Sparks Fly

by Lynns

It's been three years since Electricians Naruto and Hinata have seen each other. Will sparks fly between them as they endure the cold up north at the Konoha Energy Oilfield Site? Or will the obstacles they face be too much for them to take? Based on the Characters of the series Naruto and Naruto Shippuden in an Alternate Universe

20. Chapter 19

Series: Naruto

Pairings: NaruHina

Author: Lynns

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi

Type: Alternate Universe/Romance

Sparks Fly

Chapter 19

12 Days Later . . .

She was drenched from head to toe.

Hinata knew that New York was susceptible to heavy rains and downpours. However, the moment she and Naruto stepped out of the John F. Kennedy Airport and followed their driver, Arthur, that was picking them up, the sky opened up with a torrential downpour. Both of their suits were soaked, but thankfully, their suitcases were waterproof, so none of their belongings were soaked, including her purse, which held their passports and other essential documents.

Even though their luck seemed off to a bad start, the soaked trio made their way to the long limo that Hanabi had booked for them to take to the hotel. Hinata wasn't sure if she felt impressed or annoyed that her sister had gone to such efforts to get them an elaborate ride. However, in their current situation, perhaps it was for the better that it was over the top. The driver apologized profusely for not bringing out the umbrella while he loaded their bags into the trunk and then opened the door to the back of the vehicle.

When she felt heat coming from the vents, Hinata let out a sigh of relief; the back was toasty warm. Hinata briefly glanced at her reflection in the one window and was thankful that she hadn't really applied any make-up; otherwise, she would have the appearance of a sad clown. Only mascara dawned on her face, and thankfully, it was waterproof.

The driver shut the door behind the wet couple before sprinting to his seat. He attempted to brush some of the rain off his black suit and hat, but unfortunately, his efforts were futile. Finally, sighing, he turned around to them and said, "We should reach the Kitano Hotel in roughly thirty-two minutes. However, that's only if there aren't any traffic jams."

Hinata briefly glanced at Naruto. She could immediately tell that he was in a terrible mood, tired, hungry and was on the verge of snapping. Placing a gentle hand on his wet, cold hand, she turned her attention to the driver, "Do you mind putting up the divider window? I apologize for the rudeness, but we should probably change into some dry clothes, and we've had a very long day of catching flights with layovers."

"No problem Miss Hyuuga." Only then did Hinata realize that Arthur had a very strong Brooklyn accent. "Usually, I would point out some of the sights to see in the city, but with this rain, it's best that I keep all the windows rolled up. Just hit that red button on your right if you need anything, and I'll be happy to help you."

She nodded to him and watched with anticipation as the divider window slowly began to roll up. Then, with a soft click, they were completely alone for the first time in twenty-four hours. Hinata let out a heavy sigh and leaned back into the leather seat to relax for a brief moment. Her pale eyes drank in the extravagant limo. Champagne glasses hanging from the roof with an unopened bottle right beside it. A small TV closer to Naruto's side and spacious seating with enough room for over ten people to fit.

At first, Hinata wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and simply drift off to sleep. However, a cold shiver ran over her body even though the heat was on full blast. A grim reminder that their clothes were still soaked.

Undoing her seat belt, Hinata leaned forward and grabbed their carry-on suitcase, which thankfully was also waterproof. She let out a sigh of relief to see that none of the contents had gotten wet, which contained a spare set of clothes, toothbrushes and other essentials they may need in an emergency.

She turned her attention to Naruto and tried not to flinch at the exhausted, dead look he gave her. His blue eyes, which were usually so cheerful and warm, were now cold and lifeless. Normally, she would assume that something was wrong with him; however, after the hell they had gone through, his expression didn't surprise her in the slightest.

Their wonderful adventure began with their ride to the airport was late, followed by a weather delay with their first flight to Minneapolis. Even though they were supposed to have a two-hour layover, they had practically sprinted through the airport not to miss their next flight. However, just as they had gotten on the plane, the captain announced that there was a malfunction with the flaps, meaning they all would have to get off, unload all the luggage, and a new one would have to be brought in. As they got off the plane, Hinata immediately began making calls to switch their next flight in Detroit to a different one. It took almost three hours for them to unload the first plane, shuttle it out of the way and then bring in one that wasn't having any issues.

Add on a long layover in Detroit, followed by terrible turbulence as they descended into New York, and then finally getting drenched only moments ago. It also didn't help that they were both wearing tight, uncomfortable business attire during this entire escapade. The kind that when it was the end of a long workday, the moment you arrived home and that door closed behind you, the clothes would come flying off so your body could finally breathe. So understandably, the man sitting next to her was radiating with anger and annoyance.

Her initial reaction would be to try and comfort him, but, deep down, she knew that's not what he needed right now. So instead, she gave him a soft smile and turned her attention to the extra clothes they had packed in the carry-on. The garments weren't fancy at all; in fact, they were quite the opposite.

Sweat pants, sweatshirts and sneakers.

Not the most sophisticated attire when travelling on a business trip; however, I think it's safe to say we are both just flamed out and want this day to be over.

Pale eyes glanced over at her male companion, who was now staring out the tinted windows as they made their way towards Manhattan. Placing a gentle hand on his knee, she gave him a soft smile and gestured at the bag.

"Why don't we get out of these wet clothes and into something dryer?"

Hinata half expected Naruto's eyes to light up a bit, especially at the suggestion of both of them taking their clothes. However, his blue eyes remained emotionless. Her boyfriend simply sat up straight, nodded his head and slowly began peeling the wet clothing off his body.

Poor Naruto, he is so tired.

The inside of the limo was almost deathly quiet as the two of them changed out of their wet clothes. There was so much Hinata wanted to say to her boyfriend, however, she was almost afraid that he would snap at her if she did.

Ever since he had returned home from Australia, there was something off about his interactions with her. To her, he was like the sun, always shining brightly above and spreading his warmth to anyone around him. Now though, it was as if a dark cloud was constantly blocking his brilliance, dampening his personality.

I know something is wrong, and I know he has a lot on his plate right now. I just wish there was something I could do to help him; ease his worries away.

The wet garments were tossed into plastic bags that would be taken to the dry cleaners later, and Hinata let out a sigh of relief as her body was slowly beginning to warm up. Then, leaning back into the seat in her warm, comfortable clothes, Hinata's eyes looked out the window to scan their surroundings. Hinata had only been to New York a handful of times with her family, but since her father always booked the same hotel when they stayed, she was immediately able to pinpoint their location.

She turned her attention back to Naruto. "We should be at the hotel soon. Why don't I order us an Uber Eats from Koku Ramen? It's close by, and once we've checked in and got to our rooms, we'll have steaming hot ramen to eat."

His eyes momentarily lit up, and even a smile appeared on his face.

"Ramen would be good." He muttered softly.

A few moments later, Hinata finished their Ramen order with an extra bowl for Naruto and a few bonus sides for their growling stomachs. Then, closing the Uber Eats app, she scrolled over to her email to bring up the information they would need to get into the hotel; the confirmation number, company purchase order number and the course number were at the ready.

Just as Hinata was about to put her phone down, a new message flashed across her screen. Seeing that it was from her landlord, Hinata bit her lip in anticipation. Three days ago, she left a message asking if it were possible to add Naruto onto her lease and see if any two-bedroom apartments were available. Taking a deep inhale, Hinata opened the email and scanned its contents.

A smile slowly began to spread across her lips.

To Hinata,

That's terrific news that your boyfriend wants to move in with you. Congratulations. There is a two-bedroom apartment available at the end of July, or I have a three-bedroom that will also be available at the end of August.

I hope your business trip goes well, and we can discuss this more when you arrive back home.

Sincerely,

Keiko Saotome

Landlord

Beacon Hill Apartments

Hinata let out a sigh of relief and turned her attention to Naruto to tell him the good news. However, her lips suddenly sealed tight upon seeing his dreary expression again. Her pale eyes stared at her partner for almost a full minute, the silent conversation in her head debating what she wanted to do.

Finally, hoping that she was making the right decision, Hinata unbuckled her seat belt and began to move toward Naruto.

To say that he was surprised was an understatement. His body jerked, and his head snapped away from the window to look at her with confused eyes. Naruto's mouth opened and closed a few times wordlessly; however, on the bright side, he did nothing to stop her while she re-located her body onto his lap; her legs straddling his thighs.

Hinata smiled kindly, then leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. And then, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, practically pushing his head into her breasts while her chin rested on the top of his head. The soft, wet spikes of his hair tickled her skin, and she could smell the faint scent of the shampoo he used.

After taking a few deep breaths, Hinata couldn't deny that it slightly hurt her feelings that he hadn't hugged her back yet; however, this wasn't about her.

"I know you've been through a lot these past few months. It also doesn't help that you were practically forced into this business course, going to a city you've never been to before and thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment." Hinata's arms tightened around him. "But I hope you can look on the bright side of this, and we can enjoy this time together for the next two months."

There was only a brief moment of silence when she finished speaking before Naruto's arms engulfed her, returning the tight embrace. He took a few deep breaths against her chest before pulling his head back to look at her properly.

Hinata almost wanted to smile, seeing that his blue eyes were no longer dead and full of misery. Instead, however, they now seemed full of guilt and sadness. "I'm sorry, Hinata," He rasped softly, "I've been a complete dick on this trip, haven't I?"

"Oh, Naruto, I didn't mean . . ."

He suddenly leaned forward and silenced her with a kiss.

"It's true, and you know it," Naruto said softly when he pulled back. "Ever since we got on that first damn plane, I've been in a foul mood. Meanwhile, you've been amazing. Re-booking our flights, dealing with security at the airports, but I've just been acting like a spoiled brat."

She smiled sadly at him while her fingers lightly traced and caressed his face.

Naruto sighed and leaned his head into her touch. "I just seem to get so aggravated travelling, probably because I've done it so much over the last sixteen months. Especially having to wear that fancy suit with those fricken leather shoes. Seriously, how is anyone supposed to wear those things for more than a few hours?"

