84 Dinner Date (1)

*Knock, Knock*

"Just a second!" I yelled out, as I took out the pizza from the oven using a wooden paddle and let it rest on the countertop. Pizza was a dish that I had longed to have ever since I reincarnated into the Naruverse. And to my utter horror and dismay, it was nowhere to be found in this world. Rightfully so, since this world's cuisine leaned more towards Japanese than anything else.

So I experimented with a trial-and-error method to recreate the recipe from scratch. It turned out to be a fruitful endeavour. The dough was the hardest part to get right. The flour they used to make bread in this world just did not replicate the flavour I remembered from the memories of my previous life. So I had to try out a bunch of different flour to get a pizza dough that best resembled what I remembered.

Olive oil, which I roughly recalled was also an ingredient in a traditional pizza, was replaced with sesame oil. While the tomato sauce also had to be made and recreated from memory which was actually really tricky.

Other than that, the cheese, mushrooms and onions were all store-bought. The result was a pizza that closely resembled what I regularly ate back in my previous life, although it was a hair off the genuine product. Still, it was pretty good for something homemade and recreated in a world without the proper ingredients available.

I went to open the door still wearing my apron only to be greeted with the sight of Hinata in a lavender coloured sundress and matching sandals.

"G-good evening, Shinji-kun." She greeted before noticing my apron, "S-sorry, did I arrive too early?"

"Nope, you're just in time. Come in and make yourself comfortable. I'm just about to set the table." I answered before ushering her in closing the door behind her.

She took off her sandals and looked around in awe, though I didn't see just what she was so in awe about. My home was a studio apartment that closely resembled where I was living in when I was still in the academy. After graduating, I was no longer eligible to continue staying in the student dormitory. So I found a new place in the shinobi district, renting it at a low cost that was subsidized by the village. Another one of the perks Konoha shinobi received for our service.

"Please, let me help!" Hinata requested.

I waved her off, "No need. You're a guest. Allow me."

Seeing my insistence, she quietly nodded and sat at the couch in my living room. Her eyes were still wandering around the flat, though I was pretty sure she should have seen it before with her Byakuugan when she was undoubtedly watching me from outside.

The table was set pretty quickly, and I took out the 12 inch pizza from the kitchen which was really just on the other side of the living room. I invited Hinata to join me at the dinner table as I began cutting the pizza into eight slices.

"This is…?" She asked, not having ever seen such a dish before. In this world, I could be seen as the person who invented this creation. Shinji Ikari – inventor of pizza and other gaijin cuisine.

"My own invention," I answered, serving her a slice of pizza, "Bread with tomato sauce, cheese, mushroom and onions on top baked in an oven. Try it and tell me what you think."

She nodded mutely and took a hesitant bite of the pizza as a few strings of cheese stretched from the bite. It only took one or two uncertain chews before her eyes lit up as the unfamiliar tanginess of the tomato sauce, decadence of the cheese, crunchiness of the onions and umami of the mushroom all blended together into mouth-watering perfection.

"Thish ish sho good!" She remarked with her mouth full, causing her words to be muffled slightly.

I watched her finish the slice of pizza with gusto with a satisfied smile as I took a bite of my own. She might have thought it was amazing, but to me who have had literally the best pizza in New York or anywhere else in the world before, it was only subpar.

The tomato didn't have the richness and sweetness only San Marzano tomatoes possessed. The dough was lacking the distinctive flavour and texture of traditional pizza dough and the cheese itself was also not up to my usual standards. Overall, it was a disappointing replica that did not match up to how pizza should taste in my memories. She seemed to like it though, so I guess it wasn't a complete failure.

As we continued eating, sprinkling in bits of conversation here and there, the pizza was quickly finished. Hinata had been slightly nervous at the start of the dinner date, but I observed her easing into comfort and familiarity as time went on. Her speech lost her distinctive, trademark stutter and she was now able to look me right in the eyes instead of anywhere else like before.

I then figured it was time to get down to the real reason why I had invited her to my home this evening.

We had settled into a comfortable silence when my smile faded and a serious countenance replaced it, "Hinata, I would like to ask you something. And I would like it if you would be honest with me."

She blinked and looked at me in bewilderment before her face reddened completely. I didn't need my [Observe] or any sort of mind-reading skill to figure out what she was thinking. A 'romantic' dinner date at my place and me asking her a question in this type of atmosphere – the girl must have gotten the wrong idea about the question I wanted to ask her. Unfortunately for her, it would not go the way she was imagining in her head.

"O-of course, S-Shinji-kun. I-I would never lie to y-you." Hinata responded, the stutter that had faded awhile back now returning full force.

I looked her right in her eyes, a pair of mostly white pupils with a tinge of light purple, "Hinata… you saw it, didn't you?"

I could see the look of expectation crumble when the question I asked was not what she had been expecting.

"Saw it? What do you mean?" She asked, the disappointment palpable in her tone as well as a confusion from the unexpected question.

