"Bastard!"
Seeing Akamaru knocked unconscious and tossed aside by Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba cursed furiously. He kicked off the ground and leapt forward, catching the small dog carefully in his arms before landing.
He crouched down immediately, checking Akamaru's condition.
"Whimper…"
After a moment, Akamaru finally stirred. His body trembled nonstop as he curled into a tight ball, burying his head against Kiba's chest and letting out weak, pitiful whines.
"Uzumaki Naruto! I'm gonna—huh?! Where did that bastard go?!"
Kiba jumped to his feet, rage burning in his eyes, ready to charge after Naruto.
But only Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino remained.
Shino stepped forward calmly, adjusting his sunglasses.
"While you were busy catching Akamaru, Naruto already left. He should be heading home by now. If you're looking for trouble… you're free to pursue it."
"Enough!" Kiba snarled, eyes bloodshot.
"Shikamaru! You know where that damn bastard lives, don't you?!"
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.
"Kiba," he said quietly,
"why did you send Akamaru to attack Naruto in the first place?"
Naruto's warning echoed in his mind.
He's dangerous.
"Hmph!" Kiba glanced down at Akamaru and growled,
"Because that guy acts all calm and superior even though he's useless! And he nearly choked Akamaru to death—unforgivable!"
Shino pushed his glasses up again, voice even.
"If you're looking to assign blame, it still lies with you. If you hadn't provoked him first, Naruto wouldn't have—"
"Shut up! I only wanted to scare him!"
Just for something that childish…
Shikamaru shook his head slightly and turned away.
He had no obligation to explain Naruto to anyone.
His father's warning rang clearly in his ears:
"Naruto is under constant surveillance."
At that moment, Naruto was already moving through the narrow alleyways near the Academy, deliberately leading several ANBU on a short detour.
Unexpectedly, he ran into Hyūga Hinata.
Her eyes were red. She looked as though she had just finished crying.
The moment she noticed Naruto, she stepped aside and lowered her head.
Naruto stopped in front of her.
"Heading home?"
Hinata didn't speak. She only nodded faintly.
"…Were you bullied?"
"N-no… no one bullied me…"
The weak denial told him everything.
Naruto shook his head.
"Didn't someone usually come to pick you up? An uncle?"
He remembered the man clearly—Hyūga Kō, the one who often escorted her.
Hinata shook her head again, her expression growing even more downcast.
"Come on," Naruto said gently.
"I'll walk you home."
He smiled and reached out, taking her hand as he led her toward the Hyūga clan compound.
Whoosh!
The moment the two of them disappeared into the distance, two ANBU emerged in the alley.
"Captain, do we continue surveillance?"
"No need," the leader replied quietly.
"He's escorting Hyūga Hinata. We shouldn't approach the Hyūga compound—you know how their dōjutsu works."
"Then what's our next move?"
"One squad stays on standby along his route. The rest of us—stake out his residence."
"Heh… just as I thought."
Naruto sensed the ANBU splitting up and retreating.
"The village leadership is clearly preparing for war with the Uchiha clan," he thought calmly.
"They're trying to keep it hidden from the other clans—afraid someone might exploit the chaos."
Just then, a rough voice cut through his thoughts.
"Hey! Isn't that the freak with the white eyes?!"
Hinata flinched and squeezed Naruto's hand, hiding behind him.
"And look who she's with—the class loser!"
"Shh! Firebug, didn't you hear? That guy's the Nine-Tails' host…"
Naruto glanced toward the speakers.
Three unfamiliar village youths—thuggish and ill-mannered.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata whispered, trembling.
"Don't worry," Naruto said calmly.
"We're almost there."
He continued walking as if they didn't exist.
"What the hell?! Acting all high and mighty?"
The boy called Firebug clenched his fists. Embarrassment and anger burned in his chest.
I'm not scared of the Hyūga's little princess!
So why should I be afraid of him?!
He crouched, grabbed a stone, and hurled it.
Whoosh—
It missed.
Naruto didn't even turn around.
"What?! From this close?!"
Enraged, Firebug shouted to his companions. All three began hurling stones wildly.
Naruto spun around instantly, shielding Hinata behind him. He dodged the first volley with ease, then caught one stone mid-air.
With a flick of his wrist—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His stone smashed into the others in midair, knocking them aside and disarming the attackers before they could throw again.
Frozen in shock, the three boys didn't move.
Naruto turned back, took Hinata's hand gently, and continued walking.
After passing through several more alleyways, Hinata finally spoke.
"Naruto-kun… am I weak?"
Naruto stopped.
"No," he said softly.
"You're just too kind."
He looked at her carefully.
"I know you're actually very strong. Right?"
Hinata blushed and lowered her head.
"Hinata… you have a little sister, don't you?"
"Yes…"
"Do you want her to be bullied?"
Hinata's head snapped up, resolve filling her pale eyes.
"No! I want to protect her!"
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Then you need to become stronger. You can't protect anyone if you can't protect yourself."
Hinata hesitated.
"But… I don't want to hurt anyone…"
"Relax," Naruto said gently as they walked again.
"You don't need to hurt anyone. You just need to make sure you and your sister don't get hurt."
"That's enough."
Hinata suddenly remembered a Gentle Fist technique with powerful defensive potential—one that required activating the Byakugan to begin training.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun! I understand now!"
Naruto nodded.
"Remember this, Hinata: kindness isn't weakness.
But kindness must have boundaries."
"We don't hurt others—
…but we never allow others to hurt us."
He pointed ahead.
"You're home."
Later, as Naruto headed back alone—
"Naruto," Namikaze Minato asked quietly,
"what exactly are your intentions? Do you truly like that girl… or are you interested in the Byakugan?"
Naruto shifted his awareness into the seal space.
"What do you think, Father?"
Minato was silent for a moment.
"I feel that you genuinely like her," he said heavily.
"But you're also clearly curious about the Byakugan."
"That girl hasn't awakened it yet. And just now, you guided her step by step, strengthening her resolve…"
"…Were you trying to help her awaken it sooner?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, amused.
"You really think I'm that calculating?"
"Can't I just like someone in my class—like you did back then?"
Minato looked awkward.
"I—I was just—"
"Relax," Naruto said with a small smile.
"I don't have bad intentions toward Hinata."
"Though yes—I am curious."
"I want to see whether, with the right guidance, she can awaken the Byakugan earlier."
Then Naruto changed the subject.
"By the way… do you think the other clans already know about the Uchiha planning a coup?"
Minato's expression turned grave.
"They've probably already guessed."
(End of Chapter)
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