Naruto has been waiting for this day since forever. He just couldn't wait to see the astonished face of Hinata. Today was his girlfriend's birthday, Hinata.

At first, he was panicking on what to get her. Any kind of jewelry or clothing of any sort would be meaningless since Hinata couldn't wear them on missions and that she was never a material girl. Naruto wanted it to be extra special since he was the type of person that wanted the best for the best.

And then it hit him. Clicked right into his head. That would be the perfect gift.

Hinata is so going to jump for joy.

"I am really sorry to give a mission on your birthday, Hinata." Tsunade said. She handed the printed mission to her. Since Konoha was facing issues with Otogakure, Tsunade had little time to explain the missions so she resolved the problem by making Shizune print the missions on paper.

"It's okay, Hokage-san." Hinata bowed her head, took the sheet, and head back to her home to prepare for the mission. The air was chilly outside and the sky seemed so vast and dark, it might have swallowed Hinata. The only sources of light were the dim street lamps, the occasional car and motorcycle whizzing by, and the pale full moon.

When Hinata got to her clan's mansion, she kicked off her ninja sandals and walked to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, not feeling tired at all from her easy mission that day. After, she walked into her room with the scent of lavender surrounding her. The heiress sank onto her white mattress. While she was reading the mission paper, she was changing into her pajamas so she can go to bed.

At the end of a perfectly normal day, she saw something bizarre. Something bizarre on the mission report.

"That's strange…Tsunade sent me an A-rank mission. I'm still a Chunnin, I shouldn't be getting this level yet." The big, bold letters 'A-rank' was printed on the head of the paper.

She kept on reading; the puzzled look on her face gradually twisted the expression into a traumatized stare. The mission report read,

"A-rank mission…Meet at Ichiraku at 3:30pm….Bring no weapons, pills, food, and explosive tags…Wear no ninja clothing, just comfortable clothing that you are not afraid to get dirty…Your mission leader will be Uzumaki Naruto...Directions will be fully provided at Ichiraku…There will be no need to turn in a mission report…"

Hinata felt slightly dazed; it was not normal to not write a mission report. It was almost as crazy as saying, "Wear brittle high-heels since we will be jumping on mountains to reach the other side of the world."

But if it's a mission, it is a mission Hinata will accept.

With only a few hours to regenerate her body, Hinata climbed into the bed without another thought and slept soundly. Little did she know that tomorrow was going to be an odd surprise.

The monotone alarm woke Hinata. She had a great night sleeping, dreaming that she was with Naruto and they were watching the sunset go down. The sunset was so beautiful and she sat so snugly in Naruto's strong arms, Hinata felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

Well, enough of that peaceful dream! Hinata still had a mission to take of.

"Best to finish it as soon as possible so I can go celebrate my birthday with my friends." Hinata mumbled at she slipped into a black tank top and sweats. Black was ideal for hiding in the dark and the tank top and sweats were comfortable. Then she combed her hair with an ivory comb, a gift from her grandmother, slipped on her ninja sandals, and headed out to Ichiraku.

Outside was still dark and the neighborhood was filled with complete silence. The star and moon were still outside. Hinata couldn't help but gaze at them in wonder for a second. Nature was always one of her favorite things to inspect and relax in.

She finally arrived at Ichiraku. It was so strange, seeing Ichiraku down with no delicious smells of ramen and the busy chatter of people. Then she spotted a pair of blue eyes watching her.

"Hey, Hinata-chan!" Naruto said with much enthusiasm.

"That's strange...he doesn't usually arrive early to missions...Well, maybe it's because he's the mission captain this time." Hinata thought this to herself, not showing her surprise to Naruto.

"Hello, Naruto-kun." With their quarrels and hugging (which Hinata considered pretty intimate), Hinata didn't blush and faint as much around Naruto anymore.

"Well, it's only you that I'm leading today, so let's get started!" Naruto shot his fist into the air. "We don't want the mission to take up your whole birthday!"

Hinata giggled at Naruto's excitement. "H-hai!" Hinata shyly shot her fist into the air along with him.

Naruto grinned his famous, happy grin and looks at his paper. "Okay so...I--huh?"

"What is it?"

"Haha...er...it says blindfold Hinata-chan and take her onto a boat."

"Nani?!" Hinata now seriously thought that this mission had officially gone bonkers.

"Yep! Yeppity-yep-yep! Okay so, on with the blindfold!" Naruto whipped out a blindfold and walked to Hinata.

"Bu-but, where are we going?!" Hinata stuttered, taking steps backwards as Naruto took forward steps.

"Aw shit! Questions, questions, questions!" Naruto moaned inwardly while grinning widely. It was surprising that his face muscles weren't sore.

"Uh...it says not to tell you. But don't worry, it's safe." Naruto told the panicking Hinata.

