Hinata returned to her room with a smile on her face. After the hard time seeing Naruto melt into Sakura's embrace, the time she spent teaching Ronin the art of using a kunai was memorable. He had to admit it, the boy had his thing, and that was beginning to sink into Hinata's heart. If only she weren't engaged, she could afford to get to know him better, and even fall in love with him, perhaps just as madly as she had with Naruto (well, maybe not with the first love intensity, but at least she could manage to get attached to Ronin as a partner).

But Hinata tried to keep her delusions at bay, in consideration of the inevitable fate that awaited her... at least until Ronin mentioned something to her immediately arousing her nerves, and her hopes.

-Hinata-san I don't want to seem disrespectful, but I have to tell your family also received a marriage offer from me, a marriage that I confess to you, I'm very excited about-

-I did not know. In general, Hyuga women are not mentioned much about our suitors, unless the interested man requests an audience to meet us.-

-I know, I actually wanted to use that to my advantage. I hoped to have time to get to know us better, and make amends for the damage I'd done with my lack of scruples during your first trip to our village. From the moment you arrived...I...I couldn't help but be enchanted by you. I know I acted very badly, but I hope I have been able to change your opinion of me, and you could see positively the proposal I have made to your family.

-Ronin-san, it doesn't really matter what I think about your proposal, my family has made a decision about it, my marriage with Toneri is almost certain-

-Actually, it does matter Hinata-san. When we received the response about Toneri becoming your selected fiancé, we were told the only reason I had not been chosen was because I am not a ninja, and you as the future clan leader must ensure to produce the best possible heir, forcing you to marry a shinobi. Aside from that, the proposal we made to your family is much stronger than the arrangement Toneri promises. My father has agreed to give Konoha ownership access to our village's ports and main roads, which being an important meeting point for many countries, is much more tempting than the simple proposition of allowing trade from Konoha to Moon Village. -

-Unfortunately our shinobi tradition is more important in this case. And as clan leader I must do my duty-

-But that's the key. The leader must marry a shinobi, but the branch family does not. Hinata, what I'm going to say to you is crazy, but please consider that I say it with all the sincerity of my heart. I'm in love with you, with Hinata Hyuga, not with the leader of the strongest clan in Konoha. I humbly ask if you…could welcome my proposal... If you think you can be happy by my side, decline the leadership of your clan, so you can do me the honor of being my wife. I swear I will fight every day to make you happy, and in consideration of the remaining responsibilities to your clan, I promise to live in Konoha.-

Thank God she was sitting up, because Hinata felt her legs didn't have the strength to support her. Her soul left her body. She was given a remote possibility of happiness, a plan that allowed her to remain in her beloved village. She had in front of her a man who could help her forget past pains. However, it was also the path to definitively leave her commitment to the clan, her plans for improvement (although she was sure Hanabi would fight to carry them out), to forget the promise she had with Neji. She who had followed the same nindo as Naruto, about never going back on her words and always keeping her promises, had a happy future at her doorstep, breaking that sacred vow.

-I…I…can't give you an answer right now Ronin-san-

Ronin offered her a calm smile. -The fact you are not rejecting me right now makes me hopeful, Hinata-san. You don't need to answer now, think about it calmly-

She now looked in the mirror optimistically, thinking even if she had to deal with her marriage to Toneri anyway, she had the sweet memory of being given the chance to choose. Honor or happiness? She wasn't sure which of the two appealed more strongly to her determination. For a moment she allowed herself to fantasize Ronin's timid proposal came from another man, a shinobi, the strongest in the entire ninja world. Happiness would not have fit in her body if Naruto had decided on her.

But what the hell was she thinking? That was never an option. From the moment she had proposed this crazy game to Naruto, she had vowed not to delude herself that the blond could develop feelings for her. They had been sex, or well, everything that comes before sex. She knew Naruto had only one person in his heart, and it was immature to let herself think letting him see her naked body, or touching her in places where she hadn't even touched herself before, was going to be enough to make him fall in love. With so many hundreds of women who had probably tried that plan on him before and failed, holding that kind of hope was unfair to herself and Naruto.

But now, there was Ronin, and that filled her with new illusions.

She walked to the night table, looking for a scroll to write a note to her father, asking for the possibility of delaying her departure to the village of the Moon. Just as she was opening the drawer, she came face to face with that necklace Naruto had given her several months ago, and she had given it to Sakura. She prayed to the gods that the person who left it there was Sakura.

