uwoooh! It's- It's-... Eh?"

He lifted out a folded item inside. A jacket. It even had a matching pair of sweat pants under it.

"Happy Rinne Festival, Naruto" Kakashi said with a smile behind his mask, "I saw that you haven't really been taking breaks even when you're in the village, and you're constantly training in your free time... So I got you some clothes, so that you won't always be in just some shirts or your gear"

"S-Sensei..." Naruto didn't know what to say, eyes wide and almost watery.

And to Kakashi's surprise, the blonde took a couple of steps back before he firmly bowed down to a ninety degree angle, "Thank you so much!"

This made the Hokage smile behind his mask, "Manners... At least I know now that not all of his time goes to training"

"You don't need to do that" Kakashi said as he made the younger man rise, "Just enjoy the festival, Naruto"


The day of the peak of the festival, lights softly poured over the village of Konoha, nothing but the calmed joyous noises echoed in it as families all got together.

Those who were close strengthened their bonds. Those who were distant rekindled.

The windows of different shops were moist and some even frosty from the cold, but had endearing little messages that kids wrote with their fingers, greetings for the people who stop to read them, some even wishing for gifts.

Clans got together, and families remembered those who weren't there anymore.

Naruto never have seen the village this much in harmony. He was even yet to see a single person in uniform or in gear.

But, even with the lack of shinobi, not one emergency or trouble were caused.

It was a lovely stroll around the village, the most peaceful one he had in a while. With the occasional family stopping to greet him, and storw owners offering him some free stuff which he respectfully declined for their business.

The Akimichi clan held a huge feast at their compound.

The Nara had set up a memorial at their homes.

The Yamanaka held a small party at the main house.

The Inuzuka had been having drinks and loud chats all throughout the festival.

The Aburame cross bred their bugs with other members.

The Hyūga had an entire ceremony.

Heck, even Sakura, who was not in the best of terms with her parents, had not left her home yet as she was spending quality time with them.

But...

He stopped mid step. Then he stood still.

Naruto suddenly felt how cold December really was.

His shoulders dropped as his head slowly bowed down.

"Naruto-kun?"

He was brought out of the darkness as quickly as it came.

He looked up and he was surprised, "Hinata?"

Clad in a warm attire, Hinata stood in front of him with a curious and worried look, her arms hugging an almost empty backpack.

"A-Are you okay?" She asked as she slightly tilted her head to the side, "You seem... Distracted"

Naruto quickly looked away, his gaze back on the floor before he looked back up and asked "Shouldn't you be with your family?"

"Oh, um, you see" She said as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger, "My father already excused us after the ceremony we had since grand father and him are leaving for a meeting with the Taketori clan later, s-so Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I went out to deliver the gifts we got for everyone. W-We just split up a while ago and..."

She immediately blushed as she realized she was rambling, and that he was only staring blankly at her.

Quickly fumbling her hands into the backpack, she took out one last box in it, wrapped in orange gift wrap, she bowed as she handed it to him, "H-Here..! I-It's from all three of us!"

Naruto felt his heart skip a beat.

It was his first time receiving a gift from a girl like this.

He pushed aside the fact that it wasn't just from her, and that two other dudes pitched in for the gift, and just basked in the feeling of being given a gift by a girl like this.

With both hands, he held the gift with her and loudly yelled, the large smile on his face complimented by his reddened cheeks and sparkling eyes, "Thank you so much!!! I'll take care of it always, dattebayo!!!"

Hinata let go of the gift and looked at Naruto in surprise, her eyes wide, before her hand covered her mouth as she started laughing.

"Eh?!" Naruto screamed as he jumped back, "Wait- was I rude?! Why are you laughing?! Did I do something wrong?!"

"No! No!" Hinata quickly reassured as she waved both her hands, the smile still present on her face, "I-It's just that your reaction made me really happy, is all"

"Mahh, that really isn't the reason, is it?" He teased as he crossed his arms, the gift safely in one of his hands, "You were laughing at me!"

