Chapter 185
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"Oops! This is so cool!" Naruto exclaimed, laughing even as a snowball hit him squarely.
"Hahaha! Got him!" The other kids cheered, emboldened by their advantage in numbers. Despite being outnumbered, Naruto wasn't one to give up so easily.
"Hinata, don't just watch! Come join in!" He called out, glancing back to see his friend still standing on the sidelines. Surprised by her hesitation, he smiled encouragingly.
"...Oh!" Hinata replied, still a bit unsure but unable to stand by any longer as Naruto kept getting pelted with snowballs.
Determined, she finally decided to join the fray. Swoosh! She threw a small snowball, though her aim was good. It seemed to fall apart mid-air, hardly making an impact. Still, it was a start.
"Whoa! Watch out, that girl is also attacking!" one of the kids shouted as Hinata's snowballs hit with surprising accuracy.
"Hahaha! Well done, Hinata!" Naruto cheered, grinning widely. "Keep it up!"
"Yeah!" Hinata responded, her voice brighter now, encouraged by Naruto's praise. She threw her next snowball with even more confidence, her aim steady and sure.
With Hinata by his side, Naruto felt a wave of relief. The pressure was off, and the snowball fight became a fierce but fun battle. Laughter echoed across the snowy field as two groups of children, who had only just met, found joy in the playful chaos.
Meanwhile, the guards meant to watch over them had been cleverly led away by Kakashi's clone, leaving the children free to enjoy their moment of carefree fun, unnoticed for a while longer.
—
"It's a pleasure to sign this peace agreement with you. I truly hope the friendship between Konoha and the Kumo will last forever!" said one of the Konoha representatives, his tone warm and hopeful.
"Of course, we from the Hidden Cloud Village also value this hard-earned peace," Tsuchidai responded, though his expression was less enthusiastic.
After half a month of tense and stumbling negotiations, with the arrival of the Cloud Village envoy led by Tsuchidai, the two sides finally reached an agreement and signed a respectable peace treaty in Konoha Village.
While Konoha's Homura celebrated the occasion with visible delight, Tsuchidai's mood remained somber. The terms of the agreement offered little benefit to the Cloud Village, and Tsuchidai knew that once the details became known back home, there would be uproar among his people.
But there was no avoiding it.
With Iwagakure getting wind of the situation, the Cloud Village had little choice but to make some concessions under pressure from both sides.
"Goodbye, Toshiro!" B called out cheerfully. "When I have my concert, I'll definitely invite you!"
In Konoha's northern camp, with the arrival of the Cloud Village envoy, B was giving his final farewell to Toshiro. His reluctance to part was obvious, causing the nearby Kumo ninjas to frown.
If B weren't the Raikage's trusted brother, they might have suspected he'd been swayed by Konoha's charm.
"Ahh, I hope the next time we meet, it won't be on the battlefield!" Toshiro said with a grin. "When that day comes, we'll have a proper drink!"
Seeing B's rare serious demeanor, Toshiro couldn't help but feel a certain fondness for the man. His laid-back attitude made the past few days quite enjoyable. It was no surprise B had bonded with the Eight-Tails.
"When you do come, visit our Cloud Village. Our Kumogakure sake is renowned across the ninja world!" B flashed a wide smile, waving farewell as he led the Cloud Ninjas away from Konoha's camp, still rapping his usual tune as he departed.
After completing their mission, Toshiro, Kushina, and the others didn't linger at the front-line camp for long. They quickly packed up and headed back to the village. Kushina, in particular, was anxious, having been away from Naruto for nearly ten days. Since his birth, this had been the longest she'd been apart from her son.
She couldn't help but worry about how he was doing without her. But upon her return to Konoha, when she finally saw Naruto...
"Naruto... Mommy's back!"
Kushina's heart filled with relief as she watched Naruto happily build a snowman with children his age. She nodded in acknowledgment toward Kakashi, who was discreetly watching over Naruto from the shadows.
"Welcome back, Kaa-chan!" Naruto shouted, running into Kushina's arms with enthusiasm.
Naruto, completely ignoring the dirt on his clothes, excitedly clung to Kushina. After all, it had been over ten days since they last saw each other, and despite having made many new friends, he had missed her dearly.
"Mom, this is my new friend, Hinata Hyuga!" Naruto exclaimed. The moment he remembered his new friend, he quickly wriggled out of his mother's embrace and eagerly introduced a shy girl with short blue-black hair.
"… H-Hello, Kushina-san," Hinata stammered. "I... I'm Naruto's new friend, Hinata Hyuga... Please take care of me."
Despite having grown more confident playing with Naruto over the past few days, the sight of his mother made Hinata nervous again. Still, she bravely greeted Kushina, her voice soft but sincere.
In a way, it was all thanks to the situation with the Cloud Ninjas. For the past few days, Hiashi Hyuga had been too preoccupied with matters involving his younger brother to keep an eye on his daughter's training. This gave Hinata the chance to sneak away and play.
"So, your name is Hinata? Such a shy little one!" Kushina smiled warmly, her gaze softening as she looked at the shy girl. "Naruto can be a handful—he didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"
Seeing Hinata's flushed face and timid demeanor reminded Kushina of her younger self with Minato. Her heart warmed, and she gazed at Hinata even more gently than she did her own son.
"If Naruto gives you any trouble, just let me know! Aunt Kushina will set him straight!"
Kushina then thought to herself, 'I'll have to step up my game—after all, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan will need an extraordinary dowry someday!'
The situation hadn't even progressed that far, yet the ever-optimistic Kushina was already thinking about all the possibilities that lay ahead.
"Hinata, it's almost lunchtime, and I just got back today. How about you come over to Auntie's house as a guest?" Kushina smiled warmly, extending the invitation with a soft tone, noticing the time.
"Auntie's Fried Chicken is really Delicious!"
"Oh, no... I wouldn't want to impose!" Hinata stammered, clearly flustered.
"It's perfectly fine! We rarely have guests over, and it's such a pleasure to meet such a sweet girl like you today. It's settled!" Kushina's enthusiasm left no room for refusal.
"But... but..." Hinata, overwhelmed by Kushina's kindness, found it hard to turn down the offer, especially with such warmth radiating from her.
Hinata's traditional upbringing had prepared her to politely decline the invitation, even though she felt flustered by Kushina's warmth.
"I really shouldn't... It would be too intrusive! Besides, my family might start to worry," Hinata replied softly, her voice filled with hesitation.
"What a well-mannered child!" Kushina's smile only grew brighter at the refusal, her affection for the shy girl deepening.
"In that case, how about Auntie walks you home instead?" she suggested warmly. "And no refusing this time!" she added playfully, already anticipating Hinata's modesty.
Kushina, with the unique sensing abilities of the Uzumaki clan, could feel the gentle and shy nature radiating from Hinata's chakra, reinforcing her fondness for the little girl. This encounter only strengthened the thoughts quietly forming in her mind.
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