A/N: Sorry that this is so late but my life has been rather hectic for the last several weeks. I could barely move let alone think coherently long enough to write for the first 4 weeks after my surgery. Once I returned to work the director of the company had a special assignment for me, which now has me working 55 to 60 hours a week to meet the deadline. This project will require out of state travel in the coming weeks. All of this will throw my update schedule out the window for the next 6 months or more. So be patient as I rearrange my work and real-life schedules so that I can find time to put down on paper what I have imagined for this story.
Anyways, here is a new chapter for your reading pleasure.
Hinata is caught off guard as Naruto suddenly grabs her hand and rushes her off the dancefloor before her dance with a member of the Land of Wind's royal family is complete. Even though it was a dance she didn't want to be having in the first place, leaving so suddenly could upset Tomogiro and make him a target of mockery by others in the room. Should she start off by scolding Naruto for rudely tearing her off of the dance floor during a dance with a daimyo's grandson? Or should she thank him for saving her from an increasingly uncomfortable situation that might have ended with her slapping the man for trying to follow through with his threat of kissing her at the end of the dance. An act that could have been dangerous for the noble's health if Naruto had seen them kiss. "Naruto-kun, I… mmpfh. Hmmm… hmmm… mmmm…" Her words are cut short as he spins around and presses his lips against her own in a passionate kiss followed by a few lingering less forceful kisses. The intensity of his grip on her hand loosens and his hand begins to slowly wrap around her shoulders as the kisses become less passionate and more tender. Scolding Naruto can wait, for now she is going to enjoy the warmth of his embrace and the softness of his lips while running her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She can't help but let out a soft purring sound as the warmth of his body presses against her own.
Without breaking the kiss, Naruto reaches down and scoops Hinata up in his arms. Once she wraps her arms around his neck he leaps to the top of the balcony railing. After a few more jumps they are on top of the slightly rounded dome of the convention center. Naruto sets her down onto the mostly flat center of the dome in a seated position, and then sits down beside her as he finally breaks the kiss.
Hinata smiles and brushes his left cheek while they stare quietly into each other's eyes. After a few moments they turn to look out over the city and see that they are on top of one of the tallest structures in this part of the city. A more scrutinizing look reveals that nobody other than possibly some guards on the shield wall could possibly see them at the moment. Private enough for a few more kisses before they need to talk about what happened down below on the dancefloor.
Several lingering kisses later Hinata snuggles up against Naruto as a cool breeze kicks up, causing the temperature to drop in their exposed position. She figures that she had better explain the situation with Tomogiro, all of it, especially about the part where his family inquired about a marriage between her and Tomogiro. "Naruto, I need to…"
Naruto grabs Hinata's left hand and presses it over his heart and looks deeply into her eyes. "Hinata, I love you."
BOOM!
CRACKLE
Crackle
crackle
The sound of the first fireworks of the night going off right above them has no effect on a completely stunned Hinata. She forces herself to blink and rewind her memory back a few seconds to make sure she really heard what her inner self is already celebrating. The inner chibi-Hinata raises a kunai up in one hand, high above her head, before spiking it hard into the ground. Afterwards it begins to dance around the hole it just made in a most disturbingly cute fashion. "What?" She barely cringes as her voice comes out more like a nervous squeak than the calm demeanor she wanted to project.
Naruto continues to press her hand against his heart with his left hand while his right reaches out and pulls her face closer to his own. "I said that I love you, Hyuga Hinata. I have for a long while; longer than I realized, at least until I sat down and thought about how my feelings for you are different than they are for anyone else I have ever known. The real kind of love, not the way I would talk about how I like ramen or learning a cool new jutsu, but how being around you makes me feel happy, accepted and loved in return." Naruto leans closer and gives Hinata a gentle kiss just as another round of fireworks explode overhead sending a shockwave through both of their bodies.