Next to the necklace was a scroll. Hinata caught the type of seal that closed the scroll, a blood seal, the same type Naruto had used on her painting. And it seemed it would only open with her blood. She made a mental note to congratulate the blonde, he had become an expert in sealing, a rare skill highly recognized in the shinobi world. She let herself be proud of him until she realized this meant the note was from Naruto, and therefore he knew at that moment what she had done with the necklace. With trembling hands, she opened the note.

Hinata

As you can imagine Sakura-chan returned the necklace to me. However, I find myself in the painful circumstance of asking you to please wear it tonight. Both of us, along with Sakura-chan, and the Temme have been assigned to a protection mission for the attendees of this party. Of course we will give you the details when we see you. Please use the necklace to make things easier for us.

I'm sorry I offended you.

Naruto

Hinata dropped the note feeling a cold chill take over her body and make her tremble. That necklace was a regret she had carried with her since the day Naruto had given it to her. First, Sakura caught them at such a moment. Hinata couldn't imagine the level of jealousy she would get if she found her boyfriend giving such a gift to another woman. But Sakura, despite the fact that she was somewhat affected by the scene, always maintained her composure. Something for which Hinata always had admiration for her.

The pink-haired girl waited hidden behind some distant trees (a piece of cake for Hinata with the range of her eyes, even without activating her keikeigenkai) she watched the interaction between Hinata and Naruto, until the blonde said goodbye to her Hinata . Once he was far enough away, Hinata dared to speak.

-Sakura-san, I invite you to keep me company-

-I'm sorry for the intrusion Hinata, I was actually looking for Naruto, we're supposed to have dinner at Kakashi sensei's house today-

-Don't worry Sakura-san, you are actually doing me a favor with your presence. I want to ask you something very special, and I apologize because I'm probably ruining a surprise Naruto-kun is preparing for you. You see, he has given me this artifact (she did not dare to call it with any sign of appreciation), which allows him to teleport to where the object is. Apparently it is something he plans to develop for all his special beings. Naruto-kun has asked me to use this as a test, after all I am the person who lives furthest away. But unfortunately, despite the fact his act is very kind, it is impossible for me to accept a test mission with an object of this type... You will understand an engaged woman cannot just come home with a jewel like this-

-Don't worry Hinata, I'll take care of keeping it-

-I'm sure, Sakura-san, you are actually the person who inspired Naruto-kun to create such an incredible object, so I'm reassured by handing it over to you. I ask you to please act surprised when he hands you your own stone. -

Hinata never knew Sakura immediately understood the intentions Naruto had from the beginning, and such a jewel was not inspired to protect her friends but only Hinata. That day with pain, Sakura finally accepted her dating experiment with the blonde had to end, clearly remembering an old conversation she had with her boyfriend, where Naruto tells Saura he liked to give her green jewelry, because it matched the color of her eyes. The stone Sakura was holding in her hands at that moment was white, with lilac tones, and a brilliant light blue inside of it, like a secret confession Naruto's eyes were always going to be on Hinata.

Hinata held up the necklace to take a closer look at it. The first time she saw it she didn't have the opportunity to detail the beautiful combination of colors, nor the strong energy that emanated. Without a doubt, Naruto was the most powerful shinobi in the world, when a simple object impregnated with his chakra was capable of making her feel so much power.

The day after that conversation with Sakura, Hinata found out the couple had broken up, and she felt as if the world was collapsing. She felt guilty because the happiness of the man she loved had slipped out of his hands. Despite she had the opportunity to talk with the blond, on one of those occasions where Naruto needed an attentive person to listen to his sorrows, and he mentioned the cause of the breakup had been that Sasuke was about to return, (according to Kakashi-sensei's reports), something inside Hinata told her this was nothing more than a lie, either from Naruto or from Sakura, and she was somehow related to the real cause of their split.

"Naruto must hate me right now," she thought. Not only had she been haughty and ungrateful, coldly rejecting a gift that he had kindly given to her with the sole purpose of protecting her, but she had also drawn the path (or the beginning of the path), so that Naruto would lose that night the love of his life.

Hinata made a decision: tonight she was going to rectify her mistakes, she would allow herself to use the necklace, in favor of the mission, and as a token of gratitude to Naruto. Finally, she was determined to do everything possible for Naruto to win Sakura's love back.