AN: Takes place in the speculative AU of the upcoming movie Road to Ninja. All sorts of arts have been popping up around the internet with various interpretations and I wanted to try a hand at writing about it, since there doesn't seem to be many fics on the AU. Still adore canon!Hinata, but I think RTN!Hinata can be a very interesting character that hasn't been written to a paste yet. Hence the attempt of this small collection.

Disclaimer: Been years since I've given a damn, but the new regime scares me, so, here: I own not the Naruto franchise nor the upcoming movie.

listening to: Lightning by The Wanted

For the most part, Hyuuga Hinata knows exactly where Namikaze Naruto is at all times with alarming accuracy.

Officially, it's explained that she's developed, from over a decade of childhood friendship, what could be called 'Naruto Senses' that is modulated by the twitchiness of her nose and the tingling of her toes.

Unofficially, on top of the 'Naruto Senses', she also rules her clan as the hidden overlord, with Neji as her second in command and younger sister Hanabi as secret-uber-colonel, with an iron fist. And in the power of a secret boss, she has set in place a 'Byakugan Network' that was implemented for the main purpose of updating her on Naruto's whereabouts and status when prompted. It is still mostly hearesay, though, as all lower members of the clan are always conveniently absent or mute and deaf whenever inquired about the rumors. Not surprising since the last Hyuuga clan member who was brazen enough to leak information on the dark undercurrents of the power struggle within the clan has apparently developed a severe case of claustrophobia as well as ailurophobia.

When asked, Hyuuga Hiashi, the current clan head and father of the notorious she-devil, shrugged and refused to comment.

Secretly, however, once out of sight the man was doing katas of rejoicing at the prospect of an early retirement.

Another important function of the Byakugan Network, it seems, is also relaying information regarding Naruto's current company.

Being a handsome daredevil and the only son of the Yondaime is by no means a turnoff, and there would have been much more offerings of lunch bentos and pink, perfumed, enveloped letters if not for the absolute intervention regardless of time or place.

"N-Namikaze-san!"

"Hm? Oh hey, you're, um…"

"It—its's Yamazaki Hanako! I'm, I'm a fan!"

"Eh, really? Heheh, that's so nice of you to say! I didn't know I had fans! Hm? Whatcha got there?"

"Th-this-this is—that is, p-please accept—"

SHUNSHIN!

"Hee~ey there, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? Oh, hey, Hinata-chan! Check it out! I think I got a fan!"

"E-eh! Um…I…!"

"Wo~ow, that's so cool, Naruto-kun. Say, do you feel up to training, or are you as gangly as you look?"

"Oi, you're talking to the future Hokage here! I'm always up for whatever ya can dish out!"

"Hmm, well then, you won't mind being a gentleman and go reserve training ground fourteen for us, would you? It's a bit hot today and the shades will do wonders to keep the sweating down. If you hurry, you can probably still beat the academy release traffic. And don't worry, I packed us lunch."

"Wow, thanks, Hinata-chan! I'll get right on it! Oh, wait, I still gotta—"

"Don't worry about lil' Yamazaki-san here either. It's Yamazaki-san, right? Of course it is. We just need some time to…discuss. Girl things. You go right on ahead and leave her to me~."

"Oh, okay! See you in a bit, Hinata-chan!"

"Eh! W-wait, I w-wanted to—"

"Hm, looks like we're alone now. Why don't we have that chat, Yamazaki-chan~?"

"Eeep!"

And that was just age thirteen.

To this day, Shisui continues to tearfully lament his lost title.

Whatever the case may be, the general consensus remains thus: don't touch Namikaze Naruto, or Hyuuga Hinata touches you. Not in the good way. At all.

Now at age of newly seventeen, it is with a cheerful tune from her lips and thoughts of dark violence reserved for those who dare oppose her, Hyuuga Hinata travels down the bustling evening marketplace of Konoha, her Naruto Senses leading her straight to the Ichiraku Ramen stand.

The sound of his energetic voice precedes him, as always.

"—so I was like, 'Hey, ass face! Stop hitting yourself!' and he was like, 'But you're the one hitting me!' and so then I said, 'Au contraire, my not-so-bishounen friend, for you see, I AM YOU!' which was when I had all my shadow clones transform to look like lizard-piranha-people and then he totally passed out in a puddle of his own fear!"