As he leans in to deepen the kiss Naruto feels something wet fall onto one of his cheeks. 'Rain?' He leans back and wipes at the moisture wondering if an unexpected rainstorm is about to ruin their big moment. It is when he looks up at Hinata that he realizes that she has tears running down both of her cheeks. "Hinata, why are you... urk!" His words are cut off as she wraps both arms around his neck tightly, choking him with a desperate intensity.
Hinata begins to cry, not the gentle sniffing kind of crying but a much deeper and intense release of emotion. The level of relief and happiness at finally hearing him say that he loves her is too much for Hinata to try and contain. It needs to be released as a torrent of emotions overwhelms the dam of patience in her heart. She really hadn't realized how much pent-up feelings she had been carrying until now, and her body begins to shake as it all comes pouring out in throat tearing sobs.
Naruto is at a complete loss. All he did was tell Hinata that he loves her and then she begins crying like somebody just died. All he can do is comfort Hinata by rubbing her back and hope that whatever is dripping onto his neck and running down his back underneath his shirt are just tears. 'Okay think, is her crying a good thing or a really really bad sign?' Man why do girls have to be so complicated? This had better not have anything to do with that Tomogiro guy, or he won't make it out of the Sand Village in one piece. He begins to chide himself for trying to wait for the perfect moment, and let those stupid dreams scare him so badly. Has his delay cost him his only chance at real happiness? Could he end up like Tsunade? He could become the Hokage, but in reality that is all he has and he is alone at the end of the day?
When the intensity of her crying begins to subside a little, Naruto bushes her hair and hugs her a little tighter. "I didn't mean to upset you and make you cry, Hinata. I just needed to…" He pauses from saying it again just in case it causes her to start crying again, something he is sure that he would not be able to handle right now. The sound of the one he loves crying has shaken him to his very core. Naruto feels like his own emotional state right now is on the verge of collapse, and he just might if she gives him bad news.
Hinata leans back, wipes the tears from her cheeks, and then holds her hands over her mouth tightly to control herself. Just seeing the honest look of concern on his face is making her want to start crying all over again. Slowly she gains enough control over her emotions to risk pulling her hands away to speak. "Naruto-kun, I…" That's as far as she can get before she buries her face in his neck and starts crying again, but at least this time she can get words out with the tears. "I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU NARUTO-KUN! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!"
More crying. Oh kami how great it feels to say those words to him again and know that he feels the same. "I have loved you since the night we made snow angels together in the park. It took me a while to know what that funny feeling in my chest meant every time I saw you or even heard your name; but that is what it was, love at first sight." It was his smile that she saw that night in the park that made her feel so warm and squishy inside. It was a smile of inner strength that could endure anything the world threw his way, and it instilled in her a feeling of confidence that she was capable of the same feat. Besides her mother's smile, his smile is the only other one she can remember from her early childhood. She can honestly say that it was Naruto's smile that saved a lonely little girl and gave her something to pursue. Something to live to see again and later it was an inspiration to work hard so that one day she could be close to his side and see that smile every day.
Naruto, knowing now that Hinata's tears were those of happiness, pulls her even closer and begins to rock her gently while she lets it all out. He occasionally kisses her on the side of the head and whispers 'I love you' again in her ear, causing more emotional outbursts. Soon the words illicit a hug, or a kiss on his neck, rather than more happy tears and sobbing from Hinata.
Finally Hinata sits back and gives him a pouty look, her red face still stained with tears. "What took you so long, baka?" It is easy to see that she is half teasing and half serious. When he reaches over to hug her again she crosses her arms slightly and turns her head to the side giving Naruto her pout in profile.
Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata, pulls her shoulder against his chest and kisses her on the temple. He then lets out a guilty sigh and begins to tell Hinata about the terrible reoccurring dreams he has been having ever since his battle with Pain. He didn't realize until she told him of her own nightmares that such issues are common to people who have survived traumatic experiences. "That is why I didn't say anything to you about your confession after you got out of the hospital. I kept remembering Pain's words and seeing him stab you over and over again while all I could do was watch helplessly."
