The newest update is much sooner than many would expect, updating about a month and a half since the last one. The editor who updated the Schedule Slip entry in the fic's YMMV page suggested that two updates in four years didn't inspire much confidence in update frequency, but it would seem that for now, he/she is wrong.
The chapter begins by returning to Hinata under Tsunade's tutelage, studying a scroll full of revolutionary medical ninjutsu techniques by Tsunade.
Shizune comes in and Hinata apologizes for losing track of time, saying that the techniques she's studying are amazing, and Shizune agrees, but points out that in spite of their utility, they are complex enough and require such great chakra control that few people will be able to use them. This seems to be one case in which medical ninjutsu is more ninjutsu than medicine; in the real world, while medical school is expensive, time-consuming, and requires talent that not that many people possess, becoming a doctor is a viable career prospect for many people.
Speaking of which, Hinata brings up the lack of qualified medic-nins, and Shizune says that just like it's easier to destroy than create, it's also easier to destroy than repair. This isn't simply a philosophical statement, but also a statement on training, as offensive techniques are easier to master, and it's suggested that Tsunade could have become a master of lightning jutsus if she'd so chosen.
But is she lightning natured? We only know the exact elemental affinities of a handful of characters(for example, Naruto took the test and is wind), and can only guess some of the others based on what jutsus they use(Yamato has earth and water, for example); the affinities of those without elemental jutsus are anyone's guess
Shizune concludes that most shinobi work to increase their combat effectiveness, which is understandable, since an army is mostly about offense. Hinata is dismayed, having learned that delaying treatment until after evacuation worsens one's prospects, and Shizune concurs, saying that's the reason for the program, although others believe that combat-oriented ninjas are more useful.
Hinata asks Shizune what she thinks, noting that Shizune is not hesitant to disagree with her mentor. This time, however, Shizune doesn't disagree entirely; she says that combat medics aren't needed as much in peace time, such medics are more needed in order to counteract ninjas being injured more often, and ensuring that the injuries do not end the victims' careers or lives. Shizune thus believes that Tsunade (whom she, oddly enough, refers to without honorifics) is right, and her plan will justify its costs.
Shizune also argues in terms of idealistic perspectives, mentioning the Will of Fire and the Senju clan's idea of family, noting that the latter are Tsunade's ancestors. That idea of family means that individuals don't just serve the common good, but that each individual member is important.
Obviously, this brings us back to the Hyuuga clan, and while this would seem to be yet another sign of Hinata's family influencing her, it makes sense here, especially since the Hyugas have a large portion of the family consigned to second-class status at best (unlike in canon, they're not working on remedying this). In a pleasant development, when Hinata points out that her family doesn't have this ideal, she is not reflexively ashamed to say this.
Shizune says they're wrong, and that Tsunade feels the same way. The former Third Hokage is helping Kurenai manage the council, and, despite losing an arm, seems more relaxed than he did while in office. Hinata wonders if Tsunade's grumpiness is due to stress (although she largely seems like that kind of person by nature, and whether Naruto will regret achieving his ambition, an interesting question.
As the two leave, Shizune gives Hinata a list of things to pick up, and she decides to do so, and Hinata agrees, deciding to visit Kurenai's house and water Naruto's plants.
Shizune then brings up the next subject. The next Chunin Exam is in a month, after Naruto's return, but it's in the Cloud Village. Hinata says her father would object, even if her eyes were sealed against theft(which makes me wonder; is it possible to brand a Hyuga with a seal that protects their eyes but doesn't have the countermeasures?)
Shizune, however, says that's not the point, as the Leaf Village wouldn't normally send a team to begin with, since the Cloud Village is too paranoid to invite them (Can they even do that? One would think that if the treaties between the villages allow for them to rotate holding the Chunin Exam, there would be a rule against specifically excluding one of them without good reason) but things have changed. The Raikage invited the Leaf and Sand villages to send ninja, possibly because the invasion merely forced Hiruzen out of office (which hardly seems like an inconsequential feat, even if the damage was downplayed compared to canon), and he's probably curious about the strong ninja who stopped the invasion but are still Genin.
Naturally, Hinata rules herself out as one of those people, and while she was disqualified in the preliminaries, this seems to be self-deprecating once again. As she ponders how the exam was cancelled, meaning that her teammates will have to take it again with her, she once again beats herself up for even seeming to find joy in their misfortune. And, again, she suspects that her father was involved in all this, given his role on the council.
