A chilly early-winter wind whirled across the streets of Konoha Village, carrying fine flecks of snow with it.
Hinata patted her flat little belly—which finally felt solid and full—and comfortably exhaled a puff of white mist.
Having just downed ten extra-large bowls of pork-bone ramen at Ichiraku, she felt fully charged, as if she possessed enough power to knock out the Nine-Tails with a single punch.
Of course, that was just an illusion caused by overeating.
“Lady Hinata, your cloak.”
From behind, Hyūga Natsu hurried forward.
Heart aching for the young girl, she wrapped a pure-white fox-fur cloak around Hinata’s tiny body and carefully tied the straps at the collar.
“You’ve just eaten so much hot food, so you absolutely mustn’t catch a cold draft.
If you fall ill and the Master finds out…”
“I know, I know!
Natsu-nee is the best!”
Taking advantage of the moment, Hinata nuzzled her small head into Natsu’s warm, soft embrace.
She looked up, offering a smile overflowing with sweetness.
Inwardly, though, her thoughts were entirely different: ‘Awesome!
This fox-fur cloak is so warm!
And Natsu-nee is even warmer!’
Walking along the lightly snow-dusted street, Hinata deliberately slowed her pace, looking around like an old man out for a casual stroll.
Natsu followed dutifully half a step behind, her eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, as if every passing villager were a potential assassin.
“Lady Hinata, the sky is turning dark, and the snow seems to be picking up.
Shouldn’t we head back to the estate?”
Natsu leaned down slightly and urged her in a soft voice.
“No way!
We just came out!”
Clenching the edges of the cloak with her chubby little hands, Hinata puffed out her cheeks and began deploying the ultimate, unbeatable spoiled-brat technique.
“Natsu-nee, can’t we stroll just a little longer?
Just a tiny bit!
I promise I won’t run off!”
Faced with such a soft, adorable onslaught, Natsu’s inner principles instantly crumbled.
She could only let out a helpless, doting sigh.
“Alright…
but you must not leave my sight for even half a step.”
“Understood!”
Hinata smiled, her eyes curling into crescent moons.
She turned around and trotted forward on her short legs, making a crisp crunch-crunch sound on the snow.
Before they knew it, the two had veered away from the bustling commercial street, arriving at the edge of a somewhat desolate park.
Because of the cold weather, the park was completely deserted, save for a few winter crows perched on bare branches, letting out raspy caws.
Squeak— Squeak—
A monotonous, slightly jarring sound of metal chains rubbing against each other drifted into Hinata’s ears on the cold wind.
Hinata stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
Sitting on a run-down swing set in the center of the park was a little boy who looked about the same age as her.
The boy wore a pitifully thin short-sleeved T-shirt with several holes torn in the collar, shivering uncontrollably in the early-winter cold.
A few snowflakes rested on his spiky, bright golden hair, making him stand out dramatically.
He kept his head down, his small body curled up on the swing seat.
As the swing swayed back and forth, he looked exceptionally lonely and forlorn.
Hinata’s bright, pale-blue eyes narrowed slightly.
‘Holy crap, that iconic blond hair, those hereditary goggles, and that utterly dirt-poor outfit…’
Hinata sucked in a breath of cold air in her mind.
‘Uzumaki Naruto!
That’s definitely Uzumaki Naruto, no doubt about it!’
“Lady Hinata, please do not go near there.”
Just as Hinata was about to take a closer look, Natsu suddenly pulled her sleeve nervously.
Lowering her voice, Natsu spoke with a rare trace of apprehension: Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“The adults in the village say that child is…
an evil fox incarnation that brings disaster.
We should take a detour!”
“Evil fox?
You mean that little blond kid over there sniffling on the swing?”
Hinata blinked, pretending to be completely innocent as she asked back in a crisp, clear voice.
“Shh!
Lady Hinata, please don’t draw his attention!”
Natsu acted as if facing a grave enemy.
She even activated her Byakugan subconsciously, shielding Hinata behind her back.
Hiding behind Natsu, the corners of Hinata’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.
She didn’t rush forward to say hello.
Instead, using Natsu’s body for cover, she poked half of her little head out, observing the small figure on the swing with great interest.
Her brain started spinning rapidly.
‘According to the classic plot of the original story, right now should be a clichéd yet super effective hero-saves-the-beauty moment!’
Hinata complained wildly in her head.
‘In the original story, three-year-old little Hinata was called a monster by a group of village bullies because of her unusual Byakugan.
Just as she was about to burst into tears, this little blond kid stepped up, shouting “I’m going to be the Hokage!” Even though he ended up being ground into the dirt and had his red scarf ruined, he successfully planted the seed of love in little Hinata’s heart.’
‘From then on, little Hinata kicked off a decade-long journey of being the ultimate simp!
Not only did she give him medicine, bento boxes, and assists, but she almost threw her life away fighting Pain!’
At the thought of that plot line, Hinata couldn’t help but shiver with disgust, shaking her head repeatedly.
‘What kind of cosmic joke is this?!
In my past life, I was a seven-foot-tall guy.
Even though I’ve now turned into a short-limbed little girl, my soul is as straight as a steel pipe!’
‘Make me be a simp for this little blond kid?
Keep dreaming!
Not in a million years!’
