Author's Note – FINALLY, I've managed to update this thing. Sorry about the long delay AGAIN, folks. This final chapter certainly needed a lot of thinking over, and after nearly two months of rewriting and other delaying factors (damn you, PS2! XD ), it's finally complete. I'm so happy. XD And I hope you will be, too.

Thanks again, and on with the show!

Chapter Four – The Last Favor

Hyuuga Hinata had no idea why she was here. She had never been to this place before, though she had seen it more than enough times to remember where it was located and what it was called. She would never come here out of her own volition, though, since she always found him here, and she was always too shy to be even meters from him.

But here she was, sitting beside him, customers to Ichiraku Ramen. Uzumaki Naruto was already grinning in anticipation at finally eating his favorite meal.

The chef, a balding old man, was about to close shop when he saw the two of them. He then shouted, shocked, "What the…Naruto? What are YOU doing here, at this time of night? And you're all covered in bandages too! Did you escape from the hospital or something?"

"Don't mind the minor details, mister!" Naruto replied, with a big grin, "Here you go!"

He handed over the two coupons. Sighing in defeat, he plucked them from Naruto's hand. When it came to a bowl of freshly-cooked ramen, there was no stopping Naruto. The chef, an old man, would've shooed off any other person visiting, but he had been a faithful customer for the longest time now, and he couldn't possibly deny the boy his favorite food.

While the Chef was examining the coupons, Naruto was shifting in his seat in sheer anticipation. Hinata was still twiddling her fingers in nervousness, unable to even raise her head.

"What the…this is already expired!" the chef exclaimed.

Naruto nearly dropped on to the floor, if it weren't for the Chef saying, "But, this one is still valid, so you get two bowls."

"Yosh! Extra noodles for me, okay?" Naruto requested, with the Chef grumbling about something as he prepared his equipment.

"What about you, Hinata?" Naruto asked, looking at her, "Anything you'd like to add?"

"Eh!" Hinata nearly fell off her seat when Naruto suddenly asked her. Holding on to the table, she meekly replied, "N-no…no thank you…"

"You sure? You can always ask for some extra beef, or something," Naruto asked again. Hinata just shook her head, and Naruto just made a grunt as a reply. She was so nervous and embarrassed; she could already feel her cheeks burning off.

While Naruto was eagerly waiting for his bowl of ramen, Hinata took a small peek at him, only looking at him in the corner of her eyes. He was smiling from ear to ear, and sometimes he would lick his lips as soon as the aroma would come wafting from within the kitchen. He was even humming a small tune.

Was ramen really that good?

But why he brought her here, she wondered even more. Was this the favor Naruto talked about earlier? Did he have something to say to her? If that was it, what? Was he angry for her suddenly leaving without saying a word? Was he disappointed at something she said? Was he even more depressed now than before? Why did he bring her here? What did he want?

Or...

As much as Hinata wanted to deny it, as it would've been too good to be true, there was always that possibility. Was it because he just wanted to treat her?

Was this a…

"D-d-d-da-d…" Hinata did not notice that she was stuttering out loud, and that she was already staring at Naruto.

Unknown to her, Naruto was looking back.

"What?" Naruto said aloud.

With just that, Hinata was pulled back into reality, and immediately noticed what she had been doing. Instantly blushing furiously, she quickly turned away, her trembling hands covering her very, very red cheeks.

"Whaat?" Naruto asked, his curiosity piqued.

Already incredibly embarrassed at herself, all Hinata could do to reply was to just shake her head. Truthfully, she was already considering running away from here as fast as humanly possible, to save herself from any further embarrassment, but she already liked where she was right now.

"Whaaaat?" Naruto asked again, now even more curious than before.

Then, he placed his hand on her shoulder.

At that very instant, Hinata froze at his touch, trembling ever so slightly. Gooseflesh quickly spread throughout her body like wildfire. Nervous sweat began to pour, almost completely drenching her face. She was utterly still, the only parts moving on her body now were her fingers, which were pushing at each other harder and harder as she got even more nervous.

Hyuuga Hinata was a terribly shy girl with an affectionate crush on a boy in class. All she ever really wanted was his attention.

But now that she got it, and in spades, she had no idea what to do, or how to react. To say that she was embarrassed now would be an understatement. She was even beginning to feel a little insane.

"What is it? Come on, tell me!" Naruto insisted, slightly shaking her.

"NARUTO-KUN!" She suddenly yelled so loudly it made Naruto jump in his seat, releasing her.

