[Uzumaki Naruto finished a day of chakra refinement and felt the power within his body swell even further.]
[A low rumble echoed from his stomach. Uzumaki Naruto looked up at the sky; it was time to go home.]
[Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a sound coming from the path he had to take.]
[Rustling noises drifted from a nearby bush.]
[Since Naruto had plenty of chakra at the moment, he was extremely sensitive to such disturbances.]
[“What’s going on? Could someone be coming to take me out?”]
[Uzumaki Naruto shook his head. No way. There was no need to set an ambush for someone like him at this stage.]
[Yet, driven by curiosity, he still walked toward the source of the sound.]
[Treading lightly and cautiously parting the bushes, he concealed his figure behind a tree trunk.]
[This Naruto was far too cautious!]
[Peering through the moonlight, Uzumaki Naruto looked over and discovered the figure of a young girl!]
[She wore a black form-fitting outfit, with a clan crest marked on her right shoulder.]
[Her face was round, her features extremely delicate, and she had short hair.]
[She looked to be around the same age as Naruto, though in certain areas she was visibly different—evidently suffering from over-nutrition at such a tender age!]
[Uzumaki Naruto recognized her instantly: this was Hinata of the Hyuga Clan's main house!]
[As expected of a young lady of noble birth, she certainly lived up to her reputation!]
[Yet for some reason, Hinata was crying all alone here.]
[She looked utterly heartbroken.]
[Naruto gazed at the helpless Hinata before him, as if seeing his own past self.]
[After being ostracized and bullied by villagers, he too would run off to the back mountains alone and cry his heart out.]
[Over time, the Naruto of this world had grown numb; gradually, he ceased to feel sorrow or pain.]
[Therefore, the only thing Hinata could stir in this Naruto was a reflection of his former self.]
[“As the eldest miss of the Hyuga clan, is this all you amount to? You disappoint me, Hinata!”]
[The voice of her father, Hyuga Hizashi—or rather, Hyuga Hiashi—seemed to echo in her ears. As the Hyuga clan stood as Konoha's counterweight to the Uchiha clan,]
[Hinata, as the eldest daughter, naturally bore immense expectations, and thus, despite being only seven years old, she had to endure rigorous daily training.]
[Yet her talent seemed far from satisfying Hiashi.]
Yamanaka Ino: "I never knew Hinata had to go through such harsh training since she was little. That's so miserable! By comparison, our Yamanaka clan is much gentler!"
Aburame Shino: "Ino, your Yamanaka clan mostly focuses on intelligence and auxiliary roles, relying on secret family techniques. But the Hyuga clan is an indispensable fighting force for Konoha, so naturally, the standards are much stricter."
Aburame Shino: "As for our Aburame clan, we cultivate bugs inside our bodies right from birth, and certain special ninja even have to use their own bodies as nests for venomous insects."
Aburame Shino's words revealed another side of the Shinobi World.
The reason a village could flourish
was not merely because of the peace and prosperity seen on the surface,
but because it was built upon the sacrifices countless ninja made behind the scenes.
Although the Aburame clan's path seemed grueling,
they were at least ranked among Konoha's distinguished noble families
and would later become part of the Konoha 11—or rather, the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
Yet many more ninja were not born exceptional.
They might be more like Iruka's parents:
ordinary, backgroundless, leaving behind only a single sentence before heading out the door:
"Stay safely at home, we are going out to protect Konoha."
And then never returning!
Aburame Shino's remarks
left everyone in a brief silence.
Having lived through three Great Ninja Wars,
the current relatively stable environment of the Shinobi World was merely a facade.
What was truly needed was a ninja who could genuinely alter the landscape of the Shinobi World!
One who would lead the world toward true peace!
Unfortunately,
even Senju Hashirama, the ceiling of the Shinobi World, had failed to achieve this.
[Ding!]
[Question: In the black-framed screen, facing a sorrowful Hinata, what will Uzumaki Naruto do at this moment?]
[A: I've already suffered enough disdain in Konoha; I couldn't care less about these Byakugan eyes!]
[B: Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he pities the pampered Miss Hinata? How ridiculous! The Hyuga clan is also a future target of my vengeance—the males will be killed, and the females...]
[C: Although I hate Konoha, it has nothing to do with Hinata. On the contrary, I feel her situation is very similar to mine; perhaps we can understand each other.]
The system's prize quiz arrived once again, this time offering a choice among three options.
Everyone had more or less figured out the personality of the Naruto in the black frame:
cautious and highly intelligent!
And currently harboring a deep resentment toward Konoha!
He could be said to be the exact opposite of the Naruto in this white-framed world.
Onoki: "To be honest, judging by Naruto's current behavior, I think it's most likely he'll just pretend he didn't see anything."
Jiraiya: "Hmm, actually, what I'm more curious about is what option B meant by saying what it would do to the females of the Hyuga family—why is there an ellipsis at the end?"
Hyuga Hiashi: "Lord Jiraiya, please have some self-respect!"
