The balcony of his apartment had always been a favorite spot of Narutos. It was a great vantage point of the busy shop streets below and had a decent view of the Hokages' faces carved into the mountainside where he someday hoped to see his own
I should be getting ready for that mission. Naruto thought to himself, slurping the last of his instant ramen. Coming off R&R and going back sucks. Turning his attention back to the street a familiar large white dog catches his eye. Akamaru. Team Eight must be back from their mission. I guess I should head down.
"Kiba!" Naruto yelled, gaining the man's attention "How was your mission?" He questions, patting Akamaru on the head.
"Good and simple just the way I like them, we just got done briefing." Kiba motions to his teammates behind him. "Wanna join us for lunch?"
"Nah, I have to get going Sakura and Sai are probably already waiting on me, ya know." Naruto gives a shortwave while walking off toward the Hokage's office.
"Oh!" Hinata's soft voice sounds from behind him. "I forgot that scroll, you two go ahead I'll be right back." She turns, to see Naruto had stopped, looking back over his shoulder.
"Wanna walk together?" He asks, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a small smile.
"Sure." Naruto's grin widens at her blush. He wasn't sure why, but something about it made his stomach tighten
"So, new mission gear?" Naruto motions to her outfit.
"Oh," She hadn't expected him to say anything, let alone notice. "Yeah, I thought it was time for a change after the war. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet." Hinata absentmindedly tugs at the hem of her shorts.
They're shorter than what I'm used to, and this top is tighter. I should have just waited to go get the scroll. He probably thinks I look ridiculous.
"It looks nice, I mean comfortable, ya know." Now it's Naruto's turn to be embarrassed.
Shit. She probably thinks I'm weird now. I mean she does look good…has she always looked good. Can friends look good? Her response draws Naruto from his thoughts.
"Thank you." She says quietly looking at the ground.
Have her legs always been that long? Naruto questions himself again. Taking a sideways glance at Hinata. Her legs were covered up to her thighs by tights, leaving a small gap of exposed skin before her shorts.
The skin on her legs looks like it'd be soft. She never looked bad in her old gear. He shoves his hands in his pockets, looking away quickly as she glances up at him.
"Oh!" Hinatas exclaims. "I forgot that scroll, you two go ahead I'll be right back." She turns away from Kiba and Shino, to see Naruto stopped in the road, looking back over his shoulder.
"Wanna walk together?" He asks, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a small smile.
That smile She thinks, a knot tightening in her stomach.
"Sure." Feeling that familiar warmth come to her cheeks
"So, new mission gear?" Hinata hesitates to answer as he lightly motions toward her
"Oh," She hadn't expected him to say anything, let alone notice. "Yeah, I thought it was time for a change after the war. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet." Hinata absentmindedly tugs at the hem of her shorts.
They're shorter than what I'm used to, and this top is tighter. I should have just waited to go get the scroll. He probably thinks I look ridiculous.
"It looks nice, I mean comfortable, ya know." Now it's Naruto's turn to be embarrassed.
How does he manage that? She thinks I go so red in the face and look like an idiot when I talk about him in any manner but he's so calm.
"Thank you," Hinata says quietly looking at the ground trying to hide her happiness at his compliment.
"You cut your hair." Hinata twirls the end of her long hair between her fingers.
It's shorter than before, but it still looks like you could run your fingers through it. Her stomach tightened at the thought. Over these past months, we've become a little closer, talking to each other more, but I don't even think Sakura-chan would do that. A slight frown comes to her face. I don't think we'll ever be there.
"Oh, yeah." Naruto runs his hand through his now short hair. "It was starting to get so long from being in the hospital, and Kakashi-sensei stumbled across this old picture of my dad and I looked exactly like him."
"Is that a bad thing?" Hinata asks.
"Nah, I just wanna be my own kind of Hokage." He stops briefly to look up at his father's face carved into the stone above. "So, I cut it." Running his hand through his hair once again.
He's always a surprise. Hinata smiles up at him.