20 Hinata
Temari and I change and freshen up, the awkwardness from earlier settling into something quieter, more natural. I send a shadow clone to her hotel to grab her clothes, and by the time it disperses, we're sitting in the kitchen of the Senju estate.
The kitchen has a wide window. From here, the Hokage Monument dominates the view, stone faces watching over the village like they always have. It feels strange, sitting here this calmly after everything that's happened.
We talk about the party. About how good the food was. About Kiba embarrassing himself again. About Lee trying to drink and getting knocked flat when Tenten hit him before he could touch his cup.
"I think Neji had a few drinks," I say, scratching the side of my forehead. "Hinata didn't touch anything though."
Temari snorts. "Of course she didn't."
I glance at her. "Why's that?"
She looks at me like I've just asked whether the sky is blue. "Because she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of you."
I raise an eyebrow, putting on my best confused face. "In front of me?"
Temari leans forward slightly. "Naruto… don't tell me you don't know."
"Know what?" I ask flatly.
She blinks. Then stares. "She has a crush on you. A massive one."
I nod. "Yeah. I know."
Now it's her turn to freeze.
She leans back slowly. "You know… and you haven't done anything?"
I shrug. "What exactly am I supposed to do?"
"That girl loves you," Temari says, a little sharper than before. "She'd do anything for you."
I sigh and lean back in my chair, eyes drifting toward the ceiling. "Temari… she can barely talk to me without fainting. If I bring up feelings, she'd pass out in seconds. The only real conversation we ever had was before my fight with Neji in the Chunin Exams. Even then, she was shaking."
Temari rubs her forehead, finally understanding. "Yeah… that tracks."
Hinata has always been kind to her. Gentle. Soft-spoken. Temari likes her. But liking someone doesn't mean ignoring reality.
"So what," Temari asks, quieter now, "you're just going to do nothing?"
"For now," I say.
She frowns. "What do you mean, for now?"
I sit up straighter. "You know my situation better than most. Me and Gaara aren't that different. The difference is that he's Kazekage. He has power. Authority. When he speaks, people listen."
I tap the table lightly. "I don't have that yet."
She watches me closely as I continue.
"Even talking to Hinata openly would cause problems. The Hyuga clan enslaves their own family members. They seal children. They'd never accept their heiress marrying the village's jinchūriki. The so-called demon brat. The dead last. The failure."
My jaw tightens as the words come out. Old memories surface without asking.
"People used to pull their kids away from me," I say quietly. "Like I was contagious. The only ones who didn't were Shikamaru and Choji. Hinata had guards after the Hyuga incident."
I pause, then continue.
"I remember saving her once. From some bullies. I got beaten up pretty badly. Her guardian came, picked her up, didn't even look at me, and left."
I was six. Maybe seven.
I look back at Temari. "So even if the elders know I'm related to Tsunade, even if they know my lineage, it won't matter. They don't want a jinchūriki marrying their daughter."
Temari exhales slowly. "So what's your plan?"
"There are only two ways this works," I say calmly. "Either I become so strong that even the Hokage has to rely on me…"
I glance toward the stone faces outside the window.
"…or I become Hokage myself."
The words hang in the air.
Temari doesn't laugh. She doesn't dismiss it.
She just studies me, and for the first time, I can tell she understands exactly how heavy that path really is.