Last Time:

"You're serious?" Temari asked.

"If you don't take my hand now, the song is going to end and I probably won't ask for another dance," Shikamaru warned. "So, will you dance with me?"

Temari eyed him for a moment before taking hold of his hand. She couldn't help but blush as Shikamaru led her through the crowd and onto the dance floor. She shivered when his hand rested onto her hip but she enjoyed the way he held her hand. Together, they began to sway with the rest of the dancers.

"When did you get taller?" Temari questioned as she noticed that despite her heels, he was just a little bit taller than her.

"You really expect me to pinpoint it?" Shikamaru questioned with a slight smirk on his face.

Opposites Attract: Chapter 23 – "I Have A Request"

Over by the bar, Naruto made sure to wipe the sweat from his hands onto his slacks before approaching Hiashi. He cleared his throat and saw the bartender spot him first before Hiashi turned around and looked at him. "Master Hiashi," Naruto began but paused when he noticed the bandages wrapped around Hiashi's forehead. He eyed him for a moment. "Master Hiashi?"

"Oh, you're Uzumaki Naruto, aren't you?" he questioned with an unnatural smile.

"Um." Naruto stood there confused.

"Ah, sorry," he apologized as he stood up from his stool and held out his hand. "I'm Hyuuga Hizashi, Hiashi and I are identical twins," he introduced himself and watched as Naruto seemed to flare up from embarrassment and shake his hand. Hizashi laughed at Naruto's reaction. "Don't worry, it happens all the time."

"I'm so sorry," Naruto apologized profusely. "I didn't realize that Master Hiashi had a twin brother."

"It's okay," Hizashi reassured him. "He and I don't get to pose for a lot of pictures together ever since he took over the brokerage firm and I took over law firm. Oh, speaking of Hiashi, here he comes," Hizashi noted and watched as Hiashi approached.

Naruto watched as the two of them hugged and Naruto noted a side of Hiashi he hadn't seen before. Hiashi seemed to berate Hizashi with a slew of questions regarding his personal well-being and health while Hizashi did his best to answer all of them. When there wasn't a favorable answer, Hiashi seemed to give a disapproving look while he complimented Hizashi on habits that were deemed acceptable. Hiashi stopped midway through his interrogation though when Hizashi pushed Hiashi's cheek and made him notice Naruto who stood idly by.

"Oh, Mr. Uzumaki," Hiashi pushed Hizashi's hand off his face and faced him, "good evening."

"Good evening," Naruto responded.

"You know, Hiashi," Hizashi nudged his elder twin, "he mistook me for you just a second ago. It's been a while since that's happened, hasn't it?"

"Indeed, it has," Hiashi answered with the slightest bit of amusement on his face. "Well Mr. Uzumaki, I take it that you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Uh, yes! I did," Naruto stammered. "Do you mind if we step outside for a moment and speak? It's a bit private."

"Not at all," Hiashi agreed before looking at Hizashi. "Order me a whiskey neat and don't drink it."

"I can't promise that," Hizashi warned.

Hiashi rolled his eyes before following Naruto out of the party. They made their way back into the hotel lobby where several guests were lingering and chatting in smaller groups. Naruto managed to find a lounge area that was empty and led Hiashi that way, the two of them taking a seat on the plush couches with a large coffee table between them.

"So?" Hiashi questioned as he leaned back against the couch and crossed his legs. "What is this about?"

"I meant what I said when I told you that I love your daughter," Naruto began as he leaned forward in his seat and seemed to fiddle with his fingers. "And like I said before, I understand your concern with Hinata being associated with me…I don't blame you for that and I understand you wanting to protect Hinata. The last thing I want is for Hinata to get hurt but I failed in protecting her with this past incident with Watanabe Baji. And even Hanabi got dragged into all of this…I swear, if I knew something like this was going to happen then I would've done more to prevent it. I just…I…"

"I'm aware," Hiashi responded with a soft expression on his face. He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned forward in his seat and laced his fingers together. "I spoke with your mother for a little while one night at the hospital. She told me about her situation with her father and where the stand now and I realized then that that's not what I want. I'm not willing to risk my daughter's happiness over my own satisfaction. The last thing I want is for Hinata to be miserable because of me."

"Master Hiashi," Naruto began but watched as Hiashi raised his hands.

"Please, let me finish," Hiashi requested and saw Naruto silently nod his head. "I know you love my daughter…I could tell by the look in your eyes in those pictures. And again, when you came running into the hospital and even just a few moments ago when we came in and you saw her. It's how I used to look at Hiyori when she and I first started dating. It felt like every time she walked into a room, everyone else just seemed to disappear and it was just she and I. She could take my breath away without the slightest effort on her part and overall I loved every bit of her with all I had."

"I feel the same way about Hinata," Naruto expressed. "And if I'm being completely honest with you sir, I do see myself spending the rest of my life with her. Whether Hinata feels the same or not is still unclear for me but I hope that one day she'll feel the same. I want nothing more than for Hinata to be happy and I swear to you, I will do everything I can possibly do to make sure she is safe and that she never has to worry like she did with Hanabi and Baji. All I want is to make her happy and with your permission, I hope that I can continue to do so."

"Are you asking for my permission to date my daughter?" Hiashi questioned.

Naruto nodded. "I am. Before, Hinata and I had to keep it a secret from you because you didn't want Hinata anywhere around me but there's no use in hiding it anymore. So, Master Hiashi, I'm formally asking you for your permission to date your daughter."

