A Chubby Boy with Something on His Mind

Idiot...?

Watching Sasuke's retreating back, a vicious thought rose in Hinata's heart. Should she shut Sasuke up for good right now?

He actually dared to insult her?

He was really tired of living!

Hinata could hardly believe it. For over three years, she had bullied Sasuke at school without fail. How did he still have the nerve to call her an idiot?

Who the hell gave him that courage?

Hinata had originally planned to spare Sasuke for the next three years for Ino and Sakura's sake.

But now? This guy was the type to tear off the roof if you didn't beat him for three days, and blossom at the slightest bit of sunshine.

Not long after Sasuke left, Ino and Sakura hurried over and asked anxiously, "Well? Well? Hinata, did you talk to Sasuke?"

"I did!"

Hinata adjusted her mood and looked at the two little girls who had utterly devoted themselves to Sasuke. She reassured them, "Relax! I passed the message along. Sasuke will think it over himself. Once he starts opening his heart to girls, you'll have a chance!"

"Mhm, mhm!"

Ino and Sakura nodded vigorously, their faces full of delight.

This grand annual drama of a group of girls chasing one boy finally had some hope.

As for that awkward little brat Sasuke, would Hinata's words actually affect him?

They did, somewhat!

If he wanted to revive the Uchiha clan, descendants really were the key.

But Sasuke had another thought as well. What he wanted was not a weak, easily bullied Uchiha, but an Uchiha that made the entire ninja world tremble in fear at the mere mention of the name.

In Sasuke's eyes, only such an Uchiha was a true Uchiha.

As for what Hinata had said about having more than a dozen sons and hundreds of grandsons, that was important too, but it was not what Sasuke wanted.

Before true strength, even a massive clan was nothing more than a paper tiger.

So... life at the Ninja Academy did not change in the slightest. The girls still showered Sasuke with attention, while Sasuke remained just as indifferent to them. Even little beauties like Ino and Sakura were no exception.

The only change was Hinata.

Although Sasuke had always kept an eye on Hinata, the girls no longer treated her with their former hostility.

Hinata had already explained that she had no feelings for Sasuke whatsoever, and the two of them could never possibly be together.

With that, the girls accepted Hinata.

Sasuke's life changed somewhat too. He did not know whether Hinata had gone crazy, but she always found some excuse or another to beat him up.

Eating, sleeping, beating Sasuke—this seemed to have become Hinata's daily routine.

Naruto was still the same as ever, muddling through his days in the regular class.

But a few days ago, Naruto suddenly ran over to tell Hinata that he had finally earned recognition from a second person.

It was obvious that Naruto was truly happy.

Umino Iruka was the homeroom teacher of Naruto's class and the instructor for Hinata's specialized courses. Hinata remembered him quite well.

After all, Iruka was the only teacher whose name Hinata remembered.

Of course, there was also that guy Mizuki.

Come to think of it, the villains of the Naruto world all had their own ideals and pursuits. It seemed that only Mizuki was a villain in the truest sense.

What a hypocrite who was rotten to the bone.

Amid the calm and peaceful days, Hinata grew another year older.

They were already in fourth grade, and everyone had matured quite a bit. But what Hinata found unbearable was that the chubby boy Choji seemed to have developed some strange thoughts lately. The way he occasionally looked at her was very odd.

Oh~

Hinata understood perfectly well. It was puberty! Having a crush on the opposite sex was completely normal!

Besides, Hinata was an adorable little cutie, and she was also the only girl in class willing to play with Choji. It would have been strange if Choji had no other thoughts.

Sure enough, while class was still in session, Hinata had merely turned around to glance at the clock on the wall when she discovered that Choji was secretly watching her back.

The instant his eyes met Hinata's, Choji lowered his head, his face turning bright red.

Tsk, tsk. Spring had arrived—the season when all things came back to life.

As Choji's childhood friend, Shikamaru had noticed Choji's unusual behavior long ago.

Shikamaru was very smart, and far more mature than Choji. He knew perfectly well that Hinata and Choji were simply impossible.

Hinata was the young lady of the Hyuga Clan and the future heir of the main family.

Hinata's future husband could only be an outstanding young man from the Hyuga Clan. Only then could the purity of the Hyuga Clan's bloodline be ensured.

Even if someone married into the Hyuga Clan, he would need to possess exceptional qualities, be able to bring enormous benefits to the Hyuga Clan, and earn the approval of both Hyuga Hiashi and Hinata.

And once Hinata married someone from outside the clan, she would inevitably lose her right to inherit the main family.

The price was far too great.

The chubby boy Choji clearly had no chance at all.

Better a short pain than a long one. In order to help his friend break free from his unrequited love as soon as possible, Shikamaru decided to lend him a hand.

As soon as class ended, Shikamaru called Choji outside. The two arrived at a deserted spot, and Shikamaru asked first, "Choji, about Hinata..."

Choji lowered his head, his flushed face too embarrassing to look at.

Shikamaru had a headache. He offered advice, "If you have something on your mind, just say it boldly."

"B-but..."

Choji hesitated. It was too embarrassing!

Shikamaru patted Choji on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Look at Ino and the others. They like Sasuke, so they boldly say it. Even if they get rejected, it's no big deal!"

"No! I'm not..."

Shikamaru continued, "How about after school today? I'll go find Hinata with you."

Choji looked at Shikamaru gratefully and asked in surprise, "Really?"

Shikamaru smiled. "Of course. We're friends!"

I'm just a little sorry for Hinata!

The reason Shikamaru wanted Choji to boldly confess to Hinata was naturally because he knew that Hinata would definitely reject him.

Choji might suffer for a while, but Shikamaru would stay by his side and talk him through it. Choji would soon emerge from the pain of heartbreak.

But from then on, the relationship between Hinata and Choji would surely become awkward.

Hinata had gotten along very well with Choji, but after this, they would probably find it difficult even to remain friends.

But if Shikamaru did not do this, he worried that Choji would become too deeply attached. It would be much harder for him to pull himself free later on.

And by then, Choji would suffer even more.

"Alright, let's go back! After school, I'll be with you!"

Shikamaru gave Choji an encouraging smile, then turned and strode away coolly.

Meanwhile, what was Hinata, the heroine of this story, doing at this moment?

Hinata was troubled too!

Being too popular was not necessarily a good thing.

Hinata had finally understood how Sasuke felt when he was constantly pestered by a huge crowd of girls.

Just moments ago, a girl from the neighboring class had given Hinata a love letter. Of course, she was delivering it for someone else, but Hinata was already reaching her limit.

Fortunately, the boys were not as crazy as the girls. Otherwise, Hinata might have had to unleash her mowing-down-the-grass mode.