"W-w-what?" Naruto murmured, still quite shocked.

Feeling a little insane made her a little more daring, it seemed. But, this was it. She now had his full attention. She never had an opportunity like this before, and she doubted she'd have another one again. She had already given up earlier, but she thanked the stars for a chance like this. It had given her resolve.

Her heart was racing. Her cheeks were burning.

But she didn't care.

She had to tell him now.

No matter what could happen.

"N-Naruto-kun…" she began, her voice trembling.

"Yeah?" It seemed that he already calmed down.

"Umm…well…"

"Yeah?"

"Well…actually…"

"Actually what?"

"T-t-there's-something-I-want-to-tell-you-so-please-listen!" She suddenly blurted so quickly, thanks to her nervousness. She felt like an idiot.

"Okay," Naruto replied. Fortunately, he understood.

"Well, it's…"

"Mm?" Naruto tilted his head a little to the side.

"Well…"

"Go on," Naruto said, with a slight nod.

"Well…I…"

This was it. The words were finally coming out.

"I…"

"You what?"

"I…I…l…l-l-l….'

"Huh?"

"Naruto-kun," she said, pacing herself, "I…I…I…l …"

"Huh?" Naruto had no idea what she was trying to say.

"Naruto-kun!"

"Yeah, that's me," Naruto said, scratching his hair.

"Naruto-kun, I l-l-l-…."

Naruto's eyes widened. Hinata noticed, and she gasped a little. Was he reading her thoughts? Did he know what she was trying to say?

She had to make sure, she STILL had to say those three words!

"Naruto-kun…I…I…"

"Hinata! I understand!"

Hinata gasped out so loud. Her cheeks, she imagined, were melting. She felt like fainting, but she willed herself to see this to the end!

"Naruto-kun…I…I…"

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

"Eh?"

Then all of a sudden, her head was suddenly forced down, thanks to Naruto's hand. They were ducking underneath the table, hidden from plain sight.

But in that position, she was so close to his face. She could clearly see his large blue eyes scanning the area, and his strong hands clasping her head. She blushed even further, probably going through all the shades of red by now.

And just like Naruto had shouted, Iruka did come walking by, chatting with his fellow teachers. Luckily for them, he did not notice the two, and soon, they were far away.

"Whew! So that's what you were telling me," Naruto exclaimed, as they came out of their hiding place, "Thanks! He would've caught me for sure, but you shouldn't be so embarrassed, y'know? It's only fair that you give a warning straight out!"

Hinata felt like bawling. A perfect opportunity, lost…

And just as they had reappeared, two steaming bowls of delicious ramen were ready. Naruto immediately yelled, "Itadakimasu," then proceeded to chow down. Still sighing, Hinata slowly ate her own ramen.

Her eyes widened a little. "Mm…it's good," she mumbled.

"See! I told you! The ramen here's always the best!" Naruto exclaimed, and then began to continue eating. Hinata continued, eating at a slow pace.

While they were still eating, Naruto said, "Hey, do you have to be anywhere tonight?"

Hinata just shook her head and replied, "N…no, not really."

"Good! So can you come with me? It won't take long," Naruto said, his voice having a slight tone of pleading.

But even with that, Hinata couldn't refuse. She replied, "O-okay…"

"All right! Hey, old man! Seconds please!" Naruto yelled, handing his bowl back to the chef.

"We're closed already! Go home!" The old man yelled back.

While Naruto was negotiating with the old man for another bowl of ramen, Hinata went into deep thought again. Wasn't this the favor Naruto talked about? Where would they be going now? Why was Naruto taking her?

She had no idea why, but if it meant spending time with Naruto, then there was no way she could back out.

Sipping up the last noodle, she placed the bowl on the table and said, with a smile, "Gochisosama!"

Hinata had no idea where Naruto would take her after dinner at Ichiraku Ramen. She could guess, but she was almost certain that she'd be wrong. As much as it bothered her, she didn't know a lot about him; what he likes (aside from ramen), what he doesn't, those kinds of things. Even though her feelings for him were honest and true, she still would like to know more about him.

So, she never guessed that Naruto would take her to a nearby convenience store and ask for her help with groceries. She was very surprised when she found herself shopping with him, watching him pick out instant ramen, some cartons of milk, some bottles of water and all sorts of other things. Afterwards, they even went to some other shop to restock on his equipment, such as Kunai, explosive seals, wire, and other weapons. Then, lastly, they went to another shop, where Naruto bought some camping gear, like a tent, sleeping bags, lanterns and other tools.

