Even if a person was dissatisfied with their family or their village, they would rarely speak of it until they were truly at a breaking point. Because of this, Naruto's frank and open style was all the more valuable. Hinata's recent changes were, without a doubt, a result of his influence. Hearing praise from her father for the first time, she couldn't help but feel moved, tears welling up in her eyes.
Just then, her younger sister Hanabi came skipping over. Seeing her sister crying, she frowned. "Sister, why are you crying?"
Hinata quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a gentle smile. "It's nothing, Hanabi. These are happy tears."
Hanabi tilted her head. "Happy tears?"
"Yes. I'm very happy."
"Then, Sister, can you practice with me?"
Hinata smiled and rubbed Hanabi's head. "Of course, but not right now. I have to go out."
"Oh..." Hanabi's face fell with disappointment. "You've been going out a lot lately. What are you doing?"
Hinata blushed slightly. "I'm also practicing... just a different kind of practice."
"You're blushing, Sister! Is it because of that person you mentioned before? The person you like?!"
Hinata quickly turned away, but her ears and the back of her neck were beet red. "D-Don't say things like that, Hanabi... I'm leaving now. I'll come back and practice with you later."
Hanabi covered her mouth and giggled. "I knew it..."
***
When Hinata arrived, Naruto was seizing every spare moment to practice. He was delighted when he heard her knock on the door. "Come on in, Hinata!"
Hinata pushed the door open, took off her sun hat, and nodded to Naruto, her face slightly flushed. "Naruto-kun."
Naruto rushed forward and took her hand. "Come on, there's a question I can't figure out, and I've been waiting for you!"
Hinata froze for a moment when he took her hand, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.
"Look, this is the one!" Naruto said, pulling her over to his textbook without noticing her reaction.
Hinata felt hot all over, as if she'd been struck by lightning. She was in no mood to think about study questions. "Naruto-kun, your hand..."
Only then did Naruto realize he was holding her small hand tightly. He let go with an open, unconcerned smile. "Oh, sorry, sorry."
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, though she felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Only then could she focus on the question, and she quickly helped him work through it. Naruto nodded repeatedly as she explained, his face lighting up with understanding. Hinata smiled softly. Naruto's academic scores were now averaging over 80. While not quite top of the class, he was an excellent student. Compared to before, teaching him was much easier.
"You've made great progress, Naruto-kun," she said. "At this rate, you'll soon be getting full marks in all your subjects. Besides, you already have perfect scores in ninjutsu and sparring. You'll definitely be number one."
Naruto grinned smugly. "You bet! That's what I'm aiming for! In the final assessment, I'm going to graduate with the absolute top score! But hey, it's all thanks to your help, Hinata."
Hinata beamed with pride, smiling sweetly. "You're welcome, Naruto-kun."
After studying together for the whole morning, Naruto suddenly had an idea. "Hinata, we shouldn't just study academics together. We can also help each other with ninjutsu and sparring! How about a match?"
Hinata's heart leaped with surprise and happiness. "Okay!" On one hand, she wanted to improve herself, but on the other, she wanted to spend more time with Naruto. This was killing two birds with one stone.
The two went to the street downstairs and faced each other, forming the formal sign of opposition.
"Please teach me, Naruto-kun."
"Ah, you too! Here I come!"
In a flash, Naruto took the lead, rushing forward with the taijutsu he excelled at. "Konoha Cyclone!"
Hinata was ready. She activated her Byakugan and assumed the starting stance of the Gentle Fist. With a sharp exhale, she crossed her hands, her arms bursting with strength to accurately block Naruto's fierce kick. With a fluid motion, she swiped her arms to dissipate the force of his attack. Naruto spun involuntarily from the redirection, but he landed on his feet, impressed. *The Hyuga clan's secret Gentle Fist is amazing!*
Not to be outdone, he immediately turned his back to her and launched his next attack. "Konoha Great Cyclone!" The fierce kick burst out in an instant, its power overwhelming and its reverse trajectory difficult to predict. However, Hinata had seen this move before and didn't panic. She once again used the power of the Gentle Fist to dissolve the impact, but she was still knocked back by the sheer force.
Naruto pressed his advantage, shouting with excitement, "Hinata, be careful! I'm going to use my new ninjutsu!"
Hinata's focus sharpened, her Byakugan's insight pushed to its limit. "Wind Style: Whirlwind Fist!" Naruto charged forward, his wind chakra surging and condensing around his fist. With a crackling whistle, the vortex of power slammed towards her.
Hinata was shocked. *What kind of jutsu is that?!* The move was so powerful that a strong wind buffeted her before the fist even arrived. She quickly brought her hands together to form a defensive block.
*BOOM!*
The powerful blow still sent her flying backward. "Ah—!" Hinata cried out as her body hurtled toward the wall behind her.
"Hinata!" Naruto knew he had gone too far. His body suddenly dissolved into a gust of wind, his speed increasing to its absolute maximum. In an instant, he appeared behind her and caught her in his arms. It was his own signature technique, the Wind Body Flicker.
Hinata was even more surprised. "Naruto-kun, what kind of body flicker is that?! It's so fast..."
Naruto, still holding her, grinned proudly. "Hehe, this is the Wind Body Flicker I created myself. Pretty awesome, right?!"
"Yes, that's really amazing!" Hinata exclaimed with sincere admiration. But at that moment, she became acutely aware that she was being held tightly in his arms. She let out a small shriek and pushed him away. "Ah!"
Naruto slammed into the wall with a loud bang. "Ouch! Hinata, what was that for...?" He looked up to see that her entire face was bright red, her skin practically burning, and her eyes were fluttering as if she were about to faint.
"Hinata? Hey, Hinata, are you okay?!" He hurried forward and held her again, but this only made it worse. Her entire body went limp, and she completely collapsed in his arms.
Hinata had fainted from pure shyness. Naruto, being the dense protagonist that he was, had no idea. He had no choice but to carry the unconscious Hinata upstairs in a princess carry and lay her on his bed to rest. He secretly blamed himself, thinking he had been too eager to test his new ninjutsu and had actually knocked her out. *This is so wrong!*
Naruto held his head, cursing himself in frustration. *I'm the worst! Just to test the power of a new ninjutsu, I hit Hinata with all my might, without any hesitation. And I keep saying she's my benefactor. Is this how I repay her kindness?!*