Hey there! just as a note, this is not the end as I owe you one more chapter.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy it :)

Hinata smiled again as she looked at the photo of her wedding in the study, reminiscing about the conversation she had with Naruto in that room in Suna. She remembered how she had fallen backwards (literally, because the shock combined with her recent recovery had caused her to faint momentarily) when Naruto explained how he and Kurama had challenged the Hyuga clan, handing her the clan leadership on a silver platter.

She couldn't believe it, she could really choose the future of her life without any kind of pressure. And although it seemed that her choice was obvious, she gave herself permission to take all the time necessary to listen to herself, wanting to savor the moment of absolute calm and freedom with which she had been blessed.

And that also caused a stir. They hadn't even set foot in the village when the gossip began, with all the aggression and venom that a group of fanatics could muster.

Thank God and Sakura for her warning, because Hinata had never imagined being the target of so much hatred (and she was the Hyuga heir, which already caused her to receive a good amount of hate and hostility from many people).

They hated her, plain and simple...THEY HATED HER.

Because until that moment, Naruto Uzumaki had never rejected a date with any of them... Never until Hinata became the object of his affection.

Naruto's fan club had waited for him at the village entrance upon his return from Suna, making everyone returning with him (Hinata and her father included) witness the moment when the blonde finally put an end to his womanizing days.

When the group of girls, like a pack of wild animals, pounced on the blonde, he simply vanished with the speed he had inherited from his father, to reappear behind them and get their attention.

"Ladies, I greatly appreciate your interest in me, I am flattered and at the same time feel you overvalue me," he looked at them intently, "Many of you don't know me, and to be honest, I haven't been interested in getting to know any of you... I think... we deserve more from life, don't you think? That's why I've decided to reserve my affection and company for the woman I love."

"Naruto Senpai! But Sakura-san is not going to come back to you!" one shouted.

Naruto calmly smiled.

"Well, it's a good thing it's not about Sakura-chan."

All of them screamed excitedly... "Is it one of us?!" one of them asked.

"The woman I'm talking about has already received my marriage proposal... and I will be happily her slave until she decides her answer." He couldn't avoid giving a fleeting glance at Hinata, who seemed lost observing the scene.

And that was enough to set everything on fire!

Naruto had reserved the name of the mysterious woman to try to protect Hinata from the bad times he knew the group of fanatics could cause, but that mistake, that tiny glance combined with Hinata's not-so-hidden blush was enough for all of them... and all of Konoha to draw their conclusions.

Sakura had told him that glance was the most sincere reflection of a man in love she had ever seen... and it was inevitable that the whole world would realize it. Now Naruto was completely transparent (not that his closest friends hadn't noticed those feelings a long time ago, but now they were as clear as day even to the most oblivious, who happened to be Naruto himself)

For his part, Naruto had said that he didn't care at all. He was in love and wanted the whole world to know, and he had certainly succeeded. He wanted to make it clear that no woman could replace the invaluable presence of Hinata in his life, even if she ultimately rejected him.

And they hated her even more when they realized that Hinata did not deign to give him a prompt answer. In less than a day, they turned her into the villain holding Naruto's feelings captive. Just as they had talked about Sakura, now it was Hinata who was playing with the blonde, but they weren't satisfied with just gossip. They declared war on the blue-haired girl.

A war that consisted of constant letters cluttering the entrance to her apartment, endless comments when the Hyuga passed by them, talking about who was next in line to date the future Hokage, alluding to the boy's lack of commitment and how quickly he got bored of a woman.

Those who had shared a bed with the blonde had joined the battle, adding all the details of their encounters with the boy to the conversations, the things he supposedly said to woo them, and of course, embellishing the stories with some completely unrealistic details.

But the most curious scheme was when they decided to make Hinata believe that Naruto had returned to his old ways, and one of them transformed into the exact copy of the blonde, and with a girl on each side, they made sure to be seen by the Hyuga heir.

At the scene, Hinata felt a huge pang in her heart, but it took her two seconds to think carefully and understand that something was clearly wrong.

"You know that's not me, right?" said a girl with brown eyes and hair; Hinata recognized her as another member of the fan club that followed Naruto everywhere.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh yes, I forgot, my chakra is purposely sealed so no one recognizes me," and for a split second, the girl removed the seal, changing her eyes from brown to blue, making Hinata immediately recognize Naruto's clone.

"Is this a new version of your sexy jutsu?" she asked, somewhat amused by the scene.

"I... created this version to infiltrate that group of girls... I was... somewhat worried about their plans for you. I mean, I can ignore the lies and gossip, but I was truly worried they might try something stupid with you."