It didn't immediately register as to why Naruto would want to gather these things, but as they walked, it already began to dawn on her. The provisions, the weapons, the survival gear; that could only mean one thing…

"I'm…I'm leaving," Naruto said. They were back in the Genin's training area, with the three identical wooden poles. The night sky was above them, the moonlight gently shining on them as Naruto spoke, his back turned towards Hinata.

Hinata gasped. "W-why?"

"Well, you see…well, you know ero-sennin, right?" Naruto asked, turning to face her, scratching his head.

"Ero…sennin? Do you mean Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata guessed, after a moment of thought. She remembered seeing him leave the hospital before she arrived.

"Yeah, him. You see, he's offered to train me, but thing is, I have to leave Konoha for three years to do so," he replied, his voice a little soft. He placed his hands in his pockets.

"Three years? That's…that's a long time," Hinata said. Inside, she was a little sad. She'd definitely miss him, but at the same time, that seemed to fit Naruto, going away on a training journey.

"Yeah, so…well, here's the favor I was talking about earlier," Naruto said, sternly, slowly moving up towards her, leaving the grocery bags behind. Hinata almost walked backwards out of shyness, but she willed herself not to.

"Y-yes?"

"You know…you always know the right things to say, you know that?' Naruto said, with a big grin.

Hinata blushed gladly, and Naruto smiled even wider at the reaction. He continued, "Whenever I'd feel down and out, you'd always come around and say something that'll cheer me up. I really, really appreciate that."

She had to say something, even though she was choking up inside. Within a few moments, she replied, "Well…well, it's the least I can do, I mean, for what you've done for me."

Naruto was honestly puzzled, with his eyes wide and his hand scratching his hair again, replying, "What I did?"

"You say…you say that I've been there for you, but truly, you've been there for me too. Do you remember? You…well, you protected me from failing in the cheating exam with Morino-sensei," Hinata said, looking down, her lowered hands clutching each other.

"Well, uh…it was no big deal," Naruto replied, looking away, slightly blushing at her remark, "I mean, I would've gotten into trouble too."

"Not only that, you cheered me on too during my fight with Neji-niisan. Even though the odds were certainly against me, you still believed in me, trusted in me that I could keep fighting. No one's done that for me before, and for that, I'm very, very grateful," she said, with a slight bow.

The sudden display of politeness caught Naruto unprepared, and he was fumbling his words. "W-well, uh, it's nothing, heh…"

"You see…I was considered weak by my family," she said, speaking in a solemn tone, "No one expected a lot from me, even my own father, who already considered that my younger sister, Hanabi, showed greater potential than me. I was labeled as a weakling even before I could try. I was…kind of an outcast, that way.

"But...well, seeing you try so hard even though everyone was so harsh towards you, I thought that I could do the same thing too. I knew that I could do it if I just worked hard enough, and did my best, because…because you were doing great yourself, Naruto-kun.'

Hinata lifted her head, and then smiled a true, honest smile that sincerely showed her feelings. She said, "In a way…you've always been there for me."

Naruto smiled back, scratched his head, and said, "Heh…I…I guess we're kinda in the same boat, huh? Shikamaru said that we were the 'uncool' part of the class, didn't know we had a girl member, too."

Hinata giggled at the remark, and Naruto laughed out loud. They laughed to their hearts' content, lasting for a few moments before they calmed down.

"Well…" Naruto said, after a while, "about that favor…"

"Yes?"

"I'm definitely going to take Sasuke back,' Naruto said, with determination in his voice as he clenched his right fist, showing it to Hinata, I'm going to train hard, so that next time, I won't fail."

"Yes, you should," Hinata said, still smiling.

"I'll come back in three years, better than ever! I'll look so much cooler by then!" Naruto exclaimed, quite loudly.

"Yes, you will," Hinata said, reassuringly.

"And in three years….in three years, Hinata…"

"Yes?"

Naruto stuttered, his nervousness showing, "C-Can we talk again?"

Hinata was speechless. Her pure white eyes were wide in disbelief, and her nervousness was suddenly gone, all replaced with a warm feeling inside. She had thought of all sorts of things, but it never crossed her mind that this could be the favor he would be asking for.

"In three years…a lot can happen in three years, so…well, uh, how do I put this, I'd appreciate it if we can chat like this again. I guess…I guess I really enjoy talking with you, and uh, you know, uh…" Naruto paused to gather his words. It seemed like he was having a hard time.

Hinata smiled again and said, "I'll look forward to it."

