Chapter 2: The Village of Dragon Fire

                                    

                                          
Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Prologue – Arc 1: The Soul Robber
.
Chapter 2: The Village of Dragon Fire
.
The  giant octopus monster has been defeated for now. The people of the  village were all there thanking the Konoha-nin for their help, but  unfortunately, the village's leader was nowhere to be seen.
"Can we really stay here without the leader's permission?" asks Hinata.
"Don't  worry, we'll ask him when he'll come back. For now we'll take our  vacation until he comes back, if he ever does." answers Naruto.
Naruto  grabs Hinata's hand and goes to join Shikamaru in the village's hostel.  The smart head of the group is ordering their stay places.
"Excuse  me?" asks Shikamaru to the hostel's receptionist. "Good morning. Are  there any rooms left? We'd like to take 4 if possible."
"Yes, Good morning and Welcome!" answers the young looking lady. "Of course there are. Do they have to be near to each other?"
"Not necessarily."
"4 chambers? but we're 5." asks Hinata to Shikamaru.
"Yes but you and Naruto are a couple now. Isn't it okay for you to share the same room?"
"Oh? Well, I guess it is..."
"Here  you go!" says the receptionist, "Your rooms are outside at the end of  the courtyard. My name is Natsuri Yokawa. Come to me if you have any  question or need anything."
"Thank you, We'll remember this advice, miss Yokawa." answers Shikamaru speaking for everyone.
"You're  still as good as usual with the all the talk things Shikamaru" says  Naruto, "you'd really make a good advisor for the Hokage."
"What  are you saying? I just asked for rooms in an almost empty hotel because  none of you was there already, it wasn't that much of a drag."
"Yeah, don't know... I just wanted to say that."
"I guess I'll end up as the seventh's advisor in a few years, is it?"
"Yeah, Who knows?" says Naruto, a bit embarrassed by Shikamaru's lack of goof.
"I do."
"... Well, yes. Of course you..." answers Naruto after a brief silence.
He  feels awkward. Maybe Shikamaru is sick of him still bragging about  becoming the Hokage when it just became obvious at this point. Or maybe  he's just tired, he looks really tired. Naruto was just now standing  there, hoping for someone to change the subject and save him from this  moment.
"So should we go to check our rooms now?" says Hinata to help Naruto out of his embarrassment.
"Ok  you can all stay and take a break. I'll go around the village searching  for some information about it and the leader." suggested Sakura.
"Great, I'll just go inspect the hotel's restaurant, I'm already starving!" says Choji. "Shikamaru, you with me?"
"Sigh... I guess. You probably don't have any money and someone's got to pay for whatever you're gonna buy."
"Naruto, ..." says Hinata holding Naruto's hand, "... Come with me."
Naruto  just lets Hinata go dragging him with her. The group dispatched, only  Sakura stays there. Watching Hinata go with Naruto she thinks. Now  they're finally together, and Hinata really seems different. It's as if  all the shyness left her body the moment Naruto confessed to her. It  feels like she's finally freed of something that was keeping her down  all these years. On the contrary, Naruto seems to be the shy one now. He  really needs to learn about women and relationships, and Hinata's here  for that. Still looking at them leaving for their room, she smiles and  thinks of how they both grew a lot to end up together.