Chapter 7: Encounter in the Moonlight – The Scarf's Warmth
[Naruto finished his daily chakra refining, feeling his body's power grow even fuller.]['Growl~']
His stomach rumbled with hunger. Glancing at the sky, he realized it was time to head home.]
[Just as he prepared to leave, he heard rustling from the path he usually took.]
[Not far away, in the bushes, came a soft, suspicious sound.]
[With his abundant chakra now, Naruto was highly sensitive to such things.]
"What's going on? Someone planning to take me out?"
[Naruto shook his head. No way—ambushing him now would be pointless.]
[But curiosity won out. He crept toward the noise.]
[Stealthily parting the bushes and hiding behind a tree branch.]
[This Naruto was overly cautious!]
[Under the moonlight, he peered through—and saw a girl's figure.]
[Dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, with a clan emblem on her right shoulder.]
[Her face was round and chubby, features delicate, with short hair.]
[She looked about Naruto's age, but some parts were… noticeably different—visibly over-nourished for her young age!]
[Naruto recognized her: Hyūga clan main house's Hinata!]
[Worthy of a young lady—indeed impressive!]
[But right now, Hinata was alone, crying quietly.]
[She seemed deeply upset.]
[Watching the helpless Hinata, Naruto saw echoes of his past self.]
[After being bullied and discriminated against by the village, he too would run to the back mountains and cry alone.]
[Over time, this world's Naruto had grown numb—no more sadness or pain.]
[So Hinata now only reminded him of his former self.]
"As the Hyūga clan's young lady, is this all you've got? You're disappointing me, Hinata!"
[Her father Hyūga Hiashi's voice echoed in her mind. As the clan rivaling the Uchiha, the Hyūga placed heavy expectations on Hinata as the eldest daughter.]
[At just seven, she endured rigorous daily training.]
[But her talent… rarely satisfied Hiashi.]
Yamanaka Ino: "I never knew Hinata went through such strict training from childhood. That's rough. Compared to us Yamanaka, we're way more relaxed!"
Aburame Shino: "Ino, the Yamanaka mostly focus on intelligence support with family secret techniques. But the Hyūga are essential frontline fighters for Konoha—so naturally, the demands are stricter."
Aburame Shino: "Our Aburame clan raises bugs in our bodies from birth. Some specialized shinobi even use their bodies as nests for poisonous insects."
Shino's words revealed the darker side of the shinobi world. A village's prosperity wasn't just surface peace—it came from countless shinobi sacrifices behind the scenes. The Aburame endured much but still ranked among Konoha's elite, becoming part of the future Rookie 12. But most shinobi weren't born exceptional. Many were like Iruka's parents—ordinary, no background. Before leaving home: "Stay safe inside. We're going out to protect Konoha." And never returning.
Shino's comment brought brief silence to the chat. After three great wars, the current "peaceful" shinobi world was just an illusion. It needed someone truly capable of reshaping the balance—a shinobi to lead toward real peace! Sadly, even the pinnacle like Senju Hashirama couldn't achieve it.
[Ding!][Question: What will the black-frame Naruto do upon seeing the upset Hinata?][A: I've suffered enough glares in Konoha—this Byakugan isn't worth looking at!][B: Not pitying myself, but feeling sorry for the pampered Hyūga miss? Laughable! The Hyūga clan is on my future revenge list—kill the men, and the women…][C: I hate Konoha, but it has nothing to do with Hinata. On the contrary, her situation feels similar to mine—maybe we can understand each other.]
The reward quiz returned—this time multiple choice with three options. Everyone had seen enough of black-frame Naruto's personality: cautious, clever, deeply resentful toward Konoha. Completely opposite the white-frame world's Naruto.
Ōnoki: "Honestly, based on his behavior so far, I think he'll just pretend he saw nothing."
Jiraiya: "Hmm, I'm more curious about that B option—what happens to the Hyūga women? Why the ellipsis?"