Hinata giggled softly and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead again. "I know. But those are the same shoes you wore that night to the Christmas Party, right? I think you've got a bad set that doesn't fit you right. Maybe tomorrow we can find you a better pair?"

He shook his head. "Buy shoes in Manhattan? No thanks, I'd rather just suck it up than buy some overpriced fancy shoes."

"You should always have a good pair of dress shoes on hand for any occasion. But, if you think that pair will be fine, then it's your call." Hinata glanced out the window briefly. "We should be arriving at the hotel soon."

His strong arms wrapped around her tightly again. "I'm sorry. Once we get some food and rest, I promise I won't be such a jerk anymore."

Hinata patted his head.

Arthur's voice came through on the speaker and said that they would be at the Kitano Hotel soon within a few minutes. Hinata slipped out of Naruto's lap and closed the bag that contained their wet clothes. "Our Uber Eats should be arriving in the next fifteen minutes. Let's get inside, check-in, and then we can both have hot baths to warm up."

Naruto looked unhappy when she mentioned getting out of the limo; however, when he heard her say 'hot baths, ' his ears perked up and a mischievous smile was on his face.

"Or we could have a bath together?"

Hinata rolled her eyes.

Soon the fourteen-story floor hotel came into sight. It stood right on the corner of Park Ave and 38th street.

Both of them were relieved to see a green portico in front of the hotel, which would keep them dry as soon as they stepped out of the limo.

As soon as the vehicle stopped, the sound of honking horns filled the air. Arthur climbed out of the driver's seat and began yelling, 'Fuck you too, buddy!' while he retrieved their luggage from the trunk.

Naruto gave her a quick nod before opening the right side door, and the two of them quickly climbed out before they got their dry clothes wet. Hinata almost felt bad for their driver, who was again soaked after pulling out their suitcases. However, her boyfriend wrapped a tight arm around her shoulders and whispered in her ear that he would give Arthur a nice tip.

Their driver quickly brought over their suitcases while yelling a few more insults to the people honking at him.

He really should have parked the vehicle on 38th street and not Park Ave. But I do appreciate him wanting to keep us dry.

"Thank you so much, Arthur. The drive was smooth all the way from the airport to here. Even though it's raining, I hope you have a good day." Hinata said politely.

"Thanks man. Here's a little something for all the trouble from today." Naruto shook Arthur's hand and slipped in a twenty-dollar bill.

"Very generous, you two, very generous. Thank you. Someone will be here tomorrow morning to pick you guys up at around 8am. So you guys have a good evening." Arthur gave them a small wave, yelled a few more curse words to the people behind him and then got back into his limo.

"Tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

Hinata nodded and began to lead the way into the hotel. "The meeting is being held at the SoHo hotel, about twenty minutes away. Father said originally that the programming course would be held here, but since so many more people signed up, they needed to find a bigger board room. Technically we could have stayed there; however, our rooms were already booked, and father likes to stay in this one, so he kept the reservation."

The two doormen opened the clear glass doors for them, and the couple entered into the luxurious Kitano Hotel.

The very first impression of the place was that it was tranquil, almost as if you were walking into a library. The dim lights above and the ones sitting on coffee tables gave the open lobby a comfortable atmosphere, along with the comfy couches and chairs. Luggage carts were lined up near the doorway. However, since they both had rolling suitcases, it seemed redundant to grab one.

Hinata noticed Naruto looking at the black dog statute that sat close to the stairs, near the check-in/out counter. "It looks like a Shiba Inu, doesn't it?"

Her boyfriend chuckled, "More like a jacked-up dog if you ask me. I see it as weird art."

Hinata smiled and then turned her attention to the front desk clerk. The young man standing there gave both of them a weird look, scanning their appearance from head to toe. Then, biting her tongue to not say anything rude, she reached into her purse and pulled out their paperwork. "Hinata Hyuuga and Naruto Uzumaki checking in. Here are our confirmation numbers, purchase order numbers, my driver's license, and Naruto sweetheart, I need you to pull out your driver's license."

In the quiet hotel, fingers typing quickly against a keyboard was the only thing that could be heard. Hinata remembered this was why her father always wanted to book this hotel instead of others. Even inside the rooms, it was always quiet; you could never hear the traffic or sirens outside.

After a few moments, the clerk smiled at them and passed them back their documents and room cards.

"Very good, Miss Hyuuga and Mister Uzumaki. I have both of you booked for 60 days; each of you has the premier king suite room. Miss Hyuuga, you are in suite 1006, and Mister Uzumaki, you are in suite 1008." The clerk then pointed to the staircase behind them. "On the next floor behind you is where you will find two of our restaurants, board rooms and the gym. Elevators are just to my right here. Inside your room cards is a code for the bar/restaurant on the top floor, which has a fabulous view of the city, and you can even see the Empire State Building. You will just need to book a reservation first beforehand. Any questions?"

"Would we be able to schedule a wake-up call every weekday morning? For both rooms, please?" Hinata asked. She briefly glanced at Naruto, who rolled his eyes, but she gave him a light bump with her elbow before whispering, "With the way you forget to charge your phone sometimes, we better do it just in case."

With everything settled, the couple made their way towards the elevators.

Naruto let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. "When is our Ramen coming?"

Just as the doors opened, Hinata glanced down at her phone. "Not for another ten minutes. However, that should give us enough time to get to our rooms on the tenth floor, drop our suitcases off, and then I can run back down to meet them at the front lobby doors."

As the doors began to close, Hinata's eyes widened as she noticed a large group of people coming in from the pouring weather; she could just make out a bus parked outside.

"Looks like we just beat the rush of people coming to stay here. A bus just pulled up."

Naruto chuckled. "I can only imagine how much that would have improved my mood if we had to wait in line for a long time."

Soon the doors opened, and they had arrived on the tenth floor.

With long strides and anticipation to rest for the remainder of the evening, they reached their rooms quickly.

"Are you sure we just can't share a room?" Naruto asked jokingly.

Hinata smiled. "As nice as that would be, we need our own private space, especially when I'm dealing with difficult customers and you're trying to do your work courses."

With a quick swipe, she was able to open the door to her room. Pushing it open slightly, she waited a moment to ensure that Naruto got into his room. However, after a few attempts at swiping his card, the door remained locked.

He glared down at the small piece of plastic as if it were his worst enemy in the entire world. For a moment, Hinata was positive Naruto was about to throw the card down onto the floor and stomp on it until it broke into a hundred pieces. But instead, his forehead hit the metal door; he took a deep breath through his nose and let it out in a loud, annoyed exhale.

Hinata propped her suitcase to keep the door of her room from closing and strode over to Naruto, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Take your suitcase and relax in my room for a bit. I'll go downstairs, meet up with our Uber Eats delivery driver and then get them to fix your room card. Okay?"

The pitiful look he gave her made Hinata's heart cry for him with sympathy. Finally, however, her boyfriend took another deep breath and shook his head. "No. You've done plenty enough on this trip already; I'm the one that needs to step up to the plate here."

Before she could retort his statement, Naruto leaned down and kissed her lips gently; a big smile now on his face.

"It's your turn to relax. Send me a screenshot of the order number from Uber Eats, and I'll grab our ramen. Then I will deal with this card blunder. So you go ahead and start unpacking. Hopefully, the lineup downstairs isn't too long. Just keep an eye on my suitcase, would ya? I'd hate for all the suits I rented for this to suddenly disappear."

Sher wanted to argue, but the look of determination on his face kept her from debating with him. So instead, she nodded and grabbed the handle of his luggage. "I'll take good care of it."

Placing one last kiss on her temple, Naruto gave her a parting smile before heading down the hallway towards the elevator. Watching his retreating back and the fact that there was no one else around, she felt the need to inspire him. To give him hope that the day was not a complete utter disaster.

"Try to be patient just a bit longer! Then, when you come back, w-we can test out the b-bath together, okay?" Her voice still cracked out of embarrassment, and the blush on her cheeks quickly spread like wildfire.

For a split second, she almost regretted saying something so lewd out loud, but the look of excitement on her boyfriend's face made it completely worth it. As the elevator doors opened, he grinned from ear to ear before saying. "I'll hold you to that promise!"

Then he disappeared.

Hinata let out a sigh before finally stepping into her room. It had been over a year since she had last stayed in this hotel, and as always, it was not a disappointment.

Original artwork hung on the walls, stylish furnishings that looked like something out of a magazine, and a large comfortable bed that Hinata just wanted to jump on and fall into a dreamless sleep. A desk was in the corner by the window, a TV in front of the bed, and an oversized couch with a coffee table in front of it.

After taking a moment to drink in the room that would be her home for the next 60 days, she stepped into the bathroom to see which version she had gotten this time. A long vanity with a sink, plenty of room for her toiletries, and a heated shower rack. There was a large soaker tub, which caused her cheeks to turn crimson again. A standing shower was across from the tub, then the heated toilet at the very end, plus the soft bathrobe hanging on the back of the door.

While getting here had been unbelievably stressful and full of bad luck, it almost felt like it was worth it now that she was standing in her hotel room. Hinata was not one to flaunt her family's success or fortune, but in this case, she was glad that her father had chosen this hotel.

And with the 'fun' that will be happening during this business trip, I'm glad that I have a relaxing place to come back to.

Hinata tried to fight off a yawn, and only then she realized how tired she was.

Knowing that she didn't have long before Naruto returned, she quickly made work of unpacking all her things. Grabbing the suitcase rack from the closet, she began to find a home for everything she had brought.

Momentarily, she debated shutting her door and waiting for Naruto to knock on it. However, she was concerned that he would forget what room number was hers in his tired, weary mind, even though it was right beside his.

Perhaps not the best decision she had ever made, but she moved the silver swing bar door-guard forward, which kept her door slightly open. While it meant that if she wasn't paying attention, anyone could simply let themselves in, she would be able to at least hear the elevator with the thick door not fully shut.

As the minutes ticked by and the contents in her suitcase were almost completely put away, she finally heard the chime of the elevator doors opening and shoes walking down the hallway. Her stomach growled in anticipation with the chance that her supper had finally arrived. Hinata dashed forward and swung the door open to peek her head outside.