"What? No!" She laughed, but he smirked and continued to tease, "Yeah, you were! You just won't tell me!"

They both laughed in unison.

"Can I open it now?" Naruto asked, excitement completely evident in his voice, making Hinata nod in equal excitement, "Sure, Naruto-kun..!"

Turning his head, he pointed at a nearby pair of swings in the playground, "Let's go over there!"

The two sat on both swings, the metal of the seats and the chains cold, but they didn't mind.

Naruto eyed the box intensely everywhere, turning the gift on all the sides.

"Um... You can rip it if you want" Hinata said, knowing that he was trying to find the tape that holds the paper closed, but he shook his head and said "No way! I can hold on to the paper as a memento or something!"

"Oh, okay..." She giggled before mentioning "Shino-kun was the one who wrapped that one, I think he used double-sided tape"

"Got it" He said, carefully separating the folds to not rip the paper, "Shino, huh? Were the ones wrapped by you different?"

"I used ribbons and some glue" She answered, "Kiba-kun taped his with some scotch tape"

"You're all different!" He noticed, she nodded and said "We wrapped gifts separately at our own homes, we didn't want to bother Kurenai-sensei"

"Alright, got it open!" Naruto cheered before looking at Hinata, "Ah! Speaking if gifts! Look! Kakashi-sensei got these for me!"

She smiled as she blushed, finding his attire to be really suiting for him, "That's g-great! It's nice of him to give you that"

"Yep!" He chuckled as he pulled out the item from the gift wrap.

He pulled out a silverwood folding picture frame, one big photo can go in the middle and two smaller ones on either frame doors.

"Sakura-san told us a while ago that you had lots of photos that you wanted to keep, but you couldn't display them because you couldn't buy some frames before..." Hinata nervously explained, "We figured you'd be able to use that one"

"I love it! Thank you!" Naruto loudly said, "I'll take care of it, promise!"

"I'm glad" The Hyūga said as she held her hand to her chest.

The cold winter air gently blew at the two.

Naruto looked up from the beautiful frame and up to Hinata as she stood up, "What's up?"

"It's getting a little cold, I-I should get going" She said as she sadly smiled at him.

Hesitantly, he nodded, "Oh... Alright then"

She returned the nod before taking a few steps backwards, then turning around to walk.

It felt a little bit too sad, watching her go.

It felt a little bit too sad, leaving him abruptly.

So.

Hinata stopped walking and dug her hand into her jacket, taking in a deep breath before turning back around, cheeks burning hot, walking up to him with all the courage and confidence she could muster.

Naruto almost jumped from the swing in surprise as she practically marched her way back, and he couldn't even stop a large grin from forming on his face, "Hinata! You changed your mi-"

He cut himself off as Hinata deeply bowed in front of him, her eyes closed tightly shut as she held out a small box beautiful wrapped in red gift wrapping and white ribbon, "P... P-Please accept my Rinne Festival gift, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto's eyes were wider than before, and his blush was more intense, too.

This time, he didn't even have to push aside anything! This gift was purely from Hinata!

Flattered was an understatement. He felt like he just jumped up from the moon and back!

Meanwhile, Hinata was shaking in her shoes, her lips that were tightly pursed were quivering. She felt that her hands were cold, but her head was burning.

She was embarassed! She practically yelled at him to accept her gift!

The two were frozen in their place for what felt like an eternity. But, in actuality, there was just no exchange of words for only five seconds. And they both knew they were five seconds too quiet.

Naruto stood up from the swing and stood up straight, squaring his shoulders, and did his best to pull off what he thinks to be his manliest man-smile. Whatever that meant.

"Thank you, Hinata" He said, though calm in tone, the excitement and joy in his voice was barely even covered.

Receiving the small box with both of his hands, keeping in mind all of the proper etiquette and manners he learned all throughout the year, the blonde carefully held it in his hands, as if it were the most fragile thing in the world.

Standing up from her bow, the bluenette played with her fingers as she looked at everywhere but him, "U-Um... I-If you want... Y-You, um, can open that now, t-too..."