"Wait, you mean that you have known all this time about my confession, and how I feel?" Hinata pulls back a little with a mixture of dismay and irritation on her face. "I thought that you just didn't remember anything since right after that I was injured and you lost control of Kurama." She is trying not to be angry as he frantically waves his arms to get her to let him speak. How many nights had she looked up at the stars wishing that he had remembered her words, or that she would have the courage to say them again?
As Naruto reaches out to Hinata with his right hand, her byakugan activates and she angrily pokes him out of reflex in the shoulder cutting off his chakra flow to that arm. A few more jabs and his other arm and vocal cords are paralyzed as well. The emotional damn that broke earlier has not reformed and her frustrations now surge through that breach. "Do you have any idea how much it has hurt wishing that I could find the courage to confess what is in my heart to you again? During the time between Neji's death and when we started dating I actually daydreamed that it had been me dying in your arms, so maybe then I would have had the strength to say I love you again. I seriously had begun to think that it was going to take one of us being near death for me to find the courage, or for you to realize my feelings." Hinata places her hands over her face and begins to sob, this time out of frustration and not joy. So much time has been lost and neither one of them would have had to endure the pain and hardships of the last few years.
She tells him that the pain of not knowing was easier than the fear of finding out that she could never fill the void made during his confrontation with Sakura. "After what happened between you two, and seeing the toll it took on your soul it hurt even more to think you might still love Sakura after everything that had happened." She looks up from her hands and looks directly into his shocked gaze. "Yes, I said her name. All this time dating, waiting and hoping you would say it so that I could say it again; thinking it would be the first time you heard me say those words. If you said it first instead of me, then I would know you were not just reciprocating my confession. That way I would know for sure that I wasn't some sort of pathetic conciliation prize." She leans forward and places her face on his tear stained shoulder. "Kami only knows why I love you, you big dummy, because you do make it difficult sometimes. I just know that I only feel complete when we are together. I have always loved you, I will love you until the day I die, and then on in the next life and beyond."
Naruto can't just sit frozen in place any longer and listen about how much pain his obliviousness and later his fear has caused Hinata. He reaches within himself and fills his entire body with Kurama's chakra, bypassing the blockages Hinata put in his body, like he did during his fight with Neji during the chunin exams. He snatches her hands as she tries to back away when he begins to move. "Wait, please let me explain." He can see that she is upset that he has known all this time and has basically ignored her confession for years. Damn, now that he thinks about it he would be mad too if somebody had been leaving him hanging like that for years. "It was during my fight with Deva Path Pain and later my talk with Nagato that I realized that until I could finally stop them from hunting me down for Kurama's power that nobody I cared about would be safe anymore. I mean they destroyed most of the Leaf Village just to flush me out. What would they do to somebody I loved in order to force me to surrender? I would have surrendered everything just to hear you say those words again and know that you were safe. I was selfishly denying myself a chance to be happy in order to keep you safe, Hinata."
Naruto's head slumps and he looks down, unable to look into Hinata's eyes without feeling like he is going to start crying as well. When he feels her soft hand lovingly caress his cheek he dares to look up again. "I couldn't carelessly put someone so precious to me at that kind of risk. It was only my life, and my teammates who were by my side that I needed to protect and could protect. You were safely away on other missions that didn't involve the monsters trying to kill me, at least until the war started."
Naruto's posture stiffens and his face takes on the more familiar defiant look. "I still haven't completely forgiven the Kage's for hiding the fact that they were fighting a full scale war, and were trying to keep me oblivious to that fact." People had needlessly died until he found out what was going on and joined the fight. How many of those men and women would be walking beside the person they loved right now if he had gotten involved in the war sooner.
Hinata gives him a little nudge of reproach. "They were doing what they thought was best at the time. They were drawing the enemy who was looking for you out into the open. It forced them to spread out their forces and give us all a chance to defeat them more or less on our terms."
