Champion | A NaruHina Story |

Chapter 5

Here's the back to back update. I'm getting close to the focus of this story with the coming updates. Again, thank you for reading!

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Hinata had done it now, it had been just a couple of days since that morning with the proposition. She went ahead and told her closest friend what had transpired minus the bigger details. And once she told the pink-haired girl, a certain blonde ponytail girl was told by her closest friend, and before she knew it all spread like wildfire.

Her friends all knew about her departure, yes she agreed in the end. It was her decision from the beginning. She didn't mind that her friends knew, it was more with the fact that she had to face her father with the news. For starters, she knew he would never let her go, despite her eighteenth birthday just weeks away. She knew her father would keep her here. 

As for her group of friends, Naruto the Merchant was not the merchant they all thought. Yes, all of them had seen the blonde before. But like the rest of the merchants and shop owners, they didn't pay mind to him, they knew he existed but never really spoke to the man. Now he was the center focus of her group of friends. Who was he? What exactly is the training her? Why would she agree to a year-long trip with a man she barely knew? All these questions were honest ones. But even Hinata didn't have answers to these questions, in the grand scheme of things, it did look absurd for her to accept such a proposal, but she trusted him, even after a month of meeting him, she felt comfortable enough with the blonde.

I'm going to kill Sakura!!

She was worried her father would catch wind of these truthful rumors. She wanted to be the one to tell him, and at the moment, that's what she battled inside. A way to tell him.

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Naruto had finished the last rounds of selling the last of his crops. He would let the men running the stands know that he would no longer deliver the weekly goods. They all inquired and renegotiated contracts, but Naruto simply let them know he was moving on from here. In return, he received parting gifts and prayers to his next destination. He hadn't realized just how much influence he had on these merchants. He thought he was just another face in the crowd, but no. He was going to remain in their minds of the coming time.

That's the last of it.

Naruto hoisted the empty baskets and gifts onto the back of his wagon. He pulled his straw hat out and placed it on the seat of his carriage, he then walked toward the mouth of his horse and removed the reins that were tied to the post.

All while this was happening, someone began walking in his direction. Naruto acknowledged his presence long ago but didn't react. It more like he didn't want to. He just wanted to go home and get ready to pack.

The footsteps stopped and remained there in silence. Naruto continued what he was doing completely ignoring the man behind him.

"Sorry but I already sold all my goods. You can catch it at the merchants in town," Naruto said nonchalantly as he finally undid the reins. 

"Are you Naruto?" Said the voice behind him.

Naruto finally turned to acknowledge the man behind him, he had a set of spiky brown hair, his eyes were almost slit-like with a set of what he thought were ridiculous markings on the sides of his face. If memory serves him correctly, this man was Hinata's previous partner.

Naruto clicked his tongue and let out a slow breath "Yeah, I am."

"I'm Kiba," he stuck his hand out to greet the blonde reluctantly. They shook hands as a sign of respect, however, Naruto noted the grip on his end was harder than usual.