And without even second thought, Naruto ever so gently untied the carefully knotted ribbon, making sure to keep the paper in pristine shape as he pulled it from the glue.

And when he opened it, he saw-

"I-I found it during a mission at Uzushiogakure a month ago..." Hinata explained, "We were looking for maybe some people or signs of people that were there recently... But we found none..."

He pulled out a silver chain with a red pendant...

"It was in a rubble... But it was in good shape, though. It seems that it was made two and a half decades ago by a fine craftsman, a-at least, that's what the jeweler said w-when I took it to be polished..."

An Uzumaki necklace.

A necklace worn or meant to be worn by his family...

Another Uzumaki. His clan. His family.

It felt as if the necklace was a reminder that there could still be more out there. A ray of hope that, in fact, he wasn't alone.

And without even noticing it, Naruto's tears fell at the sight of the simple gift.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked out in worry, but he shook his head and smiled brightly, wiping away the unwelcomed tears, "Thank you, Hinata! This is the best gift ever! I can't think of anything better than this! Thank you!"

Smiling in satisfaction, the bluenette nodded, "Happy Rinne Festival, Naruto-kun... I'll see you next time"

The Uzumaki looked at the Hyūga with enamoured eyes, seeing as she smiled at him oh so endearingly as the cold wind softly blowed on her, her hair sweeping to the side before returning to their rightful places.

She took one step back to turn on her heel, but before she could even take the next step, her hand was suddenly enveloped in warmth.

"Actually!"

Naruto held her hand in his firmly yet gently as he took a deep breath in, "Are you busy, Hinata?!"

With a light blush, Hinata slowly turned back around to face him, but he kept their hands linked still, "U-Um... I have no plans... I-It is a little warmer now..."

Nodding, the blonde took a big step, shortening the gap between them, he held their linked hands up to his chest, and with all the determination he's got, he loudly proclaimed, "I want another gift from you, if you don't mind!"

She felt as if the cold was no longer present. She felt completely warm. "A-Anything"

"Hinata!" Naruto loudly proclaimed, sure of his decision, "I want you to meet my parents! Please let me take you to them!"

Hinata gasped, feeling her heart pound faster at the thought. Nervously, she asked "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes!" He answered, completely positive, making her look up at him with nervousness and a hint of excitement in her eyes, "I-I don't know... W-What if they don't like me?"

"Are you crazy?!" He laughed as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "They will love you, Hinata"

Hinata's heart fluttered as her eyes widen. Naruto's parents...

With an excited yet nervous nod, she said "I-If you're sure, then I'd love to!"

From her response, he felt like he conquered the world. Enthusiastically, the Uzumaki smiled brightly and walked ahead of her, her hand safely in his, "It's a little far, but I'm sure they're not going anywhere!"

Nervous as heck, the Hyūga failed to be too flustered at their conjoined hands, her head still at the thought of meeting the Uzumaki's parents.

Lifting her head in a determined fashion as they walked through the cheerful village, Hinata sped up her walk for a while and matched Naruto's speed as she caught on to him, walking side by side, she tugged on his hand a little to catch his attention, "A-Ano... Do you mind if we look for an open flower shop? I-I want to bring them flowers"

"Sure!" He said with bright smile, "Oh, and maybe by my apartment, too. I'll drop these gifts off, make sure they're safe and all"

"You don't really use ribbons anymore" Ino said as she showed Sakura a red headband, "So I got you this instead!"

"Ah! You shouldn't have!" The pinkette said as she admired the headband, "Thank- EH?!?!"

The Yamanaka jumped as the Haruno suddenly ran across her room and almost slammed herself against her own bedroom window, "What the hell?! What's-!"

"Ino! Look!" Sakura yelled as she pointed out her window.

"No way am I going near your window" Ino said as she crossed her arms, "It's cold there"

"Just look!" The pinkette yelled as she pulled the blonde over and pointed out the window, and with a loud gasp, the blue eyed girl yelled "Are my eyes deceiving me?!"