Let's go back to canon. Eight Genin made it to the finals, and five of them were Leaf ninja
- Naruto vs. Neji: Naruto defeats Neji, the top genin from the village, and wins over the crowd, although Izumo and Kotetsu suggest that his knock-down drag-out battle was proof that he didn't have enough knowledge of when to walk away to become a Chunin. That's an interesting point, albeit not necessarily indicative of what everyone thinks.
- Kankuro vs. Shino: Kankuro forfeits, immediately sacrificing his chance to become a Chunin. Since Shino never gets a chance to show his skills, he loses his chance as well.
- Shikamaru vs. Temari: Shikamaru gets Temari at his mercy before giving up due to low chakra; by all indications, that's true, even if he was making excuses. This causes him to get promoted, as the most qualified but least interested in it, the complete opposite of what he hoped for.
- Sasuke vs. Gaara: It's the match everyone's been looking for. While Sasuke managed to be the first to injure Gaara, it wasn't enough to win him the promotion, possibly since the match hadn't been decided (and when Sasuke and Gaara face each other again, Sasuke is defeated).
So there you have it. In canon, the judges have little to work with, and are hard-pressed to appoint any Chunin, even without the council's interference. The Third Hokage even points out that it's possible that no one will end up becoming a Chunin.
Shizune says that the Raikage went as far as to personally guarantee the safety of the participants and repudiate the clan who tried to kidnap Hinata, staking his reputation on it. This ignores how, in canon, A still seems to believe, over a decade later, that the Leaf Village was entirely in the wrong. Tsunade wants to make an impression on clients, allies and enemies- one of the major purposes of the exams- so she decides to participate. That said, Shizune says Hinata does not have to participate, but Hinata says that if Naruto and Shino are taking it, so will she.
The scene switches to Shino, who's having trouble with Guy and Lee. He gets along well with Tenten and can tolerate Neji, but finds Guy and Lee's noisiness annoying. He also finds himself having trouble with their training sessions, which Tenten is also attending at Guy's request to do better at the next Chunin Exam.
Shino hears of this when talking to him, and initially has a very convenient scheduling conflict with his mother's training in the morning. Unfortunately, he soon learns that his mother will be occupied in the mornings, and suggests he attend the morning sessions with Guy. The text, in a somewhat vague way, suggests that he not ask lest he experience "cognitive dissonance" (I know what it is, but not why he'd experience it), and vaguely suggests that Shino might have a younger sibling on the way (although given the age gap between them, I doubt they'd be very close).
Tenten's glad to have someone else sane there (somewhat reminiscent of how, in the manga, after Neji's death, she laments how he left her alone on Team Guy). Apparently, not even Hinata counts, since she's internalized their Determinator nature. Still, Shino does understand how Naruto improved so much, although I do have to wonder how much a non-taijutsu type like Shino can improve.
Meanwhile, as Naruto masters putting out a one-tailed chakra cloak (which seems to be a primitive and less than effective use of the fox's power), Jiraiya ponders the Raikage's invitation with mixed emotions in spite of being eager to get back to the village.
Jiraiya realizes that it's suspicious for the Raikage to offer the Leaf Village something they want anyway, but also wonders if the Raikage, despite his ulterior motive, fully understands how hosting the exam might impact him. While Jiraiya doesn't fully agree with Hiruzen's view of the Chunin Exams, he's possibly open to the idea of it serving that purpose. He remembers how Temari believed her father was insane to attack the Leaf Village, and believes that more people and villages should be convinced of that.
Jiraiya teaches how to travel quickly without being seen, suggesting that jumping from tree to tree can leave footprints and other traces, even if some of the techniques aren't in Jiraiya's expertise. As far as methods go, Jiraiya favors joining a caravan, preferably one of perishable goods (Incidentally, this reminds me of what the princess tried in the Land of Vegetables filler arc- one of my favorites apart from the Bikochuu arc- but her enemies saw through that, and it only served to endanger the merchants). Jiraiya decides to teach Naruto more on altering his appearance without the Transformation jutsu, and notes that while Kurenai taught him a lot in terms of disguise, there is no room for error here, and so decides to refine Naruto's skills. But while he realizes that Kurenai's teaching is not enough, he appreciates how she taught Naruto to think of leaving behind "over-charged" clones to throw enemies off their trail. With that done with, Jiraiya's eager to get back to the village.
