Naruto turned his head.
Hinata's lips landed on his cheek.
The kiss was brief, and she pulled away.
Hinata looked at Naruto, stunned, only to find that his expression was colder than she had ever seen it.
She had never seen this side of Naruto, and a wave of panic washed over her.
Naruto quickly adjusted his expression, revealing a warm smile as he gently ruffled Hinata's hair.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm not thinking about relationships right now."
"You're still young. You don't understand what love is yet."
His tone was slightly doting, like that of a caring older brother.
But Hinata clearly couldn't accept that.
She took a step back, planting her hands on her hips in dissatisfaction.
"I'm not a child! I'm not that young anymore," she said, puffing out her chest for emphasis.
Naruto shook his head and said gently, "How about this? If you still like me in five years, we can try dating then."
Five years. By then, I'll have long since left Konoha.
I might have even destroyed Konoha by then, for all I know.
At that point, Hinata's feelings for me will surely be hatred.
Naruto's eyes returned to their calm state. He chuckled, ruffled Hinata's hair one more time, and turned to leave.
Just as his figure was about to disappear from sight, Hinata suddenly called out to him.
"It's a promise, then! Five years!! You have to accept me in five years!!"
Naruto's figure paused for a moment, then he gave a sound of affirmation.
Watching Naruto walk away, Hinata pouted, muttering to herself in frustration, "Neji-nii-san, you liar! That didn't work at all!!!"
Inside the Hyuga clan compound.
Neji was practicing the Gentle Fist, his mind restless.
It was the season of falling autumn leaves.
His figure moved nimbly through the cascading leaves, his Gentle Fist strikes continuously hitting them as they fell.
Hyuga Hanabi sat in the courtyard, quietly watching Neji train.
"That's strange. Why have Neji-niisan's movements gotten slower? Even his Gentle Fist is messy," Hanabi mumbled, propping her chin on her hand.
Neji's expression was focused, but while he was practicing the Gentle Fist, his mind kept replaying a recent scene.
"Neji-niisan, if you liked someone, how would you tell them?" he remembered Hinata asking him a few days ago, quite frankly.
At the time, Neji had been taken aback.
In his memory, Hinata was still rather shy. When had she ever been so direct about such an embarrassing question?
But thinking back…
Ever since officially becoming a ninja, Hinata had been constantly learning and improving.
Her personality had gradually become more cheerful.
Many times, Neji even thought Hinata was forcing herself to be more outgoing.
After she had tamed the unruly kids in the village, her personality had gone down the path of a queen and never looked back.
She would often directly state her thoughts and even demand that others obey her.
The most obvious example was an argument Hinata had with the clan head.
He remembered that they had been discussing something and had gotten into a disagreement.
The usually shy Hinata had violently punched a tree down, and with her hands on her hips, she had shouted, "See, Father? I'm improving very quickly! Soon, I'll be stronger than you! From now on, I'm the one who calls the shots in this house! Don't even think about changing my mind!"
After saying that, Hinata had snorted and turned to leave.
That scene had completely shattered Neji's worldview.
He had finally realized that the cute, shy little sister he knew was gone forever.
"That insolent girl! That insolent girl!" the clan head had fumed, stomping his feet.
Neji had tried to ask what happened, but the clan head wouldn't tell him the reason.
It wasn't until a few days ago, when Hinata had asked him how to pursue someone she liked, that Neji had a sudden realization.
Perhaps…
The argument that day was related to this matter.
It was common knowledge.
A great clan like the Hyuga generally practiced intra-clan marriage.
This was especially true for the main family branch, which Hinata belonged to.
On one hand, it was to ensure the purity of the bloodline.
On the other, it was to prevent the Byakugan from falling into outside hands.
It could be said that with every gain, there was a loss.
As the eldest daughter of the main family, Hinata enjoyed the clan's resources, but she naturally had to bear many restrictions and sacrifice her freedom.
"Is it Naruto?" Neji had asked with a frown.
He knew that Hinata had liked Uzumaki Naruto since she was very young.
Admittedly, Uzumaki Naruto was gentle, handsome, and powerful; it was easy for him to win a girl's affection.
But… he was a commoner.
Faced with Neji's question, Hinata had admitted it freely. "Yes, it's Naruto. I can't hold it in anymore. I'm going to confess to him!!"
Hearing this answer, Neji felt an indescribable pain in his heart.
He had accompanied Hinata as she grew up and was determined to stand by her side, to clear away all obstacles for her.
Because he firmly believed that Hinata could change the fate of the branch family.
He saw Hinata as a goal to follow, and also as a younger sister.
But now, a man was about to lay his hands on his sister.
The feeling was too difficult to describe.
Dammit!!
Neji felt like he was suffocating.