Ino quickly dashed out of Sakura's room, bouncing in pure energy, leaving the green eyed girl alone yelling "Ino, don't! You're gonna ruin their da- aaaaand, she's gone"

"Hinata! Naruto!" Ino called out to the two.

Naruto and Hinata both stopped talking to each other and on their tracks, they turned and smiled at their incoming friend.

"Hey, Ino!" Naruto greeted, Ino nodded in acknowledgement as she caught up to them, "Hey! You two spending the festival together?"

"U-Um... Something like that" Hinata answered, "Is the party at your clan over, Ino-san?"

"Yep! I'm sleeping over at Sakura's" The blonde woman confirmed, "Soooo... What are you guys up to?"

"We're going to my apartment to drop off some stuff, or buy some flowers" The blonde man said with a shrug, "Whichever goes first, we're doing both anyway"

"I can hook you up with some flowers!" Ino excitedly claimed as she pointed ahead, "I'll run to my shop and meet you guys there! I'll make the most beautiful bouquet with discount!"

And without another word, she dashed off once more.

Hinata just stood in shock with one hand out, confused of Ino's sudden enthusiasm.

"Look! That's Sakura-chan's house right there!" Naruto pointed at a simple two story house, "Ah! Sakura-chaaaan!!!"

Hinata turned and saw Sakura with her hand to her forehead by a window, so she waved at her along with Naruto's enthusiastic waving.

The pinkette smiled back at them and waved back.

With a tug of her hand, Hinata looked up at Naruto as he motioned for them to get going, "Come on, let's drop these off real quick, my apartment's closer than the shop"

"O-Okay" She said with a small nod before letting him lead them back to his apartment.


Nervously shifting her weight from one leg to another, Hinata was almost hyperventilating at her sudden realization.

It was her first time being near Naruto's apartment!

Of course, not wanting to intrude, she insisted on waiting for Naruto outside at the foot of his apartment's building.

She blushed harder, realizing that she almost even entered his home!

"Hinata?"

"Eep!"

Naruto held back a laugh in Hinata's reaction, "Whoops! Didn't mean to scare you!"

"A-A-Ah! It's alright, I-I'm fine!" She rambled quickly, "J-Just a little lost in my head for a while, is all..."

"Well, if that's the case!" He chuckled as he put both his hands in his pockets, "Let's go pick up the flowers!"


"Thank you, Ino-san" Hinata said as she walked out of the store, a bouquet of some poinsettia and helleborous niger in her arms.

"That looks fancy!" Naruto said as he looked at the flowers, she smiled and nodded, "I-I guess so... Ino-san said this is a special bouquet for the festival, so I just had to get it"

"Cool!"

They stood at the front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop for a short moment in silence, both mindlessly staring into the bouquet.

The Hyūga suddenly remembered what they were doing and said "Oh! We're visiting your parents, right?"

"Ah! That's what I was forgetting!" The Uzumaki gasped.

With a large smile on his face, the blonde took the bluenette's free hand in his once again and cheerfully yelled "Alright! Let's go!!"

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata gasped as he suddenly started running, Naruto then yelled "We're taking the path like normal people just for the sake of the festival!"

His cheerful laugh reached her ears, and she couldn't help but laugh along with him as they ran across the village, their joyous laughter bringing the almost sleepy streets back to life.

The villagers they passed all seemed to erupt with bright smiles as the two passes them, their contagious laughter getting to them and the smell of fresh flowers lifting their festival spirits. And, of course, just the sight of them made their hearts swell in pride and joy. The hero of their village hand in hand with a clan princess with a bouquet of beautiful flowers in her arm.

The bubbly duo made their way up the Hokage mountains, up the long sets of stairs, greeting villagers on their way.

The air became colder the higher they came, but they both didn't seem to mind, both too lost in their conversation.

And soon enough, Hinata noticed that Naruto slowed down, his eyes softening and his grip tightening a bit as he fell silent, a small and grateful smile on his face as they ever so slowly approached a clearing through the small woods.

As they reached the clearing, her pale lavender eyes widened and glistened, seeing two tombstones right next to each other, the plants around them well taken care of.