"Something like what they're doing right now?"

"Nah, that didn't worry me. I knew you would immediately recognize that wasn't me. My fear was that... I don't know... somehow they might hurt you. It's not that I don't know you're extraordinarily strong, Hina, it's just that..."

A hand was placed on the brunette's face, who kept her gaze down.

"Naruto-kun, I understand, you don't have to explain this to me. Sakura-san warned me a lot about what could happen... although this thing of taking your form and pretending to be you is extremely creative... and useless. I mean, don't they know I'm a Hyuga?"

The brown-haired girl smiled. "And they call themselves ninjas, by Kami!"

"I'd like to talk to you in person... I mean, with your original. I could track him with the Byakugan, but since you're here, I'd prefer you take me to him."

"Is everything okay?"

She looked down for a moment, trying not to meet her companion's eyes.

"Ronin-san has come to Konoha, and the first thing he did was visit me. I have given him my answer... and now it would be most reasonable to give you an answer as well.

Ronin was feeling the strain of life catching up with him. All that constant travel between Konoha and the Wind was too exhausting, and his untrained body was just begging for a little free time to relax and enjoy the wonders life had given him.

He couldn't complain about that; life had made sure to fulfill all his desires, one way or another, in one time or another.

He arrived at the gates of the Hyuga mansion, where he knew he would find her, since Hinata being now the clan leader, had to carry out her duties and meetings in the main house, and only after finishing would she return home to her husband.

He announced himself, and within a second, Koh appeared to take him to the office, just as his lady had requested.

He entered the room to find a very pregnant Hinata. Wow, her belly had grown in those two months he had been away from Konoha, and he had to admit it, she looked beautiful, even more so than when he first met her. It was clear that happiness suited Hinata. He couldn't help but let his old grudge with a certain future Hokage take center stage in his greeting.

"I see you're looking dazzling, I suppose they've treated you well?"

"I can't complain, I'm completely blissful."

"Has he kept his promise?"

She smiled calmly. "Naruto always keeps his promises." She hadn't finished the sentence when a slight knock on the door caught both their attention.

"Madam, Mr. Uzumaki has arrived. He asks to join you in this meeting."

"Tell him he can come in, Koh. We knew from the beginning that the three of us would meet."

And it was indeed important that for at least a few hours both men endured each other's presence. Since the day of the attack in Suna on Ronin, the Leaf had taken the lead in investigating the armed groups that the Wind village was dealing with. These groups frequently organized to plan the strategy of overthrowing Ronin's father, while also eliminating his family and preventing the power from passing to his children.

Fortunately, the alliance that the Wind had achieved with Konoha allowed them to count on prepared shinobi groups that provided protection to both the Oz family and civilians in general, along with the intelligence corps that had infiltrated ninjas within the rebels' ranks, quelling any plans.

Today would finally be the final meeting of all the effort, where Naruto Uzumaki, in his role as future Hokage, would provide the representative of the Oz family with the final report, indicating the measures taken against the leader of the rebel group, captured just a few days ago, whose status at that moment was highly classified information.

The office door opened, giving way to the world's strongest shinobi in all his glory. Hinata's heart gave a small jump; despite all the time that had passed, she was still affected by his mere presence.

The blue eyes rested seriously on the other man for a few moments, making a cordial bow of greeting, then continued their path until they found the treasure he was looking for in that room, Hinata's lilac eyes.

Naruto mischievously smiled, perceiving the slight change in her scent; he knew perfectly well that after all they had been through, despite her pregnancy, he still considerably altered her. He advanced with his eyes lost in her, while speaking to the other men.

"I apologize if I've arrived earlier than expected, Mr. Oz," he turned his gaze to the gentleman to speak directly to him. "You understand that in my wife's condition, it's difficult for me to leave her alone," he said while taking Hinata's hand and placing a loving kiss on it, receiving in return the crimson blush that always took over his wife whenever he greeted her. He greatly enjoyed the shyness that Hinata always displayed in the presence of others, especially because he knew that the true Hinata, the one he found in the intimacy of their bedroom, was a dominant goddess in their marital activities.

Ronin couldn't help but let out a smile full of resignation and relief. Uzumaki never missed an opportunity to make it clear who Hinata's husband was, and that always hit his pride and heart. However, he was glad to know that the man held such strong feelings for her; at least that gave him the peace of knowing she was happy. Moreover, seeing the scene unfolding before him, Ronin couldn't help but admit it...Hinata would never have been as happy with him as she was with Naruto.

"To love is to let go with dignity," the words Hinata had said to him the day he visited her in her single apartment a long time ago resonated in his head, like a mantra that allowed him to find calm.

