Natsume didn't stay long.
Because Hinata was still in genjutsu.
He'd left a shadow clone, but that wasn't foolproof.
Speaking of which, Natsume had once tried discussing the same topic with Itachi.
That Hiruzen Sarutobi had betrayed the Will of Fire.
But as soon as he started, he nearly angered Itachi.
Natsume immediately understood that Itachi had likely been specially tutored by Hiruzen.
Makes sense.
Up to now, Hiruzen hadn't given up on the Uchiha.
But his methods were limited to Itachi.
Natsume returned to find that Hinata had woken early today.
Retrieving his shadow clone, he smiled. "Hinata, you improved."
"Eh?"
Hinata clearly hadn't realized, staring at him with wide eyes.
So cute.
Natsume pinched her cheek; her temperature shot up several degrees in an instant.
He wondered if Hinata had a built-in heater.
"Hinata, let's spar."
He ruffled her hair again before letting up.
Hinata, dazed, finally reacted nearly a minute later.
Head bowed, she asked, "Will… will I hurt you?"
"Silly girl."
Natsume lifted her chin, teasing, "In your current state, you can't hurt me. So open those lovely Byakugan."
Hinata turned into a steam engine again.
Moments later, she took some distance, opened her Byakugan, and settled into a Gentle Fist stance.
Natsume's eyes lit up.
Still as cute as ever, but now with a touch of cool.
Very different from her usual shy self.
It was his first time seeing it.
Hinata took a deep breath.
Her gaze reflected Natsume's chakra flow.
Before, she couldn't see through the body.
But with Natsume's help, now she could.
Only now did she realize how silly her earlier question was.
With Natsume unguarded, she clearly sensed that his chakra exceeded even Hiashi's.
Unbelievable.
He was only a few years older than her.
"Hinata, what are you looking at?"
Seeing her hesitate, Natsume called out, "Let's start."
Then he remembered the Byakugan's x-ray-like function.
Was the little one… ahem, probably not.
Otherwise, she would've fainted already.
Hinata stepped forward and struck a quick punch.
Natsume raised his arm to block.
Not bad power.
Hinata shifted from fist to palm, her chakra forming needles that hit his tenketsu.
Natsume's forearm tingled slightly, and he felt his chakra flow skew.
He nodded inwardly.
In normal combat, Byakugan, Gentle Fist, and point-striking are actually quite strong.
Unfortunately, ordinary Hyūga tend to cap out at jōnin.
In the late-game kaiju slugfest, they're relegated to support.
Unless they evolve into Tenseigan.
But that's very hard.
Either you stack a massive amount of Byakugan, or you combine with Ōtsutsuki chakra.
For the former, even slaughtering the entire Hyūga clan might not be enough.
For the latter, Ōtsutsuki are few and strong—you can't beat them.
While dodging, Natsume pondered how to strengthen Hinata.
A name suddenly popped into his head.
Kimimaro.
He had a bloodline limit that was absolutely connected to the Ōtsutsuki—Shikotsumyaku, the Dead Bone Pulse.
And the Kaguya clan seemed to have generational ties with the Hyūga.
Kind of like the Uchiha with the Senju or Uzumaki.
Natsume leaned back to avoid Hinata's kick.
He then tapped her shoe with a palm, and the force made her stagger back.
He hurried forward to steady her. "No need to keep going. I've got a good grasp of your current level."
"Is it… bad?"
Hinata asked, a bit dejected.
"Of course not."
Natsume smiled and tapped her nose. "You're really strong. Next time you spar with Neji, you can beat him."
"Really?"
Hinata forgot her shyness for a moment, looking at him with expectation.
"Have I ever lied to you?"
His hand slid over her soft cheek and gave it a final rub.
Realizing what he was doing, Hinata's brain short-circuited.
"Let's go get dango."
He spared the about-to-faint girl and changed the topic.
Hinata, still hazy, was led to a dango shop. The noise snapped her back.
Earlier, Natsume had worried about the Hyūga clan.
Now? Nothing to fear.
Hyūga ninja didn't frequent dango shops much anyway, so they ran into none.
Under the owner's horrified gaze, Hinata calmly ate nearly a hundred skewers.
He almost listed her as his most most most welcome customer.
One Hinata equals ten customers.
…
Night fell.
They chatted idly.
Mostly Natsume talking, Hinata listening quietly, occasionally showing a shy smile.
Even so, for the Hyūga heiress, it was an unforgettable experience.
Natsume walked Hinata to her room. They said goodbye, and he vanished from sight.
When he got home, Tsunade was waiting on the sofa.
She sniffed. "You smell like dango. You went to see Hinata again, didn't you?"
Natsume stiffened, but to his surprise, Tsunade's expression was normal.
What's going on?
Just then, Tsunade said, "To preserve their bloodline, the Hyūga mostly marry within the clan, especially the main family. Do you understand what that implies?"
"Huh?"
Natsume didn't follow at first.
"You need to work hard."
Tsunade glared at him. "If you want to realize your dream, only then might you be able to marry the main family's heiress in the future. Got it?"
She had decided she would keep living with Natsume.
But given public opinion and their age gap, marriage would likely be with someone else.
Though she felt a pang of resentment, she wasn't about to be a malicious woman who breaks people up.
In a sense, it was compensation.
Natsume felt inexplicably flustered.
She's already arranging this?
Good grief!
Was Tsunade going to run off again?
But there was no sign of that.
"I will."
Pushing aside his suspicion, Natsume asked seriously, "By the way, sis, when are you becoming Hokage?"
"Why do you ask?"
Tsunade raised a brow.
"Because only when you become Hokage will my dream be realized."
He paused, then added, "And with Konoha as it is now, you're the most likely."
Smart since he was a kid, this one.
Tsunade sighed. "You're too young. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to be Hokage at all."
"…"
Natsume thought, good thing I'm young.
Otherwise, with Tsunade's personality, she'd probably make me Hokage right away.
Then my dream would go bankrupt.
Now that she had the idea, he'd have to help.
After all, he alone knew Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to cling to the Hokage seat until death.