"Okay, don't cry," Naruto said, crouching down and pulling a clean handkerchief from his pocket, offering it to her. "What's your name? I'll take you home."
The little girl shyly took the handkerchief and gently wiped her red eyes. "Um... thank you... My name is Hyuga Hinata..."
Naruto stood up and gestured for Hinata to follow. The two small figures walked one after another down the street. Naruto couldn't help but marvel at how wonderfully the world lines converged. Only this time, it was those brats who were beaten to a pulp.
The esteemed young lady of the Hyuga Main Family, being bullied by common children?
Naruto was certain that Hyuga Branch Family ninjas, responsible for protecting the Main Family heir, were lurking nearby. But those people turned a blind eye to Hinata being bullied, probably because the Hyuga Clan Head had the idea of "training the heir."
Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but shake his head. With Hinata's personality, to put it nicely, she was kind; to put it harshly, she was weak. Neji's original assessment was indeed correct; she really wasn't suited to be a ninja.
She couldn't even put up the most basic resistance.
Naruto looked at Hinata's still red eyes. She probably didn't know that for those bullies, tears would only make them more excited. This submissive attitude, it was a good thing she had a good background, otherwise, in this dog-eat-dog ninja world, she was destined to suffer greatly.
"You're a child of the Hyuga Clan, aren't you?" Naruto slowed his pace, walking alongside Hinata. "Dealing with untrained guys like that should be easy."
Hinata's small hand clutched her clothes tightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I... I don't dare..."
Naruto turned his head to look at the shy girl. "You can't be like this. Tears are useless against those kinds of people. You know, a lot of people used to bother me too..."
At this point, Naruto paused. The Konoha Village villagers still subjected him to silent cold violence, and the malicious gossip of adults naturally influenced their children.
Those kids who wanted to show off their presence regarded the "Nine-Tailed Fox" as the best target for bullying—under the subtle influence of adults, they didn't even think it was wrong; instead, they believed that bullying this "guy everyone hated" was a righteous act.
The result was...
"I beat them all into submission," Naruto shrugged, his tone relaxed. "Even now, no one dares to provoke me anymore."
Hinata looked up, a hint of longing in her eyes. This was the first time she had met someone like this, someone who, despite being about the same age as her, was filled with the confidence and strong demeanor she lacked.
"So amazing..."
"You need to learn to be a little braver," Naruto told Hinata as they walked. "Against those kinds of guys, giving them a good beating is what they deserve..."
"Naruto?!"
A sudden call interrupted Naruto's words. That familiar voice definitely didn't come from Hinata.
Naruto's body stiffened abruptly, and he slowly turned around. At the street corner not far behind him, a black-haired little girl was staring at him with an incredulous look.
"...Satsuki?"
The two called out each other's names in unison, their faces filled with surprise. Satsuki hadn't shown up as agreed that afternoon because she had a rare opportunity to practice shuriken with her older sister.
In the past, she would never have missed such precious time together. But today, for some reason, the decision to accompany her sister and forgo seeing Naruto filled her with an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Sister isn't free every day like Naruto...
Satsuki convinced herself with this reason. After practice, she went out to buy some new training tools for herself, but she caught a glimpse of a familiar blond back on the street, accompanied by an unfamiliar girl.
At this moment, Satsuki's gaze darted back and forth between Naruto and Hinata. Watching the unfamiliar Byakugan-wielding girl curiously observe her, and then seeing the surprised expression on Naruto's face, a feeling of displeasure suddenly surged in her heart. It was like her cherished treasure had been stolen.
——————
The faint sound of three sets of footsteps echoed on the cobblestone path.
"So..." Satsuki's voice carried a deliberate nonchalance. "Naruto helped you chase away those annoying guys?"
Hinata lowered her head. "Yes... I'm really grateful to him..."
"Hmph!" Satsuki straightened her back, lifting her chin like a proud kitten. "Of course! This guy has been training with me for a long time."
She deliberately emphasized her words, secretly observing Hinata's reaction from the corner of her eye. "He's the only one who can keep up with the Uchiha genius, you know!"
"Satsuki..." Naruto looked helplessly at the black-haired girl who was practically clinging to him. "Why did you follow us..."
"Th-that goes without saying!" Satsuki's cheeks flushed faintly, and her voice unconsciously rose. "Of course, it's on my way! It just happens to be on my way!"
"...I see." Naruto looked down at Satsuki, who was almost glued to his arm, and the words "Aren't you too close?" were swallowed back.
"Um..." Hinata's eyes darted shyly between the two. "Do you two often hang out like this?"
The next second, Satsuki's actions startled Naruto. Satsuki naturally linked her arm through his, her movements so practiced that it seemed she had done it many times.
"Of course!" Satsuki's voice suddenly emphasized a certain word. "This guy is the only opponent I acknowledge! My exclusive one."
Naruto finally understood. This girl, clinging to him like a protective kitten, was clearly... jealous?
However, Naruto only understood the most superficial meaning. How was this simple jealousy? This was clearly the Uchiha Second Young Lady's possessiveness erupting.
"You're the young lady of the Hyuga Clan, aren't you? Why don't you call your clan's ninjas to pick you up?"
"Um... it would be too much trouble for them..."
"But Naruto is also very busy usually," she deliberately emphasized the words "very busy." "If you're going to casually ask for help like this, it's better to find more reliable ninjas."
After saying this, Satsuki herself was stunned for a moment—wasn't this indirectly declaring, "Naruto is mine"? The tips of her ears instantly flushed crimson, but she stubbornly refused to let go of Naruto's arm.
"Oh, right, Naruto," she suddenly turned her head, her eyes fixed on the blond boy beside her.
"W-what is it?" Naruto replied stiffly.
"Come to my house for dinner later. Mom accidentally made too much food today."
This was a lie; Uchiha Mikoto would never make such a mistake.
"...I've already eaten," Naruto replied dryly.
This was a lie; in reality, Naruto had been too engrossed in his training today and hadn't eaten dinner yet. Usually, when he trained with Satsuki, he would eat on time. The reason for his refusal was that Naruto really couldn't step into the Uchiha Clan Estate—not as a Jinchuriki.
"Then eat another meal," Satsuki persisted, even going so far as to lean her head on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll go home together later."
Nizhu Zi, what are you saying?!
Naruto ranted wildly in his heart, his expression almost giving way. What kind of bizarre situation was this? Why had the atmosphere become so unbearable? He didn't even have the mind to grind for bond points now; he just wanted to escape from this suffocating situation immediately.