I thought she would understand the moment I asked the question, but it seemed I would have to prod a little further.

"When I was fighting the Tanigakure missing nin… After the fight was over, I noticed that your Byakugan was activated. You were watching me fight, weren't you?" I pressed.

It seemed that she misunderstood the intent of my question or missed the point entirely as she smiled brightly, "Of course I would! Watching Shinji-kun is- I mean, I always learn a lot watching you fight!"

I shook my head, "That is not what I meant. I am asking if you saw me use it."

Hinata still looked perplexed for a moment before realization dawned on her what I was referring to. She must have seen me use the Sharingan so many times that she didn't even think it was something special or worthy of mention anymore. Again, I had to curse myself for being so blind.

"Y-you mean…?" She hesitantly uttered, her eyes a flood of emotions – anxiety, unease, trepidation, expectancy, tension, and a myriad others I could not identify at that moment.

"Yes. I am asking…" I began, as my black eyes morphed into the distinctive red of the Sharingan, "…if you saw these eyes of mine."

Her breath hitched, as her eyes widened at the sight of mine before she calmed down – a little too quickly if you asked me. She looked down, the shadow from her bangs covering her eyes before I noticed her lips curled up in to a smile.

Looking back up at me, she tilted her head as her eyes and lips formed into a twisted expression of joy and delight, "Shinji-kun, I'm so happy. I'm so happy that you finally trust me enough to show them to me."

I held back a gulp. As I deduced… this girl must have known about my Sharingan for awhile now.

"Since when have you known…?"

Her smile widened, "Since we were in the academy. I, uhm, accidentally came across you sparring against Sasuke, and it just so happened that I had my Byakuugan active. That was when I first saw you use your Sharingan. Ever since then I…" She trailed off before blushing deeply once more, as though recalling something that was equal parts embarrassing and lovely.

"Have you… told anyone?" I asked. This was the thing I was most curious and also fearful about. I needed to know if I would have to explain my circumstances to anyone else or try to defend my reasons for hiding it. It was just way too troublesome for me to handle right now, and dangerous as well since I still lacked the strength to protect myself against the truly deadly foes.

She shook her head anxiously, as if fearing that I would have the wrong idea, "No! I never told anyone! Your secret is safe with me, Shinji-kun. I would never betray your trust!"

What trust? I only told you because I feared that you already saw it for yourself. I stared at her for a moment, wondering whether I should take her word for it. Ultimately, after seeing the look on her face and recalling the words, 'obsessive devotion' the System had used to describe her feelings for me, I decided to trust what she said.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, "Thank you Hinata. It heartens me to hear that. Thank you."

She similarly looked relieved that I did not accuse her of spilling my secrets, "Ano, Shinji-kun? Why are you keeping it a secret, if you don't mind my asking?"

Because it's troublesome… would have been my most truthful response.

"Do you recall what happened to Sasuke's clan, or rather, my clan?" I asked, fully admitting to being at the very least part Uchiha.

She nodded hesitantly, "Yes… they were all killed by Sasuke's older brother."

I sighed, looking troubled, "Indeed. The primary motivation in keeping my lineage a secret is mainly a fear for my life. Uchiha Itachi, an S-ranked missing-nin wanted for massacring his entire clan, sparing only his brother, before escaping the village. I am worried that upon hearing the news that there is another living Uchiha in the village other than his brother, he will come back to finish the job."

Her eyes widened at the revelation.

"N-no! I would never let that happen to you!" She declared, a vigour and conviction rarely seen in the young Hyuuga Heiress.

I smiled helplessly, "I am touched to hear that, Hinata. Truly. But if an S-ranked missing-nin did indeed intend on taking my life, I'm afraid there is little neither you nor I could do about it."

She looked like she wanted to retort what I had said, but conceded that it was a simple fact – if Itachi truly wanted to kill me, there was nothing two genin could do to change his mind. Of course, Hinata had no way of knowing Itachi was still a shinobi loyal to Konoha, but still, there was no telling what he would do to stay in the perceived good graces of Akatsuki if ordered to eliminate me.

"Then, tell the Hokage! He can keep you safe!" She rebutted.

I shook my head once more, "True. I would certainly be safe if I just stayed in the village to be monitored and shadowed by ANBU bodyguards 24/7. But what kind of life would that be? Being kept locked up within these walls, paranoid for my safety, the village leaders too afraid to lose me to let me venture out the village. Such a pitiful existence, what would be the point of living?"

She grabbed my hand, and squeezed in what she must have thought to be a comforting manner, "Don't say that Shinji-kun. I… there is still so much to live for!"

I chuckled and patted her head like I would a concerned puppy, "Don't be silly, Hinata. Of course I know that too. That is why I would not want to risk anyone else knowing this secret of mine, so I would not be confined to a meagre existence within the village."

She blushed at the contact but also looked like she deeply enjoyed it. So I immediately retracted my hand. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea, after all.