Unfortunately, Hinata had to bite her lip and fight off a groan of disappointment when she saw that it wasn't Naruto. Instead, a tall man with spikey brown hair in a regular black suit was making his way slowly down the hallway; his dark eyes focused mainly on his phone with a rolling suitcase trailing behind him.

Poor Naruto. This is taking much longer than I thought it was going to. I'll quickly finish unpacking and then go downstairs to see what is happening.

Just as she was about to step back into her room . . .

"Hinata? Is that you?"

0000000000

The once quiet lobby was now loud and bustling with people waiting to get into their rooms. However, instead of everyone simply waiting in line, they were all scattered among the couches on the main floor.

Naruto let out a sigh and leaned back more into the leather chair he had chosen, and glanced down at the steaming cup of coffee that was to his right on the table. Unfortunately, the computers were currently down, and the staff was scrambling to reboot the system; they also served everyone free coffee to apologize for the wait. Everyone had been given a number in the order they had been lined up in, and once the computers were back up and running, they would call you to the front desk.

Whether this was due to the rain outside, or God himself wanting to make his day even worse than it already was, Naruto was about ready to march back upstairs and just stay in Hinata's room for the night. However, instead of just leaving, he remained seated, staring around the lobby while glancing at his phone the odd time.

I know she won't say it, but I'm sure Hinata is enjoying her alone time right now. I've been nothing but a pain today; the least I can do is give her some space.

Today, his negative attitude wasn't just from the mishaps they had during their travels. If anything, those incidents only added to the storm that was raging inside of him. Everything was still up in the air, and now adding this business trip wasn't helping his mental state.

Not that he hated the idea entirely either!

The fact that he would get to spend the next sixty days with Hinata, after not seeing her for such a long, was like a dream come true. Seeing the sights of New York, staying in a luxurious hotel and dining on the most exquisite food truly felt like something out of a Romantic Comedy movie.

With that being said, though . . .

I wanted to relax for a bit. I wanted to be able to do my own thing, hang out and be with my girlfriend, then have a good think about what I wanted to do. I don't want to go to business meetings dressed in a penguin suit five days a week. At least when I was in school for my apprenticeship, we got to wear whatever the hell we wanted and have fun.

While Hinata never talked about it much, he could tell that whenever she mentioned going to a business meeting or fundraiser party, it seemed like she never enjoyed it. When he asked why she had only said that everyone always seemed to have a mask on, trying to one-up every person they talked to.

I hate it when people are fake or putting on a show. I can't stand it . . .

A loud squeal interrupted his thoughts.

Blue eyes glanced over to the couch beside him, where a blonde-haired woman was sitting with her two young boys. They had dark hair and roughly looked the ages of five and six, if he had to guess. When he had first returned to the lobby, she had been near the back, holding onto two rolling suitcases while her children stood perfectly still. However, the boys started getting antsy as soon as it was announced that there was a problem and everyone would have to wait. Multiple times they attempted to play tag, eye spy with my little eye, or predicting where the rest of the guests in the lobby were from.

The poor mother looked to be at her breaking point. She told them time and time again to sit down and be patient; however, it seemed they were tired of travelling and just wanted to relax and play in their room. Most guests seemed very annoyed with the children's behaviour. However, Naruto could only smile while silently sending his sympathy to the tired family.

He glanced over at the main entrance doors, hoping to see an Uber Eats delivery person, taking his attention off the family. His stomach growled in anticipation; however, no one walked through the door after a few moments.

I wouldn't be surprised if our ramen delivery was late. But, the way the rain is coming down, I'll be shocked if our meal even gets here in one piece.

Another squeal caught his attention. The boys were now sprinting around the couch, making another attempt at their game of tag. As they were running past him, the youngest suddenly slipped from his wet shoes on the marble floor. It was almost as if Naruto was watching the incident take place in slow motion; the young boy's eyes were tightly shut, waiting for the impact of the hard floor to come in contact with his head. Then, with fast reflexes, Naruto leaned over his chair and caught the boy by his jacket with a firm grasp, the child hovering a few centimetres off the ground.

Typically, he would have just released the boy and told him to return to his mother to sit quietly. However, for the sake of everyone in that lobby, he prayed that he wasn't overstepping his boundaries. Helping the young boy to his feet, Naruto still grasping his coat while pointing a finger at the older brother, who was still as a statue, frozen in fear. Finally, he motioned for the other boy to over, which, very reluctantly, he did.

With the two boys standing in front of him, Naruto knelt down to their level, took a deep breath and said in a stern voice, "I understand you two are tired from travelling today; we all are. I would like nothing more than to get up to my room and relax, and I bet you two just want to jump on the bed and watch cartoons." He paused when their eyes lit up, and they nodded. "With that being said, you two need to calm things down. Look at your mom. You almost cracked your skull open, and you've been disturbing everyone here. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she's about to cry right now."

The two children flinched and looked down at the ground.

Naruto glanced over at the mother, her business suit completely soaked, along with a glimmer in her eyes that was an indication she was about to burst into tears any minute.

I can't imagine the amount of stress she's had today . . .

A sigh passed by his lips, and Naruto sat back down in his chair. Then, before anyone in the lobby could say anything or the mother could apologize, he began to pull out his phone, "You two ever been to Australia?"

Tears formed in the little boys' eyes; they shook their heads.

Naruto motioned them forward, "Want to see a mob of kangaroos? I'm pretty sure there were over twenty of them in this video I took."

Little eyes lit up, and they immediately scrambled forward, almost taking a seat in his lap.

"Really?!"

Naruto laughed. "Oh, that's nothing; you should see the ones I took of the crocodiles that would take naps at my work station."

While the lobby had quieted down a little bit, it was now only full of giggles and curious children asking him simple questions about his travels around the world. He showed them videos of the different animals and landscapes he had seen over the last eighteen months while the mother gave him a grateful smile. She leaned back on the couch and rested for probably the first time that day.

Unexpectedly, everything started moving forward all at once.

The front desk clerk announced that the system was fixed, and they started to call guests up to three at a time. Along with a soaking Uber Eats delivery man burst through the door and apologized profusely that he had accidentally spilled their food on his bike due to the rain and had to go back.

"My glasses were covered in water, and I couldn't see the trash can in front of me. I'm so sorry; I'll be sure to give a discount on your account next time you order from us."

Naruto shook his head and patted the young man on the shoulder. "It's quite alright. I'm just happy to get our food in the first place."

After a few more minutes, Naruto was called to the front desk, along with the woman and her boys.

"I can't thank you enough for what you did back there."

Naruto shrugged, "You looked like you had reached the end of your rope there. So I figured it was the least I could do."

As the staff verified their information, the woman held out her hand. "I'm Arisa, and these are my two boys, Hiruzen and Ryu."

Hesitantly, he reached out his hand to grasp hers. "I'm Naruto."

After a brief shake, Arisa gave him a broad smile and then turned her attention to the staff member helping her. However, Naruto couldn't take his eyes off the young woman and her two children.

Hiruzen, huh? That's not a name you hear a lot these days. In fact, the only person I know with that name is . . . wait . . . is it just me, or do they seem familiar?

He stared at the family for a few more seconds before shaking his head.

You must be exhausted and hungry, Uzumaki. It's taking every inch of my willpower not to eat this delicious ramen in the bag! I can smell it!

"Here is your card back, Mr. Uzumaki. I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. Please take these breakfast vouchers for the restaurant down here as an apology from us."

Naruto grabbed his room card and started to head toward the elevators. He had to fight off a sigh when he saw the lineup for them and began to look for the stairs.

"Mom, do we have to wait even longer? I'm tired and hungry." Whined Ryu, kicking his shoes on the carpet floor."

"Mom, when is Dad coming? I thought you said he was going to meet us here?"

Naruto paused and turned his attention back to the family.

Arisa let out a sigh and closed her eyes, a hand coming up to rub one of her temples.

He couldn't help but feel bad for them again and decided he still had enough energy to possibly do one last favour.

"Arisa, what floor are you on?" Naruto asked.

"The third floor." She said wearily. "Boys, I know you're both tired, but just be a patient a little longer, and we'll be in our room. Daddy will be here soon too, I promise."

Naruto strode forward and knelt down in front of the boys. "How about this, you two can both be patient and wait for the elevator, or you can have a race up the stairs against me?"

Once again, the boy's eyes lit up; however, at first, Arisa did not look impressed.

"Since I'm much faster than you two, I'll be carrying your suitcases; give you a fair chance at beating me, sound good?"

After passing Arisa his Uber Eats order, he grabbed their luggage and started to head towards the stairs. Unfortunately, while the boys laughed and giggled the entire time during their race, by the time Naruto hit the third floor, he was almost entirely out of breath.

Why in the bloody hell did I even suggest this?"

However, the cheerful expression on the two boys made it all worth it, even if his legs were tired and he could hardly breathe.

When Arisa met them at the top of the third-floor stairs, she passed Naruto back his food. "Thank you so much again, Naruto. I'll see you and Hinata around later. Come on, boys."

Naruto waved goodbye to the family and briefly debated heading towards the elevator since his room was on the tenth floor.

Might as well keep trekking on the stairs; at least I don't have to run up the next seven flights.

As he climbed the stairs, Naruto continuously thought about how he would spend the rest of the evening with Hinata. She would most likely have all her things put away, meaning she would probably give him a hand after finishing their meal. And she had promised him they could share a bath!

A mischievous grin spread across his lips, but he paused just as he started to climb up to the ninth floor.

Wait a minute . . . I didn't tell Arisa that I was here with Hinata. I'm pretty sure I didn't mention her name at all. Did someone at the front desk say her name? No, I don't think they did. Did they? They must have. Maybe that was one of their questions when double-checking who I was before giving me a new card.

While he was excited to have some alone time with Hinata, sleep and food were what his body demanded the most. Perhaps he was so tired that he couldn't even remember mentioning his girlfriend's name to someone.

Finally, he reached the tenth floor and let out a sigh of relief. Just as he turned the corner that would take him down the hallway to his room, he froze at the sight before him.