To verify her theory, Hinata rolled her large, pale-blue eyes, scanning all around the park.
‘Since this is a classic scene, where are the plot-advancing NPCs?
Where are those blind little brats?’
Hinata stretched her neck, looking everywhere.
‘I’m dressed so cutely today, looking like a literal walking porcelain doll!
Shouldn’t some blind little kids pop out right about now to pick on me because I look so adorable?’
‘Come out already!
My fists have been suppressed by that old man in the dojo for half a month, and I’ve been dying for a fight!
If you dare show up today, I’ll teach you how to behave!’
However, Hinata searched through the surrounding bushes, behind trees, and even under the slides, without finding a single soul.
It was dead silent, save for the sound of wind blowing snow off the branches.
“What are you looking for, Lady Hinata?”
Seeing Hinata looking around erratically, Natsu asked in confusion.
Hinata looked back at Natsu, who stood next to her with a vigilant expression, radiating a terrifying aura of “If anyone messes with the little treasure in my arms, I’ll send them to meet the Rikudō Sennin.”
Instantly, Hinata realized what was happening.
‘Damn it!
I miscalculated!’
Hinata slapped her virtual thigh in her heart.
‘I brought Natsu-nee with me today!’
‘Natsu-nee might usually be as gentle as water, but she’s still an elite ninja carefully selected by the Hyūga clan!
Once those Byakugan eyes open, not even a female mosquito can get within a kilometer!
Even if there were bullies around, seeing such a menacing, amazingly built maid-ninja standing by, they’d probably wet their pants and run for their lives!’
‘No way…
is the plot’s corrective force really this fragile?’
‘Looks like little blond Naruto isn’t getting his hero-saves-the-beauty chance today!’
Hinata turned her gaze back to Naruto on the swing.
By now, Naruto seemed entirely unaware of the distant gaze.
He just rhythmically swung back and forth, occasionally sniffling back his runny nose, rubbing his red, frozen hands together before resuming his daydreaming.
Looking at that little pale face—yellowish from hunger and cold—a complex emotion suddenly surged up inside Hinata.
‘So this is the hero who saves the entire shinobi world in the future?
The Child of Prophecy with a max-level Talk-no-Jutsu and the Kyūbi cheat code?’
‘Man, his childhood is rough!
He doesn’t even have warm clothes to wear or enough food to eat.
In the dead of winter, he’s stuck shivering in a park.’
Hinata touched her warm, stuffed belly, then looked at Naruto’s skinny frame.
An old fatherly sense of pity involuntarily bubbled up inside her.
‘Anyway, he’ll fall for Sakura later and get beaten to death by that flat-chested, big-foreheaded violent girl.’
‘And since I’m a guy at heart, there’s zero chance I’ll ever spark any romantic feelings toward a guy, so I definitely won’t fall for him.’
‘Since we’re destined not to be a couple, making an early investment—or even becoming sworn brothers—seems like a pretty sweet deal, right?’
Thinking up to this point, the corners of Hinata’s mouth curled up slightly.
Looking at this poor kid who had moved her countlessly through the screen in her past life, she couldn’t bring herself to remain a cold onlooker after all.
‘Forget it, forget it.
Consider it my good deed for the day—go comfort the future hero of the shinobi world!
Plus, I can experience what it feels like to condescendingly bestow charity upon the main character!’
Hinata made up her mind.
“Natsu-nee, wait for me here a moment.”
Hinata reached her hand out from her small fox-fur cloak and patted Natsu’s back, her tone carrying an unmistakable firmness.
“Lady Hinata!
Where are you going?”
Natsu panicked, trying to grab her.
“It’s dangerous over there!”
“It’s okay, don’t worry, Natsu-nee.
I’m just going over to say a couple of words.
If he tries to bite me, I’ll flatten him with Jūken!”
Hinata shook her chubby little fist, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Crunch— crunch—
Her little leather boots stepped onto the thin snow, making crisp, cheerful sounds.
Naruto, sitting on the swing, heard the footsteps and looked up vigilantly.
What met his eyes was an exquisitely dressed little girl who looked as if she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale picture book.
She wore a fluffy, pure-white cloak, her cheeks flushed pink, and her short dark-blue hair looked extraordinarily pretty against the white snow.
Naruto froze, a flash of panic crossing his deep blue eyes.
He subconsciously shrank his neck back, expecting this impossibly high-class girl to look at him with disgust—just like everyone else in the village—and throw stones at him while calling him a monster fox.
He even braced himself to cover his head and take a beating.
However, the little girl simply walked over to him and stopped.
The distance between them was less than two meters.
Hinata looked down at him—though due to her current height, she was actually looking straight at Naruto on the swing.
Seeing those iconic six whisker marks on his face and those defensive, self-deprecating blue eyes, Hinata couldn’t help but sigh again internally:
‘Man, he really has it rough!’
Without rushing, Hinata slowly reached into the small pocket of her cloak and pulled out the heavy wallet she had used earlier at the ramen shop.
She tossed the wallet in her hand once, making an enticing clink of coins.
Then, tilting her chin up slightly, Hinata looked straight into Naruto’s eyes with her pale-blue gaze.
In a comically mature yet irrepressibly cute tone, she shattered the winter silence:
“Hey, Blondie, wanna get some ramen?”