A Growing Affection

Chapter 69: April 20th

"Hello, Naruto," Hiashi Hyuga inclined his head as he opened the door to the estate.

"Are  you and Hinata training today?" the clan leader asked suspiciously,  noting the younger man's civilian cloths, backpack, and cooler instead  of his uniform and equipment.

"Nah, we're still taking it easy  after the Trials," Uzumaki shook his head, "But we don't want to get too  out of practice, so we're not just going to veg out like yesterday.  We're going swimming, and then I'm gonna make lunch. And we're gonna  play the afternoon by ear."

"Well, you two did work hard, I  suppose two days off isn't out of the question..." Hiashi told his  daughter's boyfriend, only half joking. Then the elder Hyuga glanced  sideways, his face becoming pensive.

"Is something wrong?" the  teen asked, craning his head slightly to see what Hiashi was looking at.  But he didn't see anything, and the clan leader quickly composed  himself.

"I just think it would be a bad idea to leave you alone  here at this point," he told Naruto carefully. The younger man nodded  appreciably.

"Hanabi still in a bad mood?"

"You could say that," Hiashi noted with mixed emotions.

"Naruto,"  Hinata smiled as she ran up. Like her beloved, she was wearing civilian  apparel, and had a backpack designed for recreation rather than combat.

"Good morning, Hinata," the blonde man embraced her happily, but given the audience, withheld the kiss he wanted to lay on her.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked, and she nodded joyfully.

"You two have fun," Hiashi told them warmly after Hinata stepped outside.

"Thank you, Father, we will," Hinata smiled sincerely at her progenitor.

"See  you later, old man," Uzumaki added affectionately, as the couple  started to walk away. Naruto reached out and gently took Hinata's hand  in his own. They walked in contented silence, until they reached the  outer wall of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Hey," Naruto suddenly remembered, "Did you talk to Neji? What did he say?"

"My  brother would not tell us about the council's deliberations," Hinata  told him, "But he did say that the results will be announced on  Wednesday."

"Great," Naruto frowned, "Now I'll be distracted tomorrow, too."

"We'll just have to find some way to take your mind off the Trials," Hinata suggested.

"Well,  we could go back to working on the Doton: Rasengan," he mused, "Even if  the earth chakra strings are thicker and less flexible, we should be  able to find a way to form the sphere..."

"No work talk today," she told him, pouting sternly, "We need to relax."

"I'm  always relaxed with you, Hinata," he squeezed her hand, then joked,  "Well maybe not when someone is trying to kill us, but you know, the  rest of the time."

She moved in closer, letting go of his hand so  she could link their arms and lean her head on his shoulder. After  almost an hour of tranquil strolling, the forest around the path began  to thin, and the roar of the waterfall could be heard. They broke  through moments later, stepping onto the sandy beach surrounding the  pool at the base of the falls. The morning sun was especially warm for  April, and the cool spray from the crashing water was welcome.

The  couple separated to unpack. Naruto checked that the cooler was sealed  tightly, then submerged it in the sand and cool water at the edge of the  river, to help keep it chilled. Hinata had already set out her towel by  the time he returned, and was in the process of removing her skirt and  t-shirt. Naruto's jaw and tote dropped in unison.