Hinata told a big gulp. She liked going on boats, but when her eyes were closed she would get seasick. If she got seasick and threw up, then Naruto probably won't like her anymore!

"You're such a drama queen!" Hinata mentally slapped herself. "Don't be afraid, Naruto will protect you!! He's a Jounin anyway."

"Hai..." Hey, at least she agreed with the plan.

"Perfect! Okay so turn around Hinata..." Naruto tied the black cloth around her head, making sure the cloth won't tangle her soft navy locks.

Naruto guided Hinata to Konoha's river with his hand on her shoulder. Hinata certainly felt secure but not enough secure if she couldn't see. When she considered using Byakugan, but Naruto apparently read her mind and said, "No Byakugan, Hinata-chan!"

Once they reached onto the river's dock, he sat her onto a wooden canoe. After, Naruto hopped on and started to row the canoe.

Hinata was surprised; the motion that Naruto was row was powerful and steady, preventing her from getting seasickness.

She slowly relaxed and after a few minutes, bent her head backwards. Naruto caught this small motion and quickly got his hand and guided Hinata's head onto his lap. Hinata gave a small smile. He knew exactly what she wanted.

"Uh-oh, I'm going to be late..." Naruto muttered, checking his watch. He started to row harder, his well developed muscles flexing with every stroke.

"Late for what?" Hinata asked, catching the small words issued from his mouth.

"Oh, its nothing."

"Hmm..." Hinata detected the waver in Naruto's voice. "He's hiding something."

For now, she decided to ignore that little fact. "It's a mission," Hinata reminded herself. Closing her eyes, her mind drifted into streams of thoughts. It was so comfy and peaceful, to hear to water moving and resting on Naruto's lap. She was glad that he was her boyfriend. He was a complicated man, at such a young age to face hardships. Naruto endured it all, by being positive and seeing the world differently. He savored life more fully than others. Maybe that was what first attracted her to him.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hinata felt her insides jump slightly at Naruto's sudden question. It brought her back from her silent state. This made Hinata even more grateful, Naruto allowing silence around the two of them so Hinata can clear her thoughts.

"Mmm...good things."

Both knew that Hinata was thinking about Naruto.

"Oh, we're here." Naruto spoke. Hinata unwillingly got up. "I'll undo the bandanna for you."

"There."

Hinata felt as if her heart almost stopped.

She wasn't so sure where they were, but the place was so clean, so new, and so...pure.

"Is this a mission or...what?"

The river that Naruto rowed took her into a lake. The sun was about to rise, with the sky molted into reds and pinks.

Hinata noticed all of her surroundings. Every sound, every thought, every sight, was beautiful. Her senses woke up, enjoying the spectacular setting. The trees held small pieces of broken sunlight. Their leaves were lush and green. The air was invigorating and fresh, with sounds of honking and squawking. Geese and swans were crowded around them. Some areas were so bird infected, that you couldn't see the water below. Hinata could probably reach over and touch the animals within an arm length. At least most of the birds ignored them. The only ones that minded were the birds that made way for them.

"There must be at least a thousand of them." Hinata realized that her mouth was slightly hung open; she closed it.

"Happy birthday, Hinata-chan." Naruto hugged her, giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"Wha-wha-wha-what?" Hinata couldn't stop stuttering. A few hours ago, she was expecting a hard mission, and now it was a birthday present?

"I knew you would love it. I discovered this place when I was doing on my missions. It's not on any country's territory, so this place is new to many."

"It's wonderful. Thank you, Naruto." Tears welted up into her eyes. This was one of her most amazing experiences with nature and Naruto.

"We'll watch the sun come up, okay?"

A movement of Hinata's arm and a sniff was heard. "Okay."

"Aww...I made you cry again!"

"No no, these are happy tears Naruto."

"Oh okay then...Here you can lean on me." Naruto took her shoulder and gently seated her back onto his chest.

Hinata sat peacefully and stretched her arm to stroke the birds. Naruto did the same.

After a while, Naruto shared some bread with Hinata and they both fed the birds. Hinata favored the small young ones and the white swans. Naruto fed them to the ugly birds, saying that they were like him, ugly and always hungry.

"Yay! I threw the bread farther than Hinata-chan!" Naruto gave her a smug expression, making Hinata giggle with delight. They were having a bread throwing contest.

After the sun started rising up, and the couple rested in each others arms, staring at the sun and the sky. The sky was turning from a dark blue into a purple. Then came red and pink. It was extraordinary and nothing could be more perfect for Hinata. With the amazing birthday gift, Hinata felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Just like the dream she had last night.

A sigh came from Hinata's lips. "I love you, Naruto."

A tender kiss was delivered onto Hinata's smooth forehead.

"Me too, Hinata-chan."