A/N: Thank you so much again for all the wonderful reviews! Sorry that this took a while.

I do not own Naruto.

5. You're beautiful.

"N-Naruto-kun."

"Hinata."

"Naruto-kun."

"HInata."

He slightly shivered as slender fingers gently touched his chest.

How they managed to switch back into their own bodies, he didn't know and couldn't care less, especially when her white, heavy-lidded eyes bored into his blue ones.

"Naruto-kun." She purred.

"Hinata." He recognized this atmosphere. This would be the part where the guy kisses the girl, he thought.

He couldn't remember if he had brushed his teeth, but.. who cares?

He leaned his head forward, his eyes closed, anticipating the moist lips of Hyuuga Hinata.

"W-Wait, Naruto-kun. I-I don't think this is the right time."

Naruto opened one eye, lips still puckered out for the kiss. "Huh? Why not?"

"T-They're watching." Her eyes shifted sideways out of embarrassment, and both cheeks turned bright red.

"They? Who's 'they'?"

Naruto slowly followed Hinata's gaze. He felt his jaw hit the ground upon seeing about two-dozen little Narutos and Hinatas running around, playing, crying, fighting, and crawling almost everywhere he laid his eyes on.

"What the f-?"

His neck made a cracking sound after abruptly turning his head back to the Hyuuga maiden... and his eyes went wide seeing Hinata's now bulging belly.

"Gaah! What the hell is that, Hinata?"

"That's so mean, Naruto-kun." She pouted. "I'm pregnant... with our twenty-sixth child."

"You got to be kidding!" He gasped. He looked down when he felt something warm wetted the hem of his pants, and saw another pair of blue eyes stare back. A small boy who looked exactly like him was sprinkling his right shin with pee.

"H-Hey!"

"Oh, he must've learned that from his Uncle Kiba." Hinata was a proud mom.

He snapped his head back to her again and jumped when he saw her nursing a clump of white sheet near her chest, her stomach already back into shape.

"Whoa! That fast?!" He exclaimed.

"Look, Naruto-kun. Isn't he special?" Hinata handed Naruto the baby. She dried tears of joy that pooled in the corner of her eyes.

"A-Aren't we too young for this?!" He hesitated for a bit, but then felt warm deep inside as he held the small and delicate the little creature against his arms.

"Oh." Naruto gently embraced the blanket tighter, afraid that he might drop it. He slowly reached for the portion of the sheet that partly covered the baby's face. "Hello there, little fellow."

His face froze and immediately turned white, when he saw that the baby looked exactly like a certain Hyuuga clan head and cooed in its deep manly voice, "Da-da."

.

"Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Naruto's eyes shot open, and he suddenly sprung up from the bed. His scream echoed beyond the peaceful and quiet Hyuuga compound, causing a few lighted windows of angry neighbours and some dogs to bark, and Ko, to run frantically towards the room.

Naruto's eyes wandered across the room as he downed the glass of water Ko handed to him. The room was a bit dark, but the comforting glow from the half-moon lit the room from the window, where a vase of violet tulips was placed quietly on the sill. He breathed deeply and smelled the scent of lavender from his blanket. There was no doubt about it. He was in Hinata's room. And the fact that it was already dark only meant one thing- he had been out for too quite a while.

"H-How long have I been out?" Naruto asked Ko.

"You've been unconscious almost the entire day, Hinata-sama, since you got knocked-out in your fight with your sister this morning. It's already midnight." Ko answered, worry still evident on his face.

"I see. So, Hanabi did knock me out in the fight." Naruto clenched his jaw and looked away, shaking hands grabbed the white sheets tightly.

"Hanabi-sama? No. From the result of the fight, it seemed that she actually... lost."

Naruto turned his gaze back to Hinata's bodyguard, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean? I was the one who was knocked out."

"That's true, but..."

"Was it Neji-niisan? Did he hit me or throw me one of those wooden buckets again?"

"What? No, Hinata-sama."

"Then, what on earth happened?" Naruto was too confused to care that he had been sounding too informal to be Hinata.

"You really don't remember anything, Hinata-sama?" Ko scratched the back of his head.

Naruto shook his head continuously, until Ko spoke again.

"Well, you see..."

.

[After a direct kick to his gut, Naruto found himself back on the ground again, where he had been a couple of times since he started the match with Hinata's younger sister. He wasn't sure if he had hit the dusty pavement way too hard or maybe too many times, for it suddenly became difficult to breathe.