Jiraiya: "Haha, Hiashi, so you're in the chat group too!"
Orochimaru: "But we already know this Naruto-kun shares my personality: an eye for an eye, a grudge for a grudge. I think the probability of B is extremely high!"
Hyuga Hinata: "Even so, the Naruto-kun in that world is probably just being extreme for a moment. I believe he's just as kind and gentle as the Naruto-kun in our world."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Whose child is this Hyuga Hinata?"
Hyuga Hiashi: "Ahem, what about it?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Nothing, I just really like this girl. How about making her my son Naruto's girlfriend?"
Uzumaki Naruto: "..."
Namikaze Minato: "Kushina, while I also like the girl Hinata very much, most children of the Hyuga clan cannot make their own decisions regarding marriage."
Uzumaki Kushina: "That's why I'm asking whose daughter Hinata is!"
Hyuga Hiashi: "..."
Hyuga Hiashi: "How about we save this conversation for after you and Minato are resurrected?"
Uzumaki Kushina: "Alright, it's a deal!"
Uzumaki Kushina: "I choose C. Just like Hinata, I believe in Naruto!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Wherever the leaves dance, Fire will burn anew. We are all part of the big Konoha family and should love one another! I choose C as well!"
Orochimaru: "Then I'll choose B!"
Following the choices made by Uzumaki Kushina and Orochimaru,
the system's voting time came to an end.
Everyone else chose to adopt a wait-and-see attitude for the time being;
after all, they really weren't well-acquainted with the current Naruto!
[Uzumaki Naruto looked at little Hinata, who was covering her face and weeping.]
[He hesitated to leave several times, but ultimately chose to walk over.]
[He searched his pockets for a long time, but couldn't find a single piece of paper to wipe away her tears.]
[With no other choice, Naruto took off the scarf around his neck—rumored to be the final keepsake left to him by his mother.]
[Hyuga Hinata was crying when she suddenly noticed the scarf appearing before her.]
[She raised her head with a puzzled look to find Uzumaki Naruto standing there with a warm smile.]
[“Here, take it. Hurry up and wipe your snot, you look hideous!”]
[Little Hinata's face flushed red as she tried hard to sniff.]
[“I... I am not running any snot!”]
[“Do you want this scarf or not?” Seeing her reaction, Uzumaki Naruto made a move to take the scarf back.]
[Hinata looked at the scarf and took it into her hands. “This scarf is so pretty!”]
[“If you like it, I'll give it to you.”]
[“But isn't this scarf something given to you by someone very important?”]
[“Someone very important?”]
[Uzumaki Naruto fell silent. He didn't know who was important to him.]
[His parents? But he had never seen them from the moment he was born.]
[Even this scarf was something he had found while sorting through his parents' leftover belongings, and it hadn't even clearly been designated as a gift for him.]
[He only wore it around his neck when it was cold in winter, and eventually, he grew so used to it that he couldn't be bothered to take it off.]
Uzumaki Kushina: "What is the meaning of this? It's one thing if Naruto didn't know he was Minato's and my child, but how could he not even know that the scarf I left behind before I died was knitted by me? This is too ridiculous!"
Uzumaki Naruto: "So that scarf really was made for me by Mom."
Namikaze Minato: "That's right, Naruto. To knit this scarf for you, Kushina went out of her way to learn from Miss Mikoto. She was clumsy and impatient, and her palms were covered in countless needle pricks just to finish it."
Uzumaki Kushina: "Hmph, Minato, you could totally have skipped that last part!"
Namikaze Minato: "Haha."
Orochimaru: "Stop showing off, stop showing off. I only miss my dear Teacher Hiruzen! How is he going to talk his way out of this—oh I mean, explain himself this time!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
Orochimaru: "What's wrong, Teacher Hiruzen? Is your throat uncomfortable? I didn't interrupt this time!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Kushina, Minato, listen to my explanation. Back during the Third Great Ninja War, Minato, as a ninja of Konoha, was hailed on the battlefield as the Yellow Flash and single-handedly changed the course of the war!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "The number of ninja he killed was at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. It would have been one thing if you two were still alive, but since neither of you was left, there was no guarantee someone wouldn't seek revenge!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "You both know how petty-minded ninja matters are—you kill me today, I kill you tomorrow. I did all this entirely to ensure Naruto could grow up healthy and safe!"
Fourth Raikage: "Third Hokage, what you say sounds reasonable, but our Hidden Cloud Village also fought against Minato back then. To be frank, the Yellow Flash truly lived up to his name; although he killed quite a few ninja from our Land of Lightning, we are above attacking a mere child!"
Onoki: "Exactly, exactly! Third Hokage, who do you take us for? How could we possibly attack a child?"
Terumi Mei: "I agree with the Raikage and the Tsuchikage on this. No matter what, anyone who ruthlessly slaughters a child is simply unworthy of being called a ninja."
Fourth Kazekage Rasa: "..."