A genuine smile graces her lips as she imagines him gesturing and pantomiming wildly to accommodate his grand tale of adventure and action, while old man Teuchi belly laughs in earnest and Ayame shakes her head in mock exasperation as she scolds him for his lack of decorum and manners and that a future Hokage should watch his language.

In mere moments, Hinata now stands just outside the small stand, pushing away the purple parlor curtains to peek inside and grins at the sight of blonde hair and the characteristic black/orange jumpsuit.

She gives a quick wink and a 'shush' gesture with a finger to her lips towards Ayame, who is one of the not-so-many people who she genuinely likes, and slinks surreptitiously behind the still boisterously storytelling blonde eternal target of hers.

With the efficiency of liquid motion, she anchors herself by his shoulder and just slips into his lap.

"Wh-whoa there!" Naruto gasps, flailing slightly at the sudden lack of personal space and the weight, strands of half-slurped noodles hanging precariously mid-chew.

She smirks and mock gasps. "Why, hello there, Namikaze-sa~an. Please oh please excuse my rude interruption. I just simply did not see you there."

He blinks. He takes a moment to inhale the wayward noodles before smirking back. "You know, there are empty seats left."

"True," she concedes, grinning. "But," she chirps and plucks the chopsticks out of his hand, "it's easier to steal your food this way."

She proceeds to scoop up the steaming bowl on the counter before them and begins to enjoy her confiscated meal.

"Wah~! Hinata-cha~an! How could you~!" Naruto whines, mock tears streaming down his face as he tucks his chin into the crook of her neck. "That was the best miso ramen I've had in weeks too! You know I was stuck in the lands of the noodle-less savages for days!"

She flushes a little, but doesn't back down from the unspoken challenge and nuzzles his cheek with her nose. "Oh, Naruto-kun. You know I live off of your pain. Besides, what's yours is mine and what's mine is patented."

He huffs, the twinkle in his blue eyes only growing brighter. "But I paid for that with my hard earned money from the mission of saving all of Tea Country and the beautiful princess!"

The response is immediate. He feels her shoulders stiffen just before she mini-whirls on him, ivory-lavender eyes alit with a metaphorical fire.

"Wh-what? I didn't hear about that! Neji-nii didn't give me any reports about—where, when was this! How old is she! What does she look like! What kind of little—"

"Easy, easy!" Naruto laughs, smiling broadly, wrapping an arm around her and cutting her off mid-tirade. "I was joking, Hinata-chan. Man, you're so easy to rile up!"

She blinks owlishly before a red streak paints her face. She puffs her lower lip in a pout and turns away from him in a huff.

"Aw, don't be like that, Hinata-chan. I just got back from spending lo~onely nights with no company but Sasuke-teme and missing-nin trying to carve me a new one."

"Well, you can get a start on preparing for another lo~onely night," she hisses, holding the bowl further away in case of prying hands. "And you can forget about any form of sharing from me."

He just smiles. Slowly, he pulls her back in and plants his lips near the base of her ear. "Don't be mad, Hinata-hime. You know you're the only princess for me."

Try as she might, even with the years of practice, she still can't quite keep the burning warmth from crawling everywhere.

She meets his vivacious blue eyes now, silently cursing him for being so damn charming.

Naruto smiles broadly, wagging his eyebrows.

With an exasperated laugh that still is not unlike bells, Hinata leans into him. "Stop that, or I might have to call the guards for clearly unethical behavior."

He laughs. "But the~en they'd have to arrest my clearly underdressed accomplice, too."

She wiggles her bottom, and enjoys it when he squirms a little, his ears glowing red.

"Hardly. I'm just keeping you in place for easy detainment. Now here," she says, faux haughtily, and brings the steaming bowl closer to feed him the dangling fishcake. "Before my stone heart stops bleeding."

Naruto bites into the morsel cheekily.

Teuchi shakes his head in mock exasperation as he cooks another batch of noodles and mutters about 'kids these days' while Ayame is busy furiously scribbling into pieces of note papers, hoping to get down an outline for another notch in her romance anthology that she hopes one day to be able to show to the esteemed writer of all genres (but especially ero-ness), Jiraiya of the Sannin.

In the meantime, Hinata smirks and feeds the blonde a piece of tempura. Without the use of chopsticks.

And so dawns another evening in Konohagakure.