❛ i want to stay with you now and forever,
until i die. i want to be with you, hinata. ❜
❛ that is why i'm not afraid to die protecting
you! because. . .i love you, naruto. ❜
꒰ 🌓 ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟa collection of oneshots for the
beautiful love found in...
Sakura first noticed it, of course, on the very mission that brought them truly together. When he brought her up to the sky and (she suspected) they kissed. But afterward, when Naruto and Hinata joined the rest of the team, his face was mostly serene. Peaceful. Sure.
It was a strange and yet quite beautiful thing to see on Naruto's whiskered face. Hinata looked as if leaving his side would physically pain her.
It wasn't until later, during the little moments, that Sakura saw her effect on him.
'Team 7 bonding time' was replaced with, "Sakura-chan, can you come to Ichiraku's with Hinata and I?" followed by his suggesting she bring whoever she'd like, if that made her want to come more, and he was asking because he thought Hinata might be more comfortable with another girl there.
Sakura saw it when he picked up the habit of reaching for Hinata's hand whenever she was near him, almost unintentionally. When his face seemed a bit lighter when she came around.
She saw it when Hinata left for missions, or he had to leave himself. Naruto had never fancied leaving his home, despite wanting nothing more than to prove himself as a child, and the feeling increased tenfold when he had things keeping him there. It wasn't just the desire to become Hokage anymore. It wasn't just acquaintances or faces he could barely put a name to. Naruto had friends waiting in Konoha for him. But more importantly, he had Hinata.
Sakura recognized that extra spark of brightness the biggest when they had their first son. When he carried Boruto to work because Hinata was busy elsewhere, when he let the small boy hang onto his fingers and play around his legs while he talked with other shinobi. When Naruto placed that baby boy in his lap and occupied him like he was born for the job, and Hinata showed him how to be a father, Sakura saw it.
He smiled so much brighter with Hinata.
Iruka picked up on the slight shift in his former student the very first day. The soonest he was able to see Naruto after the mission to the moon, Iruka sat and ate ramen with him. He was joyful, good-natured, grinning, loud——but none of that tipped him off.
It was when the Hyuuga girl walked by and Naruto stared, noodles halfway into his mouth and broth dripping onto the table in front of him. When his smile dropped for a moment because his vision tunneled and all he saw was that woman, Iruka knew.
Then Naruto turned, chewed and swallowed his almost-forgotten bite, and looked back up at his mentor.
He smiled so much brighter with Hinata.
Sasuke felt it. He'd come back to the village, stopped what could've been a disaster, and stuck around to see the rest of his old team. Sakura, specifically.
Naruto was holding hands with that girl from the Academy. Except she wasn't a girl anymore, she was a woman. And Naruto shone so blindingly bright that Sasuke squinted because he hadn't thought the boy of sunshine could grow any brighter.
And Naruto had to say goodbye to her, Hinata, and it all dimmed for a moment. Sasuke briefly wondered what had changed between them. But he hadn't been home and he supposed it was bound to happen. One thing was for sure.
He smiled so much brighter with Hinata.
And Kakashi?
Well, Naruto's old sensei knew from the beginning. A hunch, perhaps.
Naruto was just a little bit more Naruto with Hinata at his side.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
꒰ 🌓 ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟa / n
naruhina from outside eyes is so interesting to write.
this is very poorly proofread so please excuse any errors. i hope you enjoyed! hello to any new readers *waves*
aaand i'm writing a naruhina fic so i might share an excerpt from that shortly; i would really appreciate feedback if i do!
sayonara <3
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