Chapter 65: Returning to the Village to See Hinata
Sasuke opened the letter, his heart filled with mixed emotions after reading it.
Uchiha Sasuke:
I didn't originally want to have much interaction with you, but I was entrusted by someone to look after you. Furthermore, I promised that person that if you came to find me, I would give you some guidance.
You have now awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, which can be considered a minor achievement. I have no obligation to keep guiding you.
Moreover, I can see that you don't want me ordering you around, and you dislike me lecturing you even more.
Therefore, I am handing over all the Fire ReleaseNinjutsu of the Uchiha Clan to you now.
Here are my final pieces of advice for you.
Consult Kakashi more often. His combat literacy, instincts, and tactical planning are definitely not inferior to Uchiha Itachi's.
Also, Kakashi has a self-created Lightning ReleaseNinjutsu that suits you very well. If you go to him for instruction, Kakashi will certainly not withhold anything.
That is all!
From now on!
The Uchiha Clan and I owe nothing more to each other.
Burn after reading.
—Left by Uzumaki Naruto
After reading the letter, Sasuke set it aside and looked at the scrolls on the ground.
Most of the scrolls on the ground were Fire Release Ninjutsu; there were some Lightning Release and Earth Release ones, but they were relatively few.
Sasuke skimmed through all the scrolls and saw the Uchiha Clan insignia. He knew these scrolls must belong to the Uchiha. As for why they were with Naruto, Sasuke had his suspicions.
Either Uchiha Itachi gave them to Naruto, or his father, Uchiha Fugaku, did. Only these two would have entrusted Naruto to look after him.
As for what deal was made in the process, Sasukedidn't care anymore; after all, Naruto had fulfilled the entrustment.
After burning the letter, Sasuke said, "From now on, we owe nothing to each other!"
On the other side, after Naruto parted ways with Kakashi and the others, he went to find Hinata.
Currently in Konoha Village, the only people Naruto could really talk to, besides the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, were Hinata.
When Naruto found Hinata, Kurenai Yuhihappened to be leading her team on a cat-catching mission.
Once Hinata and the others finished their mission, Naruto stepped forward and said to Kurenai Yuhiand the rest, "Senior Kurenai, could we all go grab a meal together after you turn in the mission? I've always wanted to thank you for your care, but I could never find you. I hope you'll give me the chance today!"
Seeing it was Naruto, Kurenai Yuhi smiled and shook her head, saying, "There's nothing to thank me for. Helping you with your literacy was also an order from Lord Third. Besides, I've already accepted your grilled fish, so that counts as thanks. I'll just go turn in the mission. You're all classmates from the same year, so you go on ahead!"
How could Kurenai Yuhi not know that Naruto was there for Hinata? Every young clan head of the Great Clans was trying their best to befriend Naruto, and she was well aware of it. If she tagged along, she would just be in the way.
Furthermore, Kurenai Yuhi could also see from Naruto's eyes that he had come specifically for Hinata.
Naruto wanted to invite Kurenai Yuhi a couple more times, but he saw her slightly shaking her head at him.
Although Naruto didn't know if there was some hidden reason, he knew it wasn't good to press further.
"Alright then! I'll give you a proper thanks when you're free, Senior Kurenai."
Kurenai Yuhi smiled without saying more and went to turn in the mission.
After Kurenai Yuhi left, Akamaru, who was on Kiba's head, began to tremble uncontrollably, clearly terrified of Naruto.
Kiba pulled Akamaru into his arms and comforted him, saying, "Don't be afraid, Akamaru! Narutowon't hurt us."
Akamaru let out a dejected whimper and buried his head back into Kiba's arms.
Seeing this, Kiba said helplessly to Naruto, "You see how it is, Akamaru is... cough cough! I won't be going."
Naruto nodded understandingly. Since he had released the Nine-Tailed seal, its aura was constantly leaking out. As a small dog, Akamaruwas naturally extremely sensitive to such an aura.
"No problem! Let's get together when there's another chance!"
Kiba also knew Naruto was just being polite. He and Akamaru were inseparable, and with the Nine-Tailed inside Naruto, it would be impossible for them to hang out unless neither of them brought their pets. Still, pleasantries had to be exchanged.
"Sure! Let's meet up when there's a chance. I'm heading out then."
After saying that, Kiba left carrying Akamaru. He could fully feel Akamaru's emotions and was afraid the dog would be scared witless.
Naruto smiled and shook his head, then looked at Shino and Hinata, saying, "Let's go, let's have some BBQ together. I've just completed an S-rank mission, so allow me to show off a bit."
Hinata blushed and giggled, nodding as she said, "O-Okay, Naruto-kun!"
Seeing Hinata's shy appearance, Naruto felt like teasing her. He reached out his right hand and looked at her, saying, "Let's go!"
Seeing Naruto's outstretched hand, Hinata's mind flooded with countless imaginary scenarios. Her face turned as red as a tomato, and steam began to rise from the top of her head.
Before Hinata could faint, Naruto said, "You better not faint. If you do, I won't dare to get close to you in the future."
Hearing Naruto's words, Hinata's body immediately stiffened. She forced herself to stay conscious and said, "I... I... I will try my best! I won't faint again."
After saying that, Hinata placed her hand in Naruto's. However, the moment her hand touched his, her face turned even redder. Naruto feared that if he even slightly touched her cheek, blood might literally drip out.
Shino stood by and watched for a long time. He glanced in the direction Kiba had left and muttered to himself, "Kiba should have taken the dog food with him! Why do I feel so stuffed?"
Naruto also felt a bit embarrassed hearing Shino's words; he really had forgotten about Shino.
"Um, sorry about that, Shino! I...!"
"It's fine, I understand! You two are on a date, I won't be a third wheel."
Before Naruto could explain, Shino had already left with his hands in his pockets.
Seeing Shino's cool departure, Naruto smiled and continued to tease Hinata.
Naruto held Hinata's hand and headed to Yakiniku Qiochimichi.
He wasn't sure if Hinata even heard what he was saying along the way; she seemed to be following him mechanically.
Once they arrived at Yakiniku Qiochimichi, Naruto, who was well aware of Hinata's appetite, ordered a lot of meat. One could say that the rewards from the S-rank mission were entirely spent on this single meal.
After finishing the meal, Naruto walked Hinata to the Hyuga Clan compound. He waited for a while after she left, then walked up to a clansman guarding the compound and said, "Go inform the Hyuga Clan Head that Naruto has a few words to say to him."
The Hyuga ninja frowned and thought for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave.