As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Hinata shook her hair free from the towel. The downfall of long hair was how much longer it took to wash it and how long it took to dry afterwards. She didn't know how Neji stood having his as long as he did. After a quick brush, Hinata tied it low, shoulder length—a habit from when she was still hiding the seal beneath. The chakra suppressors weren't as necessary to her direct training as they used to be, but after two years she'd become accustomed to them, not to mention the rush when she removed them felt amazing. She imagined it must be what Neji felt most of the time.

She was almost ready for bed when a knock disrupted her nightly routine. Being careful how far she opened it, Hinata slid the door to see who was there so late. Kin, one of the gate guards, stood on the other side.

"Hinata-sama, you have a guest at the gate."

"Who is it?" Most of her friends were considered welcome enough to visit, and even if it was late, the guard would have been within his ability to bring them with him.

Kin glanced around the hall before a half-hearted smirk answered her instead. "Perhaps you should come to the gate."

"Very well. Give me a moment to get dressed again."

Hinata closed the door and headed to her closet. It wasn't like Kin to be so vague, especially about a guest, which would seem to be an easy question to answer. If it had been one of the newer guards brought in after Isamu and Osamu's departure, then she'd had brushed it off as not being familiar, but Kin had been in and out of rotation for years. Friends coming by wasn't a strange occurrence.

Given her usual outfit had already been spirited away to be laundered, Hinata changed into a pair of black training scrubs and headed to main gate. Most of the compound was quiet so late at night and the few still meandering home paid her only enough attention as not to be rude. Hinata contemplated using byakugan to see what the fuss was about, but it was best not to break clan rules for something she'd find out soon enough. It was bad form for the heir to ignore privacy for her own gain. What questions had come in the last ten minutes fell out from beneath her at a single voice—familiar, but not quite the same.

"I swear, one day I'm going to make it past these damn gates!"

Hinata heard the voice before she could see the person behind it, but for one full second her breath stopped in her throat. It couldn't be . . . could it?

"It won't be today." Kin's voice. "Wait here and Hinata-sama will be here shortly."

"Speaking of." His partner pointed in Hinata's direction.

A flash of yellow illuminated by the gate light came first, then a hint of orange, much less than she remembered. The face was different, too—older, leaner. But the smile—his smile when he caught sight of her with those blue eyes—was perfect. Exactly the same.

"Naruto-kun, you're back!"

"Hinata!" Naruto stared at her. "Your hair's different."

She laughed, not sure if it was from his surprise or the sheer giddiness of seeing her childhood friend again. It had been so long. "Things change in two and a half years."

"Not everything," he grumbled, glaring at Kin. "I'm still not allowed inside."

Hinata took Naruto by the arm and headed out of the compound and away from snooping guards, who would not be as silent as Isamu and Osamu about Naruto being more than an academy acquaintance. "Give it a couple more years and that will change, too."

Naruto cradled his head in his hands and rolled his eyes. "What happened to the other ones? The nice ones that were always there."

"Isamu and Osamu went back to work for the village a few months ago. Do you remember Morino Ibiki from the first round of the chuunin exam? They work for him now in interrogation."

"With that crazy scarred guy? Are we talking about the same people?"

Hinata laughed; it was still strange to imagine them with someone like Ibiki. "The twins aren't always able to talk about it, but they say as long as they can keep reading people the way they do, they don't have to use more invasive methods. But tell me about you. When'd you get back? What happened with Jiraiya-sama?"

His face lit up in the uneven light of the streetlamps, like they were children again sneaking lunch together under Iruka's oblivious watch. "That Pervy Sage was merciless. We trained so hard all my clothes got destroyed, even the strap on my forehead protector. But it was worth it. I'm a lot stronger now."

"Strong enough to be Hokage?" Hinata smiled. She never teased him about his dream.

"Closer. I'm definitely gonna make it one day." Like a cloud drifting over a summer sun, Naruto's smile disappeared. "Not sure how I'll do that still being genin. Shikamaru and Sakura said that everybody else is already chuunin. And Neji's jounin!"

