"Naruto-kun?"
Hinata stared blankly at Hyuga Retsu, completely caught off guard and not sure how to respond.
Seeing her like this, Retsu sighed quietly, then smiled kindly like a gentle elder.
"Yes, that Uzumaki Naruto came to see you. He brought his mother too. They really wanted to meet you."
"**Naruto's mother?!**"
Hinata, who had still been kneeling in a daze, suddenly jumped to her feet. Her whole face turned red as she looked at Retsu in disbelief.
Hanabi, sitting beside her, grinned teasingly.
"Oh\~ I didn't expect my future brother-in-law to be this bold. Bringing his mom to visit already\~"
"Mm~" Hinata let out a soft, cute sound. Her face turned bright red in seconds, and she looked dazed, like she couldn't believe what just happened.
Hanabi kept giggling, sneakily poking her sister in the side, her face full of curiosity and gossip.
Hyuga Retsu looked at Hinata. The frustration he used to feel about the Hyuga bloodline being passed outside the clan faded a little. Honestly, though staying in the clan might've been better, someone like Hinata would have ended up getting the Caged Bird Seal sooner or later.
As someone who had watched Hinata grow up since she was little, he really did care for this well-behaved girl.
But in this world, being kind and gentle wasn't always a good thing—especially in a big clan like the Hyuga, where there's always competition.
"But to be honest, I wouldn't call it just a visit. That Uzumaki Naruto's mother… she might be a lot more than you expect." Just thinking about the people behind Naruto gave Retsu a headache. Lord Hiashi had gone to visit relatives and wasn't back yet—if everything went as planned, he'd still be gone for another half month.
Originally, Hanabi was supposed to go too, but since her brother-in-law was coming back, she chose to stay just so she could see him—and ended up witnessing the kiss that sealed the deal between the two.
Hanabi: I'm done.
Hinata looked up at Retsu with her flushed face, but instead of the curiosity he expected, she just gave a shy nod. "Naruto-kun already told me about his parents."
"You know already?" Retsu was a bit surprised.
"Mm." Hinata nodded. "It's the Fourth Hokage and the princess of the Uzumaki clan." *(Note)*
Retsu shook his head with a sigh. "Your relationship really is closer than I thought. Now I'm wondering what I was even worried about..."
Whatever. Let Lord Hiashi deal with it when he gets back.
With that, Retsu turned around.
As he walked out of the training area, he said, "I'll tell them to wait a bit. Lady Hinata, you should clean up a little before going over. I think they'll be willing to wait for that."
They were in the training ground, though they hadn't been training. Between the big battle earlier and having to take care of Hyuga clan affairs afterward, neither Hinata nor Hanabi had time to clean themselves up. Their clothes, faces, and even hair were still dusty—definitely looking a bit messy.
Hinata nodded obediently, and the redness on her face still hadn't gone down at all.
The moonlight was barely visible behind the clouds. The sky had been clear all day, but now a thin layer of mist had crept in. It probably wouldn't rain, but it didn't feel like a warm night either.
Retsu brought Kushina and Naruto to the gathering place and sat them down in a slightly bigger tent. He told them Hinata would come by shortly and then left. Naruto took a deep breath while sipping his warm tea.
"It's so weird… it's only been a few days since we last saw each other, but it feels like forever." Naruto looked toward the entrance with a bit of excitement.
Kurama rolled over. "That's because the last time you two almost broke up at the movies. Now that you made up, your relationship leveled up. It's like you just got married but didn't get a chance to spend the night together. And now that things have calmed down, you're all excited thinking tonight's the night."
Naruto's face darkened. "I haven't even dealt with you guys about that Princess Snow movie thing yet—and you still have the nerve to talk about it?"
Just thinking about it ticked him off.
Kushina leaned in curiously. "What's *Princess Snow*?"
Naruto forgot to switch to private voice chat and ended up speaking on full channel—his mom heard everything.
As soon as Kushina asked, Kurama perked up. He stood up and, using chakra to talk with her, said, "Oh, it's great stuff. Your son secretly went out with another girl behind his wife's back, and then they made a movie about it. He even showed it off to his wife like it was something to be proud of. Almost got dumped."
"What?!" Kushina gasped, furious. She glared at Naruto. "Naruto! I don't remember ever teaching you to date two girls at once!"
Naruto: "..."
Even his hand holding the teacup was shaking.
"Mom, don't start siding with him. You know what Kurama says can't be trusted…" Naruto looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Of course Kushina didn't actually believe Kurama. She just wanted to mess with Naruto a little—get closer to him in her own way. Pretending to be angry was just part of that. Besides, the way Naruto and Kurama talked to each other was pretty fun to watch. She just wanted to join in.
"Alright, alright."
"Okay, Mom believes in you." Kushina smiled with squinted eyes as she patted Naruto's head.
Kurama twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Kushina, how old are you, exactly?"
Acting like a little kid at your age…
"I'm younger than you," Kushina said casually while sipping her tea.
Hearing that, Naruto froze for a moment, then looked at Kurama with a curious expression. "Now that you mention it, I've never really known how old you are, Kurama. When we went back to the Six Paths era, you hadn't even been created yet, right? That must've been... thousands of years ago?"
Kurama clenched his fists. "If you don't know how to talk properly, then just shut up!"
As expected, no good ever comes from anyone with the Uzumaki name!
Furious, Kurama slammed the mental connection shut and went off to sulk in a corner by himself. He was so mad, he started scratching a list of Naruto's "crimes" onto the wall with his claw.
One day, I'll get you back for this! Just wait, you Uzumaki brat!
Kushina and Naruto looked at each other and smiled, reaching out with their right hands for a casual high five, looking like partners-in-crime.
Just then, the tent flap was pushed open from the outside. With the soft flicker of the lantern and the cool charm of the night, the figure of a girl stepped into view.
Naruto stood up almost instantly, his face lighting up like the sun. "Hinata!"
The girl stood in the doorway, her cheeks glowing red with embarrassment. She seemed too shy to look at the two of them directly. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she couldn't hold back her excitement, and in her eyes, Naruto and Kushina's reflections were clearly visible—like they were etched into her heart.
"Naruto-kun~" she softly opened her mouth, her voice a bit sweet and soft, almost gentle. "And, um... Auntie, it's nice to meet you. I'm Hyuga Hinata. I'm… Naruto-kun's… Naruto-kun's…"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter, until finally, with her face completely red and steam practically rising from her head, you'd start to wonder if she was about to faint from embarrassment.
Naruto stepped forward without hesitation and gently took her hand, his smile calm and reassuring as he gave her a little nod.
Hinata lightly pressed her lips together and stood beside Naruto with a shy smile.
Kushina widened her eyes at the scene, full of joy and expectation.
Hinata squeezed Naruto's hand a little tighter, then took a deep breath and looked straight at Kushina. "I… am Naruto-kun's… girlfriend!"
Her voice still wasn't very loud, but those last three words came out firm and clear.
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