It was the beginning of the second day of their journey, the birds were chirping almost as if all of them were in a joyous harmony, but the wonderful singing of the birds was interrupted by a loud yawn that erupted from the tent. By now it was day break and Naruto and Hinata had just woken up and gone out of the tent ready to pack everything up. There was an awkward silence between the two young shinobi both of them didn't know what to say about what had happened the night before until Naruto finally spoke.

"I'm sorry if I was to straight forward with asking you to be my girlfriend Hinata can you forgive me?"

Hinata turned around to look at the blond boy straight in the eyes and she told him.

"Naruto-kun you shouldn't apologize for that becau..."

"Watch out!"

Naruto yelled as he pushed Hinata out of the way, out of nowhere a barrage of kunai came flying out of the trees that surrounded them. Naruto managed to protect Hinata from the kunai that had been launched towards them. Naruto was not as lucky as Hinata one of the kunai had hit him right on his shoulder. Both were still shocked by the barrage but then Naruto came to his senses and shouted out to the trees around them.

"Who are you why are you attacking us?"

Just as Naruto finished shouting out of nowhere a lotus flower floated down in front of him. Both Hinata and Naruto questioned how could there be a lotus flower falling from there sky. Then as soon as the lotus touched the ground it produced a blinding flash of light. Both shinobi were dazed by the light but both of them could sense another chakra around them. After a few seconds of being blinded by the light Hinata and Naruto finally were able to open their eyes and see clearly, and as did they saw a shinobi fully clothed in crimson clothing and with a headband that had a marking that seemed to represent an eagle, but it had a scratch trough the middle. As they saw this shinobi Naruto shouted at the crimson man.

"Who are you and what are you doing here."

The crimson man just grinned and told both of them.

"My name is simply just a word but if you truly must know you may call me Cardinal."

Naruto and Hinata were confused by what the man had just told them but both shinobi almost in unison asked this man known as Cardinal.

"Where are you from Cardinal?"

He answered with a much bigger grin than before and still with the same voice of excitement.

"I'm from a land far from the land of Fire, it's known as the land of Rivers and I'm from a clan known as the Lotus."

As he finished his statement Naruto exclaimed to Cardinal.

"How many of you rouge shinobi are th..."

Cardinal stopped Naruto right in his tracks and told the young boy.

"That's enough talk boy you're boring me too much."

The crimson man started to weave signs and as he did so, Naruto and Hinata went up close to the man and started to strike. The first hit they landed made the man explode into a storm of lotus petals. Both young shinobi now were stuck inside a blizzard of petals which they could barely see trough, but the thing that surprised them the most was that this Cardinal character was actually humming at the extent of Hinata and Naruto struggling to find him. Hinata's byakugan didn't help her see trough the petals to find the man because the petals were infused with chakra so she couldn't make out his chakra trough the petals. Naruto was trying to block out the fact that, Cardinal was basically laughing at their confusion and he started to yell out loud.

"Come on if you're going to laugh then do it when you're actually fighting us."

The petals were actually starting to calm down but, then Cardinal started to hum again as soon as he did the petals almost reacting as if each individual petal was a cobra danced to his song. The blizzard that seem to have subsided was now as furious as ever. Naruto and Hinata were back to back now so that they wouldn't lose each other within the storm. The man was now whistling to the same tone he was humming to a few seconds ago. Now the petals were moving at such a speed that they were able to start cutting Naruto and Hinata. Naruto saw how Hinata was suffering in pain by the cuts they were getting from the petals so he started to get enraged because he saw her in such pain. Naruto started to scream at the man and as he did the petals seemed to slow down and fall to the ground. Hinata noticed this, and by this time Naruto had finished screaming then the man instantly continued to whistle again. Then as the petals seemed to start moving again, Hinata asked Naruto to continue screaming he didn't understand why she wanted him to, but she told him that it might be a way to beat this guy. Naruto had no objections towards this as long as they had a chance to beat the crimson man, so Naruto started to scream again and the petals started to fall again. By now all the petals had fallen to the ground and the man was there leaning back against a tree looking up towards the clouds. Naruto and Hinata were both shocked at the fact that the man was so calm and laidback considering that his enemy was now free of his ninjutsu. Then as they approached the man he told them.

"Don't worry you beat me fair and square you don't need to worry about me anymore, you should start worrying about the other 5 from my group."

Naruto surprised by the fact that the man gave up so quickly he asked him.

"Why are you giving up already aren't you a strong rouge shinobi?"

The man looked at Naruto and Hinata and told them in a calm voice.

"I'm a genin level shinobi I can't be that dangerous, also I'm my groups scout shinobi so I'm not made for combat."

Naruto and Hinata exchanged looks and told the man that if they let him leave he could never cause harm to anyone again or they would have to kill him. Cardinal finally told them.

"Don't worry about that I was planning on going to the hidden leaf to turn myself in."

The two shinobi awestruck asked why he would do such a thing. He quickly yet honestly responded to the two by saying.

"I rather be in prison where I can rot than to rot this world with my presence."

They were surprised that the man said such words then he told them.

"Don't worry you have my word that I will turn myself in, because in a world that you don't keep your promises you'll die with regrets."

Hinata and Naruto believed what the man said and let him go on his way to the Leaf village, but before he left, he turned and told them thank you.

Naruto with a confused look on his face ask Hinata.

"I wonder if he actually will go to the village and turn himself in."

Hinata responded with low whisper and blush across her face and said.

"Y-Yes Naruto."

Since that was an awkward response to the question Naruto asked Hinata.

"Is everything alright Hinata?"

She turned to him and just told him.

"I-I w-was saying yes to the question earlier."

Naruto seemed confused as ever and told her.

"The one about if the man will go to the Leaf and go to prison."

Hinata seemed to be having a hard time trying to let the question escape her mouth but she finally seemed to be able to tell the boy.

"About being your girlfriend."

Naruto now finally understood what she was talking about and he grew a smile.

"So that means were going out now."

She seemed to smile at the fact that Naruto had just said that and told him.

"Y-Yes Naruto-kun."

Just as she finished Naruto came close to her and just received her in his arms and, he did so he told her that he always noticed how she would look at him from a distance and would care about him no matter what situation he was in, so he had noticed how much he actually care about Hinata for a long time now. Hinata started to cry at the sweet words that Naruto had just told her. Then Naruto lifted Hinata's chin up a bit and both their eyes met and they both leaned towards each other, and now their lips met each other's. Now it seemed as they were having the best moment of their lives with lotus flowers blowing in the wind around them. Until they heard a boy screaming for help nearby he had ran into Naruto and Hinata by now and he told them.

"Help me please my mommy and daddy are in trouble."

Hinata and Naruto seemed to be worried by what the boy had just said and told the boy.

"Where are your parents maybe we can help them."

Then the boy pointed to the village that was across the lake. Now Naruto had put the kid on his back and told Hinata.

"Let's get going the people from that village needs us."