Hyūga Hiashi's face was dark with displeasure.
That brat had stolen his daughter's heart since childhood, and he hadn't even noticed?
What an infuriating little punk…
Hyūga Hizashi coughed lightly.
"Brother."
"Hmph!" Hiashi snorted coldly, his tone sharp.
"Naruto, do you think the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan isn't good enough for you?"
"No! Hinata's great—wait, that's not what I meant! I mean—ahhhh!"
Naruto flailed, completely tongue-tied and panicking, clutching his head as if his brain was melting down.
Kiyosuke sighed and said, "Let me speak. Hinata is my disciple, and I've watched her grow up. As the Hyūga heiress, I know she bears a heavy burden—but I don't mind if Naruto marries into the Hyūga family. Changing his surname doesn't matter to me. The two of them are truly a perfect match. If everyone agrees, why not just set the engagement? What do you say, my in-law?"
I haven't even agreed yet!
"Brother, we must consider Lady Hinata's future carefully," Hizashi said calmly. "Though I also believe Naruto is someone she can rely on."
After voicing his thoughts, he fell silent.
Hiashi looked back at Naruto and said firmly,
"Naruto, I'll only ask you once—are you willing to marry Hinata?"
"I…"
Naruto lowered his head, struggling internally.
Kiyosuke patted his shoulder and said,
"Think carefully before you answer. This is your one and only chance. Whether you refuse or accept, it's up to you. But if you turn her down now, and later regret it when you see her marry someone else—don't say I didn't warn you."
"Kiyosuke-san, can't you give me a little more time?"
"The sooner this is settled, the sooner I can rest easy."
"Answer me, Naruto!" Hiashi's tone grew impatient.
Naruto raised his head and met his future father-in-law's stern gaze.
"If Hinata doesn't mind… then yes, I'm willing to marry her! I'll spend my life with her!"
Bang!
A heavy thud echoed from outside, followed by a servant's panicked scream.
"Lady Hinata has fainted!!!"
Naruto bolted out the door first, the others rushing after him.
They found Hinata lying on the floor, her face red as a tomato, with white steam puffing from the top of her head—clearly overwhelmed by embarrassment until her brain short-circuited.
Jiraiya scratched his head, chuckling.
"Well, what are we gonna do about that? Will she pass out again during the actual wedding?"
Hiashi sighed heavily. Hizashi chuckled.
Kiyosuke said, "It's fine. By then she'll probably have gotten used to it. Anyway, my dear in-law—congratulations!"
"I knew it! The day you brought Naruto to my house, you were up to no good!"
Hiashi felt like he'd invited a wolf into his home—after years of freeloading meals, that little brat had stolen his eldest daughter too.
"Haha, no harm done. How about I take Hanabi as my disciple then? She's got potential."
"It's a deal!"
Though it sounded suspiciously like he was selling off his daughters, Hiashi knew Hinata wouldn't marry anyone else anyway.
Hanabi would inherit the main family, and having Kiyosuke guide her wasn't a bad thing.
"Excellent."
And so, just like that, Naruto and Hinata ended up engaged—clumsily and unexpectedly.
Their friends were all stunned.
No one imagined that among them, they would be the first to get engaged.
Hinata? Sure, no surprise there.
But Naruto agreeing to it? That was the shocker.
Now, whenever Hinata saw Naruto, she'd dodge him like he was contagious.
Naruto thought she hated him and even considered asking Kiyosuke to break off the engagement.
"You idiot," Kiyosuke scolded, knocking him on the head. "Your dad was smooth enough to win over your mom when he was your age. How can you be this dense? You know Hinata's personality—she gets so shy she can barely stand to be near you. She just needs time to adjust. Take her out more often. Go on walks, maybe catch a movie."
"Oh, I get it now!" Naruto brightened up.
Then he grinned mischievously.
"Kiyosuke-san, since I'm engaged now, don't you think it's about time you brought Auntie back home?"
Kiyosuke looked out the window in silence, then smiled faintly.
"Give it a little more time. I'll definitely marry before you do."
He stood and said softly, "Just wait a bit longer. Soon, I'll bring her home myself."
"Kiyosuke-san, you don't have pre-wedding jitters, do you?"
"Nonsense! Didn't you see that in the Limited Tsukuyomi world, my kid was about your age already?"
"But that world was reversed!"
Kiyosuke froze mid-sentence, then narrowed his eyes, rolling up his sleeves.
"Naruto, I don't think I've trained you in a while, have I? Come on—let's relive those good old days!"
"No! Please, no!!!"
Naruto screamed and bolted, sprinting for his life as Kiyosuke gave chase.
"You brat! Let's see how you like this!"
Their shouting filled the compound, chaos ensuing.
Until—
Naruto ran headfirst into someone turning the corner.
They both went down in a tangle.
Hinata's eyes went wide as her fiancé landed right on top of her, their faces inches apart.
Her brain shorted again, and she almost fainted.
"Eep!"
This time, instead of passing out, she squeaked loudly.
"Lady Hinata!"
Neji came running at the sound, thinking someone had attacked her—only to stop dead in his tracks.
Oh.
Yeah. He shouldn't have come.
He and Kiyosuke exchanged a glance, then silently turned and walked away.
...
That evening, Naruto returned home wearing a dumb grin.
Karin eyed him suspiciously.
"You went on a date with Hinata, didn't you?"
"Haha!"
Naruto laughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
Haku, who'd gotten off work early for once, smiled as he joined them.
"At this rate, I'm sure Naruto will be the first to get married. Karin, you'd better pick up the pace."
"Don't start with me! I'm exhausted!" Karin groaned, rubbing her messy hair. "Konoha Hospital is way too busy. The pay's great, but I'm running myself ragged!"
She and Rin were now the hospital's main medical force, with Sakura and Ino helping out whenever they could.
If things weren't calmer today, Karin wouldn't have even come home—she'd have just crashed at the hospital.
Haku, too, was always busy.
ANBU missions kept piling up, though he'd adjusted well and was now a squad leader.
The only problem was… his face.
It was too beautiful.
Men who didn't know his gender often tried to flirt with him, leading to some very awkward encounters.
Now, even when off duty, he wore a mask in public.
"That's why I keep telling you," Kiyosuke said, "you should cut your hair short. It won't make you any less good-looking. As for you, Naruto—don't even think about shaving your head. You'd look awful."
"Got it! I want my dad's hairstyle anyway!" Naruto said proudly.
"Then I'll get a haircut tomorrow," Haku said, touching his long hair thoughtfully.