Hyūga Hiashi: "Lord Jiraiya, please watch your words!"
Jiraiya: "Haha, Hiashi—you're in the chat too!"
Orochimaru: "But we know this Naruto-kun shares my mindset—repay grievances and grudges. B seems highly likely!"
Hyūga Hinata: "Even so… that world's Naruto-kun is just temporarily extreme. I believe he'll be as kind and gentle as this world's Naruto-kun."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Who is this Hyūga Hinata?"
Hyūga Hiashi: "Ahem… what's up?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Nothing. I just really like this girl. How about she becomes my son Naruto's girlfriend?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "..."
Namikaze Minato: "Kushina, I like Hinata too, but Hyūga clan marriages are rarely up to the individual."
Uzumaki Kushina: "That's why I'm asking whose daughter she is!"
Hyūga Hiashi: "..."
Hyūga Hiashi: "How about we discuss this after you and Minato are revived?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Deal! It's settled!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "I choose C. Like Hinata, I believe in Naruto!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Where leaves dance, fire burns eternal—we're all one big Konoha family. We should love and support each other! I choose C too!"
Orochimaru: "Then I'll go with B!"
With Kushina and Orochimaru's choices, the voting ended. Others mostly held back—they weren't familiar enough with this Naruto yet!
[Naruto watched the face-covering, crying little Hinata.][He prepared to leave several times but ultimately approached.][He rummaged in his pockets for ages but found no tissue.][No choice—he removed the scarf from his neck. It was said to be the last memento from his mother.][Hinata, mid-cry, suddenly saw the scarf in front of her.][She looked up curiously—at Naruto's warm smile.]"Here, take it. Wipe your snot—it's gross!"
[Little Hinata's face flushed. She sniffled hard.]"I… I'm not blowing snot!"
"Then you don't want the scarf?" Naruto acted like he was taking it back.
[Hinata glanced at it and took it.]"This scarf is so pretty!"
"If you like it, keep it."
"But… this scarf must be from someone very important to you, right?"
"Someone important?"
[Naruto fell silent. He didn't know who was truly important to him.]
[Parents? He had never met them since birth.]
[Even this scarf—he found it while sorting their belongings. It wasn't explicitly for him.]
[He just wore it in winter for warmth, then got used to it and never removed it.]
Uzumaki Kushina: "What's going on? Naruto not knowing he's mine and Minato's son is one thing—but he doesn't even know I knitted this scarf for him before dying? This is ridiculous!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "So that scarf really was from you, Mom…"
Namikaze Minato: "Yes, Naruto. Kushina specially learned from Mikoto to knit it for you. She was clumsy and impatient—her palms were covered in needle pricks just to finish it."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Hmph, Minato—you didn't need to say the last part!"
Namikaze Minato: "Haha."
Orochimaru: "Stop flaunting! I just miss my dear Sensei Hiruzen. How will you justify—or explain—this time?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
Orochimaru: "What's wrong, Sensei? Sore throat? I didn't interrupt this time!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Kushina, Minato—let me explain. During the Third War, Minato—as Konoha's Yellow Flash—changed the entire battlefield! He killed at least eight hundred to a thousand enemy shinobi."
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "While you were alive, it was fine. But after your deaths… no guarantee someone wouldn't seek revenge!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Shinobi hold grudges—today you kill me, tomorrow I kill you. This was all for Naruto's safe, healthy growth!"
Fourth Raikage: "Third Hokage, your reasoning makes sense—but we in Kumo fought Minato too. The Yellow Flash lived up to his name. He killed many from the Land of Lightning, but we disdain targeting a child!"
Ōnoki: "Exactly! Third Hokage—who are you looking down on? We'd never stoop to harming a kid."
Terumi Mei: "I agree with the Raikage and Tsuchikage. No matter what, attacking a child makes one unworthy of being called a shinobi."
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: "..."