"I want you to know that the feeling you hold for me will always be a valuable treasure for my heart, Ronin-san. I have to admit that for a long time I thought I would never be able to awaken love in anyone, and you are the first person to give me such a wonderful gift. I feel like I'm being ungrateful to life and to you by not being able to reciprocate those feelings. I... really, I'm very sorry. All my life I resigned myself to the idea that the man I loved would never love me back. I told myself a million times that loving him also meant letting him go with dignity, so I could live by his side at least as a colleague... But, I have the opportunity to be with him, and I want to follow this dream from the bottom of my heart."

A tear slipped down her cheek, as if she was trying to find the right words to say goodbye to what had been, for several days, her path to happiness.

"I feel ashamed to make you go through a pain close to the agony I experienced when I was rejected... but..."

"Hinata-san, please don't blame yourself for anything! You don't have to feel ashamed of being in love, even if it causes me sorrow. I couldn't be your husband, knowing that you are unhappy by my side. My feelings for you are sincere, and that's why I understand perfectly when you talk about letting go. I can't try to take a flower away from the sunlight, to which it owes all its beauty, and from what you tell me, it's clear to me that this man is your sun."

"You couldn't have described it better, Ronin-san."

He took her hands and gently kissed the back of them. "Then, Hinata-san, don't waste any more time with me... it seems that dawn is breaking, doesn't it?"

He had let her go, with the nostalgia of what could have been, with a heart a little broken, a little hopeful, that maybe one day he could find a new woman who made him feel those erratic and nervous heartbeats that Hinata had caused in him, and that he had not dared to confess with the fervor they deserved.

He had let her go, returning to his village the next day, but not before facing the man who truly held her feelings, forcing him to promise that he would take care of her with his life. Because Ronin didn't really know Naruto's nature, and he didn't trust the truth of his words. Because for Ronin, the blonde's ninja way meant nothing when it came to the woman he loved. And although his word was the only guarantee he could get from the blonde until actions proved him worthy of the Oz gentleman's trust, something inside Ronin was reassured by the response the Uzumaki had proclaimed.

"It's not for you or your request that I make this promise, Mr. Oz, but serve as a witness since you wish it so. I will not protect Hinata with my life; I will protect her with everything in me. My whole history, all the blood in my veins, and every breath of my being will serve to be her protector forever. I would never have abandoned her, even if she had decided to marry you, but now that she will be my wife, be sure that nothing and no one will be able to even touch one of her hairs. You have my word."

That had been both a promise and a not-so-subtle hint for Ronin; Naruto was bluntly inviting him to forget about his woman. Of course, Ronin was a man of honor, and Naruto's threat was unnecessary. However, he could understand it perfectly:in the case he had been the one to marry Hinata, he would have made sure to deliver an equally or more forceful message to the future Hokage.

To be honest, he was surprised that Hinata was the one leading the relationship between the Leaf and the Wind. He imagined that the blonde wouldn't want Hinata near him for anything in the world, but it was quite the opposite: Naruto was completely sure of Hinata's love, and didn't need to deal with unnecessary jealousy.

And that hurt Ronin like the day Hinata had rejected him.

Because he understood that the bond between them went beyond what he had precariously observed (or had allowed himself to observe)... it was true love, a love that had strengthened over the years and was ready to be cultivated.

So that day, he simply asked life for the opportunity to find something remotely similar for himself. A call that life had somehow answered because a few months ago, he had started a relationship with one of the shinobi tasked with being his escort on his comings and goings from Konoha. Who would have thought that so much travel would actually be a blessing?

Of course, the future Hokage didn't know about his current love life (those two were at the farthest ends of what would be called a friendship), so Naruto, whenever he saw him, would subtly remind him to keep his eyes elsewhere. After all, Naruto's trust was 100% in Hinata; it was him he distrusted.

And Ronin, again, understood.

Hinata's soft voice brought him back to the present moment.

"Ronin-san, please excuse my husband. Sometimes I insist that he forgets I'm a shinobi."

"Don't worry, Hinata-san, it's the least I would expect from someone who has promised to protect you from everything."

And with that, they delved into the protocol conversation. Naruto detailed the information, and Ronin's heart was reassured. Finally, after a year, his family could be at peace. At the end of the meeting, Hinata tried to convince him to have dinner with them, but Ronin knew perfectly well how to read when he was not wanted in a place, and there was no place where he was less wanted than alongside the future Hokage. Besides, it didn't hurt that Sasha was waiting for him at home, ready to take a bath together after all the travel they had had that morning.