Hinata was standing in the hallway, talking to a man who eerily looked like Kiba. The two of them were in such a deep conversation that neither of them had noticed him. Panicking for no apparent reason, Naruto quickly back peddled and hid as if he had stumbled across something secretive.

Peeking his head around the corner, he watched anxiously as Hinata continued to talk to the brown-haired man in a suit. While he did feel jealous, he couldn't pinpoint what was causing him to hide instead of just approaching the pair and having Hinata introduce him.

Get a grip, man. Why are you acting like Hinata is flirting with this guy? It's just probably someone she knows in her work circle.

And yet he couldn't get himself to budge.

Hinata, oblivious to him spying on her, had a big smile as if she was talking to her best friend. Of course, he couldn't hear what they were saying, but his body cringed when he heard her laugh along with the dark-haired gentleman.

He tried to get a better look at the guy, but his back was to him.

Finally, it looked like they were done talking, as the man pointed to his watch and then down the hallway where his room probably was. He waited in anticipation for Hinata to return to her room, but just as things were finally wrapping up, the man leaned forward and gave his girlfriend a quick hug.

Blue eyes widened, and Naruto had to pull himself around the corner so he wouldn't see, fearing that he would make a complete ass of himself by prying the man off of Hinata. He tried taking deep breaths to calm the anger that was building up inside him, both from possessiveness and self-hate.

Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew that Hinata would never be unfaithful or flirt with someone, especially with him being in the same facility.

She's never been that kind of person. I completely trust her, so why can't I get these ridiculous thoughts and fears out of my head? Why do I keep thinking about the night I got home? She didn't cheat on me. She didn't cheat on me!

The sound of shoes walking away indicated that the man had finally left, and after counting to thirty, when he peered around the corner again, both were gone. Letting out a sigh of frustration, Naruto marched towards his girlfriend's room and knocked on the door.

0000000000

The Next day . . .

Hinata leaned forward towards the mirror and smoothly applied the finishing touches to her make-up. After applying her mascara, she inspected the rest of her skin to ensure she hadn't smudged or made any mistakes. Typically, she wasn't one to wear a lot of make-up, only putting on the basics, but since it was the start of an important day, she felt the need to put in the extra effort.

Placing all her cosmetics back into their bag, she stared at her reflection. Then, small hands reached up and gently ran through her indigo locks, wondering if she should also style her hair or leave it down. Glancing at her phone on the vanity, Hinata decided to at least do something different with her hair; after all, it was only 6:30am, so she had a bit more time to get ready.

Grabbing her brush, she began to run it through her hair, deciding to go with a simple half-pony, using a clip to keep it up.

The sound of soft snoring in the room tickled her ears, and for a moment, she felt terrible that she would have to awaken her sleeping lover in the next few minutes.

After he had returned with his room card and their food, Hinata couldn't help but notice that Naruto seemed more irritated than before. Her initial guess was that it was from him having to wait so long for the system to be rebooted, as he had explained to her while they ate their ramen. However, once they had cleaned up their take-out containers and then headed to his room to unpack his suitcase, she could feel that something wasn't right.

As they put away his clothes in drawers and hung the suits he had rented up in the closet, Naruto seemed absent-minded, sometimes staring off into space after putting a toiletry item down or grabbing more socks out of his suitcase.

From previous conversations, she knew that her boyfriend still had a lot on his mind. Whether it was about their relationship or his plans for his career, Hinata was well aware that the two of them needed to sit down and have a serious talk. While she recognized that their relationship wasn't in jeopardy or anything along those lines, there were obviously concerns in the air that needed to be cleared up.

Especially since he didn't even want to have a bath together after we finished eating. Maybe tonight we can talk about what's going on. I don't like how things are between us right now.

After applying the clip to her hair, Hinata looked herself over before standing up and exiting the bathroom. Unfortunately, the room was still very dark, and with the weather still being miserable, the gloomy clouds outside completely blocked the morning sunrise.

Silently she walked across the room, her bare feet making no noise across the carpeted floor. As quietly as she could, Hinata pulled back the curtains on the east side, only a little light slipping into the room. It didn't make a big difference, but at least now she could see a bit better and would be able to avoid bumping into the furniture.

Getting dressed was her next task; however, she thought it was probably best to start waking Naruto up. It would take a few tries on her part to get him up on his feet and probably a lot of convincing to get her tired man into his suit. She knew Naruto wasn't a huge fan of wearing the professional garment and would probably rather walk across glass barefooted.

He had agreed, hesitantly though, which still meant a lot to Hinata.

Personally, she thought that her boyfriend looked handsome and dashing in a suit. It was a sharp look for him, even if he wasn't a fan of the attire. Hinata had meant to compliment him yesterday during their travels, however, with how everything had turned out, she hadn't had time to. In fact, if Hinata was being honest with herself, she couldn't deny that it was a turn-on for her every time he had worn one. Her cheeks turned crimson when she remembered undressing him at the Hyuuga Electric Christmas Party. Hinata squirmed slightly at the thought of seeing Naruto in his business attire today; however, she pushed her own fantasies aside and focused more on reality.

I know Naruto thinks he looks like a clown when he wears clothes like that, so I'll have to make sure and give him lots of compliments today.

Hinata silently tip-toed towards the bed and reached out with her left hand to gently awaken her sleeping boyfriend. However, the ring on her finger caught her attention. She paused and pulled her hand back, bringing it up closer to her face so she could stare at the small piece of jewelry. Her first instinct was to just keep it on; however, the longer she stared at it, the more uneasy she felt about keeping it on.

I'll just keep it safe in my purse for now; there's that small side pocket that no one will be able to find it in. That is until at least I see who is all attending the meeting today.

After putting her ring away, Hinata returned to getting Naruto up and preparing them both for the day.

0000000000

Butterflies danced around in his stomach, which caused Naruto to take another sip of water, the palm of his hands starting to become sweaty.

"The first day of these is always pretty easy going. Mostly introductions, a brief recap of what the program does and its perks. We can then either have lunch at the SoHo Hotel or pick a different place to eat; that ramen from yesterday was delicious." Hinata commented while looking over a few emails on her phone.

While the weather outside was cold and wet, the two of them were cozy and dry in the back of the limo. Naruto nodded and took another sip of water. "Any idea how many people are going to be there?"

Hinata shrugged. "It depends. Most of us will be there to learn the program, while a few others who couldn't make it last time are just sitting in to see if it's something they will be interested in."

"Well, I hope I can keep from dozing off. I remember struggling to stay awake sometimes in class; it would be so warm sitting there, and the teacher's voice often lulled me off to sleep." He chuckled softly.

His girlfriend nodded and went back to checking the messages on her phone.

Naruto leaned back in his seat and glimpsed out the window to see if he could make out any of the trademark buildings of New York. However, with the thick clouds and heavy rain, the only thing he could make out was the other vehicles and a few people walking along the sidewalks.

Hinata let out a sigh, which caught his attention.

Glancing over to his right, he watched as she let out a frustrated huff before furiously typing away on her phone, answering probably an obvious question to one of the many customers that dealt with Hyuuga Electric.

He was about to glance out the window again, but he paused when he noticed something different with Hinata's hand. Or rather, that something was missing.

Why isn't she wearing her ring?

Naruto felt his stomach drop, and his blood began to run cold. Questions upon questions started to pass through his mind, all of them pretty much asking what he had done wrong to make her take it off.

Is there someone at this meeting that she doesn't want to see the ring? Does she not want anyone to know that she's taken or seeing someone? Or did I do something to upset her, and now she doesn't want to wear it right now? Damn it, Uzumaki, what did you do?! Is it because we weren't intimate last night? I'm getting so caught up in these ridiculous thoughts that I can't even put together when I'm hurting my girlfriend!

He tried very hard to control his breathing, but it came out in quivering exhales. His eyes kept darting over to look at Hinata's hand, making sure that she wasn't wearing it, half hoping that he had been mistaken and that it was just a trick of the light.

However, there was no mistake that there was no ring on her hand.

Insecurities and doubt suddenly came bursting forward; however, Naruto did his best to beat those negative emotions down and tried to keep his voice calm and casual.

"S-so, was the ring hurting your finger?" he asked nervously.

Hinata looked away from her phone and gave him a confused look. Then, when he looked down at her hand again, she followed his gaze and let out a small gasp. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Naruto. I meant to tell you this morning, but I was so preoccupied getting us out of the room and down for breakfast that I forgot to tell you."

She put her phone away in her jacket pocket and turned her full attention onto him without hesitation. The look she was giving him was pretty serious; his body stiffened in anticipation of the bad news.

"There are certain individuals I have dealt with at meetings that I . . . just don't feel like blatantly showing some of them I have a boyfriend. I've seen how they have acted before, and for the time being, until I see who is attending this meeting, I'm just going to keep the ring a secret, for now, okay?"

Naruto tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He tried not to show her that his feelings were hurt while also trying to be understanding as well.

"I-I see. So . . . we're going to have to hide our relationship again, huh?"

He fully expected Hinata to agree with him, but her eyes suddenly widened, and her face was full of concern. "What? Oh, no no no! That's not what I meant! I mean, I think it would probably be best to keep our public displays of affection to a minimum, but if someone asks me if I'm seeing someone, then, of course, I will mention you!"

The weight that had been on his chest immediately lifted, and he released a exhale of relief. Then, feeling self-conscious, he let out a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm about to step into unknown territory, and I can't help but feel . . ."

He paused, unsure of what he wanted to say.

"Like your about to enter the lion's den without a sword?" Hinata finished for him.

Naruto gave her a surprised look, but her gaze was focused on the floor.

"I know how you feel. I've been going to these kinds of meetings and events for years, and I still feel uneasy each time. However . . ." She looked up at him, her eyes full of joy as she slid closer to him, grasping her hand in his. "I have you with me this time."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "But you've gone to meetings with your family and others before? Even when you're with Hanabi and Neji, you feel nervous?"

Before Hinata could answer, the limo slowed down and came to a halt. "Miss Hyuuga and Mister Uzumaki, we've reached the SoHo Hotel." The driver announced over the back speaker.