Naruto's face visibly brightened up. "Great!" He said, grinning wider than usual, "And…uh, remind me, okay? When I get back, I might forget about it. You know me, heh, I'm a little absentminded, right? So you better remind me!"

She stifled a giggle, replying, "I'll try."

"So, I guess I better get going. Iruka-sensei might see me or something," he said, rather sheepishly. He backtracked to pick up his shopping bags, and with a slight bow, he began to walk away.

"W-wait, Naruto-kun," She pleaded so suddenly that it stopped him in his tracks.

He turned around and asked, "Yeah?"

"I…I've got something…something important to tell you," she said, a little weakly.

"A…all right," Naruto replied, putting his shopping bags down.

This was it; she had to say it now. He was going to leave Konoha, and be away for three whole years. Like he said, a lot of things could happen in that time, so she thought it would be best if she could let it out now. She would probably never get a chance like this ever again.

For the first time, Hinata felt little tension. She had given up only a little while ago, but it did seem like fate had given her a second chance at this, to finally tell him how she truly felt for him. In the bottom of her heart, she was still a little nervous, but now, it was overshadowed by a little desperation and a lot of determination.

Breathing deeply, she felt her courage rising within. Placing her hands on her chest, she could feel her heart beating rapidly, but she tried to remain as calm as possible.

Hinata thought, the day would not end as long as she had not uttered those words.

"H-here goes…Naruto-kun?" She began, her voice trembling a little. Her head drooping, her index fingers began to push against each other with each other as usual.

"Y-yeah?" For some reason, Naruto was feeling a little embarrassed.

"Mm…I…I'll only say this once, so p-please listen carefully, okay?" Hinata requested, looking into Naruto's blue eyes so suddenly that it almost made Naruto step back.

"Y-yeah, s-sure…" Naruto replied, feeling unusually drawn into Hinata's pale white eyes. The same was true for Hinata, who could not look away from Naruto's. It made things a little more difficult, but she continued anyway, her heart pounding.

"…well, I've wanted to tell you this for a long time now, but…I never really found a good time to do it…mm." Hinata wanted to hit herself. She was fumbling, delaying, and each minute that passed made it even more unbearable.

"O-okay," Naruto said.

Here it comes, she thought. She could feel the words in her throat as it slowly crawled into her opening mouth.

"N-Naruto-kun…I…"

She closed her eyes. This was becoming a little too much for her to bear.

"I…"

Since her eyes were closed, she didn't notice Naruto had already looked elsewhere.

"I…l..."

She didn't notice that Naruto's expression had already changed.

"I like you…"

"NARUTO!"

There, Hinata had finally said it. The words that she had wanted to say for so long were finally out. She felt like a huge weight was lifted off her throbbing chest, which was already starting to calm down. Her trembling had stopped, and her fingers were at rest. She breathed a deep sigh of relief. Now all that's left was to see how Naruto would react.

Though she had to admit, when she said it, her voice was still a little on the soft side. And the way she said his name was strangely a little too loud.

Then she realized something. When she confessed, she didn't say his name, and even if she did, she would've ended it with a "kun." But someone did say his name very, very loudly, and she somehow recognized the voice.

She was sure it wasn't hers. It sounded like a man's.

An old man's.

Gulping, she opened her eyes. She gasped.

There was a rather large old man with long, spiky white hair with red paint streaking down below his eyes. He wore a forehead protector with the character for "Oil" on its metallic center. Much to Hinata's surprise, this man was giving Naruto a very painful headlock. It didn't take Hinata or Naruto long to recognize this person as Jiraiya, Naruto's new master and one of the Legendary Sannin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, huh? HUH!" The old man said, twisting his fist against Naruto's bandaged head, "I leave you for a while for you to rest, and I see you here out on a date!"

Hinata blushed profusely. He said the magic word, it seemed.

"Normally, I'd praise you for doing something like this, but given the circumstances, I'd rather beat the crap outta you, so take this!" Jiraiya twisted his fist even faster to the point that Naruto felt that he was losing his hair.

"OW! OUCH! Would you cut it, Ero-sennin, AGH!" Naruto yelped, struggling to break free from his grasp, "Hinata…was gonna say something…urgh!"

Hinata let out a long sigh of disappointment. He didn't hear her, after all, much to her dismay.

"Really, now?" Jiraiya said, turning his attention to Hinata, and was surprised to see her looking so disappointed. He asked, "What's your name, little lady?"

"H…Hinata. Hyuuga Hinata," she replied, a little weakly.