His breathing hadn't stabilized yet, but he quickly rolled to his side, just in time to avoid an open-hand strike to his chest.

'This brat is really trying to kill me!' He thought. He tried to steady his gaze and shook his head, feeling a bit light-headed because of the lack of oxygen. As his vision cleared, he found Hanabi up in the air, ready to plunge over him with an arm pulled back for another crashing blow.

Naruto instinctively lifted his arms up for defense. His sandals made a low screeching noise as Hanabi's palm pushed him back thirty feet away.

"Is that all you got?" Hanabi's voice was calm, yet cold.

Naruto gritted his teeth. Hinata had taught him the basics of Byakugan and Gentle Fist, but still, his taijutsu was nothing compared to that of a Hyuuga.

But he couldn't give up just yet. He didn't even plan to do so.

Naruto smirked, as he pushed back a few black strands behind his ear. "I want to ask you the same thing, Hanabi-chan." He slightly bent his knees down and extended his arms. He was ready for another round. "You punch like a little girl."

Naruto recognized the look she darted him. If her looks could kill, then he would have just dropped dead that instant.

He steadied his stance as Hanabi sprinted toward him and sprung up in the air. He winced as he dislocated a finger, when he blocked Hanabi's Heel Drop with his bare hands, but it didn't stop him from grabbing her in the ankle and dragging her down to the ground.

"Ugh!" Hanabi grunted, air escaping her lungs as she hit the pavement.

Naruto saw the opportunity and lounge over Hanabi, hitting her chest with a series of finger strikes, but slowed down when blood started to trickle down her lips... which he later figured to be a bad idea as Hanabi also took that opportunity to strike back and kneed him hard in the groin.

'H-Holy sh-!' Tears formed in his eyes as he rolled side to side guarding his lower abdomen. He would surely lose his precious balls, if he had been in his real body by the time he received the hit, but even as a girl, being hit in the groin was equally agonizing and definitely hurt like hell. He'd kill that lying bastard who said that a kick in the groin had no effect in women. 'T-T-That.. little.. bitch...!'

"Hinata-sama!" Ko-san called from the side.

"I-I'm alright.." Naruto managed to answer back between pants and grunts.

Hanabi stood up and wiped the blood from her lips. "Just give up, Onee-san."

She stepped forward, as a hand glowing with chakra descended down fast to deliver the final blow that would render her older sister unconscious.

Naruto closed his eyes and waited for the strike, but it didn't come.

"W-What's this?"

He heard Hanabi uttered in disbelief. He slowly opened his eyes and was surprised himself as he found two Hinata shadow clones held Hanabi back in both arms, and three more stood behind him.

Old habits die hard, they say, for when Naruto dropped his gaze down, he realized that his hands had just performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique on their own.

"Uh-oh." He swallowed hard.

A sound of swirling water brought his attention back to the three shadow clones behind him, where he found that the strong and violent sound was coming from a small sphere of chakra held by the clones.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto's voice was barely audible. His body froze, his mouth gaping, as HInata's shadow clones form what seemed like a Rasengan mixed with water chakra.

"Let's teach that brat a lesson!" One of the clones said.

"Yeah! Let's show her!" Another one answered.

"G-Get your hands off me!" Naruto felt the fear in Hanabi's voice. "Onee-san!"

Hiashi stood up from the corner and began to pace towards them with his Byakugan activated. "Hinata, stop at once!"

"S-Stop it!" Naruto screamed, but the clones didn't listen and started to charge at Hanabi.

Small tears rolled down Hanabi's cheeks as she shut her eyes and let out a shriek.]

.
"What are you doing, Hinata-sama?" A bead of sweat formed at Ko's forehead, confused that he was suddenly talking to a pair of buttocks sticking out under the bed.

'Oh my god, what have I done?!' Naruto's face contorted in all ways possible, his cold hands pressed firmly on his cheeks. There's no other way to hide a very frightened face than shoving it under the bed, Naruto thought. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' He slowly crawled out from the bed when Ko called him the second time.

"Ahaha, I'm sorry. I-I thought I dropped something." Naruto explained. "So, was it Otou-sama who perhaps Juken-ed me in the head, because I almost... killed Hanabi-chan~?"

Ko sighed. "No, Hinata-sama. I think you should rest some more. You've been acting strange lately." Training her when she hadn't fully recovered yet must have been a bad idea. He would make sure to tell the clan head later.