Naruto frowned slightly.

I hope Hinata isn't insinuating that at functions like this, her family just abandons her?

Hinata answered the driver with the call button and then turned her attention to him. "Well, instead of trying to explain it, why don't I just show you. However, keep in mind that this will only be the atmosphere for the first few days. After that, the air will feel more welcoming."

The two of them were quickly escorted to the hotel doors, their driver holding a large umbrella over them. Before walking inside, Hinata informed their limo driver that they would need to be picked up at around 1 pm.

Naruto hadn't been able to get a good look at the SoHo Hotel on the outside, but he marvelled at how elaborate it was on the inside. While the Kitano was darker and more relaxing, this one had expansive windows and felt more vibrant, with bright aqua chairs and modern artwork. It was definitely an accommodation aimed more towards the younger generation.

After briefly talking to the front desk, they made their way towards the elevator, heading for the twelfth floor. They were the only ones on board, and when the doors closed, he took this as his last opportunity to have any physical contact with his girlfriend until after lunch.

He reached forward and grabbed her hand tightly in his. Pale violet eyes turned to look up at him with a questioning gaze. Hinata was a few inches taller than usual with her black heels, making it a bit easier to kiss her this time around. However, his gesture of affection was brief, and he pulled back to look at her again.

Since everything had been so hectic this morning while getting ready, Naruto hadn't had time to really focus on what his girlfriend was wearing or how beautiful she looked. In previous times when he saw her wearing a business suit, mainly at the Christmas Parties, it always seemed like she wore a size bigger. But, knowing what he did now, it was evident that Hinata had been trying to hide her figure and draw away any unwanted attention.

But now, the black pantsuit she was currently wearing was very flattering and even sexy in his mind. Naughty thoughts slowly started to creep into his mind, and he awkwardly adjusted the backpack he was carrying to cover the front of his pants.

"I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

As the doors to the elevator opened, their hands dropped down, and they stepped out onto the twelfth floor.

A large group of people were gathered near the end of the hallway to their left in front of a pair of large dark oak doors; everyone was dressed head to toe in black suits and white shirts.

It almost feels like I'm attending a funeral . . .

The closer they got to the enormous crowd, the louder it got with everyone chattering. As Naruto looked around, a sea of unfamiliar faces made his nervousness creep up a little higher.

He leaned down towards Hinata. "Anyone here you know?"

His girlfriend briefly looked around. "Not that I can see right now. However, once we sit down, I will recognize a few faces."

Naruto nodded and went back to watching the people around them.

While, for the most part, the atmosphere seemed casual and stable, there was the odd person he was getting a passive-aggressive feeling from a few of them, especially the ones that were talking quite loudly to the group of people around them. He silently prayed that he wouldn't have to sit next to any of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he recognized the man that Hinata had been talking to yesterday, causing his teeth to clench slightly. Due to his height advantage, Hinata either hadn't noticed him yet, or she was too busy answering a text from her father. Naruto shifted his position slightly, blocking Hinata's form from the other gentleman. He knew deep down that he was being petty and childish, but he couldn't help it.

I've already caught five guys eyeing up Hinata. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going on in their minds. I can't even grasp her hand or give a warning glare to show them that she's mine.

Two minutes before 8:30am, the large doors opened, revealing two young men with black hair and glasses. They looked so similar that everyone probably assumed they were twin brothers.

"Good morning, everyone!" The one on the right said. "I'm Shigure, and this is my younger brother Riku. Welcome to the SoHo Hotel and the first day of the Fresh Books course slash recap of what our program has to offer. Coffee and water are available along the walls, and when you come in, please find the seat with your name tag."

Naruto felt a lump form in his throat again, and he had to resist the urge to grab onto Hinata's hand. He tried his best not to look uncomfortable or nervous, but anyone could clearly tell what he felt if they were to look at him.

Especially Hinata, who placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Naruto. It's only for the first day. They usually do this kind of thing for group bonding; to get you to talk to people you probably normally wouldn't. So tomorrow we can sit next to each other."

While her words were comforting, Naruto couldn't quite shake the anxious feeling that was firmly latched onto him. Finally, he took a deep breath and gave Hinata a thankful smile before they followed everyone into the board room.

Compared to Hyuuga Electric, which until now had been the biggest one he had ever seen or stepped into, this one took it to an entirely new level. The table was already ridiculously huge, at least able to seat fifty people at max, and the super-soft leather chairs were practically the definition of comfortable. However, the breathtaking few of Manhattan was the icing on top of the cake. Or at least it would be once the weather cleared up. Unfortunately, gloomy clouds only gave them a view of the buildings nearby.

A sea of whispering could be heard as everyone complimented the elegant room, and slowly, everyone began to find their seats or grab a cup of coffee in the far corner.

Naruto tilted his head to whisper to Hinata. "Do you want a cup?"

She shook her head. "No, but thank you for the offer. Looks like my seat is right here."

Hinata pointed to one of the chairs closest to the front and the doors with a piece of paper that had her name in big, bold letters.

He let out a disappointing sigh. "Alright. I'll try not to fall asleep during the introductions." Naruto hoped his joke would calm his nerves. "We'll meet up after and talk about lunch?"

Hinata smiled warmly at him. "It's a date."

Naruto nearly did a full lap around the table before finding his name, which was almost directly across from Hinata, his back against the view of the city. Silently, he took a seat. While the chairs had looked comfortable, he had to resist the urge to fall asleep the moment he sat down in one. Naruto could have sworn it was more comfortable than his bed back at the hotel.

No one was sitting on either side of him yet; mostly, everyone was still getting their coffee. Then, out of curiosity, his eyes fell onto the name sitting next to his left.

Kenji Sarutobi

Naruto froze, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up on end.

Wait a minute . . . wait a god damn fucking minute . . .

Before his brain could even process anything, a welcoming voice was talking to him. "Well, isn't this a wonderful surprise! The man, the myth, the legend, Naruto Uzumaki."

His head whipped around to see a man with dark brown hair, roughly the same age as him, walk behind his chair and then sit beside him. Naruto's eyes were wide with shock, and it was as If his body had lost the ability to speak because no words were coming out.

"Konohamaru was pretty confident this was the course you were attending in New York, but he wasn't a hundred percent sure. Heck, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to get here on time for it. Did you guys have trouble with any of your flights? I swear every airline was having issues yesterday."

He had never met the man face to face before. But with all the pictures he had seen and the stories he had heard, Naruto almost felt he knew Kenji just as well as he knew Kono.

Finally, after a few seconds, Naruto was able to stutter out a response. "I-I-I'm sorry! A pleasure to finally meet you. Kono didn't even mention that you might be here in New York too!" He held out his hand and firmly shook it with Konohamaru's oldest brother.

Kenji laughed. "Why does that not surprise me? He certainly has a habit of keeping important information to himself, doesn't he?"

Naruto also laughed. "Don't even get me started. I would send him to do tasks, and then after relaying most of the information to me, he would forget to tell me the important bits."

Their combined laughter caused a few people to stare at them, but Kenji's face became more serious after a moment. "Oh, and thank you so much for helping my wife and kids yesterday at the Kitano hotel. I was supposed to assist Arisa with the boys, but all my flights were delayed. So when she called me at JFK Airport, I knew she was almost in tears."

Naruto kept the smile on his face and said, "No worries, it wasn't a big deal." However, inside, he was screaming at himself for not recognizing Kono's nephews and sister-in-law.

How many photos has Konohamaru shown you? She probably thought I was a complete idiot for not knowing who she was! Her oldest son's name should have been a dead giveaway! I mean, hell, I know their great-grandfather quite well!

"How is old Hiruzen doing? Still not ready for retirement?"

Kenji sighed and shook his head while leaning back into his chair. "Not even close. Grandpa keeps saying he's not ready yet, but you can tell he's not as sharp as he once was. You can tell some companies are trying to be sly and sneaky, hoping that he won't notice certain things when closing a deal. So far, it hasn't worked, but Dad's worried it will slip by him one of these days.

"I hear you were travelling around the world for a bit there. You'll have to tell me all about it over supper tonight; that is to say if you and Hinata don't have plans yet? At first coffee break, I can call Arisa, and she can make a reservation for us somewhere close by."

He had been so dedicated to his conversation with Kenji that he had momentarily forgotten about Hinata. His blue eyes quickly found her across the table, but his teeth clenched together when he saw the man from yesterday sitting right beside her. The two of them were once again in an engaging conversation.

Naruto tried to hide his jealousy, but when Kenji spoke, it nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Oh! Hinata's sitting next to Kankuro! I should invite him along for supper as well. Haven't had a chance to talk to him since that last social party back in January."

As soon as he heard the name, Naruto almost wanted to slap himself for acting foolish and being an ignorant asshole.

While he and Gaara were good friends, the red-haired project manager was still very quiet to him about his family, especially when the topic of his father and mother came up. However, on numerous occasions, his friend did bring up his siblings now and then. Temari, of course, had been the office admin for Hyuuga Electric for almost a year, but she had returned to working for the family company. Which was run by Gaara's father, Rasa, and older brother, Kankuro.

After talking to Kenji, he had already felt like an idiot, but now, he just wanted to slide out of his chair and hide underneath the board table.

"So you and Hinata are staying for the full 60-day course?" Kenji asked him, thankfully changing the subject.

Naruto cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah. Hiashi originally only wanted to send Hinata, but Hanabi and Neji convinced him to let me tag along too."

Kenji nodded, and it looked like he wanted to ask him some more questions. However, the last few people were finding their seats, and the loud conversations around them were slowly dying down. "We'll have to talk more later. Let's do each other a favour and make sure neither fall asleep in these chairs. If they wanted us to really pay attention, you'd think they would find the most uncomfortable chairs."

As the room quieted down, the two brothers stood up at the head of the table. Since they were relatively close to him, Naruto could finally spot a couple of minor differences between the brothers to tell them apart; Shigure had a small mole on his cheek and was slightly taller than Riku.