"I know, but it doesn't mean that I have to like the fact that even more people died trying to protect me again." The look of defiance fades from Naruto's face and he squeezes Hinata's hand tightly. "What if I had not figured out what was going on, or they had somehow kept me from entering the battle? I might not have gotten to you in time and stopped those three guys with the swords. Then there is Neji…" The color drains from Naruto's face as he looks down sadly at his hands, seeing the image of Hinata's dead cousin lying there like he was that day.
Hinata still feels the guilt of Neji's sacrifice, saving her while she was protecting Naruto's life. "I would do it again if…"
Naruto reaches up and grabs Hinata's shoulders, pulling her closer. "I think that is the reason why these nightmares were so intense, and even more so lately. I know your desire to protect me is strong, but I don't want you to sacrifice your life for me Hinata." He slowly kisses her with trembling lips once, twice, three times. "I need you to fight with everything you have to survive, because the rest of my life would be meaningless without you there by my side sharing everything that our future holds." He turns his head slightly to the side and pulls Hinata into a protective embrace. "I need you to live for me, I need you to live for us, Hinata."
When he gives her a little push she gives in and the two of them lay down onto the roof staring into the others eyes speaking volumes to each other while not even saying a single word and completely ignoring the spectacular fireworks going off just above their heads. As the rest of the pyrotechnics goes on they occasionally interrupt their silent conversation with kissing to seal an unspoken promise, sometimes with tears followed by a loving caress and another kiss.
As the fireworks show nears its conclusion Naruto lies over onto his back with one arm under his head and the other stretches out for Hinata to rest her head upon. "Yeah, I was going to talk with you right after the war but it seemed like every time I saw you that you had a sad look on your face. I thought you were still getting over Neji's death, and I was a reminder of his sacrifice." He explains that he was worried that it was bad manners to discuss matters of love while her heart was still broken from loss.
Hinata gives him a poke in the ribs. "No, I was depressed that I could never be around you alone anymore because of all of those girls buzzing around you like flies." She waves a hand over Naruto in a zigzag pattern with her finger outstretched like a swarm of insects. "Watching them laugh and squeal at everything you did was so annoying."
Naruto lets out a big harrumph and bites playfully at Hinata's hand. "Are you calling me a big pile of poo? That's not a very good thing to say about your boyfriend." He sticks out his tongue and makes a raspberry sound.
"Well if somebody I know would bathe more often." Hinata begins to frantically bat away at Naruto's hand as he pulls it from under his head and tries to tickle her in revenge. All too quickly Naruto's larger size and strength has her hands pinned above her head as he crawls over on top, pinning her legs down with his own.
Naruto lowers his head down to that special place just under the left side of Hinata's jaw. He then blows on that spot, followed by a lick that sends a shiver down Hinata's whole, body followed by a nibbling bite. "Well, maybe I need someone to help me wash my back… and stuff."
Hinata's body shivers as his words bring forth images in her mind that she would never admit to thinking about when all alone soaking in her furo at home. It should feel wrong to have such dirty thoughts about getting clean, but instead the sheer naughtiness of such thoughts is so exciting. Just like the similar thoughts she had a few nights ago at the ryokan.
Just as Naruto lifts up his head to look down at Hinata with a mischievous smile the fireworks show reaches its crescendo. For Hinata it is like Naruto's whole head is being highlighted by bursts of different colors and little streaks of fire erupt from around his head like an angelic aura. It would have looked truly divine if it was not for the devilish smirk contorting his face. Hinata is unsure if the deep pounding she now feels in her chest is from her racing heart or from the concussion of the mortars exploding overhead.