It might not be what Naruto wanted to hear, but she enjoyed remembering the day Neji told them about his promotion. Hizashi and Naomi were so proud. "I'm happy for them."

"Yeah, sure," Naruto quickly added. "But, I'm kinda glad you're still genin. Hey, we should take the chuunin exam together!"

How she wished she could. Waiting meant she was going to be stuck with any random genin that needed a third added to their team. It wouldn't be the same as her first two exams with Kiba and Shino at her sides, working together. Even those that had to take it a third or fourth time were able to go along with the rest of their graduating class. It was going to be lonely without any of her friends.

"You'd have to wait a few years for that. Once I become chuunin, I have to go back to the clan, so I'm going to hold off as long as possible."

Naruto grumbled. "Your clan's never gonna let us do anything together."

Hinata burst out in a light, genuine laugh that she hadn't heard from herself in a while. The last time she felt this comfortable around Naruto she didn't even realize her own feelings for him. Was this what Isamu felt? Knowing the fantasy was gone and reality had set it, Hinata could just enjoy his company. There was a very comforting feeling in that, though not without a little melancholy.

"Like I said, give it time. I've worked hard the last couple years, and I'm in a good place with the clan. It's not perfect and there's still a lot of work ahead of me, but it's not as terrifying as when we were kids."

"That's cause you're stronger now!" Naruto beamed at her.

Hinata pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and started twirling it around her middle finger. She wouldn't call it fidgeting, not like she used to when she'd get flushed around him, but the repetitive motion felt familiar and made the compliment more bearable. Despite happening more often, she'd never gotten used to being praised.

"You didn't answer me," she said, changing the subject as quick as she could. "When'd you get back?"

Naruto shrugged, admonished. "This morning. Me and Sakura finished getting tested by Kakashi-sensei. It took most of the day, but we won this time. I just got done having ramen with Iruka-sensei."

"That explains why Kakashi-sensei wasn't sent on any missions recently." At the curious expression on Naruto's face, Hinata added, "He's been teaching me advanced sealing techniques. I have a knack for it."

Naruto's face scrunched up like he smelled something bad. "Sealing? That sounds complicated."

"I'm sure Jiraiya-sama taught you much more complicated techniques."

"Complicated isn't really my style. I'd call them powerful."

They turned down a street leading away from the compound. Few strolled alongside them so late at night and away from the busier commercial districts. It was nice. The solitude with Naruto after so long . . . before everything else had to happen. "I'm glad you came by, Naruto-kun. It's nice to catch up."

"Yeah, well, you're the first friend I had. I couldn't exactly come back and not say 'hi' to you. Besides, now that I'm back I'll get to go on important missions, so I might not get the chance later on."

She might have accepted the marriage, but hearing she was important to Naruto still made her heart beat faster. Perhaps one day she'd feel something similar or Eiji, but until then she'd enjoy this. "Iruka-sensei would say all missions are important."

Naruto scoffed, a throaty sound akin to a cat coughing up a furball. "Finding lost pets are not important. You might be genin, but I bet your team's not still doing that."

"We were very good at finding lost animals," Hinata joked. "But, no, our targets are a bit more important now. We're the best tracking team in Konoha."

"The best tracking team?"

"Kiba-kun gets mad at me if I say 'one of the best,' and Shino-kun might not say it but I can tell he thinks the same, so I have to say 'the best.'"

Naruto's pace slowed, his blue eyes staring at the ground while his thoughts were obviously somewhere else. After a few seconds, he asked, "Good enough to find Sasuke?"

She supposed she should have expected that question, but it still felt like a punch to the gut. No one spoke of Sasuke. Not even Sakura. Between Sasuke and Itachi, Uchiha was a name that silenced a room and felt like a demon's breath on the back of your neck. But Naruto loved Sasuke like a brother, and all his training with Jiraiya was to save him.

"If anyone can, we can." Hinata touched his arm, a physical reminder that for all he lost, he was not alone. "You're our friend. When you need us, we'll be there to help."

Naruto smiled. Not his usual jovial grin that said he rarely thought too far ahead to be worried about anything. It was subdued. Surprised. "Something's different with you. You're not as . . . I don't know."

