Hinata Hyuga strolled away, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi standing all alone by the water, thoroughly questioning every single life decision he had ever made.
At this very moment, he was agonizing over a deeply uncomfortable question.
Was the social climate of the Leaf Village truly that rotten?
Once Hinata was long out of sight, Hiruzen sat by the riverbank in silence.
He reached into his robes, pulled out the trusted wooden pipe that had accompanied him through decades of rule, lit it, and took a long, heavy drag.
Recalling everything that had transpired within these borders over the years, a wave of profound sorrow washed across his aged face.
Back when Kushina Uzumaki first arrived in the Leaf, the villagers had mocked and ostracized her simply because of her vibrant red hair.
Sakumo Hatake had been vilified and driven to suicide by the very comrades he chose to save over a mission.
Kakashi had spent his youth branded by the shame of his father’s choice, suffering cold glares from the entire community.
Might Guy had been relentlessly ridiculed by his peers just because he lacked talent for standard ninjutsu.
Now, Hinata was getting targeted by local bullies simply for possessing the Byakugan.
As for Naruto…
There was no need to even go there.
Hiruzen felt so thoroughly melancholic that the ember inside his pipe never once went out.
Thinking back to the era when the First Hokage founded the Leaf, that had been a golden age where people didn’t keep lost items they found on the road, and no one bothered to lock their front doors at night.
Even during the reign of the Second Hokage, the village’s spirit could still be called simple, earnest, and kind.
How on earth had it degraded into this mess the moment it landed in his hands?
He had completely failed the legacy of the First and Second Hokage…
Heavy anxiety settling onto his brow, Hiruzen tapped out the ash and packed another small pinch of tobacco into his pipe.
Having parted ways with Hiruzen, Hinata wandered leisurely down the bustling streets of the Leaf.
Since she had dumped the local social issues straight onto Hiruzen’s lap, she naturally didn’t carry an ounce of mental burden.
Or rather, to someone like Hinata, the concept of a mental burden simply did not exist.
With that pleasant thought in mind, she picked up her pace, heading toward the Hyuga estate.
Except…
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a flower shop nestled in the commercial district.
A petite girl was struggling to carry a heavy pot of blooming blue flowers out to set near the entrance.
Was that…
Ino?
Hinata recalled that the Yamanaka family ran a well-known florist shop in town.
“Hinata!”
Sensing someone watching her, Ino set the heavy pot down, wiped her brow, and waved her arms wildly, calling out at the top of her lungs.
“Ino.”
Seeing her classmate wave, Hinata offered her usual easygoing smile and walked straight over without hesitation.
“Mom!” Ino turned toward the shop interior, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“My friend is here!
I’m going out to play with her!”
The loud announcement drew a gorgeous woman out from the back.
She wore a simple canvas apron, several neatly tied floral arrangements tucked into her side pockets.
“Hello, Mrs.
Yamanaka.
My name is Hinata Hyuga, I sit right next to Ino in class,” Hinata looked up, offering a polite, pleasant smile.
“Ah, the Hyuga Clan.
What a sweet, adorable girl,” Ino’s mother walked over, leaning down to gently pat Hinata’s head.
Her eyes lingered fondly on Hinata’s smooth forehead for a second before she reached into her apron, selected the most radiant lily from her bundle, and handed it over.
“Go on then, have fun.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Hinata accepted the flower with a soft bow.
“And you, don’t think I don’t know what you’re pulling,” Ino’s mother teased, lightly tapping her daughter’s forehead with a finger.
“Heheh, we’re off!” Ino giggled, rubbing her forehead before grabbing Hinata’s wrist and pulling her away at a brisk pace, as if escaping a crime scene.
Goodness, she had finally gotten a day off from school, and she wasn’t about to waste precious free time working in her mother’s shop!
To be completely honest, a tiny chore like moving a few flower pots could be done in two seconds, yet her mother just insisted on making her do it.
This was tyranny!
This was pure labor exploitation!
Her mother was exploiting child labor!
She was definitely going to complain to her dad later and tell him how mean her mom was being.
Though…
on second thought, her dad would almost certainly take her mom’s side anyway…
Grumbling inwardly about her family dynamics, Ino unknowingly dragged Hinata all the way to the park near the central lake.
“Heheh, I really owe you one, Hinata,” Ino patted her on the shoulder, letting out a relieved sigh.
“Otherwise, I would’ve never escaped my mom’s clutches today.”
Looking at the energetic girl, a image of a gentle woman flickered through Hinata’s mind.
“Ino’s mother is very gentle~~” Hinata looked at the lily in her hand, offering a light smile.
“Huh?” Ino tilted her head, immediately puffing out her cheeks in protest.
“No way!
Mom is super mean.
She hardly ever lets me go out and play.”
“Right, right, whatever Ino says,” Hinata agreed smoothly, going along with her mood.
“Anyway, it’s great!
Since we actually have free time, let’s play together!” Ino suggested, pointing toward a few classmates playing in the park nearby.
“I can’t,” Hinata shook her head, handing the white lily over to Ino.
“I have to head home to train in a bit.
Today’s routine hasn’t even started yet.”
“Ah?
How can you be like that?!” Hearing the refusal, disappointment was practically written across Ino’s face.
“Though, if Ino begs me nicely, I might consider hanging out for a little longer,” Hinata added, unable to resist poking at her.
“Hmph!
Who wants you to hang out anyway?
Worst case, I’ll just go find Sakura,” Ino huffed, crossing her arms and turning her head away with a dramatic I’m-not-talking-to-you-anymore posture.
“Speaking of which, it seems Sakura has a crush on someone recently~” Hinata’s eyes gleamed with mischief.
“She doesn’t want Ino anymore~”
“I knew it!” Ino spun around instantly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her previous cold stance evaporating into thin air.
“It’s Sasuke, isn’t it?!”
Hinata remained silent, a faint smile playing on her lips as she thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
“…Wait, but Sasuke actually likes Hinata, right?” Seeing Hinata’s unbothered smirk, Ino’s aggressive momentum deflated like a punctured balloon.
The way Sasuke had turned bright red in front of Hinata after class yesterday hadn’t escaped Ino’s notice at all.
“But he’s just Sasuke!
Hinata, you just wait!” Ino puffed out her chest, trying to rally her own spirits.
“I am definitely not handing Sasuke over to you!”
The deep smile in Hinata’s eyes grew even brighter.
“What if I don’t even like Sasuke in the first place?”
“Besides, I think Ino is vastly cuter than Sasuke.”
Hinata’s words made Ino’s eyes snap wide open.
Slipping the lily into her pocket, she grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and leaned in close, her face brimming with intense expectation.
“Is that true?!”
“Hinata really doesn’t like Sasuke?!”
Compared to the overly excited Ino, Hinata put on a helpless, breezy expression.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Someone who walks around with a scowl on his face all day isn’t my type at all.”
“Ino and Sakura are obviously way cuter.”
Having gotten the exact answer she wanted, Ino beamed with absolute delight, completely ignoring the part where Hinata lumped Sakura into the comparison.
As the young lady of the Yamanaka family, she was naturally the absolute cutest!
Heheh, Hinata really was the absolute best!
“Besides,” Hinata added with a playful wink, “if Ino likes him, why would I ever bother competing with you over a guy?”