"Alright, does everyone have their coffee and found their seat okay? We'll start off with a quick introduction of everyone here; you'll just say your name and what company you are with. Then, Shigure and I will go over the basics of the program. By the time we finish that, we'll all break for a fifteen-minute coffee and smoke break. And then the last few hours, we'll go over the schedule for those of you staying for the entire course before ending things off for the day. Any questions?" asked Riku.

In a room full of over thirty people, just getting through the introductions was a slow and painful process. While Riku had hinted to keep your introduction quick and to the point, some of them, especially the business owners, decided to do an explanation about their company and how this program would benefit it.

Almost an hour later, they had finally gone around the room, and Naruto was already on the verge of losing his mind. Normally, when he had to participate in meetings with his co-workers or higher-ups at Konoha Energy, they were short and direct, with no dilly-dallying around. But instead, there were multiple times he had to bite his lip while his nails dug into the arm of the chair before snapping at the person speaking to hurry it up.

Finally, the ball began rolling forward when Shigure told everyone to look at the small binder of documents placed in front of everyone.

The contents inside were a breakdown of the Fresh Books software. Starting with the basics of what the program contained, and then later chapters which were a step-by-step procedure on how to use it. Before the brothers could start to go through the basics, one of them grabbed a controller on the table and pointed it at the windows. All the shades began to lower in unison, darkening the entire room. Almost simultaneously, large projector screens began to descend on each wall, giving anyone in the room an equal view of the presentation.

Shigure and Riku then put on wireless microphone headsets, and when the sound checked out, the brothers began their presentation.

The best way Naruto could describe the presentation was interesting; the two siblings were putting a lot of energy and excitement into their work; however, it was so slow. Naruto was positive that he would walk to the men's room, take a ten-minute piss, and he wouldn't miss a thing.

While the darkened room was necessary to present the slideshow, it was also a hindrance to everyone participating. He counted multiple people, including himself, that were fighting off yawns and drooping eyes. As a result, Naruto had to pinch his cheeks or lightly nudge Kenji's chair beside him a few times.

Blue eyes kept darting up at the clock on the wall, wondering how was it possible for the remaining half hour they had left before coffee to seem like a fucking eternity.

As Shigure explained the colours and design for their program, Naruto diverted his attention away from the screens and instead looked down at the document in front of him. Then, ignoring the current page everyone was on, he flipped to the next one to see what riveting topic they would be covering next.

While most of it seemed exhilarating as before, a paragraph of information caught Naruto's attention.

Programming Size and Recommended Internet Speed . . . wait a minute . . .

He read the paragraph repeatedly, ensuring he understood exactly what it was telling him. Then, he closed his eyes and started doing the math of what most of the computers Hyuuga Electric had up at Konoha Energy were capable of. Just as he realized what this meant, he heard Riku say. "Next, you'll see some information regarding the size of the program and the recommended internet speed for it. We tested our program in different cities and on different brands of computers. And each time, it worked perfectly without any issues. So no matter where you are in the world, it will run without any issues. Now, if everyone can . . ."

Naruto interrupted without really thinking about where he was or who he was speaking to, saying, "No, it won't, and I can already tell you guys, this will be a problem for some companies."

The entire room went deathly silent; all eyes were on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man sitting seven seats down from the front of the table.

Naruto had been so focused that he had forgotten entirely that he wasn't in a regular meeting with his fellow electricians. Instead, he was in a board room gathering with a bunch of people who probably had never picked up a screwdriver in their life. He suddenly realized what he had been thinking to himself had instead spilled from his lips.

Now, he had the entire board room looking at him with a questioning gaze; most people were whispering to one another. Kenji looked at him with an inquisitive stare, while Hinata had a concerned expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, Mister Uzumaki. What do you mean by that?" asked Riku.

Naruto sat frozen on the spot.

His heart was pounding so loudly that he couldn't hear anything else. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead, and his bottom lip was almost quivering out of nervousness.

His goal for this entire course was not to say anything, just to keep his head down and learn the damn program without any issues.

Now that he had all eyes on him, he immediately regretted saying anything. His first instinct was to apologize and tell everyone that he had made a mistake.

However, he knew that keeping silent wasn't the right thing to do. If he didn't say what needed to be said, then there was a chance that Hyuuga Electric, Hyuuga Power and perhaps other companies that wanted this program were about to make a major mistake.

Even though Naruto was out of his element, he took a deep breath and stood up.

The whispering around him got even louder, and even Shigure had to tell some people to quiet down. His knees were quivering, and Naruto found it challenging to find his voice.

At that moment, he finally realized what had been wrong with him over the past few weeks, from getting irritated over nothing, to being jealous of a guy simply talking to his girlfriend.

Confidence.

His normal, shining confidence that everyone always complimented him on had taken a big hit and was currently in the back cowering in fear. He had been a leader for almost three years, guiding the other electricians on his crew with their tasks.

But then, he had travelled around the world with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

No longer was he a leader but a follower who was now learning everything from scratch. He had tasks that he knew what to do, but other times he had been so lost or confused.

His self-confidence had taken a huge hit.

However, the critical blow had been the night he had returned home from Australia.

He had always been assured of his relationship with Hinata. She was the committed type, only ever having eyes for him, and him alone. While, of course, she had never cheated on him, the incident with Kiba and Tamaki had done a number on his self-esteem. The illusion he had created would not leave his thoughts and instead kept repeating in his head, over and over again. His confidence as a man had been wounded deeply by the thought of Hinata needing to find love and affection from someone other than him.

It felt like he was on a runaway carriage. The horses pulling him ahead were out of control, yet he couldn't figure out how to grab the reigns.

He had gotten so caught up in everything, from being indecisive about his career to acting like a coward with his relationship with Hinata.

It was now time to take back control.

While in the middle of a meeting was not ideal for an epiphany, Naruto closed his eyes and remembered what Neji had told him before coming to New York.

While Hinata will have a perspective of how this new program will run in the office environment, I need your eyes and knowledge on how it will work in the field. If it looks like it's going to be a problem for our lead hands and foremen in the field, then you speak up and let them know.

"W-well, Mr. Uzumaki, if you have nothing to ask, then we should . . ."

Naruto cleared his throat, interrupting Riku again and drawing everyone's attention to him.

Just be yourself

His lips curled into a smile, and he glanced at Hinata briefly. Then, after giving her a quick wink, he focused his attention on the two brothers, who were beyond confused on why he had interrupted their presentation.

"My apologies. Perhaps this shouldn't be discussed during your exhibition here; however, I see a serious problem that might upset some of your customers." Naruto said in a loud, booming voice so that everyone could hear him.

Shigure and Riku glanced at each other briefly. "And what issue is it that you see?"

Naruto smiled. "You said that your program worked fine in any city that you tested it in, but did you try any remote locations? Oilfield sites, for example, that are at least an hour away from any town or city?"

The room suddenly became so quiet that you would be able to hear a pin drop.

When no one answered his question, Naruto continued.

"Now, to be honest, I'm not an office worker like most of you here. I more so work out in the field with all the other blue-collar workers. And on a good day, the maximum internet speed we might get is maybe 10Mbps. That's only if it's a clear sunny day with no wind. If a storm hits or the wind is terrible, you're looking at maybe 3-4Mbps if you're lucky.

"If your program needs 50-100Mbps to function normally, this will be an issue for rural customers. It will probably freeze and not work half the time. Which is going to slow production down greatly if we can't even use the program properly."

People were whispering and muttering to each other again, but this time the atmosphere of the gossip had shifted from making fun of him to questioning if what he was saying was true.

While the brothers briefly turned off their microphones to talk to one another, Naruto glanced back at Hinata. He could tell she was smiling at him in the darkroom and even gave him a discreet thumbs-up that only he could see.

Meanwhile, to his left, he could hear Kenji whispering to the person next to him, "He's got an excellent point."

Shigure finally put his headset back on and addressed Naruto. "Well, Mister Uzumaki, I can definitely see why this would be a big concern to you and any other customers. Thank you for catching that. We will definitely look into it and see if we can adjust the program so that it can work properly in any location."

"Sounds good. Also, if I may point out one other problem, it would be the size of your program as well." Then, Naruto turned his attention to the rest of the crowd. "Out in the field, we don't have the most up-to-date computers; half of them are usually over five years old. But, they do the job that we need them to do, which is to transfer all the information you guys need at the head offices when it comes to material, workers' hours, and updating the schedule of the work being done.

"From what I've read, it seems that any computer that downloads the program has access to everything. Which I know sounds great, but if you're a field foreman, you really don't deal with accounts payable or expense management."

Again, the boardroom fell silent.

At first, when Naruto started talking about the issues he had noticed, a part of him felt bad; he didn't want to be throwing Shigure and Riku under the bus. However, as someone who had a lot of experience dealing with the computers and paperwork on site, if Hyuuga Electric was dead set on using the Fresh Books software, then this problem needed to be addressed now.

He was half expecting the brothers to argue with him or disregard what he was saying, but instead, the two were both hastily writing in notebooks that were in front of them. A few times, they whispered to each other before writing more down.

Naruto felt an elbow jab him on the left side, and he looked down to see that Kenji was nudging him and wordlessly motioning for him to sit down. Then, realizing that there was no apparent reason to keep standing, he immediately sat down and lowered his gaze.

Naruto started to think maybe he had stepped over his boundaries in the deathly silent boardroom. This wasn't a room full of electricians that could handle a tough talk but office workers who generally had no idea how things worked out in the field or never left their cubicle.

If they seem upset about you saying anything, just watch what you say and keep it cool. I seriously doubt 'Cool Your Tits' is the proper response to tell them to calm down.

However, he didn't need to say anything more.

Riku was the first to get his headset back on. "Thank you for pointing out these future errors Mister Uzumaki; we will definitely address them and get them sorted out for our customers. Does anyone else need to add anything or have any concerns before moving on?"

As the brothers wrapped up the first bit of their presentation, it was soon time to break for coffee. The lights came back on, and everyone practically leaped out of their chairs, fighting off yawns and stretching their arms before making a b-line either to the coffee machine or the restroom.

Naruto was about to get up but was halted when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Kenji, who had a pleased grin on his face.

