The cold was chilling, to the point one could feel it in their bones. Hinata was surprised snow wasn't falling, and she was also a bit disappointed. Only cold without snow was a bit lonely.
But this didn't affect the success of the festival. Maybe because of the weather, the people huddled closer together, the lighted lamps providing warmth and beckoning one towards them. Hinata rubbed her nose against her scarf, holding her gloved hands together. She liked the cold, although she wished if it was this cold, it would at least snow.
"Ahh, I hate this weather!" Sakura lamented, head thrown back in exasperation. She was wearing a pretty green wool dress, her boots clicking against the ground rhythmically as she moved forward. "How can anyone enjoy anything in this cold?"
"That's right! It's too cold!" Naruto mimicked her as he followed her. Hinata smiled, keeping her thoughts to herself. She put her hands in the pockets of her jacket.
It felt weird not wearing the traditional clothes she always wore when coming with her family, although at the same time it felt liberating. The ease of movement her pants gave her was very much appreciated.
"Such a shame Sasuke-kun couldn't come" Sakura sighed, a gloved hand resting on her cheek. "We could've played some games and maybe he could've won me a prize?" she said with a small, coy smile. Naruto immediately walked around her until he was right on her face.
"That's fine Sakura-chan! I can win you tons of prizes! More than the bastard ever c-!"
"Ugh, you're too close!" Sakura pushed his face away, a hand against his forehead. Naruto sputtered, arms flailing around him.
Hinata chuckled. "If you want, we can try a few of the games" she suggested, catching the attention of the other two. She pointed behind her. "There're some targets right there. I'm sure we can…"
"Great idea!" Naruto exclaimed before she could finish. He grabbed Sakura's hand and started dragging her forward despite her protests. "Come on Sakura-chan! I'll win you an amazing prize! You too Hinata!" he turned to her, taking her hand as well and running towards the booth with both in tow.
Sakura rolled her eyes when they stopped in front of it, shaking the hand that Naruto had been holding. "Deaf to the world. How many times do I have to tell him not to pull so hard?" she complained to Hinata.
"He's just excited. It's the first time he has ever come to the festival, remember?"
"Well…" Sakura relaxed her posture, allowing her arm to fall to her side. It was the truth. Naruto had confided in them the very same day they had made the plans to come here, that he had never had the opportunity to go to the Rinne Festival. It was full of people, and those types of places usually spelled trouble for the young boy, so even though he really wanted to be part of the jolly atmosphere he would instead remain home, or at most look from the sides as everyone else had fun.
"Old man! How much for a try?" Naruto took out a small purse from his pocket, shaped like a frog. The owner of the stall frowned, and then looked Naruto up and down with a critic eye. Hinata tensed immediately, ready to take Naruto away in case this villager also became violent…
"It's twenty Ryo per try boy" he finally answered, allowing her to relax. Naruto snorted in indignation.
"Don't you think that's too much old man?!"
"Hey! I am not old! And it's a perfectly acceptable price! Now, do you want to play or not?" the man crossed his arms, clearly irritated at Naruto's rudeness. This time, it was Sakura who approached after letting out a long, weary sigh.
"We'll pay sir, please don't pay attention to my friend. He can be too much of a knucklehead sometimes."
"Sakura-chan!" the boy pouted at being called such by her. Sakura simply rolled her eyes.
"Come on, you wanted to win me a prize, didn't you? That stuffed dog looks pretty cute, right?"
Cajoling him like that, Naruto immediately forgot everything about the price. He turned to the owner of the stall, reluctantly giving up twenty Ryo and acquiring a rubber kunai in exchange.
Hinata walked a little closer, watching the frown of concentration on Naruto's face with fascination. By her side, Sakura was tapping her foot, arms crossed as they waited until the boy was sure about his aim.
Inhaling through the mouth, he pointed, threw the kunai… and completely missed.
Sakura let out a small laugh. "You weren't even close!" she said, a hand covering her mouth. Naruto groaned, taking out his purse again and giving the man twenty Ryo. "Wait, you're going to try again?" she asked with surprise.
Naruto nodded firmly. "I told you I would win a prize for you Sakura-chan, so that's what I'll do or my name isn't Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of Konoha!"
"Since when is 'future Hokage of Konoha' part of your name" Sakura shook her head with exasperation. Naruto huffed.
"One day I'll get rid of the future part, you'll see!"
"That's not what I meant at all!"
Hinata smiled, watching the exchange between the two with a mixture of happiness and apprehension. She had to remind herself this was good, that Sakura talking to Naruto so casually was good. Even if Naruto paid more attention to Sakura since they came here. Even if he didn't offer to win her a prize.
She turned her eyes towards the stall, perusing the different prizes there were. What would she even ask for, if he told her she was next after Sakura? Most of the stuff displayed were plushies and trinkets, all pretty interesting on their own, but none that caught her attention particularly…
Ah.
She looked at the white and green plushie of a dinosaur, her mind flashing with a sudden memory. A small, dark-haired boy taking out his pencil case with a dinosaur design on the front. It was a memory from before the massacre.
Maybe she could try her hand at this game?
"One more time old man!" Naruto's voice came back to her just as she made up her mind. A groan was heard from the other side of the stall, the man covering his face with a hand.
"How many times must I tell you not to call me that?!"
"Naruto! Pace yourself! You've already lost three times in a round, save your money for other activities!" Sakura admonished him, raising her hand and pinching him on the cheek. Naruto let out a yelp of pain.
"But Sakura-chaaaaannnn…!"
"If I may" Hinata spoke, earning the attention from the other three. She pursed her lips, a bit intimidated by it, but it passed fast and soon she was back on topic. "I think I would like to try as well" she took out her purse and walked towards the owner, grabbing enough Ryo to get her own rubber kunai.
Naruto was the first to speak. "Are you sure Hinata? It's veeery difficult and…!"
"Dumbass! Don't discourage her!" Sakura pinched his cheek again, earning another yelp from the boy.
Hinata sighed. "I need to hit the target center to get a prize, right?"
"Correct. Good luck young lady."
She nodded, eyeing one of the targets. It was a standard one like those they had at the training ground. Being made of rubber, the kunai would obviously not embed itself on it, but she had seen, the one time Naruto managed to hit the very edge of one of them, how it lighted up on the place it had been hit.
She chose her target, took aim, and then threw it.
It hit dead center.
"Woooo, well done Hinata!" Naruto came running towards her, slapping her on the back enthusiastically and repeatedly. She squeaked at the force of it, and Sakura immediately went off against Naruto to be more mindful of a girl's body. "I was being mindful…!"
"Like hell you were! Are you alright Hinata-chan? By the way, that was incredible! You did it on one try!"
"I… I am fine, and thank you. To the two of you" she smiled, before a throat clearing made her turn towards the man. He lowered the hand that had been covering his mouth, extending the other arm to encompass all of the prizes.
"Your choice young lady. You have many to choose from."
"Right" she looked back towards the shelf, finding the dinosaur immediately and pointing to it. "That one please."
"That one's pretty cute Hinata-chan. I didn't know you liked dinosaurs" Sakura commented once she had the plushie in her arms. Hinata smiled.
"Who doesn't like dinosaurs?"
"I don't know" Naruto spoke, arms folded behind his head. "I think they're kinda boring… Ouch, what was that for just now, Sakura-chan?"
"That was for talking without thinking!"
They started to walk away as the argument continued, but eventually Naruto and Sakura stopped and instead started discussing where to go to eat first. Hinata glanced down at the dinosaur's soft texture as she let them decide and smiled, wondering what Sasuke's reaction would be to the small gift.