For Naruto seeing the pulses of colored lights being reflected back at him in her wide-eyed stare and the contrast of the shadows versus the colored lights reflecting off her pale skin is mesmerizing. His lips want to dip down and devour her parted lips, but his eyes are having trouble breaking away from the beautiful chromatic feast laid out for him to enjoy. The oscillating pressure of their hands as they grip the others, along with a slow grinding motion of their hips, is the only movement they dare make unless the spell of the moment is broken. Finally, Naruto cannot hold back anymore and his lips slowly descend, his eyes still open and looking into Hinata's, and just as their lips are about to touch they part open and their tongues bridge those last few millimeters. At first it is just a touch, like a soft wet fist bump, but quickly changes as the two appendages start to writhe and taste the other while their body's increase the intensity of their pressure as they grind against the other. Slowly their lips join together and begin saw against the other in a devouring fashion. One of Hinata's legs slips free and curls around Naruto's pinning in place on top of her body.
When the fireworks finally cease they both feel physically drained from the sustained sexual tension and collapse onto their backs. With the loud explosions now over they both can hear and not just feel the rapid panting of each other's breathing. In the next moment, the sound of thousands of voices cheering loudly fills the night air. They both know that the people are cheering the fireworks display that just finished, but they both awkwardly feel like the people below somehow know what just occurred on the top of the convention center and are cheering for more.
Hinata and Naruto both start laughing guiltily, knowing that Hinata's father would definitely not approve of such a public display of affection if he were to even hear some rumors of their semi-public display of affection. "We've been gone too long from the party haven't we, tenshi?" Naruto doesn't wait for an answer; instead he rises up onto his feet and holds out a hand to Hinata.
Once she stands up, Hinata runs her hands over her outfit to brush off as much evidence of her laying down on the roof as possible and to smooth out some of the wrinkles as well. At least she had not put on a lot of makeup tonight and what she had put on had been the waterproof kind. The effort to remove it later tonight will be worth the cost of not having to explain any streaks on her face from crying. "Yes, I am sure that our long absence since leaving the dancefloor has been noticed by more than Tomogiro and our friend's by now. We should rejoin the party and quell any rumors before they get too far out of hand." They both cannot help but laugh at how futile that is most likely going to be, events such as these seem to be mainly for the sharing and generation of rumors.
Naruto scoops her back up into his arms and steps over to the edge, a big smile on his face. "I don't think those shoes you are wearing are suited for running up and down the side of a building, so since I am the one who got you up here let me make sure you get back down safely." Once she nods in acceptance and wraps her arms tightly around his neck Naruto drops back down to the balcony level. "So, what is up with that creepy Tomogiro guy anyways?"
"He wants to marry me…" Before Hinata can get anymore of her explanation out she is interrupted by Naruto losing his footing on the balcony railing as he lands. Luckily he is able to grab onto it, leaving Hinata to dangle from his other hand over the crowd below. "Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's color changes as he switched into his Nine-Tails Mode and two giant golden arms form out of the chakra, grabbing the railing and pulling them both up to safety. As he reverts back to normal and opens his mouth to speak his is stopped as Hinata places one finger on his lips and glares at him firmly. Just like the last time she looked at him like this, his ability to speak and move is paralyzed by the look of authority in her eyes.
"I will say this only once." Hinata's eyes narrow and her lips form a firm line that makes it clear that she will not be happy if he doesn't listen clearly the first time. "He asked, I said no. I told him my heart belongs only to one person and no matter what happens it will always belong to Uzumaki Naruto. I told Tomogiro that he should find someone else who can honestly return his affections." Hinata removes her finger from Naruto's lips but her firm gaze does not falter. "Ojii-sama wanted me to say yes to Tomogiro because he saw it as a chance to expand our clan's influence into the Land of Air, but that is his problem, not mine. Otou-sama is allowing me to choose my fate for once, rather than force me into a union of clan's choosing. Otou-sama also told Tomogiro that there are certain rules to marrying his daughter. Tomogiro's parents rescinded the offer when otou-sama said he was going to hold firm to those rules." Hinata's firm gaze begins to falter as Naruto's face breaks into a big grin.