"That was a good catch there, Naruto. Very impressed. I could have had ten of my own employees here, and none of them would have probably caught that."

He could feel his chest puff with pride. However, even though Naruto felt his ego swelling, he tried to play it off calm and humble. "It was nothing. I know all too well how the current program works. I can only imagine the chaos it would cause if it doesn't get addressed now. Especially your Uncle Asuma. Normally he's cool as a cucumber, but when the programs aren't working properly, I swear he would gladly take a baseball bat to the monitor."

Kenji threw his head back and laughed. "Isn't that the truth?! I like you, Naruto. Kono's stories about you and what you're like do not disappoint."

"You can say that again." Said a deep voice from behind Kenji.

The two men turned their heads to see Kankuro approaching them, his hand outstretched towards Naruto. "Nice to finally meet you. Gaara has had nothing but positive things to say about you. Although, he did mention that your temper can get you better at times. However, if I had heard my girlfriend was in a man down incident, I seriously doubt I would have been able to keep my cool."

Naruto immediately stood up and grasped tightly onto Kankuro's hand. However, he felt so overwhelmed with compliments that he slightly stuttered. "L-like wise! Although I hate to admit it, Gaara is quieter about his personal life."

Kankuro nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. We've had a rough relationship; us three siblings and our father. I'd be more shocked if you actually did know more about us, especially our mom, Karura."

The atmosphere around the three men suddenly took a nosedive.

Kenji and Kankuro exchanged brief glances, and Naruto wondered if perhaps he should try and change the subject. However, Gaara's older brother said, "I'm only going to tell you this because I doubt he will ever say anything. But you're his friend, and you should at least have an understanding of what makes my brother tick."

Kankuro paused before taking a deep breath.

"Our mom passed away giving birth to him. He was born over two months premature, and they almost didn't make it. It was tragic enough that mom died, but our father only made it worse by blaming Gaara for it. So long story short, we pretty much had a . . . ah screw it, I'm just going to say it. We had a fucked up childhood.

"While things are still a bit tense between Gaara and our father, it has been getting better in recent years. Which, I need to give full credit to your girlfriend there. I know she didn't have an easy childhood either, and she was even able to recommend a therapist for us to work with."

After hearing what Kanukuro said, Naruto suddenly felt he understood one of his best friends just a little bit more. However, his condolences for Gaara were put on pause when he realized that he hadn't seen Hinata yet. His eyes darted over to where she had been sitting, but she was no longer there. In a sea of men and women wearing suits and ties, he was unable to spot her.

Kankuro followed his line of vision and let out an irritated exhale. "Ah damn it, I knew I shouldn't have left Hinata lone. She probably got swept away into 'business discussions' with the Old Perverted Piranhas or the Nagging Harpies."

Naruto didn't have a clue what he was talking about but flinched when Kenji hissed. "Kankuro! You know better than that!"

Gaara's older brother shrugged. "What? Naruto's an electrician, not some pansy office worker who will get offended by what I say. Half the phrases he knows or says would cause most of these people to have a stroke."

Kenji shook his head and turned his attention back to Naruto. "We'll talk later. I have a few phone calls to make here before the break is over, but I would like to have a one-on-one discussion with you. Perhaps we can talk about your future career plans tonight. Supper, right? Kankuro, if you're not busy, we're all going to have supper together. I'll talk to you about it after this meeting is over."

Kenji gave a quick nod to them before stepping outside the boardroom to take care of business matters.

After a few moments, Kankuro spoke again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to spill our family backstory and sombre the mood like that; I just figured it was best for you to know some of the details. But right now, I think it's best if we do find Hinata and at the very least make sure she's got some backup."

Naruto did a quick visual sweep of the boardroom, but there was no sign of Hinata. "What did you mean by Old Piranhas and Harpies?"

Kankuro let out a soft chuckle, "My apologies. It's a nickname that I and a few others call them. Follow me, and I'll show you."

Confused even more, Naruto followed after Gaara's older brother into the hallway, where more people were mingling and talking. They zigged and zagged between the groups until Kankuro motioned him over to the far wall where they were out of the way. He then pointed to a group of four men surrounding Hinata. Each of them looked at least twenty years older than her.

He felt a vein pop in his forehead.

While Hinata had a smile on her face, he could tell it was forced and that her body language was clearly screaming how uncomfortable she was. Her face was stiff, and the way her arms were crossed was a sure-tell sign she didn't like how close the men were.

Naruto's first instinct was to march over and put himself in between the older men making her uneasy. Instead, however, Kankuro muttered to him, "I assume this is your first time participating in one of these sorts of meetings, huh? Nothing but businessmen and women?"

Naruto froze and nodded his head; however, he didn't take his gaze off Hinata.

"I figured as much. Well, before you go ape shit crazy, keep in mind that those four men own oilfield sites that Hyuuga Electric works at. Hinata may not like it, but she still has to be courteous and talk to them, even if they are trying to marry her or set her up with one of their sons."

He held back an angry groan and grit his teeth. "Seriously?!" Naruto hissed.

Kankuro nodded. "Which is why some of us call them the Old Perverted Piranas. They are just in the water, waiting to snatch her up when the opportunity seems right. Not that they stand a chance, mind you; Hinata showed me the promise ring you got her a few weeks ago."

Naruto was still fuming. "Then she should have kept it on! But she was insistent that she shouldn't wear it today.

The man beside him let out a deep, dark chuckle. "Oh, I don't blame her for that. While it would have maybe kept those fuckers away, it would have only caused trouble when they talk to her next."

Naruto followed Kankuro's shift in gaze to a group of women just off to their left. While there seemed nothing special about the group, they were being particularly loud and the way they giggled seemed fake as all hell.

"Well, don't they seem like a happy bunch." He muttered under his breath.

Kankuro chuckled again. "Think of them as if they were Hinata, but don't do any hard work, not an ounce of kindness or compassion in them, and they are so focused on material things that if I were to throw a Gucci bag across the room, they would all go scrambling after it. Unless the conversation has to do with fashion, the latest gossip or giving each other back-handed compliments, they'll complain and nag about anything.

"Two weeks ago, I had a business meeting in Toronto, and Kenji was there too; he also brought along his wife and kids as per usual. And even though his boys were on their best behaviour, you think those bitches couldn't shut up about how awful it must be to have kids? I swear if Kenji hadn't escorted his family back to their hotel room, Arisa would have curb stomped the blonde one over there."

Naruto's eyebrow furrowed. "I see. I'm not trying to insult my girlfriend or anything, but why aren't those creepy old guys only talking to her? Hinata obviously seems uninterested in them."

Gaara's older brother didn't answer but instead gave him a look that clearly said, 'think about it.' Then, he turned his attention back to Hinata. His blood pressure started to rise when he saw one of the men, although this one seemed to be more roughly her age, tried to place a hand on her lower back. However, Hinata just shifted her body away from his touch. He couldn't hear what she said, but the man laughed and pulled his hand immediately away.

His eyes darted back and forth between Hinata and the 'Nagging Harpies.' It almost felt like déjà vu from what he had witnessed when working up north at Konoha Energy.

Because they've never had a taste of her.

"The smart thing to do is just let those perverts have their fantasies and let Hinata do her job. As for you, just make sure you're close enough in case things go sideways." Instructed Kankuro.

Naruto thought about Kankuro's advice for a moment but then asked. "So if Hinata was your woman, is that what you would do?"

A wide, mischievous smile spread across the other man's lips until Naruto could almost see his teeth. "Fuck no."

Just then, Shigure poked his head out of the board room and announced it was time to get back to business. Slowly everyone started to make their way back inside, but Naruto focused on Hinata. She still wore a fake smile and waved goodbye to the men she talked to before slowly making her way toward him. However, the moment her back was to them, her expression immediately changed; the smile was gone entirely. She looked exhausted, and Naruto could have sworn he saw her eyebrow twitching.

When she was close enough, he asked softly. "You okay?"

Hinata let out a long exhale and shook her head. "No, but I'll get over it."

Naruto's eyes darted back to the group of men she had been talking to.

The blonde woman that Kankuro pointed out walked past one of the older businessmen who could have been Jiraiya's age. While the movement had been subtle, Naruto could see the woman brushing her ass against the man's hip, to which he responded with a smile and quick grope to her welcoming butt cheek. If he hadn't been looking at that instant, Naruto would have missed it.

Holy fricken hell. And here I thought things were bad with some of the women back at work, but they're just as bad, if not even worse, here.

"Well, at least you didn't slap any of them. But unfortunately, I've had to stop bringing Temari to some of these meetings. I lost count of how many times I had to pull her away before things escalated." Kankuro said with a bit of humour in his voice.

Hinata's pale violet eyes darted between them. "I see you've finally met Kankuro. I ran into him yesterday while you were getting your room card fixed and was hoping to introduce you to him then.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh and decided to play dumb for now.

Over the next two hours, he had managed to stay awake for the remainder of the presentation, even though it took every ounce of willpower not to fall asleep. When it was all over for the day, Naruto wanted nothing more than to grab Hinata, sprint as fast as they could to the elevators and out to their limo so she wouldn't have to converse with those men again.

As everyone began leaving for lunch, Naruto quickly exchanged numbers with Kenji and agreed to call him later to see where they would be eating tonight. Meanwhile, his mind was clearly focused on finding Hinata, but unfortunately, she had been swept away by the crowd.

Just as he was making his way slowly towards the door, he suddenly heard his name being called.

"Mister Uzumaki! Can we have a moment of your time, please?"

Naruto inwardly groaned and did a mental eye-roll before turning around to see Riku and Shigure waving him over. Then, taking a page out of Hinata's book, he plastered on a little smile and walked over to the two brothers.

"I know you're probably anxious to have lunch, but we just wanted to say thanks again for speaking up today. We rarely get someone participating that is out in the field." Complimented Riku. "Our program probably won't be fully ready to be used until October, and if you have any more concerns or ideas that would help, please feel free to speak up again."

"We'll definitely make it more accessible for areas that are more rural and isolated. How long have you been working out in the field? You're with Hyuuga Electric, right?" asked Shigure.

