Naruto: The New Beginning

58. Love or....

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Naruto and Hinata walked together on their way back to the Hyuga household.

Naruto had his hands in his pockets, recalling the ambiguous expression on his mother's face when he left home. He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

By now, Naruto should have understood what Kushina was implying, no matter how dense he might be.

It was challenging for someone like her—who usually acted on her thoughts without hesitation—to start using more subtle tactics.

Naruto was also aware that Hinata had a crush on him.

As for whether he liked Hinata—a girl with a gentle personality, strong heart, and good looks—it was obvious that he did.

Who wouldn't like such a girl?

Considering the customs of the ninja world, Naruto had been an official ninja since graduating from the academy, so there wasn't any concern about puppy love.

After all, back then, a bunch of five- or six-year-old girls were madly in love with Sasuke, which was puppy love.

As Naruto realized this, he suddenly thought of his mother setting him up on a blind date.

Even though he and Hinata had known each other since childhood and could be considered childhood sweethearts, Naruto felt a bit uncertain and didn't know what to say.

Hinata walked just half a step behind Naruto, her head lowered as she played with her fingers.

Hinata was caught off guard when Kushina suggested that Naruto walk her home. Her mind was in a whirl, and she agreed before she knew it.

Now, as they walked together through the streets, it felt like they were on a date.

Hinata was so shy that she wondered if she should say something but worried that it might make Naruto uncomfortable.

So, one was too embarrassed to speak, and the other was too shy, leading to a silent walk to the Hyuga household.

As they reached the door, Hinata finally gathered the courage to turn around and say, "Naruto-kun, thank you for walking me home today."

"It's nothing, Hinata. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Naruto waved his hand and turned to leave, thinking to himself that his social awkwardness was the reason he had only one girlfriend for 20 years in his past life.

Behind him, the door that had just closed opened slightly, and a small head peeked out, watching Naruto's back until he disappeared around the corner.

****

After returning home, Naruto was interrogated by Kushina.

After he truthfully revealed what happened, Kushina poked him in the forehead with her finger (Sasuke would be familiar with this gesture).

Then she grumbled before returning to the kitchen to continue cooking.

The next day followed a similar routine—simple tasks in the morning and training in the afternoon.

However, the training ground had been changed to a different location.

In the evening, Kushina found another excuse to keep Hinata around a bit longer, giving her extra training before instructing Naruto to walk her home again.