“Really?!”
“Then I declare that from this day forward, Hinata, you are my, Big Sister Ino’s, best friend!”
Hearing Hinata’s words, Ino patted her flat chest emphatically as she made her promise.
The young Ino didn’t have her long, beige-blonde ponytail like she would in the future; instead, she sported a short haircut that gave her a somewhat tomboyish, bossy look.
But one thing was indisputable: Ino had been pretty since childhood.
“Huh?”
“So, Ino didn’t consider me a best friend until now?”
“From the very first moment I saw you, I thought you were so cute, Ino.”
Hinata put on a mock expression of sadness.
“Ah, wait…
No, it’s…
it’s not like that…”
Seeing this, Ino flusteredly tried to explain.
But the young Ino had no idea how to express her thoughts properly.
She looked completely at a loss, almost on the verge of tears from sheer anxiety.
“Ino, you really are adorable.
But it’s okay,” Hinata said comfortingly, deciding to stop teasing her.
“I don’t mind.
After all, who would give someone their complete trust the very first time they meet?”
“R-Really?”
Hearing Hinata’s reassurance, the tearful expression on Ino’s face softened slightly, though she still looked a bit aggrieved.
“Mhm, exactly.”
Hinata nodded with a smile, reaching out to gently tuck a stray lock of hair from Ino’s forehead behind her ear.
“Hehehe~”
Feeling Hinata’s fingers gently brush against her forehead and slip behind her ear, a strange sensation suddenly welled up in Ino’s heart.
Sasuke, whom she had been obsessing over just moments ago, suddenly didn’t seem quite as handsome anymore…
Besides, even though Hinata looked incredibly cute, she always acted so fierce toward the boys in class…
Hinata seemed even cuter like this!
After saying goodbye to Ino, Hinata headed down the path back home.
She hadn’t lied to Ino; she really did need to go back and train.
Furthermore, Hinata truly had no intention of fighting over Sasuke.
As for Sasuke…
let Naruto chase after him.
Besides, what Ino called “Sasuke liking her” was, in Hinata’s eyes, nothing more than a young boy’s ignorant, hazy crush.
Once she gave him a couple of solid wallops to the face and gave him a pair of black eyes, she was sure the “affliction” would be cured instantly.
“You’re back?”
“How did it go?”
The moment Hinata returned to the Hyuga compound, she spotted Hiashi Hyuga standing at the main gates. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Judging by his posture, he had likely been waiting there ever since she left.
“No problem at all!”
“My dear Father, you really should have more faith in your daughter!”
Hinata pouted at her old man’s lack of trust.
Hiashi looked at Hinata, a complicated expression crossing his face.
How could he not know what his own daughter was really like?
“Tell me the details.”
As the father and daughter walked down the paths within the compound, Hiashi still felt uneasy.
“It’s no big deal.
I just mentioned a couple of times that the First Hokage had all the brawn but no brains,” Hinata said, waving her hand dismissively.
???
Hiashi’s body stiffened instantly, and he froze in his tracks.
This prompted Hinata to look back at her old man with a touch of confusion.
“You said that…
right in front of the Third Hokage?”
Hiashi was on the verge of a breakdown.
No, wait, my daughter!
Why on earth would you blurt that out?!
He began to seriously consider whether he should remarry just to sire a son for the clan.
“Yeah, I did.”
Hinata thought nothing of it.
She tailored her words to her audience, but she always gave her old man the unfiltered truth.
Aside from her father, she had actually managed her boundaries quite well with everyone else!
“…”
“…Never mind.”
Hiashi let out a long, sweeping sigh toward the heavens, feeling as though the future had become completely bleak and devoid of light.
Father, I have failed you…
I failed to raise Hinata properly…
This is all my fault…
Hinata looked at her old man in confusion, failing to understand why his entire body had turned a dull grey, as if he had been petrified into stone.
But whatever, as long as she was around, her dear father would surely live a long, healthy life!
“Perfect timing, my dear Father!
I’ve already beaten Neji to tears several times.”
“This time, you be my opponent.”
Remembering her training, Hinata grabbed Hiashi’s arm and began dragging him toward the training field.
Hm?
Hiashi’s spirits surged, and a fierce glint instantly flared in his eyes.
All this time, he had adhered strictly to the Hyuga clan’s rules regarding not raising a hand against one’s children without cause, so he had never fought Hinata.
Because of this, even when Hinata practically ran wild right over his head, he had only ever offered earnest, painstaking lectures to correct her bad habits and turn her into a well-behaved, polite Hyuga.
Finally!
He had caught his opportunity!
“On second thought, I’ll go find that Toneri guy and see how strong he is instead.”
As if sensing an immense crisis, Hinata’s internal alarms blared at maximum capacity.
She immediately let go of her old man’s arm and bolted toward the training field.
Watching his daughter’s figure rapidly vanish into the distance, Hiashi felt the breath he had just drawn catch squarely in his throat.
A medic!
Where is a medic?!
I need my heart treated!
Neji’s mood could hardly be called good.
He had originally thought he would be thrilled if his cousin stopped looking for him to be her training partner.
Where on earth did this guy standing across from my cute yet brutal sister come from?!
In the middle of the training field, Hinata and Toneri stood facing each other, a stark contrast of black and white.
Neji’s eyes glared intensely at Toneri, who was dressed in a white training uniform.
He had no idea when such a fellow had joined the clan.
But that didn’t matter!
The spot right across from Hinata used to belong to him!
It was his!
It was his!!
“Hinata, please forgive me.”
“I will not hold back.”
Toneri took a stance that resembled the Gentle Fist yet differed from it, his expression gentle yet resolute.
For him, since his father had left him with this distant branch of the family on Earth, he had to fulfill his duty.
Aside from avoiding causing trouble for these distant relatives, he would do his best to accommodate the requests of Uncle Hiashi and little sister Hinata, provided they weren’t unreasonable.
Hinata’s request for him to be her sparring partner was naturally perfectly reasonable.
And to ensure that Hinata gained ample training experience—
He, Toneri Otsutsuki, would absolutely show no mercy!
“Perfect.”
A fierce glint flashed in Hinata’s eyes as she took the opening stance of the Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams.
As for this simp of hers, she couldn’t exactly say she had much fondness for him.
Of course, it would be for the best if she could crush any of his little delusions right in the bud through this single fight!
“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Sensing Hinata’s intense battle intent, Toneri, who had been strictly trained by his father since childhood, grew slightly solemn.
From the chakra radiating around Hinata, he could clearly perceive that this girl, who was the same age as him…
Was not weaker than him!