Tsunade, in her office, finishes up with a meeting with Hiashi; oddly enough, the meeting itself is not shown. Apparently, Hiashi didn't like the Raikage's plan, but was more amenable to it after the concessions- and even interested in those concessions. Tsunade wonders if Hiashi is planning something, but realizes that he has too much to lose from that, although she relishes the possibility of him being sent to the gallows (I have to wonder what the Leaf Village's method of capital punishment is), given that he considers her unqualified to lead.
Tsunade thinks about Hiruzen, who is running interference for her. She recalls how she's calling him by his given name, at his insistence, although I don't recall her calling him anything other than "Sarutobi-sensei," save for when she's referring to the time he was Hokage. That said, it's mentioned that "Retired or not, The Professor continued to teach."
Tsunade is able to get rid of Homura and Koharu, something she was unable to do in canon. It's a bit odd that they became completely irrelevant after Danzo's death, since Sasuke has no specific interest in killing them for their role in the Uchiha Massacre, but the fact that they stay on in spite of how Tsunade doesn't seem to like them and the feeling is mutual indicates that Tsunade can't just get rid of people she doesn't agree with.
Danzo, however, is better entrenched, as in canon, and supposedly was "allied with or had dirt on" the village council. Tsunade doesn't know this for sure, but it's enough to make her convinced that he's not to be trifled with, and that she was in some ways happier as a wandering alcoholic.
But Tsunade realizes that there are advantages to this. She finally can push through her medic-nin training program with a star prodigy that would embarrass Hiashi. She's also happy with the rest of Team Kurenai's progress, and the detailed reports Kurenai gives, enough to make Tsunade want to promote her to head the academy.
Hiruzen then arrives, along with Haku. He says he's doing better now that he's out of office, in spite of losing an arm and almost losing his life, Tsunade's less sure, and has Haku as his assistant. She cares for his well-being and needs him in a sentimental and practical sense.
Tsunade has convinced Hiruzen to give up smoking because of the (additional) health risks for someone in his condition. Apparently, Asuma somehow also gave up smoking, even though in canon, he only does so temporarily, when he's especially troubled ,and his Last Request is a final cigarette. Father and son are also getting along better, including playing shogi. It's nice to see that, since, while in canon, their relationship was apparently profesesional, their status as father and son was not confirmed until quite a while after Hiruzen's death and not long before Asuma's death. Still, it might have been nice to see a little more about how they reconciled in this fic, even if it is an incidental plot point.
After some pleasantries regarding Hiruzen's improving pulmonary health, they get to the point at which they say "You didn't come here to talk about (X)." Hiruzen wants to talk about the Raikage's offer, and knows that it's what Hiashi's unhappy about. Tsunade's unconcerned about Hiashi, and confident enough in the Raikage's guarantees for the purpose of seeing her cards that she goes forward with it.
Hiruzen then makes a cryptic remark to Killer Bee getting a chance to see two other jinchuuriki, but I don't recall him being this interested in them in canon; it took some convincing to get him to teach Naruto what he knew about his tailed beast, and he had hardly any interaction with Gaara. In any case, it's mentioned that he's loyal to his brother (although the relationship is slightly strained as a result of A wanting him kept in the village), and has a high amount of control over the Eight Tails.
Some of Gaara's Character Development from the canon Time Skip is mirrored here, and it's said that he had a damaged seal. All this is information Hiruzen has gained from his security clearance as Tsunade's advisor, and which his former teammates and advisors no longer have. In spite of their being dismissed, the two of them thought of Tsunade as the best possible candidate, even if they didn't like her. Danzo, however, is another matter entirely.
Hiruzen says that he supports the idea, and will even attend in her stead, as a former Hokage, so that Tsunade can keep tabs on the people she's concerned about.
Naruto, returning to Konoha, and standing in a queue leading to the gates, is tempted on jumping up and announcing that he's back, but decides not to, since he's dressed as a nondescript traveler, and people would think he was an idiot, which vaguely comes off as yet another Take That! to the canon Naruto. There's yet another reason; Naruto's on yet another training exercise, and if he succeeds, Jiraiya will handle the initial report and debriefing; one would think they would want Naruto there, so he could give his side, even if it's inconvenient and/or boring to him.