"I will, Ko-san. Thank you. But if it wasn't Otou-sama, then how did I end up sleeping here the entire afternoon?"

Ko was evidently worried. "You must have hit yourself too hard with that Rasengan if you really couldn't remember."

"I-I hit myself with a... Rasengan?"

Then he finally remembered.

He remembered seeing Hiashi rushing towards them.

He remembered seeing Hanabi's tears mixed with her sweat, as a shadow clone attacked her with a small Water Rasengan in its hand.

And how he swiftly ran and covered Hanabi to protect her from it.

"Oh, yeah. I remember now." Naruto finally let out the breath he was holding. He slightly touched his back and winced when his hand grazed upon a wound.

"Are you alright, Hinata-sama?" Ko carefully observed him. He continued when he saw Naruto nodded. "That should heal in a couple of days. Good thing that the chakra sphere was a bit unstable and it didn't have the destructive power it supposed to have. But still, be careful next time. Don't use incomplete jutsus during your training, or you'll end up hurting yourself."

"Yes. I'm sorry." Naruto lowered his eyes. He couldn't believe that he hadn't only tried to hurt Hinata's sister, but he actually hurt Hinata, or Hinata's body, in the process. He didn't do it deliberately, but he had been careless. He would apologize to Hinata later.

Ko sighed again. "Would you like something to eat before you continue your sleep?"

Naruto shook his head. He lost all his appetite that moment.

"Alright." Ko watched his crestfallen look. "Don't worry about Hanabi-sama. She wasn't hurt."

"H-How about Otou-sama?" Naruto asked, afraid that he might have blown it up for Hinata this time.

"Hiashi-sama... Well, he was shocked at first, but he already calmed down seeing that both of you were fine. He was actually impressed by the jutsu, and he plans to work on it with you starting tomorrow."

"Oh that's good." Naruto let out a sigh of relief, but soon raised an eyebrow realizing what Ko had just said. "Wait, he plans on what?"

xxxoOoxxx

"A-Are you sure you're alright, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as they walked through the streets of Konoha, heading to the direction of the Academy.

"I-I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

Five days had passed since he started training with Hinata's father, and Hiashi surely gave him a hard time. He was all bruised up, and even his nail beds ridiculously hurt.

Hinata gave him a sad look. "I am sure you're not. I've been there before. You are definitely hurting all over."

"Ahaha! What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine!" He stood up straight then started to do push-ups to prove his point. "See?"

They met Shikamaru on his way out of the Academy. The shinobi with the spiky ponytail disappeared as quickly as he said hello, after he purposely patted Naruto hard on the back.

"Oww!" Naruto bent over in pain. "Damn you, Shikamaru!"

.

Naruto was already heaving and panting by the time they reached the door of Tsunade's office after climbing a series of stairs.

'Someone, kill me now.' He thought as he almost crawled towards the door.

Hinata was about to knock when the door suddenly opened, revealing Kankuro and Temari, who were just about to leave.

"Oh, it's you, Naruto." Kankuro addressed Hinata, unaware of the body switch.

"It's been a while, Kankuro-kun, Temari-san."

The siblings only looked at each other after Hinata greeted them politely.

"Y-Yeah.." Kankuro cleared his throat. "We just delivered a message from the Alliance to Tsunade-sama. Good thing you're here, for this also concerns you, Naruto."

"Who? Me?" Naruto, who was lying on the floor resting, suddenly spoke.

"Uh, no, Hinata-san. We're talking to Naruto." Kankuro answered, confused. "What's wrong with her? Was she really like that?" He whispered to Hinata.

She gave him a nervous laugh. "Please forgive her. She's not feeling well right now."

"I see. Anyway, we have to go. Listen carefully to your Hokage. It's an important matter."

"Yes. Thank you very much, Kankuro-san."

Kankuro slightly shivered from the politeness. "Let's go, Temari."

The Sand country's kunoichi nodded. "See you again at Kumo, Naruto."

Naruto and Hinata watched the siblings leave. When Hinata was sure that they're alone once again, she asked Naruto, "Did she say 'Kumo'?"

oooxXxooo

"What do you mean you'll send Hinata to Kumo?!" Naruto's muscles still felt sore, but it didn't stop him from lifting his arms and slamming his fists on Tsunade's table.

