Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Hinata, you're already twenty-seven. Even Hanabi, who's twenty-two, is already engaged to Konohamaru! Isn't it about time you find yourself a partner?"

"Don't you mean you want me to find someone who can tone down Konohamaru-san's liveliness?" Hinata asked incredulously. Hiashi gave her a sheepish look.

"That, too." She sighed.

"You've already prepared something haven't you?" Her father grinned, "Indeed! I've prepared a blind date for you. If, however, you find the other party unsuitable or not to your liking, you may reject him and go on another blind date!"

"... I assume I'm required to go on blind dates every day until I find a person who piques my interest?" She asked.

"I was actually going to say that you could try it out for a month since you would get tired eventually, but since you suggested it, I guess it's fine with me."

Great. She just dug herself a hole.

Hinata started to space out as the day was about to end. She had honestly, without doubt, wanted to follow the plan. She really did, but if there was one thing that would restrict her, it was her clan.

Everyone knew that the Hyūgas were a prestigious clan, and thus feared it. Not because it was powerful, but because of the clan members themselves. If there was one thing that other clans or civilians didn't know, it was that as long as all the clan members were outside the compound, their cold façade would be switched on. The truth was so ridiculous, it would make a genjutsu speicalist doubt his or her own strength.

All Hyūgas were mushy chumps.

And it was EXACTLY because no one knew the truth that every single one of her blind dates would result a failure, even if she had found some people that probably met the requirements.

She snapped out of her trance, realising that her date was about to give The Speech.

"Hyūga-san, I am honoured to be able to go on such a youthful date with someone as youthful as you. However, I think that I myself am not youthful enough to match up to the standards of your youthful clan. I must unyouthfully apologise that I am unyouthfully unable to go out with you, Hyūga-san."

Why she was on a blind date with a man in a green spandex, claimed everything as 'youthful'or 'unyouthful', talked about this 'Springtime Of Youth' that she could simply not understand, she had no idea. Was 'unyouthful' even a word?

Hinata started to recite her own speech, which she had already used for all of her previous three hundred and sixty three dates, smiling softly, "I-I'ts alright, Lee-san. I u-understand your reason. If I weren't a clan member myself, I would have d-done the same thing. I hope that we will s-see again some time in the future, Lee-san. It was a pleasure meeting you."

The clan members sighed. How was it possible for three hundred and sixty four dates to fail? The next day would officially mark a year since the whole event started.

Neji spoke up," I think it's about time that we stop this, Hinata-sama. We should allow fate to determine the outcome of your future and-" "I would like to go on one more date. After all, tomorrow may be different. Is that okay with everyone?"

"Hinata-sama, I believe that you should not defy fate. Fate is absolute. Fate cannot be avoided. Fate-"

He was interrupted once again. "Neji-nii-san, I am sure that tomorrow will be part of 'fate'. Besides, it's just another date. What could possibly go wrong?"

If there was one thing she would never have expected, it was what she was doing right now.

Eating ramen with a blonde-haired man with whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each side, and had baby blue eyes, which she thought was cute. He wasn't that bad, really, and she could probably care less about his black and orange tracksuit.

Probably.

At least it suited him.

"Hey, you're a Hyūga, right? I mean, with those Byakugunny-"

"Byakugan."

"- eyes of yours?"

"Y-yes. Is... is there a problem?"

Naruto blinked. "Nah..."

She waited.

"... Do you know Hanabi?"

"She's m-my younger sister, Naruto-kun."

He beamed, "So you're Konohamaru's sister-in-law? Cool!"

"You know Konohamaru-san?"

He snorted. "'Know' is such an understatement. He accused me of tripping him when it was actually caused by his scarf, started calling me 'boss' and even copied my kabuki ninja registration photo. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I'm so proud of him," Naruto sniffed.

Hinata giggled for a few seconds before pausing.

'Boss'?

Hours passed, too quickly for her liking. Over that small period of time, it had been registered in her mind that she was attracted to his bright, outgoing personality. She also realised that he was acquinted with everyone, including foreign ninjas or tourists whom she did not recognise.

Once again, the time to bid each other farewell had come.

And she wasn't ready for that.

She had never felt this way before- she wanted to spend more time with him, wanted for time to stop, wanted to be with him for life-

She wanted him.

She watched as his mouth opened and started speaking.

"You know, Hinata, if there was one thing that I found out today, it's that you're an amazing and awesome girl. You come from a great clan, you have a great family, and you're too good for me."

It was like her heart had stopped beating and had pummeled to the ground. An air of melanchony surrounded her and she felt faint as blood drained from her face.

Why did it have to be like that? Would everything had been different if she had been born from a smaller clan, or even as a civilian? Would he have accepted her if she wasn't a Hyūga?

Why? Why did everything have to be like this? She thought he was different. She thought he would have accepted her. She thought-

She thought that he felt the same for her.

Her fists clenched as tears threatened to spill. It pained her to say what she always did at the end of her dates. She didn't want to, but she had to.

"I-"

"But I don't care! Be it you're from some other holy clan or even the daughter of a Kage, I could care less. I want to spend my entire life with you, have a family and maybe kids- I want you, Hinata! And even if you don't want me, I'll chase you to the end of the world, even if I have to start a war! I'll do whatever it takes, just like how I'm gonna be Hokage one day! Believe it!"

Something in her snapped as tears rained down her cheeks. She threw herself at him and cried out, "Me too, Naruto-kun! I can't bear the thought of not being with you!"

He wrapped his arms around her. "Dattebayo!"

"No."

She gaped.

"Father! You said you would let me choose my own partner! How can you reject him?!"

Hiashi sighed. "He's too much of a commoner! He doesn't have a clan- he's an orphan, no less. Who knows what kind of trouble he could bring us?"

Silence filled the room. After a while, Konohamaru spoke slowly, as though he was talking to a young toddler.

"Hiashi-sama, Naruto-nii-chan is from the Uzumaki Clan, the one that helped to build Konoha. He's related to Mito Uzumaki-sama, the wife of Senju Hashirama-sama, the First Hokage. He's the son of Kushina Uzumaki, the Red-Hot Habareno and the Yellow Flash, Yondaime-sama. He's the student of Rokudaime-sama, Kakashi Hatake, the copy-ninja of a thousand jutsu, who was the student Yondaime-sama. His godfather is Jiraiya, one of the Sannins, the Toad Sage, who taught Yondaime-sama, and he himself was taught by my grandfather, the Third Hokage. Rokudaime-sama even announced that Naruto-nii-chan would be his successor, the Seventh Hokage yesterday. Didn't you hear?"