This is Naruto's current assessment of his abilities:
* **Ninjutsu:** Seduction Technique, Shadow Clone Technique.
* **Taijutsu:** Konoha Cyclone, Konoha Great Cyclone, Konoha Strong Cyclone.
* **Hybrid Nin-Taijutsu:** Wind Body Flicker, Gale Palm, Whirlwind Fist.
He categorized his new wind-style abilities as a hybrid form because they didn't fit neatly into the standard definitions. Generally, ninjutsu requires refining chakra and forming hand seals to be released. Taijutsu, like the techniques used by Rock Lee, requires neither. And then there was nin-taijutsu, which required chakra but no hand seals, like the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode—a burst of nature-transformed chakra used to amplify physical attacks.
Naruto's current techniques required both chakra and hand seals, but their primary application was to enhance his physical attacks. They were a semi-finished product, a stepping stone toward the ultimate goal of a true Wind Style Chakra Mode, which would activate every cell in his body to grant unimaginable speed and power. For now, he was just using the power of wind to "blow" himself forward, but his understanding of Wind Release had already increased dramatically.
The system also provided a reward for completing his wind-style training within ten days, greatly improving his proficiency in all related ninjutsu. Then came the next task.
[Host, please increase your chakra to 1000 points by the end of summer vacation!]
A thousand points of chakra was the level of a true Jonin. Some Jonin didn't even have that much. During the exam, Naruto's chakra had been around 360 points. Now, halfway through the summer vacation, it had risen to just over 500. At this rate, he would only reach six or seven hundred by the time school started again, which was far from the system's requirement.
*Well, it looks like I need to intensify my chakra training while I'm practicing everything else,* Naruto resolved. He decided to focus on two small goals for the remainder of the vacation: increasing his chakra reserves and improving his academic level. During this time, whenever Hinata was free, he would take extra lessons with her. When she wasn't available, he focused on his own training. This summer vacation was more fulfilling than any he had ever had before.
***
One day, Hinata changed her clothes, put on her sun hat, and was about to head out when a stern voice stopped her.
"Hinata. Are you going out again?"
Startled, Hinata turned to see the serious face of her father, Hyuga Hiashi. "F-Father..."
Hiashi put his hands behind his back and walked up to her. "Do not think I am unaware of where you are going."
Hinata immediately lowered her head. As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, she was always secretly protected by a guard.
"Why are you helping the Uzumaki boy?"
Hinata's heart skipped a beat. "Father, I..."
"Even if you do not know the full situation, you should be able to sense that the boy is hiding many secrets," Hiashi said in a low voice. "His identity and status are very sensitive."
Hinata was vaguely aware of this. But... "Father, that... that has nothing to do with why I am helping him. I don't care who Naruto-kun is or what secrets he hides."
Hiashi's frown deepened. He was an experienced man; he understood his daughter's heart better than she thought. But that only made the situation more dangerous. "You have feelings for him?"
Hinata's face flushed instantly. She hesitated, fidgeting with the corner of her clothes, not daring to speak.
Hiashi sighed. "Why him?"
"There... there is no reason," she whispered, which was as good as an admission.
"There must be a reason," Hiashi pressed.
Hinata was silent for a moment before finding her voice. "Because Naruto-kun once saved me. I've paid close attention to him ever since. I saw his strength, his hard work, and his unyielding spirit. Naruto-kun... he inspired me. He made me look at myself differently and made me want to become better, stronger, and more outstanding."
"Is that why you are working harder than ever before?" Hiashi asked. "Back then, I trained you strictly to become the heir, and though you tried, your strength never truly improved. You even lost to Hanabi. Now that you are no longer the heir, you have become more diligent, and your abilities are improving by leaps and bounds. Is a few words of encouragement from that boy truly more effective than all my teachings?"
If this were the old Hinata, she would have shrunk away from her father's stern expression. But now, her temperament was slowly changing. "No, Father. My training was slow before because I never wanted to be the heir of the clan. I lost to Hanabi partly because she is more talented than I am, but also for that same reason. Being inspired by Naruto-kun... it motivated me to become stronger for my own sake. That is completely different from my previous mentality, so of course the results are different."
Hiashi's expression shifted slightly. "You said you didn't want to be the heir. Why?"
Hinata raised her head. Though her eyes wavered, she bravely met her father's gaze. "Because... I have never liked the Hyuga clan's system of main and branch families."
"You..."
"Because of this system," Hinata continued, her voice gaining strength, "you and Uncle Hizashi went from being brothers to being two opposing people. Because of this system, I was forced to compete with Hanabi. Because of this system, Neji despises our main family. I... I see no benefit from a system that only seems to cause brothers to turn on each other, sisters to fight, and families to harbor resentment."
Hiashi's heart shook. He was not unaware of the truth in her words. What shocked him was that Hinata, at such a young age, had such deep thoughts and insights. He had always thought his daughter was kind but weak, gentle but timid. He had underestimated her. In truth, Hiashi also disliked the clan system, but changing it was easier said than done.
He sighed and turned his back to her. "Go on, Hinata."
Hinata looked at her father's back, her heart still pounding. But she was also proud of herself for finally daring to speak her mind. It wouldn't matter if her father came to dislike her more because of it.
Suddenly, Hiashi paused and turned his head slightly. "By the way, Hinata. I heard you took first place in the Ninja School exam. Well done. You are worthy of being my daughter."
Hinata froze, her eyes widening as if she had been struck by lightning. This was the first time her father had ever praised her. For a moment, looking at his receding back, tears blurred her vision. She had finally opened her heart to her father, and for the first time, they truly understood each other. Many conflicts, she realized, were simply born from a lack of communication, especially within a family, within a clan. But in the ninja world, many people simply held their secrets close, never speaking their true feelings.
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