He sniffled, forcing back the disappointment in his heart, and managed to say, "If you like him, then go and confess. Whether you fail or succeed, don't leave yourself with any regrets."
Hearing this, Hinata nodded forcefully and said, "Thank you, Neji-niisan!!"
That was a few days ago.
The moment Naruto returned, Hinata had rushed over to him.
"Dammit! That Naruto guy looks gentle and refined, but what if he's a huge pervert?! Lady Hinata is so cute, no one would dislike her! What if Naruto does something to her… Dammit!!"
The more Neji thought about it, the more agitated he became, and his Gentle Fist became completely chaotic.
"No, what if that Naruto guy is a black-bellied schemer? I think there's something very wrong with him!!"
"That's right, that's right!! Lady Hinata is still young! I can't let her be deceived! What if, what if!!!"
Neji gritted his teeth, an ominous look in his eyes.
"What if he tricks her into having a child?! Dammit, that Naruto guy!!!"
His imagination running wild, Neji stomped his foot and roared at the sky, "Dammit!!! They can't have a child!!! You bastard, just you wait!!"
With that, under Hanabi's bewildered gaze, Neji turned and rushed out the gate, his expression murderous.
"Dammit! Even if I'm no match for you, for the sake of Lady Hinata's happiness, I have to give it my all!!!"
Neji ran out of the compound and soon found Naruto at the training ground. He roared, "Naruto!! You bastard! I can't hand Lady Hinata over to you! Let's duel!!!"
Naruto: ?
Seeing Neji in a fighting stance, looking as if he were ready to die, Naruto's brain froze for a moment.
But Neji's attack was already upon him.
Looking at the chaotic Gentle Fist, Naruto shook his head slightly.
He sidestepped and kicked Neji in the waist.
Neji's body was bent into an arch, and he was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
"I think you've made a mistake. I have absolutely no interest in Hinata," Naruto said flatly, looking at Neji, who was clutching his stomach and groaning.
"Instead of spending your time thinking about these things, you should be training harder. In my opinion, you're a bit too weak right now. Oh, that's right, I heard you became a Jonin? How incredible," Naruto said in a flat, yet deeply mocking, tone.
Neji was the first of the Konoha 12 to become a Jonin, a testament to his talent.
But in Naruto's mouth, that talent seemed worthless.
"You're not interested in Lady Hinata?" Neji looked stunned. As he watched Naruto walk away, his mind filled with rage. "Dammit, how dare you not be interested in Lady Hinata!"
He roared and charged at Naruto again. This time, his speed reached its peak, leaving a trail of afterimages as his right fist shot toward Naruto's back.
Naruto turned impatiently and met Neji's fist with a light punch of his own.
Smack. The moment their fists met, Neji's fist opened, like an exquisite flower, and wrapped around Naruto's fist. With a gentle upward lift, he neutralized Naruto's force, and his left fist continued toward the pressure points on Naruto's chest.
Feeling indignant for Hinata was one thing; on the other hand, Neji also wanted to test how big the gap between him and Naruto still was.
"Heh, it seems you're in high spirits. In that case, I'll play with you for a little while," Naruto, whose attack had been neutralized, was not the least bit flustered. Instead, he chuckled lightly.
His right fist immediately twisted at a strange angle and shot toward Neji's face again.
Neji felt an unstoppable, immense force from his palm; he had failed to deflect it.
His left fist was forced to switch from offense to defense, blocking his face.
Thud. He clumsily blocked Naruto's punch, and because he couldn't dissipate the force, he was forced to retreat several steps.
When he lowered his arm and his vision cleared, he saw a blinding white light erupting from Naruto's right finger.
"Hado Number 1: Sho!"
BOOM. The white light shot toward Neji, erupting in a violent explosion.
"Rotation!" In that instant, Neji's entire body spun, chakra enveloping him and forming a rotating shield of protection.
Naruto's Kido was completely blocked by the Rotation.
"Nice move," Naruto's eyebrow raised.
"I didn't expect you to give me a little surprise. It's a pity that such a surprise is far too limited."
Shunpo.
Naruto instantly crossed the distance between them. Before Neji could even react, a hand-chop struck him squarely on the neck.
Neji's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, unconscious.
"So fast!! How did Naruto's strength improve so quickly?" Tsunade, who was watching through the crystal ball, couldn't help but cry out.
It had only been a short year since Naruto had become a ninja.
But he had gone from being close to a Jonin to now surpassing a Jonin.
Neji was, after all, a full-fledged Jonin, but he couldn't even last a few moves against Naruto.
Conservatively estimating, Naruto might already be close to the Kage level.
She looked at Jiraiya. "Did you teach him some secret technique?"
"No, I didn't," Jiraiya said, looking just as baffled.
They seemed to think of something at the same time, and they looked at each other and said in unison, "Could it be Danzo!!!"