Of course, it turns out there's a reason for this. Jiraiya wants to privately discuss some things about Naruto. While that's on Naruto's mind, he also wants to eat, get a shower and see his friends. They then get through the line, to the now fully rebuilt village, and Jiraiya declares that Naruto has passed, albeit barely. With a parting remark about how Clothahump is right about Jiraiya, Naruto leaves.
As Naruto ponders the order in which he will deal with his tasks upon returning home, including getting rid o the itchy concealment for his whisker birthmarks, he thinks about Shino's family and wonders if they're like his own. He's somewhat jealous of Shino, but it's tempered by the fact that Shino fully appreciates what he has.
Naruto grows melancholy as he finds Kurenai's house, and wonders if Hinata can stay there if(which he realizes is the operative word) Tsunade gives her a break. He opens it up and finds that it's dusty, but the plants are well cared for, including Mr. Ukko. He's glad Hinata's caring for her plants, since it also gets her used to coming to the house.
While taking a shower, Naruto's mind returns to Kurenai's last letter, and ponders Hinata's loving him. He doesn't yet know how to feel about her, and has trouble sorting out that feeling from how Kurenai feels about her genin, and how he feels about ramen.
Naruto wonders why they don't teach it in the academy, and why even Kurenai had not taught it to him, and comes up with the answer. It's what normal families teach their children, a somewhat logical conclusion. Naruto then decides to find the answers himself.
Naruto gets out of the shower and changes into a clean "uniform" (It's been a while since it's been brought up, but "uniform" seems to refer to the clothes he wears on missions, even if he doesn't wear an actual uniform). He then finds Hinata unconscious but uninjured on the floor of the foyer and deposits her on the couch.
Hinata comes to, and Naruto gives a somewhat awkward greeting explaining that he happened to find Hinata on his way back into town. Hinata replies by saying that she was equally, if not more, surprised to see him, and I wonder if she passed out. Naruto offers Hinata ramen and she accepts.
Before they leave, Naruto has a task. He summons Clothahump and introduces him and Hinata to each other. He explains that this is Kurenai's house, and he wants to show him her books, and he's quite pleased. Naruto's not entirely comfortable with the praise, but Hinata's smile makes him feel as though he was when Kurenai praised him.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi is surprised and happy to see Naruto and Hinata. He's eager to try out some new ideas on Naruto and Hinata once they've settled in. Naruto hopes the ramen won't be ice cold, an idea that utterly horrifies the two of them. Teuchi recommends a Naruto Protein Special, the name of which was Hinata's idea.
Hinata, in spite of another Luminescent Blush, explains that it was the result of addressing Naruto's need for protein and other nutrients, and eventually became a ration that could be used for other ninjas. Ayame says that it costs more, but they can also put a special stamp on it and advertise it, resulting in it becoming quite popular among ninjas, who are willing to pay a premium for it.
Naruto's speechless for Hinata to start to wonder if it was a bad idea, but he quickly reassures her that he's fine with her using his name, declaring this the "Best. Homecoming. Ever."
As Naruto finishes his meal, he encounters Guy and his team, who order Naruto Protein Specials. They had yet another tough mission to retrieve Tora, the daimyo's wife's cat (one would think that even if none of them got promoted, they'd be beyond such menial tasks by now). Lee, however, enjoys it, getting a Death Glare from Tenten. Guy is pleased to hear that Naruto was able to disarm Kabuto the turtle, and that he may soon spar with The Four soon. Naruto groans at the prospect of joining Guy in the mornings, but is pleased when Shino welcomes him back in his own way.
Iruka is next for focus. Unlike Konohamaru, who's pleased to see his "eternal rival" again, Iruka has mixed feelings about Naruto's return. On the one hand, he's glad that Naruto's back, like Naruto's other friends and teachers, but on the other hand, there's the matter of Iruka's secret getting out, which causes him no end of embarrassment among Tsunade and his colleagues. Of course, Naruto kept quiet about it, and Iruka now owes Naruto a favor. Iruka wonders in passing if Naruto will deface the monument, clearly forgetting Naruto has outgrown it.