The Fifth Hokage stared at Naruto's tensed knuckles before glaring her eyes at him. "It's just like what I said. It's a special meeting of the Shinobi Alliance with the Daimyos, and they need your presence there. I cannot send you looking like that, so I have no choice but to take Hinata with me." She had the urge to try hitting him again with a dictionary, but just kept her hands occupied by continuously signing a pile of documents. She was still tired from her visit to Kumo two days ago, where she was grilled on her seat by the other Kages about losing a potential source of intel. She couldn't feel more tired knowing that she had to go back there again.

"Just what do they need me there for?" Naruto exclaimed.

"I don't know. Probably to devise a good plan to capture the thieves. And also, to whip your ass for killing the squid." She answered nonchalantly.

"W-Well.." He made an audible gulp and looked at Hinata. "But still... Can't you just tell them that you sent me to a mission? Hinata doesn't have to go through all that! What if they noticed that she really isn't me? Wait. Take me with you. I'll go!"

"And what will you tell your 'Otou-sama~'? That you'll postpone your training so that you can go with me to Kumo?"

"I'll tell him it's a mission!" He insisted.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun. I'll go. I am with Hokage-sama. I'm sure she will take care of me. I'll also make a proper apology to the other Kages." Hinata gave him a confident smile.

"Hinata..." Naruto bit his lips, just like how Hinata did when she's worried.

Tsunade moved to stretch her back. "Alright, so it's settled, then. Hinata, we'll leave in three days. Make sure to bring lots of patience and clean underwear."

"Y-Yes-"

"Hang on, hang on!" Naruto interrupted and started counting with his fingers. "Three days?! You mean you'll leave on the first day of the festival?"

"That's right." Tsunade sighed.

It had been a year since the Fourth Shinobi War ended. Most of the important infrastructures in Konoha had already been rebuilt, and the village's produce was enough to feed everyone. Though still a bit short from the target economic growth, the percentage continued to grow, nonetheless. It was all thanks to the hardwork and determination of the people who dedicated their lives to Konoha. That was why when Tsunade received a formal request from the villagers to have a day to celebrate winning the war and commemorate the village's heroes, she just couldn't say no and immediately proposed it to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. A three-day festival was later on approved, which would happen three days from now. Everyone, including the Hokage herself, was excited.

"How can you leave the country on the day of the festival?! You're the Hokage. You're supposed to be here! And the fireworks..." Naruto glanced at Hinata once again.

"Do you think I want to be at Kumo on that day? Of course not! You have no idea how many bottles of sake I bought just for it!" Tsunade's hands curled into a fist as she remembered the precious bottles of liquor she's been saving up just for that day.

"I do." Shizune, who had been quietly arranging a mountain of papers, uttered.

"But security and safety of the village comes first. So, even if I have to miss this celebration, I'll go. Even the Daimyo will." Tsunade let out another sigh and massaged a hurting forehead.

"This sucks!" Naruto scratched his head furiously. "When will Hinata and I switch back, so that I can be the one to go with you?"

"Speaking of that." Tsunade straightened her back, suddenly remembering the real reason she called them for. "Shizune learned that the kinjutsu will be reversed on the first day that the moon is full. And that would be exactly... eight days from now. So in eight days, you two will have your bodies back."

"R-Really, Hokage-sama? That's great!" Hinata clasped her hands together.

"That long?" Naruto's mouth fell open. "Is there anyway you can make it faster? Like, three days?!"

Tsunade grinned from ear to ear. "Why don't you try kissing her? That's what they usually do to break the spell. In most cartoons, at least."

Naruto could feel his blush slowly creeping from his face to every capillary in his body. In a matter of seconds, he was red all over. "G-Granny!" He blurted out.

"Stop joking, please, Tsunade-sama." Shizune whispered to Tsunade.

"What? There's nothing wrong in trying! Right, Hinata?"

Tsunade never got an answer.

Shizune narrowed her eyes to her master. "She fainted, Tsunade-sama."

oooxXxooo

Naruto tossed and turned on his bed, as he tried to fall asleep. He covered his face with a pillow, its scent reminding him of its owner who just fainted at the Hokage's office that afternoon.

"Stupid old hag.." He murmured to himself. He couldn't help it, but a soft blush started to creep back to his face. He hadn't blushed that furiously before, even when he was with Sakura, and he wondered why. "Argh!"

His moans of frustration were suddenly cut-off by a loud knock on the door. He activated the Byakugan and saw that it was Neji.