"Whoa, a Hyuuga? You've got some guts," Jiraiya exclaimed, his voice a mix of praise and sarcasm, as he strangled Naruto even more, "Dating a Hyuuga! I never taught you that before. I should say, though, you've got taste."

"Would you stop it, argh!" Naruto groaned, finally breaking free from Jiraiya's headlock, falling on all fours on the ground as he caught his breath.

"Well, now that I've found you, it's high time I get you back to the Hospital," Jiraiya said with a shrug, grasping Naruto's collar, "You need your rest!"

"Wait a minute, Ero-sennin. Hinata was going to say something," Naruto repeated, his voice defiant.

Jiraiya grunted aloud. "Your life, kid. Well, Hinata, what've you got to say to my stupid pupil here?"

However, as much as she would've liked to repeat it, it was gone. Her built-up courage, her determination was already long gone when she said those three words. Even now, she already felt her nervousness building up again, and all she could reply was just a simple, "It's…it's nothing important."

"Eh? You sure? You looked like you had a hard time," Naruto retorted, frowning.

"Y…yes," was all she could reply.

Naruto sighed out loud, and whether if it was out of disappointment or not, Hinata could not determine. But, she felt that she couldn't really blame him. After all, she had been so indecisive, so nervous, so irresolute that she couldn't even talk properly to him.

"I'll wait."

If she only said it a little louder, if she only said a little earlier, then she wouldn't have to suffer like this.

"I'll wait for you."

She wasn't sure there'd be a next time, too. He's leaving for three years and who knows what could happen to him, she thought. No matter how much she would wait for him….

"Eh?" Hinata suddenly spoke, Naruto's words slowly sinking in.

"I said I'll wait for you to say it again," Naruto said, with a smile.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

"Or, rather…when I come back in three years, I hope you can say what you want to say to me. Until then, I'll wait. That okay with you, Hinata?" Naruto replied, his smile turning into a huge grin.

She felt a sudden rush of warmth in her cheeks, and an excited gasp escaped her trembling lips. All of a sudden, Hinata felt energized and light as air, and readily, happily, she heartily replied, "Yes! Yes, t-that'll be good."

A quiet moment passed, Hinata and Naruto's eyes locked on one another, Naruto grinning and chuckling, while Hinata was just quietly smiling. Though she was not certain on how he felt, or exactly how long it took, but it surely felt like an eternity of happiness for Hinata, for what it was worth.

Jiraiya coughed out aloud, though, and the two were snapped out of their reverie. Hinata quickly backed away and returned to twiddling her fingers. Naruto just went back to picking up his shopping bags.

"Well, now that the both of you have finally gotten intimate, it's time for us to go," Jiraiya said with a gruff tone, helping Naruto by taking some of his bags, "Time for you to go back to the hospital."

"Right, right," Naruto replied, with a defeated tone, "See you later, Hinata."

"Y-yes…" was all she could say.

"Don't worry about him," Jiraiya said, sensing her worry, "I'll see to it that he gets to the hospital and I'll even personally tie him to the bed." He paused to smirk at Naruto's terrified reaction, "Heh, you go on home, little lady, it's getting late."

"Yes, thank you very much," Hinata said, with a deep, grateful bow.

Hinata stood quietly as she solemnly watched Naruto and Jiraiya walk away, bickering amongst themselves as they ambled their way out of the training ground, slowly fading away into the darkness of the night. She had a feeling, however, that she might see this again someday, that she might watch Naruto leave once again, his back towards her, never looking back. But, if things were different, she might not have accepted it so easily; she might end up confused, lonely, and possibly even a broken heart, but not this time. If she were to see this again, she would just quietly smile and see him off.

She would wait for him, for three years, longer, if she had to.

He was off to train himself, to become stronger, to become more capable of facing the challenges that lay ahead of his life, his destiny.

She decided, there and then, that she would also try to become stronger, so that when they would meet once again, after three years, she would finally have the courage, and the strength to speak to him once more.

She would have the strength to say those words to him once more.

Everything that had happened today was out of coincidence, was due to factors beyond her control. But in the future, she hoped that she would be in control, and she would be the one to walk up to him and greet him and talk to him once again.

But she was grateful for today, for everything that happened. She had never, ever expected things to turn out this way, to be able to spend time with him. It was an absolute blessing for her to spend nearly an entire day with him, though, she thought, she would've been satisfied already if she would have spent only a minute with him.

Happy, content (for now), and determined, Hyuuga Hinata turned and walked into the night, heading home.

Next - EPILOGUE