Chapter 5: Go to the Pier and Get Some Fries
All the problems in the Ninja World can be traced back to a single question: Are ninja actually human?
But right now, Hyuga Kiyonari had neither the time nor the mood to explore this philosophical question. His mind was entirely focused on the script.
Of course, he couldn't just scold the kid and leave. If he caused some sort of psychological trauma and the Old Man Third Hokage came looking for him, that would be bad.
He took a deep breath and softened his tone. "What is your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." The boy looked up timidly, his eyes still seeming a bit dazed.
"My name is Hyuga Kiyonari. As for that legend about the Demon Fox, I don't believe it."
Kiyonari reached out, grasped Naruto by the shoulders, looked him in the eye, and spoke calmly. "Listen. You were thrown out, and I was the one who got hit. We are both victims. You don't owe me anything, and you don't owe anyone else anything. Take this money with a clear conscience, go eat something good, and have fun with your mask."
"Don't think too much about it. Demon Fox or whatever... the only meaning of a person's life is to keep shit warm. Do you understand?"
Uzumaki Naruto's mouth hung open in a daze. It took a long while before he popped out a single word: "Huh?"
"What do you mean 'Huh'?" Kiyonari frowned slightly. "I asked if you understood."
"I... I understand."
"Louder!" Kiyonari suddenly raised his volume.
"I understand!" Naruto abruptly straightened his back, his voice so loud that everyone on the street turned to look.
"Good! Very spirited!"
Kiyonari patted his shoulder, then turned and walked away, hiding his merit and fame.
He walked with steady steps around the street corner. Once he confirmed no one was around, he immediately broke into a run, heading toward the direction where the three bullies had last been seen.
Upon arriving at the destination, they were already gone. Fortunately, an old woman selling dango nearby was slowly packing up her stall.
"Oba-san," Kiyonari approached, feigning anxiety. "Did you happen to see which way Ichiro and his friends went? I just heard someone say the three of them were discussing doing something bad..."
Their reputation truly preceded them. Before he could even finish his sentence, the old woman immediately pointed in a direction.
The further he walked in that direction, the fewer people were on the street. When Kiyonari passed the entrance of an alley, the scene before him made his pupils constrict violently.
Three boys had cornered Hinata against a wall. Snowballs exploded against her body one after another, her blue-purple hair covered in snow foam. She didn't dodge or hide; she simply kept those莹white eyes wide open, looking past them.
To be precise, she was waiting for someone to appear.
"Hey, is that all a White-Eyed Monster can do?"
The leader of the kids, named Ichiro, felt bored seeing Hinata offer no resistance. With a guy like this, it probably wouldn't matter if he went a little overboard, right? She wouldn't dare tell anyone anyway.
He grinned with a malicious smile, picked up a sharp rock, and stuffed it into a freshly packed snowball. But before he could throw it, a dull sound of breaking air suddenly rang out.
Bang!
Ichiro screamed and fell face-first into the snow. The remaining two turned around in shock.
"Hey, what are you guys doing!"
Hyuga Kiyonari's voice was colder than the snow. Although this was just a line from the script, the anger boiling in his chest was genuine.
This place, Konoha... it really was a "land of outstanding talents"!
"Bastard!"
The remaining two boys shouted, flailing their arms and claws as they lunged at him.
Kiyonari sidestepped the first boy's punch, grabbed his wrist with the momentum, and twisted it. Amidst the scream, he raised his leg and kicked the other boy in the knee.
In his angry state, Kiyonari's swings were precise, his strikes were ruthless, and his face-slapping had force. Six punches in one second wasn't his limit; it was the limit of your eye's resolution.
You like bullying people, huh? You like putting rocks in snowballs, huh?!
Anyway, the script for this part just read: "Hyuga Kiyonari taught them a harsh lesson." As long as it fell within the scope of "teaching a lesson," he could do whatever he wanted. Punch after punch, he didn't stop until all three had no strength left to wail. Only then did he stop and let out a long sigh.
His mind felt clear now.
"If I see you doing evil again, I'll beat you every time I see you!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Ichiro's head bobbed frantically in the snow pit. It was clear he was nodding very hard.
Kiyonari stepped over the three bodies sprawled on the ground and stood before Hinata, meeting a pair of watery eyes.
Although he had rehearsed this scene in his heart dozens of times, in this very moment, the accelerating heartbeat in his chest betrayed his composure.
"First time meeting you, Hinata-sama." Kiyonari bowed slightly.
Hinata's pupils trembled gently. Kiyonari could clearly see the complex emotions churning in her eyes. In a sense, she actually hadn't wanted him to appear at all.
"I recognize you..." She finally suppressed all her thoughts and spoke softly. "Using a notebook and a red bean cake as a birthday gift... only you would do that."
Kiyonari showed just the right amount of embarrassment. "I am terribly sorry. My financial situation is a bit tight, so I could only choose some cheaper gifts. However, the stationery store owner said that was the most popular style..."
Hinata looked at the boy in front of her, a peer who wasn't even a Genin yet, and her last shred of doubt was dispelled. How could such an ordinary boy have anything to do with that mysterious "Life Simulator"?
"Do you need me to escort you back?" he suddenly suggested.
Hinata shook her head. "No need... could you walk with me for a bit?"
As soon as the words fell, the corners of Kiyonari's mouth lifted imperceptibly. Everything was proceeding according to the script.
He naturally took a step forward and raised his hand to brush the remaining snow from her hair. This action allowed him to instantly breach the normal social distance; his fingertips could almost feel the warmth of her body.
0.15 meters to 0.45 meters—this is what psychology defines as the intimate distance threshold of social safety.
And right now, there was barely thirty centimeters of space between them. Kiyonari invaded it without hesitation, and Hinata did not refuse.
"Actually, this isn't the first time we've met," Kiyonari's voice suddenly became very soft, as if sharing a secret with a friend.
"Was it at the banquet that day?"
"No, even earlier than that. Neji and I are very good friends. Long before the banquet started, I dragged him along to secretly take a peek at you."
Hinata's lips parted slightly in realization. "So that wasn't an illusion back then. I really did feel someone watching me."
"Mistress has very sharp senses. If we had been discovered, Neji probably would have turned beet red."
"Neji-niisan has a side like that?"
After patting away the last bit of snow from her clothes, Kiyonari took a half-step back and raised his left hand like a knight.
"Let's go, Princess."
Hinata hesitated for a split second before gently placing her right hand on his.
The moment her fingertips touched Kiyonari's palm, a snowflake happened to land on the back of her hand. The two contrasting sensations—the warmth and the cold—made her unconsciously hold her breath.
Let's go, my knight.
Note:
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