And Hanabi.

"C-Come in." Naruto said.

"Hinata-sama, Hanabi-sama would like to speak with you." Neji spoke.

"A-Alright."

"Thank you very much, Neji-niisan." Hanabi nervously smiled at Neji before making her way to the room.

Despite the closed door, Naruto could feel Neji's deadly aura radiating through the walls of his room, which was also made evident by the glowing-red-with-hatred look that Neji gave him before he closed the door. Neji probably haven't forgiven him completely yet for almost killing Hanabi the other day.

"Umm.."

A soft voice brought Naruto's attention back to the younger Hyuuga.

"I would like to thank you, Onee-san, for saving me during the training." She finally said. It was the first time that they had a conversation after the spar four days ago, and he could tell she was nervous, for she fidgeted a bit, but not so much like her older sister.

"T-That's alright. I was the one who created the clones, so I was at fault, too."

"Hmm."

"But that's because you acted like a stupid spoiled brat and started to provoke me-"

The door quietly opened, and Naruto shivered when he saw Neji, with the same evil glare, floating like a ghost across the dark hall just outside his door. Hanabi didn't seem to notice.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, confused.

"Ah, nothing. I mean, don't worry about it." Naruto waved his hands in front of his face.

"I'm really sorry, Onee-san. That day, I just came back from a failed mission. And it failed because of me. I was really angry at myself, and it seemed like I poured it all out on you. Sorry." She walked closer and leaned down to give Naruto a hug. Despite her tough facade, the little girl was sweet and kind, just like Hinata, Naruto thought.

Naruto made a lopsided smile and gently patted her in the head. "That's alright. Hey, if you don't have anything to do, why don't you practice with me and Otou-sama tomorrow?"

Hanabi's face brightened up as she nodded, "Sure!"

"We're also developing a new jutsu. It will be fun!"

Naruto slightly furrowed his brow when Hanabi started to sniff around.

"Uh, what's wrong, Hanabi-chan?"

"Onee-san... When was the last time you took a bath?" She asked.

"Me?" He honestly couldn't remember. He did try, but almost ended up with a hemorrhage the first time when his nose bled nonstop, and he was only thinking of pulling down Hinata's purple jacket's zipper that time. He was much more ready the second time, but he stopped... thinking that it might disrespect Hinata. "Well..."

"I know!" Hanabi clapped her hands. "Why don't we take a bath together, just like we used to?"

"Bath... together?" Naruto swallowed a lump that formed in his throat.

"Yes! I'll scrub your back, then teach me how you made that chest of yours super huge!"

Naruto imagined Hanabi and Hinata sharing the same bathtub together, and he turned bright red. "W-Well, Hanabi-chan-"

Just before he could completely answer, the door suddenly burst open, revealing an angry Neji.

"What the hell were you doing?" Neji activated his Byakugan as he grabbed Naruto's collar.

Hanabi had left a few minutes ago, after Neji convinced her that her older sister was not allowed to take a bath because of the training.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Naruto said.

"Stop thinking dirty stuff about Hanabi and Hinata-sama!" Neji scoffed as he released his hold of Naruto.

"I'm not! I promise!" Naruto coughed and straightened his shirt. "It's your little cousin that's thinking about weird stuff, not me."

"The expression on your face told me otherwise." Neji crossed his arms across his chest, his Byakugan still fixed on Naruto.

"I was going to refuse her, then you just suddenly burst into the door!"

"Do you even think about how Hinata-sama would feel? I really wonder why she trusts you so much."

"Seriously, Neji, you're overreacting." Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed.

"But really, Naruto," Neji also started to sniff around. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

Naruto paused for a moment to stare at Neji.

The Hyuuga raised his eyebrow, when Naruto covered his mouth and started gagging.

oooxXxooo

"Neji-niisan, Naruto-kun, what are you doing here this late?" Hinata opened the door wide so the two men could come in. She looked at Naruto slightly puzzled. "What happened to you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto gently caressed the huge lump on his head. "Ahaha. This is nothing."

"A-Alright. But, what are you two doing here?"

Neji crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Hinata-sama, Naruto here needs your help."

.

Hinata continuously giggled. "I see, so that's what happened."

"But, really! I wasn't thinking anything weird! It's just your cousin that's overreacting." Naruto said as he went on with the story of how he accidentally imagined Neji and him sharing a bath together, and telling it to Neji got him that huge lump on his head.

