Another Voyeur

Hinata had clearly claimed the clearing atop Hokage Rock as her own territory and unceremoniously ordered Sasuke to leave.

Sasuke turned away haughtily and left without looking back.

"Mm!" Hinata nodded in satisfaction.

He might have been a savior and the future big shot of the shinobi world, but based on the principle that members of the same sex repelled each other, the two of them were still rather unpleasant to Hinata's eyes!

It was best to maintain a neither-too-close-nor-too-distant relationship. Getting too intimate might lead to major trouble.

Huh! Why hadn't Naruto left yet?

Could he be any more oblivious?

Stare!

Hinata took a bite of a dumpling, only to realize Naruto was not looking at her at all. His gaze was fixed on the dumpling she had put in her mouth, bitten apart, and finally swallowed into her stomach.

Hinata: "..."

I'll take another bite... Mm! So delicious!

Another bite...

Hinata finally could not stand Naruto's stare anymore. When she teased him, the guy was thin-skinned as could be, but at times like this, his face was tougher than Gaara's Sand Shield.

"I'll treat you to dumplings!"

Naruto grinned foolishly and hurried over eagerly.

Heh! He really didn't stand on ceremony!

Naruto sat beside Hinata, casually picked up a skewer of dumplings, and started eating with a satisfied expression.

Now that she was attending school, the young lady did not lack spending money. Treating the future Seventh Hokage to a meal was not much of a loss.

He was a future leader, after all!

Influenced by his childhood living environment, Naruto was actually very sensitive inside and had his own judgment of the emotions of those around him.

Perhaps he was also affected by the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Naruto could sense that Hinata did not hate him like everyone else, nor did she pity his background. She simply treated him as an ordinary friend, no differently from how she treated others.

Of course, by "others," she meant the other rookies.

As for those nameless extras, Hinata could not be bothered with them.

In truth, Naruto was the same as Sasuke. What they needed was not other people's pity, but recognition.

As a fan of the Hokage series, understanding the personalities of its characters was mandatory, okay?

"Thank you, Hinata!" After finishing a skewer of dumplings, Naruto finally remembered that he should probably thank Hinata.

Hinata looked out over the village and said calmly, "Don't mention it!"

Naruto asked curiously, "Hinata, what are you looking at?"

Hinata replied blandly, "The village!"

Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "What's so interesting about the village?"

Hmph! I'm experiencing the state of mind of the four Hokages as they stood on Hokage Rock and looked down upon the village. What would a brat like you know?

The scenery here was wonderful, and the view was wide open.

Before Konoha was founded, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had once stood here and looked down upon the land.

This is the mindset of the strong, understand?

Hinata might not have the lofty ambitions of the previous Hokages, but even if she only wanted to coast through life, as the young lady of the Hyuga Clan, she still had to put on an attitude of caring about the nation and its people.

Now that she was still young, it was no big deal.

But once Hinata grew up and her heart gradually "matured," if she did not love the village, she would be considered a heretic.

After a moment of silence, Hinata asked, "Hey, Naruto, do you have any dreams?"

At the mention of dreams, Naruto immediately fired up and declared with a serious expression, "I'm going to become Hokage and surpass all the previous Hokages."

Hinata smiled and encouraged him. "Mm! Do your best!"

The reason Hinata had taken the initiative to bring this up was also to further improve her relationship with Naruto.

How could Naruto at this stage know what the words "Hokage" truly meant? He had not yet experienced so many things. He only wanted to become Hokage to gain everyone's recognition.

Naruto's eyes instantly welled up, and even the delicious Three-Color Dumplings seemed to lose their appeal.

He was so moved!

"Waaah~"

Naruto turned to look at Hinata with tears streaming down his face. Though he did not say a word, his eyes seemed to conceal a certain emotion.

Hinata shuddered, stuffed a dumpling into Naruto's mouth, and snapped, "Eat your dumplings!"

Hokage Building.

For once, there were no official duties to handle. The Third Hokage took out his Crystal Ball and began the daily routine he had to perform.

Peeping!

The Third was a Hokage known as the "Professor of Ninjutsu." He would not lurk outside women's bathhouses to peep like Jiraiya did. He used ninjutsu to peep.

Just like during the Chunin Exam, using ninjutsu to cheat was what made a qualified ninja.

However, the Third had no interest in peeping on women's bathhouses today. Instead, he observed Naruto and Hinata atop Hokage Rock.

The Anbu had just reported that Naruto had followed Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata to Hokage Rock, and this concerned the Third greatly.

The growth of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was tied to Konoha's entire future.

Kumogakure already had the perfect Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, who had even participated in the Third Shinobi World War.

Had Kumogakure not exercised some restraint and prevented Killer B from fully undergoing Tailed Beast Transformation on the battlefield, Konoha's losses in its war against Kumogakure would likely have been even greater.

Kirigakure was far too mysterious, and an ocean separated it from the Land of Fire. For the time being, the Third did not know the state of Kirigakure's Tailed Beasts.

But Iwagakure's Jinchuriki had already reached adulthood, while Sunagakure was also researching Jinchuriki. Intelligence indicated that Sunagakure was testing a new sealing method for Jinchuriki.

"What exactly does the Hyuga Clan want? Is this deliberate, or merely a coincidence?"

The Third had no choice but to be suspicious.

The Uchiha clan had been exterminated. Aside from keeping Itachi in check, Sasuke's only mission was to "produce offspring for Konoha and develop a new Uchiha clan."

Besides, Sasuke was only seven years old and would not have many schemes in mind.

But the Hyuga Clan was powerful. Hinata's contact with Naruto made the Third Hokage suspect that the Hyuga Clan was using a honey trap.

Would the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki marry into the Hyuga Clan?

The Third had a headache.

Though the Hyuga Clan had never intermarried with outsiders, if it was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki...

Did the Hyuga Clan harbor thoughts of rebellion?

There were always troublemakers trying to harm me!

Although the Uchiha clan's extermination had intimidated the village's major shinobi clans and strengthened the centralization of the Hokage's faction.

To the outside world, however, it had weakened Konoha's overall strength.

Moreover, Hyuga Hiashi had always known how to read the situation. Though the Hyuga Clan still maintained its independence, it had practically already sided with the Hokage's faction.

The Third did not want to make a move against the Hyuga Clan. The Byakugan was simply too useful in war.

Among the major Shinobi Villages, nearly all coveted the Byakugan. How many wanted to seize the Sharingan instead?

The Mangekyō Sharingan had not appeared in the shinobi world for decades. Many had even come to regard it as a legend.

For some reason, the Third Hokage's furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and his wrinkled old face bloomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile.

It was time to go brainwash the Ninja Academy students.