“Is that true?!”
“In that case, I hereby declare that starting today, you, Hinata, are the best friend of me, Big Sister Ino!”
Hearing Hinata’s promise, Ino thumped her flat chest with absolute pride.
At her current age, Ino didn’t sport the long, pale-blonde ponytail she would wear in the future; instead, she rocked a short, sporty haircut that gave her a slight tomboy look, radiating the genuine vibe of a neighborhood boss girl.
Yet the undeniable truth remained: Ino had been remarkably cute since early childhood.
“Huh?” Hinata put on a heartbroken expression.
“So Ino didn’t consider me her best friend before this?”
“And here I thought Ino was super cute the moment I laid eyes on her…”
“Ah!
N-No…
it’s not like that…” Ino panicked, waving her hands in a frantic blur.
“I…
I…
I didn’t mean…”
Seeing her classmate look so utterly flustered, on the verge of bursting into tears, Hinata stopped teasing her and offered a warm smile instead.
“Ino really is adorable, though.
Don’t worry, I don’t mind.
After all, who trusts someone completely on their very first meeting?”
“Really?” The tears welling in Ino’s eyes receded slightly, though she still looked a little wronged.
“Mm, really.” Hinata nodded gently, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Ino’s ear.
“Heheh~~”
Feeling Hinata’s fingertips brush softly against her skin, a strange, warm flutter bloomed in Ino’s chest.
She had been thinking about Sasuke just a moment ago, but suddenly, that moody boy didn’t seem nearly as interesting anymore…
Sure, Hinata could be terrifyingly aggressive toward the boys in class, but her gentler side…
was just far too cute!
After parting with Ino, Hinata headed back to the estate.
She hadn’t been lying to Ino; she genuinely needed to return home to train.
Besides, she had zero interest in fighting Ino over someone like Sasuke.
As for Sasuke himself?
Let Naruto chase after him.
Furthermore, as Ino had noted, Sasuke’s sudden blush toward her was nothing more than a clueless boy’s fleeting puppy crush in Hinata’s eyes.
If he ever got out of line, a couple of solid punches to his face would cure whatever “illness” he had in short order.
“You’re back?”
“How did it go?”
The moment Hinata stepped through the gates of the Hyuga Compound, she spotted Hiashi standing right by the entrance.
Judging by his posture, he had likely been waiting out here since the minute she left the house.
“No problem at all!” Hinata pouted at her father’s lack of faith.
“My dearest dad, you really should have more confidence in your own daughter!”
“…”
Hiashi’s face twitched slightly.
Did he not know his own daughter’s chaotic nature?
“Tell me everything in detail,” Hiashi instructed, walking side by side with her down the stone path, his mind still thoroughly uneasy.
“It was no big deal,” Hinata waved a hand dismissively.
“I just mentioned to him a couple of times that Lord First had ultimate power but zero political brains.”
???
Hiashi’s entire body froze mid-stride.
He stopped dead in his tracks, causing Hinata to turn back and look at her old man in utter confusion.
“You…
you said those exact words right to the Third Hokage’s face?!”
Hiashi was on the absolute verge of an emotional breakdown.
No, my dear daughter!
How can you just say whatever pops into your head without a filter?!
He began seriously contemplating whether he should remarry just to try for a son to preserve the clan’s future.
“Yeah,” Hinata replied, completely unbothered.
She knew how to speak sweet words to friends, sharp words to enemies, and absolute cold truths to her old father.
Aside from her dad, she knew where the boundaries were with everyone else!
“…Never mind,” Hiashi let out a long, soul-weary sigh toward the sky, feeling as though the future of the Hyuga Clan was plunging into total darkness.
Father, I have failed you…
I failed to raise Hinata properly…
It is all my fault…
Hinata watched her father in complete bewilderment, wondering why he had suddenly turned dead gray, looking like a stone statue carved by grief.
Well, whatever.
As long as she was around, her dearest father would easily live to a hundred!
“Speaking of which, perfect timing, dad!
I’ve already beaten Neji to tears a bunch of times,” Hinata grabbed Hiashi’s sleeve, dragging him toward the training hall.
“This time, you’re going to be my sparring partner!”
Huh?
Hinata wants ME to be her sparring partner?
Hiashi’s spirit snapped back instantly, a fierce, predatory glint flashing across his eyes.
He had always abided strictly by the rule that clan heads shouldn’t casually strike their own young children, so he had never raised a hand against Hinata.
Because of that, he had essentially let her run wild, trying to correct her awful habits through gentle discipline so she might grow into a refined Hyuga lady.
Now…
Finally!
An official opportunity had dropped right into his lap!
“On second thought, I’ll go find that Toneri guy and test how strong he is instead,” Hinata blurted out, her survival instincts blaring red-alert as she released her father’s sleeve and sprinted toward the inner courtyard at top speed.
Watching her figure vanish like a streak of lightning, Hiashi felt the breath he had just drawn get stuck firmly in his chest.
Medics!
Where are the medics!
My heart needs immediate medical attention!
Neji was currently in a terrible mood.
He had thought that with his cousin finding a new target, he would finally be free from her daily beatings.
But…
Where on earth did this guy standing across from his cute yet utterly terrifying younger cousin come from?!
In the center of the training hall, Hinata and Toneri stood face to face, one clad in black training gear, the other in white.
Neji glared furiously at Toneri in his white robes.
He didn’t know when this random stranger had joined the clan, but that didn’t matter!
The spot across from Hinata…
used to be his!
It was HIS beatdown spot!
HIS!!
“Hinata, please forgive me in advance,” Toneri said, settling into a stance that resembled the Gentle Fist yet carried a subtle, foreign distinction.
His expression was gentle, yet filled with quiet resolve.
“I will not hold back.”
To his mind, since his father had entrusted him to this distant family on Earth, he had to fulfill his duties diligently.
Aside from not causing trouble for his hosts, he would do his absolute best to accommodate any reasonable request from his uncle Hiashi and his “sister” Hinata.
Hinata asking him to be her sparring partner was entirely reasonable.
To ensure she gained proper combat experience…
he, Toneri Hyuga, would give it his all!
“No problem,” Hinata’s pale eyes sharpened, her body sinking into the opening stance of the Gentle Fist Eight Trigrams.
Regarding this future moon-simp, she didn’t harbor any special affection.
In fact, if she could thoroughly shatter his absurd delusions through a single beating right here and now, that would be ideal!
“In that case, I won’t hold back either,” feeling the sharp battle intent radiating from Hinata, Toneri’s gentle expression turned serious.
From the precise flow of chakra circulating within her body, he could tell with absolute clarity that this girl of his age…
Was not a single shred weaker than him!