"Timid?"

"Yeah . . . wait, no."

Hinata laughed and waved off his concern. "No, it's the right word. A lot's happened since you left. I feel more in control of my life, the good and the bad. And after standing up to Grandpa, not as much scares me."

"You stood up to your grandpa? What was it like? Did you get to fight him? I bet you kicked his ass. I'd have loved to see that." His previous calm vanished amid the excitement he was imagining. Naruto's quick mood swings were as brisk and perplexing as they ever were, yet that itself felt soothingly familiar. Training with Jiraiya hadn't changed his personality at least.

"No, I didn't fight him." She kept quiet that it was in fact Neji she fought. Three years had done little to reduce Neji's disdain of Naruto, and she doubted it'd helped Naruto's much either. "He tried to force me to take the chuunin exam and come back to the clan by giving me an ultimatum. He underestimated what I would do to stay with my team. I called his bluff, and now I get to choose when I go back to the clan, not him or the council or anyone else."

It felt good to say that. She was proud.

"It's about time you showed your clan up. I never got how you lived with everyone telling you what to do." Naruto's brow creased together as the question formed in his mind. "If your grandpa gave you an ultimatum, you'd have to do something still. What'd you get stuck doing instead of the chuunin exam?"

Hinata remained silent. Her breath felt cold in her lungs, what little that made it past her rapidly closing throat. It was best if she told Naruto herself rather than him hearing from Sakura or any of their other friends. But Naruto always had such a sense of justice, of right and wrong. Forcing someone to marry would squarely fall into the wrong for him, and she worried how strong a reaction he would have. Or was she worried he wouldn't react at all?

"Hinata?" Naruto called again. "You okay?"

She gave him a tight, closed-lip smile that bought her another few seconds to compose herself. "I have to get married. After I turn seventeen. It was the only way to keep my team. Grandpa never thought for a moment I would agree."

Naruto's eyes grew wide, his mouth agape. He grabbed her arm, tight and protective. "Married! Your family's making you get married? To who?"

Hinata stopped and didn't meet his gaze. "A member of the clan. His name's Eiji. I haven't officially chosen him, but that's just me resisting making it real. I'll have to soon. Grandpa will insist and it'll be good for the clan."

"That's crazy! What the hell kind of person forces their granddaughter to marry someone in her own family?" His grip was almost painful on her forearm.

Hinata waited until she was certain her voice was calm and even, so as not to agitate him any further. Yet in the back of her heart a sliver of joy warmed her. It may have been as a friend, but he cared. "It's traditional for the clan head to marry within the clan. I always knew it would happen this way, just not this soon. Normally the process begins after the heir turns twenty, not fifteen."

"Fifteen! He made you decide a year ago? You should've told him to go to hell!" Naruto let go of her, hands fisting at his sides. "You should tell your whole clan that. Screw them! Don't let them force you."

"I'm not. It was my choice." Taking one of his fists, Hinata held it between her own the way she would Kiba when he was overly upset. Kiba and Naruto's personalities were similar, and she hoped their responses would be as well. "I'm asking you as my friend to let this go. I chose this myself because it was the only option that gave me my team and control over my life without ruining the progress I'd made with the clan. Both are important to me, and if marriage is the only way to do both, I'm willing to accept that. It's not an easy decision, so I need my friends to support me."

That was the same argument she made to Kiba and Shino when they professed similar reservations to her choice. Kiba was just as loud. It worked fairly well with them, and after a few moments of frustrated resistance, Naruto's fist relaxed between her hands, though his face remained resolute in his disapproval. In a second, she went from holding onto his fist to him holding her hand. It was a strong, firm grip, like a lifeline he didn't want to let go of. Those blue eyes trapped her.

"I'll help you change their minds. I don't know how, but I will. You don't have to go through with anything they say."

Hinata wished he understood how much it meant to her that he wanted to fight for her. It made it worth telling him. "I know, but there'll be consequence to doing what I want without thinking of the clan. I refuse give up my family or my team, so to me those consequence are much worse than me getting married. But thank you for wanting to help."

Releasing her, Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at the ground. She could see urge to punch someone in the twitching muscles of his arms and the frustration that he couldn't darkening what had been such a light-hearted meeting. "If you change your mind, just tell me. I'll beat the crap out of anyone you need me to."

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."

A grunt was all the yielding he allowed before starting to walk again, as though he could physically put distance between them and the conversation. "So, this guy, what's he like?"

"He's friendly enough. I'm still getting to know him. You know how nervous I am making new friends." Hinata smiled as best she could. Given his reaction, she intentionally avoided mentioning how much older Eiji was than them.

"That's not how people should talk when they're getting married," Naruto grumbled. It seemed it would take a while more before he reached the level of silent disapproval the rest of her friends did. "Aren't you supposed to love him before you get married, not find him 'friendly enough.'"

She'd heard that from everyone who found out about the wedding. Her friends, Kiba, Shino, Neji . . . they all asked, and maybe if she wasn't so young, if she was prepared for it at the appropriate age, convincing them she was fine with it wouldn't feel so cowardly, like she wasn't hiding half of herself away just to keep smiling. After a year of lying that she was okay with it all, Hinata wanted to believe it. More than that, she wanted the feel the way Isamu looked when he kissed her goodbye. Closure. She just had to be brave enough.

"I don't know if I'll ever love him or not," Hinata said, taking a deep breath and exhaling long and slow. "After all, he's not you."

With his mouth already open to make his reply, Naruto's face went slack at her last statement. Confusion washed over him, from his creasing brow and shifting eyes to hunched shoulders and wandering hands. "What did you say?"

"I've wanted to thank you a long time," she continued, ignoring his befuddlement. If she stopped now, she'd never finish. "For being my friend when everything outside the clan scared me, and even though no one wanted us to be friends. You have no idea how happy it made me to come into class each day and see you smile at me. It made me believe the world wasn't so bad. So, thank you. It was nice to imagine a different path."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Naruto waved his hands in front of him as if it would physically hold her words at bay while he fought through his confusion. "Are you saying you like me?"

This was the downside of confessing. Hinata was Hyuuga. She understood what was happening when Isamu kissed her and didn't press it. Naruto was Naruto. Subtlety was not in his wheelhouse. Hinata should have considered that.

Heat began to build in her cheeks. "Maybe I should head back home."

He grabbed her hand to stop her escape. "You can't just tell me that and then walk away."

She really wanted to, though. "Naruto-kun, you knowing doesn't change what I have to do."

It was painful to look into his bewildered gaze, so surprised and earnestly searching for a way to understand. And, for a moment, it was the face of someone who wanted desperately to be loved. "Why tell me then?"

"Because I wanted to be brave enough to say it at least once." Her breath shook as she forced herself to keep calm. "And because you deserve to know you're worthy of being loved."

His grip on her hand loosened. "Hinata . . ."

This wasn't what she expected, and the longer he stared at her, those blue eyes seeking out something she couldn't give, the harder it was for words to form. She refused to let this devolve into a flood of emotion that would expose how fiercely she struggled with her own conviction when his fingers curled gently around her own. He was the fantasy—the potential she couldn't explore—and she'd accepted that. If he'd said nothing else and asked no questions, that would have been enough to find the closure she wanted. Now, she just wanted to end it on her terms.

Pulling her hand from his, Hinata forced her lying smile back on her face. She'd used it so often it almost felt natural. "I'm sorry. I thought finally being honest would make going through with the marriage easier, but maybe I shouldn't have said anything after all. I'm going to head home."

"Wait—"

Still smiling, Hinata held up her hand to keep him from following. "It was good to see you, Naruto-kun."

She didn't run away ashamed of her feelings, as much as her feet wanted to sprint like an army of enemy shinobi was after her, but neither did she look back. There was no content closure, but it would have to be an end.

Once she was around the corner, Hinata leaned against the fence and exhaled all her control. Her entire body slumped down against the wood and slid to sit on the ground. No matter how wrong it ended up being, she was glad she told him. The timid girl from three years ago never would have, and that was something to be proud of.

Hinata sighed and closed her eyes. It sucked to be strong enough to do the right thing.