But it turns out that Naruto is the one who believes that he owes Iruka, and says that since Kurenai told him not to take advantage of others' generosity, he owes Iruka some bowls. Iruka, however, gently points out that in spite of being a great teacher, Kurenai is wrong this time, and that he wasn't doing it solely out of generosity, but because he enjoyed Naruto's company. He concludes by telling Naruto to make his own decisions about these matters, and Naruto understands what he's saying. It's nice to show that Kurenai isn't always right (although it's arguably a case of Naruto misunderstanding the motive in this case, thus meaning that he isn't following the advice 100% accuately), even if Iruka briefly stops to sing her praises.
Naruto understands what Iruka's getting at, and says there's a reason he came here- to ask Iruka about love. Iruka then realizes what Naruto asked of him and considers Naruto defacing the monument to be a pleasant alternative.
Iruka hears Naruto out and realizes that Kurenai is largely to blame, having spilled the beans in her "dead-mail" (Iruka has a few such letters, one of which is to Naruto). He laments that Kurenai told Naruto about Hinata's feelings without helping him understand those feelings, an oversight that is uncharacteristic of her. He assumes that Kurenai wanted to make things work out, while everyone else would have been content to let Hinata tell Naruto when she was ready. This is an interesting discussion of the ramifications of Kurenai's letter.
But now that Kurenai is dead and Naruto has read her letter, it falls on Iruka to tell Naruto, and he gives a basic description about love that touches on how love can empower or corrupt people. Iruka realizes that he's lecturing to Naruto, but Naruto's paying attention, possibly because he specifically requested this and wants to learn about this topic.
Iruka gets down to brass tacks and asks Naruto whether he could sacrifice his happiness for Hinata's. Naruto gives a tentative answer, but Iruka is adamant that Naruto should know what he wants.
Iruka asks what Naruto would do if Hinata's family were relocating to the Sand Village (I do have to wonder how people move from one ninja village to another; Temari and Karui live in the Leaf Village in the canon epilogue, but it's indicated that village relations have improved). Naruto, of course, points out the obvious flaw in this; the fact that Hinata would NOT be happy to go with her family. Iruka supposes that she gets along with them better in her case, but seems to indicate that Hinata and Hanabi are close in the fic (Hinata may care for her sister, but the feeling isn't mutual).
Naruto finds it hard to answer this question. He considers the fact that the Sand Village is an ally again, and suspects that it's unlikely that they'd fight, which impresses Iruka (although the fact that they were at war recently means that they might fight again). He then says that he'd ask Gaara and his siblings to look out for Hinata, and finally concludes that in this scenario, he'd tell Hinata to go with her family.
Iruka realizes that Naruto has feelings for Hinata, and goes into what kinds of love there are. Naruto understands that a mother's love for her children is different from the love she has for her husband, but still doesn't get it it entirely, even after the special seminar with the boys. Iruka's pleased that Tsunade does not have to assign refresher training to Naruto or Hinata, and from Naruto's reaction, discerns that he sees Hinata as a girl.
Naruto admits that he finds her attractive, but also sees a sort of beauty and grace in her movements, from cooking to helping him act around Shino's parents, to even helping others with medicine. All this is enough for Iruka to conclude that Naruto loves her, and Naruto seems less than surprised by this.The two part ways, and Teuchi reveals that he heard everything once he turned off the burners, and he's glad Iruka gave The Talk to Naruto.
All in all, this was an interesting conversation, one that we wouldn't see in a shounen manga with virtually no focus on romance. I suppose the fact that we hardly ever see this in canon for Naruto and many other series is why shipping is so popular, but few fanfics cover it in this much emotional depth.
The next morning, Shino finds Naruto on the outside of the Aburame complex, even though Naruto has no missions due to only having just returned. Shino is curious why Naruto wants to talk to him now, and what he wants to bring up that he didn't mention in their previous conversations since their return.
This isn't helped by Naruto beating around the bush, first by saying that he's thinking, then clarifying that it's about Hinata, then saying that he "likes" Hinata (prompting Shino to list Hinata's positive qualities). After a bit of pressing, Naruto says he might be in lovee with Hinata.
Naruto notices that Shino is not angry, and he says loving Hinata is a "fruitless" pursuit since everyone (except Naruto) knew about Hinata's love for Naruto. This is a bit of Fanon, as Hinata's crush on Naruto wasn't all that well known, apart from possibly Sakura and Kurenai. Shino goes on to say that those in the know didn't say anything, thinking it wasn't their place or hoping Hinata would tell Naruto herself (which sets them apart from Kurenai).
