Upon seeing the three members of Team 8, Naruto Uzumaki immediately ran ashore, holding a fish he had caught bare-handed. Sasuke, on the other hand, was still standing steadily on the lake's surface, practicing chakra control like nothing else in the world existed.
"Kiba! What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked.
"We met with our sensei today. After a short lecture, he let us go do whatever. But why are you guys swimming out here?" Kiba grinned.
Hinata's eyes immediately locked onto Naruto—who was, unfortunately for her, shirtless and dripping wet.Her entire face went red in an instant.She squeaked, panicked, and hid behind a wooden post so fast she practically teleported.
"Our sensei's… kinda strict. We've got another test later this afternoon." Naruto laughed awkwardly. Getting called practically "useless" by Hatake Kakashi wasn't exactly something he wanted to brag about.
Kiba's gaze slowly shifted toward Mawari Yasu. His curiosity instantly rose.
"Who's that? Never seen him before."
Naruto leaned in and whispered dramatically:
"That guy's a monster. He beat all three of us by himself!"
Naruto tried to lower his voice, but everyone here was a ninja — everyone heard it.Except Hinata, who was too busy peeking at Naruto from behind the post to register anything else.
Kiba and Shino both raised their eyebrows at Yasu.
Setting Naruto aside, both Sasuke and Sakura were top students at the Academy.For all three to lose to one person… that was surprising.
"He's that strong? Is he from an older class?" Kiba wondered.
Hearing them talk about him, Yasu took the chance to walk over.
"I'm Mawari Yasu. I'm filling in for Kakashi-sensei and supervising them today."
Since he could beat Team 7 alone, Kiba instantly became more cautious.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Inuzuka Kiba. The guy with shades is Aburame Shino… and that red apple hiding behind the post is Hyūga Hinata."
"K-Kiba-kun! Y-you can't introduce me like that…" Hinata squeaked softly but stayed glued to the post.
Yasu couldn't help but smile helplessly.
Hinata's eyes were full of Naruto…But Naruto didn't notice her at all.
Honestly—everyone in Konoha knew how Hinata felt.Except Naruto, who played oblivious so hard it should qualify as ninjutsu.
No way Naruto actually didn't understand. More like… he simply wasn't interested. Yasu speculated.
"I know you guys. Want to join Team 7 and catch fish in the water?" Yasu asked.
Kiba opened his mouth to refuse—but Shino stepped forward silently.
"This is more than just catching fish… This looks like a training method."
Although Konoha appeared harmonious on the surface, every clan secretly guarded their training methods.If someone was training, you normally stepped away out of respect.
Being invited to train together like this was extremely rare.
[Ding! Inuzuka Kiba – Affection +1! Current: 56 points!]
[Ding! Aburame Shino – Affection +1! Current: 56 points1]
"Well… if you're inviting us, then I guess I'll accept!" Kiba said proudly.
But even before finishing the sentence, he had already stripped and jumped straight into the lake with a splash.
Honestly, it looked more like he was joining Naruto to play than train.
Sasuke, who had just regained balance, was immediately hit by a wave and sank again.
Meanwhile, Hinata was frozen behind the post.
Kiba and Shino were boys—fine.But Hinata was a girl. No way she could train like this with them.Especially with Naruto there. She'd sooner faint.
Yasu's eyes lit up as he walked over to her.
Hinata didn't blush as hard as she did around Naruto, but she still looked confused.
"Y-Yasu-kun… w-what is it? I'm fine just resting here…"
"Try hitting me with Gentle Fist."
"…Eh? I—I don't think…" Hinata froze. "…Hit Yasu-kun? With Gentle Fist?"
She immediately understood what he meant.
It wasn't arrogance.As the Hyūga heiress, she was trained personally every day by her father, Hyūga Hiashi.
Not knowing what Yasu can do. Hinata believed that her mastery of Gentle Fist far surpassed Yasu's can handle.
"Go on. Try it."
Hinata took a deep breath. Since he insisted, she couldn't refuse anymore.
"I-I'm coming! P-Please be careful, Yasu-kun!"
She rushed forward, thrusting her palm toward his chest—clean, focused, and perfectly executed.
Yasu smiled and mirrored the exact same movement.
Hinata shocked.She immediately withdrew her attack and dodged sideways.
Yasu swept her legs.
Hinata lost balance and plopped onto the ground with a soft thud.
He sighed.
If she hadn't pulled back, both of them would've taken damage — a fair trade. And using Gentle Fist, she could've sealed his chakra points and gained the upper hand.
Hinata had the perfect combination: Byakugan and Gentle Fist. But no combat spirit at all.
No wonder she lost to her much younger sister, Hanabi. No wonder Hiashi felt disappointed.
And even then, she was still far below Neji's level. Thinking back to their Chūnin Exams match — the reason it lasted so long was because Neji was deciding whether or not to kill her.
Hinata rubbed her sore butt and smiled shyly.
"Yasu-kun… you're amazing. I'm no match for you at all."
Yasu stared at her, frustrated.
Such good talent… completely wasted by timidity.
If Naruto hadn't pushed her during the Exams, she would've stayed mediocre her whole life.
But now that Yasu had come to this world — no way he was letting such easy affection points go to waste.
He leaned in and whispered by her ear:
"If you want your father's approval… come back here tonight."
Hinata's face instantly turned red to her ears.
"H-Huh?!"
[Ding! Hyūga Hinata – Affection +2! Current: 57 points!]