They were inside his apartment's bathroom, and Hinata was helping him with his bath. Who else could help him clean that body than the real owner herself?

"I can hear you, Naruto." Neji's stern voice was heard inside the bathroom.

"Whatever."

Naruto paused for a bit, because Hinata had to pour water over his head. He heard Hinata shifted on a small stool she placed just beside the tub.

The situation wasn't anything sensual, but being alone with Hinata inside the shower (though Neji was just right outside for safety purposes), and the fact that she was giving him a bath made him feel nervous.

"H-Hey, Hinata, Sakura said that the Konoha 11 are going to have a party at the Yakiniku Q on the first day of the festival. She invited me. She said that even Sasuke will be there." Naruto shifted the conversation primarily to distract himself.

"Yes, I've heard. Kiba-kun told me."

"You're going, right?" Naruto pressed his lips tightly, knowing her answer.

"Umm.. We're probably on our way to Kumo by that time, so I guess I won't be able to join." Hinata said as she gently massaged Naruto's scalp, then down to the tips of his hair.

"Oh, you're right." Naruto dropped his shoulders. "Hey! Why don't we move the party on the third day? You'll be back by then!"

"Most of them are only available of the first day, so I guess there's no need postponing it just for me."

"I see." He sighed.

"I-It's alright, Naruto-kun. We can always plan for another party." She tried to cheer him up.

"Yeah."

Naruto listened as slow single drops of water made a soft plopping sound as it hit the tub's liquid surface.

"On the last day of the festival," He started.

"Hmm?" Hinata continued to rub his hair with shampoo, the faint scent of floral filling the whole bathroom.

"Let's go to Yakiniku Q. Just the two of us."

Naruto felt her hands suddenly stopped moving.

"W-Well, that is if you like to go to Yakiniku Q! You know, their salted beef is really good! A-And their rice toppings are really-" Naruto stammered with his speech.

"I-I'd love to." She said softly.

"W-What?"

"I-I... I said, I'd love to, Naruto-kun."

"O-Okay." He swallowed hard. "It's on the last day, then."

He couldn't see anything because of the blindfold that Neji tied around his eyes, but he was sure that his face was red. Hinata continued with his hair, her hands slightly trembling. She must be just as nervous as he was.

"P-Please keep your eyes closed, Naruto-kun. I'll start rinsing." She instructed.

"Alright."

The room started to become quiet. Naruto could only wish that Hinata wouldn't hear the sound of his heart beating out of his chest.

"Umm.." Hinata was the first to break the ice. "Can you move a bit, Naruto-kun? I'll scrub your back."

"Ah, sure!"

He relaxed as Hinata gently scrubbed his back with a body brush.

"Ah! That felt good!" Naruto said loudly. "I'm sorry that you have to do this for me."

"T-That's alright."

"And I'm sorry that you have to be stuck in my body for a while. It must be tough on you. You're really pretty, HInata. But, I'm not that good-looking. I have such rough hands. My skin is dry, and I have lots of scars. My hair's very unruly, too!"

"T-That's not true. I..I really like your hair, Naruto-kun. It's really soft and just the right yellow. The number of scars you have just proves how brave and determined you are. That you never gave up. And your hands.. They're rough because you helped a lot of people. They're big and very manly, and.. they made me feel safe." She remembered the words that came to her mind that time when Naruto held her hand. "D-Do you know you have such beautiful eyes, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto mouthed 'no', but the word didn't come out of his mouth.

"You have kind eyes, and they twinkle whenever you smile. And you really have nice cheekbones, too. You're lips.." Hinata noticed that she had been saying too much. "Ah! W-What I'm trying to say, Naruto-kun, is t-that.. you're beautiful, too. Inside and out, Naruto-kun." Hinata's blush turned redder and she started poking her index fingers together.

Naruto left his mouth hanging open, as he stared wide-eyed into the darkness of his blindfold.

He had been called 'monster', 'demon', 'monster fox', and other cruel things before, but 'beautiful'... It was a bit overwhelming to hear it the first time.

He finally let out the breath he didn't know he was holding and repeatedly gulped for air. One of his hands reached to grab his heart. "T-Thank you."

The room went silent again.

"H-Hinata.." It was Naruto's turn to speak first.

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Remember what Granny said, the thing we could try to break the curse?"

"Y-Yes?" Hinata blushed again, remembering Tsunade joked about the kiss.

"Let's do it."