Chapter 438: Pinky Swear
Young Naruto knew nothing of the adult Naruto's affairs; he was still busy comforting Hinata.
Naruto was unclear about his own future, and his future self had no intention of letting him know what would happen.
For a high-spirited youth, an uncertain future should be called—a future of infinite possibilities.
After finally persuading Hinata, Naruto set aside Hanabi, who was pretending to sleep, and pressed his advantage. He cupped Hinata's slightly warm little face with his left hand.
"Let's pinky swear."
The boy's voice was clear and resolute.
Looking at the slightly hooked pinky Naruto held out and the unprecedentedly serious expression on his face, Hinata was stunned.
A hint of confusion flickered in her pure white eyes, quickly replaced by an even greater fluster.
"Pinky... pinky swear?"
She repeated subconsciously, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Her small hand trembled slightly at her side; she wanted to lift it, yet it felt as if it were bound by an invisible force. Countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Why a pinky swear? What does a pinky swear mean?
Hesitantly, she raised her right hand. Her fingers were curled, and her fingertips were slightly pale.
Seeing her look as if she were facing a great enemy, yet trying so hard to respond to him, the pity in Naruto's heart grew even stronger.
He didn't rush her, but simply watched her patiently with encouraging eyes, waiting for her to complete the action herself.
Finally, Hinata's trembling right hand rose to the same height as Naruto's, and her slender, fair pinky tentatively approached Naruto's right hand...
Just as the two pinkies hooked together, Naruto spoke again:
"Do you remember what I said before?"
His gaze locked onto Hinata's eyes, not allowing her to dodge:
"I never go back on my word; that is my Ninja Way."
Hearing those familiar words, Hinata's heart skipped a beat.
She remembered; that was what Naruto had said after driving away Yusuke and the other two during their first encounter in her memory.
She looked up, meeting Naruto's azure eyes filled with determination and seriousness, and the panic in her heart strangely calmed down a bit. She seemed to be infected by the strength in that gaze, and the trembling in her fingertips lessened.
She nodded gently, indicating that she remembered.
And Naruto, after saying this and seeing Hinata's gaze finally stabilize, silently and quickly added in his heart: Except when facing enemies.
Tactical deception and bluffs were also part of a Ninja's combat, after all.
After seeing his past self pinky swear with Hinata, the adult Naruto stood up.
He had seen what he wanted to see; it was time for him and Yuji to leave.
Simba wagged its tail, and then the adult Naruto led Yuji and Simba slowly away from the area.
Using the 'Treasured Tool: Karasuki' caused too much of a stir; even with a Six Paths-level Sealing Jutsu barrier, there was still a chance his past self might sense it.
Young Naruto took Hinata's hand and pulled her up.
"Let's go take a look outside first. The information sent back by my Clones tells me there's an abandoned town over there."
"Mm, okay."
Naruto hoisted Hanabi onto his shoulder and used Yomotsu Hirasaka to arrive at the Otsutsuki town ruins in one step.
Several Clones had used Wood Release to build a temporary residence. Seeing the Main Body arrive with Hinata and Hanabi, they waved at them.
"You're too late, Main Body."
"Ran into a bit of a situation on the way. What are we eating tonight?"
Naruto explained casually and then asked.
"Yeah, what are we eating?"
"Eh? Speaking of which, the ingredients are all in the Main Body's hands, so why are you asking us?"
"Hiss, what should we eat?"
Several Clones began to discuss amongst themselves.
"How about we eat noodles?"
"Potato over rice, obviously. How can noodles be better than rice with toppings?"
"How about we make a gravy with potatoes and meat, then those who want noodles can have noodles, and those who want rice can have rice!"
"That sounds great. I just found some wild Garlic scapes; I'll toss them in later."
"If you keep this up, I'll make you eat nothing but Cowpeas next time."
"Hey, hey, how can you be like that!"
Slowly, the Clones began to argue.
"Eh?"
Seeing Naruto's Clones in a mess and even looking like they were about to come to blows, Hinata looked at Naruto's Main Body.
Naruto's Clones rarely spoke much before; what was going on this time?
"It's fine, let them argue. Whoever wins will cook."
Naruto didn't care, as long as he didn't have to cook. The Clones inherited his skills, so their cooking wouldn't be bad.
Hearing the Main Body's words, the Clones quieted down.
"The Main Body's cooking is the best. Let the Main Body cook."
"This Main Body kid is the shiftiest. He only brought three days' worth of food for three people. If we all eat together, it'll be gone in one meal."
"This brat has had us doing his grunt work for so many years and won't even give us a hot meal. He's got the style of a slave owner!"
"Wait, don't we refresh every day anyway?"
Amidst the clamor, Naruto dispelled the Clones.
"Phew~ the world is quiet now."
Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and led Hinata into the temporary residence.
"Hinata, I'll go cook first. You take care of Hanabi for a bit."
After handing Hanabi over to Hinata, Naruto rolled up his sleeve to reveal bandages on his arm, which were covered in densely packed runes.
Naruto had sealed the ingredients and utensils inside them, saving even the need for a ninja tool pouch.
"Hmm? Is Brother Naruto going to cook?"
Hearing that Naruto was going to cook, Hanabi stopped pretending to sleep and opened her eyes to start ordering dishes. After finishing her order, she asked with a smile if he needed help.
"Sure, sure!"
Hanabi readily agreed; she happened to have some things she wanted to say to Naruto that weren't suitable for her sister to know.
This temporary residence was small but complete. The Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique had built a small two-story western-style building covering less than two hundred square meters. To avoid damaging the ruins here, the Wood Clones had built it on the outskirts of the ruins.
After handing the daily necessities to Hinata to arrange the sleeping area for the night, Hanabi pulled Naruto outside and used Earth Release to set up an earthen stove.
"Brother Naruto, don't you have anything to say to me?"
Hanabi blinked and held out her right pinky.
"I want what Big Sister got too."
Looking at Hanabi's cunning smile, Naruto couldn't help but rub her head.
"You..."
Naruto laughed helplessly and shook his head. "Your sister is going to marry me in the future. You want this too?"
He had just said it as a casual tease to see how Hanabi would react.
To his surprise, upon hearing this, Hanabi didn't act shy or shrink back. Instead, her eyes widened, showing an astonished expression as if saying 'what nonsense are you talking,' and then she curled her lip and asked back:
"Ha? So Brother Naruto doesn't want to marry Hanabi?"
"Also, I've noticed that Brother Naruto, you don't seem to like those mature older sister types, and you don't seem interested in men either."
"So here's the question—"
She leaned in closer, looking up with eyes sparkling with gossip and mischief. She lowered her voice, asking in a tone as if sharing a secret:
"So, Brother Naruto, who doesn't like older sisters and doesn't like men, exactly what kind of girl do you like?"
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