When Hinata opened her eyes, she found that Naruto was the only person still beside her.
She slowly sat up and remained dazed for several seconds before turning to look at him.
Naruto was seated on the nearby steps, seemingly lost in thought.
Then Hinata suddenly remembered what had happened earlier.
My dream is to earn Naruto-kun’s acknowledgment…
My dream is to earn Naruto-kun’s acknowledgment…
The more desperately she tried not to remember those words, the more insistently they echoed through her mind.
Hinata felt as though her face were about to burn from the heat.
She shifted restlessly, unable to sit still.
Naruto noticed her movement and turned around with a smile.
“You’re awake, Hinata?”
“Mm…”
Hinata lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Her fingers nervously twisted together in her lap.
“Where are Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun?”
Naruto thought she looked unbearably adorable like this.
He took a sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
“They already left.
This is the consent form for tomorrow’s survival exercise.”
“A survival exercise?”
Hinata blinked twice.
She felt as though she had only fainted for a moment, yet somehow, so many things had happened while she was unconscious.
She wanted to ask Naruto how long she had been asleep, but the question was far too embarrassing to voice.
In the end, she silently accepted the form and lowered her gaze to read it.
Then her eyes widened.
“If we fail the exercise, we’ll be sent back to the Academy…?
And the pass rate is only thirty-three percent?”
The elimination rate was far too high.
What will Father think if I fail to become a genin?
And Hanabi… How will she look at me?
Hinata grew increasingly anxious.
Among the students of her graduating class, she had always believed herself to be somewhere near the bottom.
Naruto stood and stretched both arms above his head.
Hearing her concern, he laughed brightly.
“Don’t worry, Hinata.
I won’t let Kakashi-sensei send you back to the Academy!”
Hinata remained seated on the steps, clutching the form tightly in both hands.
Her face turned red as her heart began pounding.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Sensitive as she was, Hinata could not help feeling that Naruto’s attitude toward her was somehow… different.
Did he perhaps have a little affection for her?
But what if she was only imagining things?
Naruto was kind to many people.
Did he merely consider her a close friend?
Or was it something more…?
Her thoughts tangled themselves into an impossible knot.
“Well, I’ll see you at the training ground tomorrow, Hinata.”
Naruto waved goodbye with a smile.
Then, with a light leap, he vanished from the rooftop.
Hinata remained there alone for a while before finally returning home.
That night—
Inside the private dōjō of the Hyūga compound, a short-haired girl trained beneath the dim amber light.
Hinata wore a fitted mesh training shirt, her Byakugan fully activated as she repeatedly practiced a sequence of Gentle Fist movements.
Shhk—
Her bare foot twisted against the polished wooden floor, leaving behind a faint smear of sweat.
“Hah!”
She thrust out her palm.
A burst of chakra invisible to ordinary eyes shot from her hand.
Sweat covered Hinata’s face, and her breathing had grown slightly ragged.
The spacious dōjō was completely silent.
Only the soft sound of droplets striking the wooden floor could be heard.
Slide—
The door suddenly opened.
Hanabi stood at the entrance, staring at her sister in surprise.
“Elder Sister?
You’re still practicing this late?”
Hinata gave her an embarrassed smile.
She lowered her hands, switched off the lights, and closed the dōjō behind her before accompanying her younger sister to bathe.
…
Moonlight spilled across the abandoned courtyards and buildings of the Uchiha compound.
There was no longer anyone left to appreciate it.
At the former clan head’s residence, Sasuke sat casually along the edge of the engawa.
The cold moonlight washed over his body.
A kunai spun unconsciously around one finger.
There was no one anywhere nearby.
Not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
Sasuke stared silently at the moon hanging within the black night sky.
He recalled everything Naruto and the Third Hokage had told him earlier that day.
Then his thoughts drifted through the past six years of relentless training.
He remembered that cold, hopeless night six years ago.
He remembered the days when his father, mother, and brother were still beside him.
Where does my future lead?
Sasuke silently asked the moon.
Naturally, it offered no answer.
…
At Naruto’s apartment—
Naruto sat at his desk in his pajamas, carefully studying a scroll beneath the lamplight.
Written inside it was the only technique he had copied from the Scroll of Seals.
It was also the signature technique of his father, the Fourth Hokage—
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
It was an extremely advanced and exceptionally rare space–time ninjutsu.
More than almost any other technique, it placed merciless demands upon the natural talent of whoever attempted to learn it.
Naruto wanted to master it for two reasons.
First, he wanted to become different from the version of himself in those future memories.
He wanted to become stronger and more accomplished than that Naruto had ever been.
Second—
His father had been the second shinobi in Konoha’s history to successfully master the Flying Thunder God.
Naruto desperately wanted to become the third.
The night was quiet.
And so was Naruto’s heart.
…
The following morning, a little after eight o’clock, Naruto arrived at the agreed-upon training ground.
Hinata and Sasuke were already there.
“Uh… Looks like I’m late.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
He had studied the scroll until deep into the night and accidentally overslept that morning.
In the end, he had barely managed to bite down two slices of bread, gulp a glass of milk, and rush out the door.
Sasuke wore a backpack, with a short sword secured horizontally at the back of his waist.
He gave no particular response.
Hinata, naturally, would never blame Naruto.
She gently shook her head.
“It’s all right, Naruto-kun.”
Naruto looked around the empty training ground and smiled.
“Just as I expected.
There’s no chance Kakashi-sensei will arrive at the time he promised.”
Hinata raised a fist to her lips and giggled softly.
Naruto laughed with her.
Sasuke glanced at the two of them.
For some reason, seeing them smiling together was strangely irritating.
“Hmph.
We might as well wait.
He probably won’t be here for a long time.”
Sasuke walked beneath a nearby tree, set down his backpack, and sat against the trunk with his eyes closed.
Naruto and Hinata exchanged glances before walking over and sitting nearby.
…
It was not until eleven-thirty that Kakashi finally arrived at a leisurely pace.
Naruto could no longer tolerate it.
He jumped to his feet and pointed accusingly at him.
“You’re way too late!
No matter how you look at it, this is too much!”
Kakashi casually waved one hand, entirely unaffected by Naruto’s anger.
“Sorry.
I got lost on the road of life.”
Sasuke rose with an expressionless face.
Of everyone present, he was probably the most accustomed to Kakashi’s shamelessness.
Hinata stood as well, looking visibly nervous.
After all, the outcome of this exercise would determine whether she could truly become a genin.
Jingle, jingle.
Kakashi reached into his pocket and produced two small bells.
Naruto smiled knowingly.
“Kakashi-sensei—”
“Naruto.”
Kakashi interrupted him.
“I know that you already understand the true purpose of this exercise.
Your individual combat ability is also exceptionally high, so I originally intended to use a different test.”
He paused briefly.
“However, I recently made a small breakthrough in my own training.”
Kakashi held up the two bells.
“So I decided to keep the original format after all.”
His lone visible eye swept across the three genin.
“Anyone who takes a bell from me before twelve o’clock will pass.”
Then his tone sharpened.
“As for anyone who fails to obtain one…”
Kakashi placed an alarm clock atop one of the wooden posts.
“…you’ll be sent back to the Ninja Academy.”