However, she chose not to spoil the mood and commented, "It's a shame they're no longer here... But they were incredible ninjas who protected the village..."
"I know, don't worry." Naruto, understanding Hinata's difficulty in expressing her emotions, spoke, "Even so, Hinata, just the fact that I know who they are filling me with joy. You know, I always wondered what my parents would be like, or if I even had parents. Now, I can proudly say: my parents are two incredible ninjas who gave their lives for me and the village!"
"Yes, you're right." Hinata agreed, putting aside her usual shyness to express her genuine happiness for him. Then she asked, "But is it okay to tell me all this? It seems like it was a secret..."
"It's okay, really." Naruto assured her, "Hinata, I trust you, and I don't intend to hide who my parents were. Although it was kept a secret to protect me from my father's enemies, I don't think it's necessary to keep it a secret anymore."
"Of course, now you're different, you're already one of the strongest ninjas in the village!" Hinata smiled gently at him, closing her eyes.
The two continued talking, with Naruto sharing some of his experiences upon entering his parents' house for the first time, as well as his discoveries in photo albums and other mementos.
"Oh yeah," Naruto seemed to remember something. He took out a book from the case he carried and placed it on the table near Hinata's plate, "I found this book in my family's library. When I saw it, I thought of you. Now that we've met, I have the chance to give it to you. Hinata, would you accept this gift?"
Kushina, observing Naruto's interaction with Hinata, had an internal dialogue, "[Ohh, so that's why you took that book? I see, I see. It's a good idea, with the Byakugan, it will be much more useful than it would have been for me when I was developing that technique. Alright, this can also count as a gift from me to my future daughter-in-law, right?]"
While her father, Minato, remained silent, Kushina was quite talkative. Naruto could even imagine her with a popcorn bucket, watching and commenting as if she were watching a movie...
Hinata placed her chopsticks in the bowl and picked up the book. She read what was written on the cover: [Bow and Arrow Law Technique]. She briefly flipped through the book, and her eyes sparkled like stars. She realized that this technique was not only unique but had been created by Kushina Uzumaki, the woman Naruto had just revealed to be his mother...
"I'm very happy to receive something like this, but..." Hinata hesitated, closing the book and looking at Naruto, "But, are you sure about this, Naruto-kun? I mean, it was something written by your mother, right?"
"It's alright, it's not something that's very useful to me, and I bet my mother would be happy if you received it, Hinata," Naruto replied with a smile.
Kushina, in her mind, grew excited: [Yes, of course, I would - ttebane!]
Naruto flashed a strange smile upon hearing his mother's voice in his mind. But to prevent Hinata from misunderstanding, he quickly returned to his usual smile.
Hinata blushed even more, seemingly misinterpreting Naruto's intention. She even started to entertain the thought that maybe Naruto was interested in her, an idea she considered absurd but didn't stop her from dreaming. Embracing the book against her chest, Hinata displayed an expression of shyness, but with an irresistibly unique charm.
Opening her mouth, her voice sounded sweeter than honey, carrying waves of overflowing emotions: "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I will cherish this deeply!"
Naruto had also studied this technique, although he didn't intend to use it much. It would be useful if he wanted to hunt in the First and Second Hunting Grounds, so his understanding of this technique was quite high. With that said Naruto began sharing his understanding of it.
When they finished eating, Naruto asked, "Do you have any plans this afternoon, Hinata?"
"No." Hinata denied it, her heart beating fast.
She didn't know why, but she felt that what Naruto would say next would completely surprise her, in a very good way...
"Well, how about coming to my new house, and I'll give you some pointers on this technique?" Naruto suggested.
Kushina inwardly exclaimed, [That's my son!]
Minato, proud, thought, [Not bad, first lunch, then inviting her to the house, Daddy is proud of you!]
"..." Naruto merely responded mentally with silence.
It seemed that Hinata's prediction was correct; she felt like she was about to faint. Fortunately, she had eaten quite a lot, surprising herself with how much she managed to eat.
Regarding Naruto's invitation, she hesitated for only a moment before agreeing, "Alright, I accept. Thank you."
Naruto placed money for the two bowls of miso ramen and left a tip, saying, "Boss, thanks for the food, I'll leave the money here."
Then, he turned to Hinata and with a smile, proposed, "So, shall we?"
"Mm." Once again, Hinata replied with a nearly inaudible sound.
Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum as she felt like she was floating on cloud nine, walking beside Naruto even more timid than before.
She began to wonder, from an outsider's perspective, did she and Naruto look like a couple? The thought made her blush intensely!
As Naruto and Hinata continued walking together towards Naruto's house, the two girls looked in their direction with visible surprise in their eyes.
"Oh my God, is that Hinata?" The short-haired pink-haired girl murmured, incredulous. Then, she added with a mischievous smile, "Heh, looks like she finally saw the 'light' and gave up on that idiot Naruto and is interested in that handsome guy instead?"
"Idiot." The blonde with a high ponytail and bangs falling over her eyes said disdainfully, "You can't even recognize your own teammate? Tsk, that's obviously Naruto. I just don't know what caused his hair color to change and him to look slightly more attractive."
"Naruto?! Are you sure?" Sakura looked at Ino, incredulous, and glanced again in the direction of Hinata and Naruto while rubbing her eyes. Indeed, she could catch a glimpse of Naruto in that handsome guy... I mean, that charming boy, just a little bit. Then she asked, "What kind of miracle made him change so much?"
"Who knows?" Ino replied, "Didn't he go to learn Sage Mode? It could be related to that."
"Uh, maybe..." Sakura remained skeptical. She couldn't believe Naruto's transformation.
"Anyway, Naruto is looking stunning now..." Ino said with an intense gaze, "He was already interesting, but now... He seems to exude a different charm, my God, he's totally my type!"
"Are you sure? He's still Naruto, you know?" Sakura frowned.
"Yes, he's still Naruto; currently the most powerful ninja in the village, a handsome and promising young man, someone who learned Sage Mode; something that very few people have achieved, so few that they can be counted on one hand."
"..." Sakura was speechless, unable to come up with a response to counter Ino.
"Do you want to go over there and talk to them?" Sakura asked.
"No, I don't want to spoil their moment." Ino declined, "Look how happy Hinata looks. She has been in love with him since childhood, I wouldn't be able to interfere. Let's, let's just continue on our way and not disrupt them."
Ino then pulled Sakura away.
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