The two brothers bombarded him with a few other questions about being an electrician, and while he wanted nothing more than to leave, Naruto answered every single one.

Finally, they bid him farewell and said they couldn't wait to see him tomorrow.

He sped walked towards the door, but not too quickly so it wouldn't be too obvious that he was trying to get away. The crowd of people had died down, and the only ones left talking in the hallway were Hinata and the same group of men once again.

Naruto slowly began to approach them, no one even noticing his presence.

"I'll be sure to tell my Uncle that you are all satisfied with his crew's work. He will be very pleased to hear that." Hinata said sincerely.

"Thank you, my dear. Would we be able to interest you in joining us all for lunch?" Asked the younger gentleman from earlier who had tried to place his hand on her lower back.

It was then Naruto realized what Hinata had meant during their ride here.

He could only imagine the hell she had to go through each time one of these events occurred. While her family was protective of her, in cases like this, Naruto couldn't help but feel resentment toward the way they simply fed her to the hungry wolves. He could just see Hiashi, Hizashi, or Neji keeping an eye out for her but keeping their distance so Hinata could work her magic with them.

"I have you with me this time."

Even though Kankuro had advised him not to interfere . . .

Fuck it . . .

0000000000

She was hungry.

She was physically tired.

She was mentally exhausted

Hinata felt as if she was on the brink of reaching her limit. Her brain could only take so much mindless chit-chat, and the muscles in her face were starting to spasm from smiling so much. Even though she was listening to what the men were talking about, a continuous mantra kept echoing in her head 'Just a little longer, just keep smiling,'

The scenario that she currently found herself in was nothing new. In fact, it was a regular occurrence whenever she attended a meeting or social gathering. While in previous years, her father never really forced her to engage with other business owners, he did make her feel guilty if she didn't. As a result, she kept dark memories in the back of her mind and very rarely thought of them. Although none of them had ever attempted to force themselves on her, there were still unwanted touches on the cheek or hip or standing too close to her.

Her father and uncle told her that she didn't need to socialize with them as much in recent years. Saying a simple hello and politely asking how they were before leaving was sufficient enough. However, by this point, Hinata more saw it as her appointed duty, being the daughter or niece of the family companies. If, however, she found herself getting way too deep or had enough of interacting with the customers, her family knew what to look for when coming to her rescue. A simple gesture of tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, and someone was almost immediately at her side.

With that being said, she was currently on her own with no one to step in. While she was pleased that Naruto had made friends with Kenji and Kankuro, she almost wished that he would swoop in and come to her rescue. But, he was probably busy mingling himself or thought it would be rude to interrupt her current conversation.

As Hinata continued to listen while the men boasted about their accomplishments, she quickly tried to wrack her brain to make a plan for a swift escape plan.

She had spent the entire coffee break mingling with her father's customers. Meaning she had no time to get herself a beverage or even use the restroom. While she had been able to hold it for the remainder of the presentation, she was quite literally on the verge of peeing her pants.

Just a little longer . . . just a little longer . . . my back teeth are floating, but just a little longer . . .

When one of them offered that they should all go out for lunch together, Hinata took it as her opportunity to flee. "Thank you all very much for the kind gesture," she said; however, just as she was about to decline, the expression on the men's faces changed dramatically. It was a mixture between surprise and disappointment, which didn't take her long to figure out who was now standing behind her. Hinata's smiling expression never wavered, and her voice remained steady, even when she felt her boyfriend's hand lightly settle on her shoulder. "However, my colleague and I have already made lunch arrangements. Perhaps another time?"

The men were no longer paying attention to her but rather at the person standing behind her. Naruto pulled her towards him, only a few inches, and her back met his chest. And while she couldn't see his face, she had a feeling it was a cocky smile since the other men suddenly seemed anxious.

His large form almost wrapped entirely around her. Almost completely shielding her from the others around them, he leaned down and extended his hand out. "Greetings. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a pleasure to meet you all."

Hinata was quite shocked at how quiet the group of men had gotten. Even at times when her father or cousin came in to save her, they would still try to keep the conversation going until she was being dragged away.

However, this time around was different.

Naruto wasn't just trying to protect her; he was also wordlessly staking his claim on her. The energy radiating off him was a dominant vibe, almost threatening them in a way that if they took one more step closer to her, he would show them who was boss.

After all the men hesitantly shook Naruto's hand, he turned his attention to her. Indeed, he did have a cocky grin on his face, and when he spoke, it was in a gentle but intimate; his face was way too close to hers for them to be only colleagues. "Why don't you freshen up in the lady's room before we go? I imagine traffic will be terrible on our way back to the hotel; I've made sure to call ahead and re-schedule our reservation."

Hinata could have cried happy tears at that moment, but she held her composure.

Thank goodness Naruto is playing along. We don't have dinner reservations anywhere, but after this, he can be the one to pick where we eat; I don't care where it is.

"Yes, I should do that. It was nice seeing all of you again. Perhaps tomorrow Naruto and I could join you for lunch? If the invitation is still on the table?"

Before they could even reply, Hinata knew what their answer would be. Each of them fumbling over their words and coming up with an excuse as to why they couldn't.

She nodded her head understandably before quickly bidding them goodbye and practically speed walking to the women's washroom. She glanced behind only once to see that Naruto was waving farewell to the men and telling them he would see them all tomorrow.

As soon as she was out of sight from everyone, she practically sprinted the rest of the way until she was in the closest bathroom stall by the door.

After relieving herself, Hinata washed her hands and was about to head back but paused when her eyes fell on the door. Even though it was only Naruto outside waiting for her, she just wasn't ready to leave the solitude of the bathroom just yet.

At the far end of the bathroom was a duo powder and baby room; for those who wanted to freshen up or have a little privacy while breastfeeding their child. She walked slowly towards the room, the only sound being her heels clicking against the tiled floor.

With a deep exhale, she practically collapsed on one of the love seats and tilted her head to look at the ceiling. It was deathly quiet, and Hinata loved it.

She continued to take deep breaths in and out, listening to the sound of oxygen entering through her nose and then loudly exhaling out of her mouth.

It was the first time since early in the morning that she could finally relax.

I feel bad for making Naruto wait, but I just . . . I just need five minutes to myself . . .

She closed her eyes.

I'm tired. So very, very tired.

Hinata wasn't only thinking about what just transpired in the hallway, but the previous multiple times it had also happened. The countless meetings, late hours in the office, and constantly responding to emails; it never stopped.

She had lost count of how often people had complimented her on how well she did her job. How she made her family so proud and that she was practically irreplaceable. However . . .

Is this what I really want? To spend the rest of my life cooped up in an office? Attend countless meetings and functions where practically everyone is wearing a mask? To fake a smile each time I have to talk to someone I don't want to? Is this it?

Hinata tried to remember a time when she enjoyed going to work. Being surrounded by the smiling faces of her friends and co-workers. Not having to be cooped up in an office all day, but actually step outside for some fresh air and get her hands dirty.

Memories began flooding back to her, a sad smile spreading across her lips.

I miss working at Konoha Energy . . . I miss it so much . . .

However, just abandoning her current job was entirely out of the question.

Or was it?

Hinata opened her eyes.

I don't know what I should do. I know the job I want to do, but can I do it? In the past few years, I feel like I've only done what my family wants me to do. But I . . . I'm not happy . . .

She briefly considered if the reason she was having these thoughts was because of Naruto. He had been gone for so long that perhaps his absence had caused her to start resenting her job.

But, after thinking about it for a few moments, she realized that wasn't the whole reason.

Seeing him in his suit today, she briefly wondered if that is what she secretly wanted; for Naruto to work at the office with her.

They would be able to see each other every day, have lunch together, and then go home to the same apartment. So, yes, it was a wonderful scenario on the outside.

However, she knew that for Naruto, it would be a slow death. He was not the type to sit behind a desk all day and do paperwork.

Out in the field is where he shined the brightest. Leading the other electricians and sharing his knowledge with them. Even on days when it was colder than hell outside, he still had on a genuine smile.

No. Having Naruto work in the same office as her was not the answer.

But if that wasn't the case, then what was?

Before she could keep thinking about it, a voice chimed in her head . . .

You're not the only one struggling with this. The man you love, who is waiting for you outside, is also grappling with the same problem. So perhaps it's high time you both finally sat down and had a good heart-to-heart talk. Then, you can help each other.

Hinata stood up and briskly left the bathroom.

She found Naruto waiting for her right where she had left him, except he was alone. He was leaning against the wall and staring off into the distance with a blank stare on his face. However, his head quickly turned towards her when he caught the sound of her heels. A large smile spread across his face.

"Are you feeling okay? I was starting to get a little worried there, but I also figured you probably needed some alone time."

His voice was full of concern, and it melted her heart. His hand reached out to grasp hers, and she accepted his public display of affection, even moving in closer to him for a brief hug.

"Thank you." She said softly. "Shall we head back?"

Naruto nodded and began to lead the way back towards the elevators that would take them to the main floor.

While the rain outside wasn't coming down as hard, it was still quite misty outside, the clouds still dark in the sky. As they approached the main exit, their limo was parked right out front, waiting for their arrival. The young man from the morning was there to pick them up, an umbrella in his hand to shield them from the light rain.

Hinata thanked him profusely and apologized for taking so long.

"Not to worry, Miss Hyuuga. It was only for ten minutes; at least it wasn't for an hour in the freezing winter!"

She laughed softly with him.

Naruto was about to slip into the back seat but paused when he heard her speak to the driver again. "Is it possible to take a detour back to the hotel? My colleague and I . . . we have some things to discuss and would like to take our time if that's possible?"

The limo driver didn't even bat an eye at her request. "Not a problem at all, Miss Hyuuga. I'll just drive back and forth up the main streets and avenues. When you're ready to return to your hotel, just press the red button at the back."

She nodded her thanks and followed Naruto inside the limousine, the door slamming shut behind them.

To Be Continued . . .

Author Note:

A huge thanks to all of you still following this fic. The next chapter will be the last one, followed by a small epilogue too.

Thank you