Naruto shakes his head and lets out a loud chuckle. "Leave it to your dad to even have rules for that too." He holds out his hand to stop Hinata's retort and points over at the double doors behind him that lead back to the party. "What about Tomogiro, he seems to act like there was still a chance?"
"Tomogiro is rich and not used to being told no, so he is seeing it as a challenge to convince me to change my mind. He even offered to go against his parent's wishes and accept my clan's terms." She places her hand into his and pokes him in the chest with the index finger of her other hand. "I told him that I was happily involved now, unlike the first time we met. Unluckily for him that man also turns out to be some kind of famous war hero, so his royal blood is not as a big of an advantage for Tomogiro. Most importantly there is nothing more stubborn than an Uzumaki, so once an Uzumaki makes up their mind and offers his heart the time for debate is over." She leans closer and plants a grateful kiss on his cheek.
Naruto smiles and places his free hand on the doorknob. "You mean lucky for me that I am some sort of big important hero." He gives her hand a little tug as they are hit with a wave of sound from the large crowd of people streaming through the now open door.
Hinata puts on her diplomatic face as they walk back into the main room. As they smile and nod at people as they make their way through the crowd she thinks about how his status to the rest of the world doesn't matter to her, and it never would have mattered. She fell in love with the village outcast, a loser to many like she was, and she drew strength from his unyielding determination. If he had still not yet reached any of the goals he had set for himself she would not have cared, because she knows that he would still be trying his hardest; hopefully with her by his side and if not she would still be urging him on quietly from the sidelines. She is not just in love with the man he has become, she has been in love with the person he is her whole life. Her first friend, her first love, her first kiss; and only in the latter two categories.
As they approach their friends they can see curious looks on the faces of Temari, Nahima and even Samui. Nahima is the one who begins talking first, but the look on her face is the same as the other two women. "When the fireworks started many people migrated out onto the balcony to watch, but you two weren't there when we walked out." She clasps her hands together and gives them a dreamy-eyed look the way only a young teenage girl can make. "I thought you two were gone for the rest of the night."
Temari gives them a crooked smile that makes Naruto and Hinata blush from its sheer suggestiveness. "Oh I figured the two of you would be back. The real question was for how LONG you two were going to be busy." Her eyebrows arch as her eyes focus directly at Hinata and that crooked smile becomes completely salacious.
Naruto tightens his grip around Hinata's waist as he feels her body fighting the urge to let out a little 'eep' and bury her face in his shoulder from embarrassment. His right hand rubs the back of his neck as he lets out a nervous chuckle. "Well… you see… we went up on the roof so we could see the entire night sky up there without anything blocking our view of the sky."
Nahima's eyes begin to glimmer as she claps her hands in excitement. Her mind now filled with wonder at how much better the view must have been without trying to see around all of the adults standing around her trying to watch the fireworks as well. The sights and even the sounds had to be much more intense being even closer to the action. "Wow, I bet the fireworks were really intense up there, maybe I'll go up on the roof the next time."
Samui interrupts the obviously suggestive comment about to come out of Temari's mouth with a sharp clearing of her throat. The two women do share a smirk with each other and then towards Naruto and Hinata. "I think that could be arranged next time Hotano-sama, but we should get the Kazekage's permission before going up onto his roof. Otherwise we could get mistaken for someone trying to disrupt the party by the Sand Village's security forces who are always on the lookout for things out of the ordinary."
Naruto has a sudden coughing fit as he begins to wonder if there were any other prying eyes watching him and Hinata making out earlier. He is thankful that they hadn't done anything more than kissing while up there, but the thought of them being watched the whole time is very unsettling. "Yeah, I guess I didn't think that through when I jumped up on the roof with Hinata in my arms." He immediately regrets saying that as all three women that he is talking to, and even a few nearby people who overheard him just now, all pause and give him and Hinata a little smirk and let out a little, "OOooooo."