Naruto says that he only recently has started to learn about love, and. To his credit, Shino perfectly understands, and says it's all the more reason to not confess on Hinata's behalf.
The topic shifts away from Hinata and Naruto as Tsunade holds a secure meeting with the Jonin, having Jiraiya activate security seals. Tsunade tells the others about the Raikage's invitation and his ulterior motive.
Kakashi asks why they would oblige the Raikage, and Tsunade then, once again, explains her plan. It's pointed out that Kakashi's back to reading his book but hasn't been tardy as often, and his vices aren't interfering with training his team anymore. It seems that since the last time Kakashi's teaching methods were brought up, four chapters and five years ago, the author has not become any kinder to Kakashi.
Asuma asks if the Raikage, despite being a musclehead, will see through it, and Tsunade says that he's comfortable with known threats, and is willing to trade other advantages for knowledge, but it's an opportunity for the Leaf village.
Tsunade, however, insists that the Jonin only send teams that they know will be able to do well, saying that this is a show of strength, not a learning experience.
Kakashi nominates his team, who wouldn't accept not going, but I wonder how much the author will let his confidence be well-founded. If the author sets them up to get humiliated again, this will get ridiculous.
Asuma, on the other hand bows out, saying that they're not quite where he wants them to be, which is fair enough, given his mental lament when they're eating out after Shikamaru's promotion before turning to Chouji to express his concerns. Asuma says that while Shikamaru is ready, (I'll add, again, that he should be a Chunin by now), his strategic skills won't be as good for a civilian audience, which is also fair, given that Shikamaru realized that no one cared for his match.
Guy and Jiraiya don't hesitate to nominate Teams Guy and Kurenai, and Hiruzen announces that he will stand in for Kurenai, much to his son's surprise.
Jiraiya, although Not a Morning Person, meets with Team Kurenai after their training with Guy ends. He asks if they're ready and they say yes.
Naruto walks to the Hokage's tower with Hinata, who's finishing her indentured servitude. Hinata's distracted by Naruto's uncharacteristic pensiveness long enough for Naruto's fingers to wrap around hers. Their conversation starts off awkwardly, with them saying that they missed each other.
Naruto and Hinata then finally admit that they like each other. Naruto awkwardly asks Hinata if she would like to be his girlfriend. Hinata realizes that although she's hoped for this moment for as long as she can remember, she also has many fears- of whether she can be worthy of Naruto, of her father finding out, of Naruto growing tired of her and of her dragging him down to her level.
She does accept, but because Naruto is lonely, just like she is. They embrace, but it's a less happy moment than one would expect, and Hinata feels like crying.
I... honestly don't know where to begin with this one. Most of what comes to mind ties back to what I said about Hinata's earlier struggles with self-esteem, and the rest ties back to my suggestion that it might not have been a good idea for Kurenai to disclose Hinata's feelings in her final letter. People may be divided over how the ships turned out in canon, but Hinata stepping up to defend Naruto from Pain while confessing her love in Chapter 437 and bringing him to his senses and restoring his hope in Chapter 615 were both awesome ways in which she not only demonstrated her love for Naruto, but also how far she has come in canon, developments she still has yet to make in this fic.
To sum it up, this is hardly the Crowning Moment of Heartwarming I had hoped it would be, given that Hinata still has yet to grow out of her flaws, and fulfill the other part of her feelings for Naruto- her desire to become like him and gain his respect. As such, I'm still waiting for the real start of Naruto and Hinata's romance.
The author says that even though it's been a long time coming, the confession is here, thanks Runsamok, Tempst and Torbin, and promotes an original story from his Patreon site.
What I liked
- The upcoming Cloud Village Chunin Exam retest seems like a promising storyline.
- Hinata at least partly getting over her shame regarding her family when talking to Shizune.
- Good discussion of medical ninjutsu
- Some looking at what Naruto feels for Hinata.
- Iruka saying Kurenai isn't always right.
What I didn't like
- Assuming that the council prevented the Chunin promotions.
- Shikamaru not becoming a Chunin.
- Kurenai's being shilled from beyond the grave continues.
- Kakashi bashing.
- Naruto asking Hinata to be his girlfriend was quite depressing, given that Hinata still hasn't gotten any more confident in herself.
