When Do Naruto & Hinata Start Dating? - Screen Rant

Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga are two expert ninjas who could not be more different in nature, but rather than be deterred by these differences, the two instead find love. And what better way to celebrate this love than over a bowl of ramen?

Introduced in #34 of the Naruto manga as the shy classmate of Konoha's boisterous knucklehead ninja Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata had her eyes set on him since childhood. For much of part 1 of the Naruto manga series, the titular young ninja remained oblivious to Hinata's strong romantic feelings. After nearly being killed by her own cousin Neji during the highly competitive Chunin Exams, Naruto's own self-confidence instills a new sense of confidence into the initially reserved Hinata, who was discouraged from becoming the heiress of her clan largely due to her timid nature. Hinata is not able to profess her true feelings toward Naruto until the two are well into their teenage years, while their home village of Konoha is under attack by the fearsome leader of the Akatsuki Pain, who has come for Naruto, and Hinata is eventually all that ends up standing in the rogue ninja's way.

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The unexpected death of Neji during the series' climactic Fourth Shinobi World War would again unite Naruto and Hinata in a passionate manner. It was Neji's defeat of Hinata at the Chunin Exams that would bond Naruto and Hinata close to one another and now it was his death that would bring them together again. Following the war, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto would compose a Naruto Special Extra Chapter manga short story titled After The Last depicting the long-awaited first date between Naruto and Hinata, in order to appease longtime fans of the series.

Serving as a follow up to Naruto and Hinata's first kiss in 2014's The Last: Naruto the Movie, After The Last would help fill in the gaps between the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War and Naruto's tenure as Konoha's hokage, specifically Naruto and Hinata's budding romance. Attempting to treat his new girlfriend to a pleasant meal, Naruto's stunted funds propels Hinata to steer them to an affordable popular eatery in the village, Ramen Ichiraku. Given that the Ramen Ichiraku shop served as Naruto and a handful of other ninja's favorite restaurants throughout most of the series, it seemed appropriate that Ichiraku would end up being the first official dating spot of the series power couple.

Following the war in the manga's main series, Hinata is promptly shown as the wife to Naruto along with their children Bortuo Uzumaki and Himawari Uzumaki after a 15-year time skip. However, having a one-shot of sorts dedicated to the dating phase of the relationship is a pleasant treat for fans who have followed Naruto and Hinata's journey since the early days of the series.

Next: 20 Wild Things Hinata Did Between Naruto and Boruto