"So, I see that the two of you made it back to the party." Tomogiro steps through the crowd with a pair of obvious attendants hovering closely behind. "I was wondering if the two of you were going to return. I am sure that I would not have come back, at least not so quickly." The smirk on his face and the tone of his voice virtually drip with innuendo.
Naruto steps protectively forward and slightly to the side in front of Hinata who gently places a hand on his back. Whether the gesture from Hinata is a warning to behave or meant as a soothing measure varies from observer to observer. What is surprising is the sight of Naruto bowing to the man who had been dancing very closely with his girlfriend not long ago. "My apologies for suddenly taking off with Hinata before the dance was over." The slight tightening in the corner of his right eye warns that the dance was not going to end in its normal conclusion between Hinata and Tomogiro in any possible way. "The fireworks were going off soon and I had some important stuff that I wanted to say to her during the fireworks show." Dang that sounded pretty good, if he had really known that there was going to be a big display on tonight he would have stopped being so antsy most of the day and chose that time to talk with Hinata. He got lucky that his timing was good, because making out with Hinata with all the flashes, sounds and colors felt totally romantic.
Hinata feels her heart flutter for a moment at hearing that Naruto had it all planned out. She was sure he was just going with the flow and got lucky that his timing to get her away and talk coincided with the fireworks display. He has really matured from the reckless, hardheaded boy she knew when they were younger. Hinata wishes that everyone would just walk away now, or Naruto would whisk her off back to the roof right now, so she could kiss him some more and show him how excited his romantic side makes her feel. She slides her hand off his shoulder and down his arm to his hand, taking a firm grip. This is a better option than giving into the desire to start clawing his back to release some of the building arousal she is beginning to feel.
With a quick flick of his wrist Tomogiro opens a small fan and begins to move it back and forth in front of his face. "Well Uzumaki Naruto, I was going to introduce myself to you as someone also interested in taking Hinata's hand in marriage." It is obvious when Naruto does not react to the announcement that he has been informed of Tomogiro's proposal, a point that does start a buzz of conversation to many of those nearby who had not heard until now that the young noble was finally considering settling down. "It is painfully obvious to me that calling myself a romantic rival for Hyuga-san's affections would be completely gauche of me, and make me a frightful bore after I had already been turned down once." He closes the fan with a crisp snap and bows to Naruto. "I concede to you Uzumaki-san, and I apologize if my actions were deemed to be rude."
Naruto holds out his hand to Tomogiro with a smile on his face. "Hinata explained to me what was going on during the fireworks show, so I should apologize as well for my initial reaction. I can be a little hot-headed at times and I should be more trusting of Hinata's ability to defend herself verbally and physically." The two men shake hands and Naruto refrains from squeezing the noble's soft-skinned hand into a pulpy mess.
Tomogiro opens his fan again and waves it back and forth a few times. "Well, it has been an exciting evening, but think I am ready to retire back to my diplomatic suite. I would invite you two to come along and entertain me with the story of how you first met, while I also try to make amends for disrupting your evening, but I sense that the two of you would rather be alone." He fans himself rapidly as his little jest causes many of those nearby to chuckle and cause Naruto and Hinata to both blush guiltily. "I bid you both goodnight, Hyuga-sans." Without waiting for a response he turns and heads off into the crowd slowly gathering people to follow him back to his suite, amongst this gathering crowd are several young ladies who take a measuring look at Hinata before following him out of the room.
"Yeah, I think I have had enough fancy partying for one night as well." Naruto reaches up high and yawns while stretching his body before wrapping one arm around Hinata's waist. After a few minutes of polite goodnights to Nahima, Shikamaru and the others, Naruto and Hinata leave walking hand in hand towards the exit and hopefully a nice quiet romantic walk home. He leans over and whispers into her ear. "I don't know about you but I'm a little hungry."
Hinata looks up at him with a smile wondering if he is completely talking about food. "I could go for some of the ramen you were talking about on our way here to the Sand Village."
Naruto pulls her tightly against his aide. "That's why I love you, Hinata. You know my heart and stomach so well."