Chapter 18: Three Siblings Under the Moonlight
Under the moonlight at night.
A six-year-old boy was in a melon field.
There was no badger, only a crisp sound.
Naruto tapped his watermelon with his small hand.
After a moment, he stopped.
As expected, it was fully ripe.
Naruto gazed at the not-so-large watermelon.
It was round, a circle smaller than a volleyball.
He estimated that a normal adult wouldn't even be full from eating one.
But watermelons were for quenching thirst; who would eat them as a meal for no reason?
Naruto snapped the vines and picked the three small watermelons.
To his surprise, the vines actually turned into fly ash.
Are they one-time use?
Quite eco-friendly, saving him the trouble of disposing of them.
Naruto returned to the wooden cabin.
Without much thought, he sliced open a small watermelon.
"This should be like a Devil Fruit; just one bite is enough. Otherwise, it would be too much of a BUG."
Naruto took a bite, leaving a crescent shape.
"So sweet."
He hadn't eaten such an authentic watermelon in his previous life either.
He had originally planned to only take one bite if it wasn't good, but now, naturally, he couldn't let it go to waste.
He finished a small watermelon in a few minutes.
Naruto waited for his body's reaction.
It felt like pulling a gacha card.
He began to pray.
[The host has eaten a mysterious small watermelon and gained one attribute point.]
[Note: Special item; eating it repeatedly will not grant further rewards.]
As expected of the watermelon he had been looking forward to for so long.
A smile appeared on Naruto's face.
The difficulty of obtaining attribute points proved their scarcity and preciousness.
It could be considered a pleasant surprise now.
He quickly thought of another question: if he got an attribute point, what about others?
For example, Hinata didn't have a system; if it were an attribute point, it would be useless to her.
Naruto thought about it. Since there were three melons and he was only allowed to eat one, it shouldn't be an attribute point for others, but perhaps some special ability.
"I'll go find Hinata."
He tossed the two small watermelons into a storage scroll, jumped up, and arrived at the Hyuga Main House under the moonlight.
Naruto stopped outside the gate.
Sneaking in secretly was obviously impossible.
Everyone inside had cheats.
And it was a 360-degree, full-map X-ray, high-magnification scope cheat.
Although he also had a cheat, it hadn't been developed to the highest version yet.
Naruto turned around and went to another residence on the street.
"Neji... Neji..."
Under the quiet night sky, his suppressed shouts rang out.
A moment later, Neji, wearing white pajamas, opened the door and asked strangely, "What are you doing here so late?"
"There is an extremely urgent matter," Naruto said with a serious face.
Neji couldn't help but become serious as well and asked, "Is it about me?"
Naruto nodded and said, "That's right, this is something only you can do."
"Only me?" Neji was slightly stunned and asked, "What important thing is it?"
"Help me call Hinata over."
"???"
Neji thought his ears were hallucinating. "Say that again."
"Call Hinata to your place."
Naruto's face turned slightly red, which fortunately couldn't be seen in the dark.
He didn't want it to be like this either.
But besides Neji, he didn't know a second Ninjafrom the Hyuga Clan.
Moreover, no one else could sneak into Lady Hinata's bedroom and wake her up.
"Are you making fun of me?"
Neji's gaze turned cold.
Don't think that just because of their last exchange, he would do anything.
He wasn't such a casual person.
Naruto gave an embarrassed smile.
Actually, Neji was usually quite good to him.
He might as well give him the third watermelon.
Anyway, Sasuke wasn't familiar with him right now.
During Naruto's time at school, he got along well with the other classmates.
Only Sasuke was indifferent.
He didn't have a love-struck brain like Sakura's, so he couldn't be a simp.
After hitting a wall once, he didn't seek him out again.
"Don't you think the moonlight is beautiful tonight? It's perfect for a late-night snack."
Naruto took out a watermelon from the storage scroll and asked, "You should have some food prepared here, right? If not, I'll go buy some."
"..."
Neji couldn't quite understand his train of thought.
He sighed, turned back into the room, and changed into casual clothes.
A moment later, Hinata arrived.
"Naruto-kun."
Hinata looked at the busy figure.
"You're here."
Naruto took a moment to respond to the little loli.
In front of him, steam rose from a large transparent pot.
Ham, vegetables, beef, fish balls, and more could be seen floating inside.
Naruto skillfully took a small bowl and added sesame oil, garlic, salt, and ginger in order.
"Hinata, do you want to add chili?"
Hinata gathered beside him, her small eyes full of curiosity.
She replied, "Add some."
Hearing this, Naruto immediately added chopped chili, stirred it, and handed it to her.
"Neji, what about you?"
Neji, sitting opposite him with an expressionless face, said, "Whatever."
This was the first time he was at the same dining table as Hinata, and he was very unaccustomed to it.
If it weren't for Naruto, such a scene might never have occurred in his lifetime.
"Then I'll give you the same as Hinata."
Naruto glanced at him and said.
"..."
Neji always felt this guy was targeting him, but he still took the small bowl.
"This is a hot pot I've improved; I call it Chuanshu Hot Pot. With a self-mixed oil dip, it's quite delicious."
Naruto held a small bowl.
He added coriander.
The Ninja World also had hot pot, but it was different from his.
But the way of eating was very simple.
One could understand it as soon as they heard it.
"Whatever you want to eat, just take the food and throw it into the pot yourselves."
Naruto pointed to the ingredients he had swiped from Neji's kitchen.
As expected of a prestigious family.
The kitchen was very luxurious.
"I'm digging in!"
Hinata's appetite had long been whetted, and Naruto-kun was treating her specifically.
Although there was an extra person, it was still an unprecedented first.
Neji was slightly silent.
He picked up his chopsticks, glanced at Hinata who was sticking out her little tongue because it was too hot, then at Naruto who was juicing, and couldn't help but feel a bit dazed.
How long had it been since he had a moment like this?
Ever since his father passed away, he had never had a warm late-night snack again.
"Here."
Naruto gave each of them a glass of watermelon juice.
He had one too, but he wanted to wait for the two of them to drink first.
Otherwise, the watermelon's special ability would go to waste.
"Thank you, Naruto."
Neji looked at the glass and suddenly said.
His voice was too low.
Naruto didn't hear him.
"Neji, what did you say?"
He looked at him in confusion.
You're a young lad, why do you talk like an old man?
Did he need to ask something about Dongmei?
"It's nothing. Let's finish eating and go to sleep early."
Neji said with a faint smile, "There are classes tomorrow."
"Hey, do you even know what atmosphere is?"
Naruto looked up at the sky; if he had known, he shouldn't have called him and instead shared a world for two with Hinata.
Hinata chuckled softly.
She felt that the sense of strangeness between her and Neji had faded a bit.
It was quiet and beautiful.
She didn't speak, silently finishing off the fish balls in her small bowl.
Naruto watched the two of them finish the watermelon juice.
But even by the end of the snack, there was no reaction.
He couldn't help but ask, "Do you two feel anything?"
Hinata blinked and said, "I don't think I'm full."