Hiashi was silent for a moment. He saw how serious Naruto was. His back was straight and his expression was stern. He even managed to maintain eye contact with Hiashi despite the sweat that was clearly collecting on his forehead as he anxiously – yet patiently – waited.

Hiashi sighed and smiled. "You have my permission."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked a few times.

"I said you have my permission," Hiashi repeated. "Truth be told, my original opinion of you was wrong and I see how deeply you care for my daughter. I apologize for what I said before and I hope from now on we can get along."

Naruto seemed to light up and he nodded. "Of course! Thank you, sir."

"You better go and tell Hinata the good news," Hiashi recommended as he looked beyond Naruto and put a warm smile on his face.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw Hinata peaking around the corner at them. He smiled at her before standing and looking back at Hinata. "Thank you Master Hiashi. Truly."

"You're welcome," Hiashi said and watched as Naruto half-jogged half-walked over to Hinata.

"I'm sorry," Hinata apologized immediately as Naruto took ahold of her hands. "I saw you walk off with Otou-san and got worried. I didn't mean to eavesdrop…I didn't hear anything though. Really, I didn't. I promise."

"He said it was okay," Naruto told her.

It took a minute for Hinata to process the information but as soon as she did, she started to tear up a bit. Naruto flashed his trademark grin and laughed as Hinata hugged him. He hugged her back and the two of them stood there in each other's embrace for a few moments before letting go.

"It's okay? It's really okay?" Hinata questioned.

Naruto nodded. "He said so himself."

Hinata struggled to contain herself so when she saw Hiashi come around the corner, she immediately hugged him. It caught him slightly off guard seeing as Hinata hadn't been that affectionate since she was a child but he enjoyed it.

"Thank you, Father," Hinata said as she looked up at him.

Hiashi smiled down at her before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "You're welcome," Hiashi said as Hinata let go. "I believe I kept Mr. Uzumaki long enough. You two enjoy yourselves, okay?"

"Okay," Hinata obliged and let go of Hiashi. She smiled at him which caused Hiashi to blush a bit before he hurried off to the bar where Hizashi was sipping on Hiashi's drink. Hinata giggled at her father's reaction before looking at Naruto. "It's okay."

"Yeah, it's okay," Naruto repeated as he felt Hinata hold his hand.

"Do you want to dance?" Hinata questioned.

Naruto nodded. With that, Hinata eagerly led Naruto through the crowd and towards the dance floor. Once they got there, they saw Sasuke and Sakura dancing together as well along with Neji and Tenten, Minato and Kushina, and Kakashi and Anko among many others.

"It looks like things worked out after all," Tenten said as she looked at Neji and gave him a sweet smile. "See, there was nothing for you to worry about after all."

"Looks that way," Neji said with a sigh of relief. "So long as she's happy."

"So long as she's happy," Tenten repeated.

"They're quite the attractive couple," Tsunade commented as she sat at a nearby table with Jiraiya beside her.

"They almost remind me of Minato and Kushina when they were young," Jiraiya commented before he noticed someone taking a seat at their table. When he turned to see who it was, his expression remained unchanged. "Lord Dan, you came."

"Of course," Dan Kato, the Daimyo to Fire Country, answered with a warm smile on his face. "Seeing as this is indeed a charity event to support organizations in our country's largest city, I deemed it appropriate for me to make an appearance here. I hope that's all right with you Jiraiya-sensei?"

"You're free to do as you please," Jiraiya answered with a smile.

"I figured as much," Dan responded before eyeing Tsunade. "Tsunade, you're as beautiful as ever."

"Thank you, Dan," Tsunade accepted the compliment with a smile but immediately felt Jiraiya's hand on her thigh. She gave him a quick side eye before Shizuka approached. "Shizuka, did you know your uncle was coming?"

"Not at all, Lady Tsunade," Shizuka answered as Dan stood to his feet. She hugged him and watched as he held her at arms look to look her over. "Uncle?"

"I'm just making sure you're okay," Dan told her before giving a nod of approval and pulling out a chair for her. Once she sat down, he sat back down as well and waved for a waiter. "I know things have been a bit hectic for you all these last few weeks but I have to say, you handled the situation quite beautifully."

"Well if it wasn't for Shikaku-san then I'm not sure how well we would've been able to contain the situation," Shizuka admitted but noticed how Tsunade and Jiraiya eyed her. She cleared her throat and waited for Dan to place his order and for the waiter to walk away before she spoke again. "But overall, I'm glad that everything was handled the way it was."

"Yes, of course," Dan agreed. "So, Tsunade, how's your grandson?"

"He's great," Tsunade answered. "He recovered much faster than originally intended but there have always been rumors about members of the Uzumaki Clan holding incredible healing capabilities. Either way, I'm just glad he's up and moving around on his own. We were worried for a while."

"That's understandable," Dan answered.

"Lord Dan," Minato spoke as he approached and made sure to give Dan a firm handshake, "I'm glad you were able to make it. I hope you're prepared to make a generous donation to any of the charities, organizations, or foundations represented here today."

"Of course," Dan answered. Dan heard the music change and a nostalgic smile came onto his face. He patted Minato's shoulder before coming around the table to Tsunade and holding out his hand. "Would you dance with me?"

"Oh," Tsunade looked at Dan's hand before glancing at Jiraiya who seemed unbothered, "sure." She squeezed Jiraiya's hand before taking Dan's and being led to the dancefloor.

"You would think he would've moved on by now," Minato commented as he stood beside Jiraiya.

Jiraiya grunted in response.

To Be Continued…