Her heart sped up as she saw the photos on the stones, somewhat familiar in a sense.

His hand slowly slipped away from hers as he walked ahead, then standing in front of the graves and turning to her, an excited smile on his face, "Hinata, this is my family!"

The air blew the gentle breeze on them the sound of rustling leaves echoing around them.

With a blink of her eyes, tears fell.

"Hinata?! Are you alright?!" Naruto asked as he quickly made his way to her, panicked, "Did somethin' happen?! Did I-"

"No, no!" Hinata said as she shook her head, wiping her tears with her sleeves, a bright smile on her face, "I-It's nothing"

With a nod, the blonde faced the graves and said "Mom! Dad! Look! I finally brought Hinata over, dattebayo!"

The bluenette's face suddenly burned in embarassment, learning that he talks about her, even to her parents.

"U-Um! I-It's really nice to f-f-finally meet Naruto-kun's parents!" She practically screamed as she bowed deeply, her eyes closed tight and her cheeks blushing brightly.

He laughed and sat cross legged, then said "She even brought you guys some flowers! Really thoughtful of her, right?! Come on, Hinata! Sit next to me! They wanna talk to you!"

With a nervous nod, the Hyūga knelt beside him and shyly showed the two picturea the bouquet, "I-I, um, I-I hope you two would like them, U-Uzumaki-san, N-Namikaze-san"

"No need to be so formal, Hinata!" The Uzumaki laughed as he gently took the flowers and placed it in between the stones, "Just call them by their names! They won't mind!"

"A-Are you sure?" She asked, and he surely nodded.

"O-Okay... K-Kushina-san, I-I think you look so pretty" Hinata said out of nowhere, and then she suddenly gasped and blushed intensely, nervously waving her hands around, "I-I'm sorry! That was random! I-I- Your hair was just so beautiful that I- Ah!"

Naruto laughed to himself as he watched Hinata shyly fumble and ramble in front of his parents.

"M-Minato-san, N-Naruto-kun l-looks a lot like you, too" She said, her hands stuck on her lap as she tried to not make a fool out of herself more in front of the two adults, "Y-You've got really nice features, too- ah! I-I um-"

Steam almost emitted from her head as she blushed harder, hearing that what she said made Naruto laugh louder.

"I-I'm really sorry!" She said as she bowed down nervously, "W-Was I rude? I'm really sorry!"

"Hinata!" He laughed as he reached over her shoulder and made her sit up, looking at her with a very bright and gleeful smile, "It's fine! They really like you, dattebayo!"

Almost jumping in his place, Naruto excitedly faced his parents and said "Oh! Mom! Dad! Hinata got me these really amazing presents earlier! And I really wanted her to meet you guys, and she was kind enough to agree! But I couldn't get her any presents though... Ah! Next year, though! I'll make sure of that! I really wanted to take her to you guys, and the Rinne Festival is the perfect time since it's time for family, right?!"

Hinata watched Naruto silently as he contiuned to tell stories loudly to his parents, excited as ever.

"Um, Naruto-kun has been really kind to me, too" She said, a little bit more comfortable, "H-He's been helping me on my taijutsu, he's kind enough to let me fight with multiple clones. A-And he got me a beautiful present for my birthday last year! He always helps me out with some of my chores in the village if he has time, a-and he's been getting me wonderful opportunities for the future, too"

"Well, if she thinks that's a lot!" He said as he smiled widely, "Hinata had done bazillion gillion things for me! You guys won't even believe it!"

The two continued back and forth, telling stories about the other almost childishly, trying to prove that the other is more amazing than themself.

But in reality, it's just an excuse for them to freely admire the other.

Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours.

By now, they were both just silently sat beside each other, talking to the couple in their heads.

But when the cold air of the night hit them, they both knew it was time to go.

And just like the way they came, they left together, side by side, but, this time, not linked, but, this time, almost touching shoulders.

Hinata felt as if her heart is full.

She felt very light.

And after meeting his parents, she felt as if she received the greatest present of all.

