Naruto took Hinata's hand and ran off immediately. If they had the element of surprise, they could handle three attackers at once, but without it, they'd probably end up getting pummeled.
Shindai had told Naruto before: if you're sure you'll win, play dirty; if not, don't even bother fighting—just run off first.
They'd already tried cheating, but he still didn't feel confident enough—so it was best to pull back for now.
Naruto and Hinata kept running across the snowy landscape.
Hinata's eyes stayed fixed on the back of Naruto's head, never looking away once.
"Huff... huff..."
Naruto finally stopped running, placing both hands on his thighs as he caught his breath.
"That bunch probably won't catch up now. Are you okay?"
Naruto straightened up to ask Hinata.
Hinata kept staring blankly at him.
He waved his hand in front of her face. "Hey, what's wrong? I didn't see them throw down on you earlier. Did something happen?"
Coming to her senses, Hinata's face turned bright red as she lowered her head and murmured softly, "I—I'm fine."
"Glad to hear that. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. And you are?"
"Hinata Hyuga..."
Seeing Hinata acting like this, Naruto assumed she was upset about those three kids mocking her earlier.
Naruto smiled very brightly. "Hinata, don't care about what others say. I've also been laughed at because of these whiskers on my face. But my big brother Shindai told me all those people who laugh at me are blind fools. He said these six whiskers on my face are actually cute."
"Hinata," Naruto continued, "I think your eyes aren't gross at all—in fact, they're beautiful, just like… just like…"
Trying to find the right words, Naruto looked down at the snow on the ground and immediately found inspiration.
He pointed at the snow and said, "Just like this pure white snow!"
Hinata had become completely flustered from Naruto's compliments.
"Hinata, let me show you around! I know a really fun place. Want to come?"
Hinata felt conflicted. She really wanted to go, but she should be heading home soon.
The Hyuga clan had many strict rules, and being late would bring scoldings.
"Cough! Earlier, I met Obito on the way here. They said you were coming to the handicraft shop to find me. So this is how you found me?"
Shindai suddenly appeared behind Naruto and Hinata, looking at Hinata curiously.
"Big Brother Shindai!"
Shindai raised his eyebrows toward Naruto teasingly. "Can't blame you. I was pretty annoyed at first, but since you were actually handling something serious instead of just fooling around, I'll forgive you."
Still confused, Naruto asked, "Flirting? What does that mean?"
Smirking, Shindai explained, "It means spending a lot of time with someone you like. Like boyfriend and girlfriend."
Naruto innocently replied, "Oh, so that's what it means? Then Big Brother Shindai is right. I was just hanging out with Hinata earlier!"
"Those three guys were bullying Hinata, so I used what Shindai-nii taught me to give them a good thrashing. Then I took Hinata and sneaked off with her."
Shindai praised him, "Well done! Although you made a mistake—you're not flirting around with Hinata, you're actually hitting on her? But that doesn't matter. Did Hinata agree?"
"I don't know," Naruto turned to ask Hinata, "Hey Hinata, do you wanna be my girlfriend?"
"Eh!" Shindai corrected, "Not 'do you want to be,' you should say, 'Will you be my girlfriend?'"
"Oh, right. So Hinata, will you be my girlfriend?"
Hinata was extremely shy, keeping her head down and speaking softly, but both Naruto and Shindai clearly heard her: "Yes, I will."
"Phooey!"
Shindai couldn't help himself and burst out laughing.
Naruto asked puzzledly, "What's so funny, Big Brother Shindai?"
Shindai coughed dryly before replying, "Ahem, nothing much. Well then, under my witness, the two of you are officially a couple now. But for your unique bond, how about I make it official with a little ceremony?"
"Witness? What kind of ceremony?"
Naruto felt confused—wasn't this just making friends with Hinata? Why was it so complicated?
"Just follow along as I do. It's similar to a game that Sasuke likes to play. Ready?"
At the mention of games, Naruto immediately got excited. "Awesome! Awesome! I'm ready!"
Shindai turned to Hinata with a cheerful smile and asked, "And how about you, Hinata?"
Hinata nodded, "I'm ready too!"
Inside, Shindai was practically bursting with joy but kept his face serious. "Alright, stand facing each other now."
Obediently, Naruto and Hinata stood face to face.
"Naruto, will you always care for her and stay by her side no matter what happens—whether things go well or not, whether you're rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad?"
When Shindai said that, Hinata blushed furiously.
Love...love?
So suddenly? Isn't this moving way too fast!
Naruto also looked confused: "Love?"
Shindai replied confidently, "Of course! Friendship itself is a form of love! Don't interrupt me—just tell me if you're willing or not!"
After hearing Shindai's 'explanation,' Hinata relaxed somewhat, realizing he meant platonic friendship.
Naruto seemed half-understanding but nodded firmly and answered decisively, "I do!"
Then Shindai turned toward Hinata, asking, "Hinata, will you always care for him and stick by him no matter what—through good times or bad, rich or poor, healthy or sick, happy or sad?"
Though softly spoken, Hinata's voice carried determination: "I do too!"
Shindai was grinning from ear to ear.
[Iron Sand Body] materialized in Shindai's palm.
He compressed the iron sand, condensing it into two small rings, which he handed to Naruto and Hinata.
"Next, you can put the ring onto each other's ring finger."
"Awesome!" Naruto eagerly grabbed Hinata's hand and slipped the ring onto the ring finger of her right hand.
Hinata was now completely confused.
Something didn't seem right.
Wouldn't exchanging rings be more about lovers rather than friends? Although she was young, she wasn't clueless.
This was definitely something people did during weddings!
"Um..."
Hinata wanted to remind Naruto, but he had already held out his hand toward her.
"Hurry up, Hinata! Don't just stand there. Once we put them on, we'll be best friends forever!"
Hinata's lips tightened into a thin line as she looked at Naruto's face—full of excitement and anticipation.
She picked up the ring with trembling fingers, her face flushed as she slid the ring onto Naruto's finger.
Naruto stared happily at the ring on his finger. "Looks pretty cool."
Hinata also gazed silently at the ring on her own finger.
Shindai dug out a cigarette, lit it, took a satisfying puff, then said, "Well then, from now on you two are best friends. When you grow up, you can just go through the formalities directly."
Naruto curiously asked, "What formalities? What kind of formalities?"
"You'll understand when you're older."
Hinata listened with her eyelid twitching repeatedly. Formalities... Could it possibly mean the kind of formalities she was thinking of—like a wedding?
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