She knew. She has to say it now.

As they reached the foot of the mountain, Naruto felt a hand grab the back of his jacket, stopping him in place.

"Hinata?" He turned around, and he was almost taken aback at how determined she looked.

Hinata had a small blush on her face, her eyes perfectly reflecting the lights of the stars, moon, and lamplights.

"Naruto-kun. Today has gone better than expected... Actually- It's the best way it could've gone" She said, not missing a beat, "After all of what I said earlier, I feel like I should just tell you right now"

He was stuck in his place, not able to move, anticipating each word to come. It was as if he knew that the atmosphere changed, and he knew, he wants to hear the whole thing.

Just by looking in to her eyes, he knew, it was that same intense feeling he has that she was feeling, too.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Hinata held her hands tight together behind her back.

"Naruto-kun..."

All those hang outs. All the time they chose to spend alone together.

"For the longest time..."

All those unplanned moments they had. All the gifts they have gave to the other.

"I..."

All those lively talks. All those silent conversations.

"Truly am..."

All the trainings they did together. All the promises they made for the other.

"Deeply"

All the times they made excuses to see the other. All the times they thought of the other while away.

"Inlove"

All the moments they wanted to just see one another. All those trek home hurried to just tell the wild story to the other.

"With"

And all the time they were just completely satisfied to be in the presence of the other.

"NARUTO!!!!!"

BAM!

Out of nowhere, Shizune skidded in the middle of them and quickly pointed at Naruto, "Naruto! Hurry! Hokage-sama has an urgent mission for you!"

"WHAT?! Now?!" The blonde screamed, clearly upset, "Hey! He said he won't be sending me to any missions for the festival!"

"Nevermind that, it's import- Oh" Noticing the disdained look the two had, Shizune realized that she interrupted a very special moment, and guiltily, she asked "I interrupted something, didn't I?"

"O-Oh, um..." Hinata muttered, but didn't continue any further, her eyes just stuck on the ground.

With a very heavy huff, Naruto looked at Hinata, and then at Shizune.

"I'm sorry," Shizune said as she crossed her arms, "But this is very urgent!"

"I-It's okay, Naruto-kun. It's a mission" Hinata said, not looking at anyone, "Good luck"

"Hinata..." He warrily said before huffing a heavy sigh, "Alright. I'll go now. I'll finish as soon as I can"

"Yep" She said.

Hesitantly, he nodded and motioned Shizune to go on ahead.

"Yeah" He said, scratching the back of his head "I-If it's really urgent, then I'd be back next year, you know..."

He saw her shoulders tuck.

"I'll come back as soon as possible, don't worry!" He tried to cheer her up, "Then, maybe, you can tell me what you were-"

"Ah! N-No, no!" She said as she shook her head, her eyes still not falling on him, "I-It's, um, i-it's- n-never mind it, okay?"

"Naruto!" Shizune called, uneasy, "You've stalled enough. You really have to go"

Naruto sighed, "It's okay, Hinata. You don't have to tell me"

She simply nodded.

His shoulders dropped and decided he should really go now, seeing how frantic Shizune is.

After passing her a few feet away, he stopped again and turned his head to look at her, "I'll come back as soon as possible, and let's hang out, alright?"

She slowly turned her head, and their eyes met, her eyes were bright once again as she smiled at him, maybe bitter-sweet, "I'd love that"

This brought the smile back to his face as well.

"Happy Rinne Festival!" He cheered at her, and she gigglef and returned it, "Happy Rinne Festival"

And with that, Naruto left. Hinata was looking forward to the future. Maybe, the one where he comes home to her.


HAPPY RINN- I mean- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

An hour and a half late, but it's because I didn't finish it in time haha I was too busy trying to make ice cream sandwiches, literally just some slices of hella frozen ice cream with sprinkles and marshmallows and stuff slapped in it haha

Anyway! How's your Christmas going, everyone?! I hope it's going great!

Alright! As some of you know by now is that the next update would be next year, December 15!!

See you guys next time! Merry Christmas!

-OrenjiRabenda