Knights of the Byakugan Princess

"Y-You... are you talking to me?"

Naruto looked utterly incredulous, a little shy, a little timid, and somewhat uncertain.

He had been alone for too long. Even when other children occasionally played with him, the adults would soon stop them.

Even children from ninja families like Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba Inuzuka would deliberately distance themselves from Naruto under their parents' orders.

Shikaku Nara naturally was not like ordinary people, who despised Naruto because of his identity as the "Demon Fox." But Naruto was, after all, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so certain boundaries had to be observed.

Naruto's situation improved considerably only after he entered the Ninja Academy.

Hinata felt a little smug and smiled sweetly. "Of course. You're amazing!"

"Hehehehe! I'm amazing..."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning foolishly as he immersed himself in his fantasies.

Master Ball... Naruto successfully captured!

A simple, gullible kid like Naruto could be lured away with just a lollipop.

Not to mention a little lady like Hinata. Years of aristocratic etiquette had given her the aura of a "princess," and coupled with her adorable appearance, a single smile was enough to capture a young boy's heart, okay?

Hmm... for now, Naruto could be appointed Knight No. 3!

Knight No. 1 was naturally Neji, while Knight No. 2 was Otsutsuki Toneri. Naruto could only rank third for the time being.

Speaking of Otsutsuki Toneri, he had once come to the Ninja World with his father as a child. Using the Otsutsuki clan's unique method, he had "seen" Hinata, found her adorable, and chosen her as a prospective wife.

"I wonder if Knight No. 2 has peeked at me yet..."

Hinata rubbed her cheeks and quickly dismissed those thoughts.

"I'm the Goddess in the hearts of countless Hokage fans. How can I become some scheming woman? The innocent, kind, airheaded sweetheart is the real me!"

A shiver ran through Hinata's entire body.

While Naruto was still giggling foolishly, Hinata swiftly retreated into the crowd and disappeared.

After practicing Shuriken all afternoon, the teacher had everyone throw them one by one before school ended to test the results of their day's training.

Sasuke, as expected, happened to appear at the spot beside Hinata. He showed off his superb Shuriken-throwing skills, earned a perfect score, and drew a chorus of lovestruck screams.

"Brats really are the worst."

Especially a competitive brat like Sasuke.

Hinata was naturally no slouch either. She casually tossed one and got a perfect score.

And Naruto finally displayed his true strength.

He really was powerful!

His Shuriken had nearly killed even the Chunin teacher...

After school, Hinata slung her backpack over her shoulders and walked out the school gates, preparing to head home, when she heard Naruto calling from behind her.

Hinata turned around. Naruto scratched his head and asked somewhat awkwardly, "My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"

Come to think of it, Hinata had asked Naruto's name during outdoor class that afternoon, but Naruto had foolishly failed to answer at the time.

As usual, Hinata gave him a sweet smile. "My name is Hinata Hyuga!"

Whoosh!

With a flash, Tokuma Hyuga appeared beside Hinata and said softly, "Young Lady, it is time to go home!"

Hinata nodded, then waved to Naruto. "I'm leaving!"

Naruto's identity was actually rather awkward. Ordinary people believed he was the Demon Fox and did not dare approach him, while the ninjas knew how much the village higher-ups valued the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, so naturally they would not let their clan descendants associate with Naruto either.

Tokuma Hyuga's appearance was meant to prove to the village that Hinata's contact with Naruto had been an accident, not an order from the Hyuga Clan.

After they had gone quite a distance, Tokuma Hyuga quietly said to Hinata, "Young Lady, please do not associate with that child in the future."

Hinata asked blankly, "Why?"

Tokuma Hyuga replied gently, "There is no need for you to know for now, Young Lady. Lord Hiashi also does not wish for you to associate with that child."

"Okay!"

Hinata still understood the rules. Naturally, she would not concern herself with Naruto simply because she pitied his background.

Besides, Naruto did not need that kind of pity. He was strong-willed; all one needed to do was acknowledge his strength.

But children being disobedient was normal. If Naruto took the initiative to approach her, Hinata naturally would not drive him away.

After all, the bait had already been cast.

The future Seventh Hokage was still young. How could she not seize the chance to secure such a powerful backer?

The Hyuga Clan would need his protection in the future.

That night, two youths... six-year-olds should count as boys, right... two boys were destined to lose sleep because of Hinata.

Naruto tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Every now and then, he would reveal a foolish, lovestruck grin.

Hinata's "smile"-brand Master Ball had clearly captured Naruto successfully.

This pitiful child had met, for the first time in his life, a girl who smiled at him, praised him for being amazing, and exchanged names with him.

Naruto was like someone in the throes of youthful excitement. The moment he closed his eyes, all he could see was someone's pure, adorable smile.

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Uchiha Residence.

The moon hung high in the sky, yet a small figure was still practicing throwing ninja tools over and over again. He was soaked through with sweat from exhaustion, but did not know to rest.

"Sasuke, you're still training this late?"

Itachi Uchiha had just returned from a mission. After changing clothes, he came to see Sasuke.

"Yes, Brother! Hah, hah—"

Covered in sweat and already utterly exhausted, Sasuke immediately lost all strength in his body when he saw his brother. He sat on the ground, panting heavily.

Itachi walked over and gently rubbed Sasuke's hair. He was well-informed, so he naturally knew that his foolish little brother had been defeated by Hinata Hyuga yesterday.

Clearly, Sasuke had been provoked again today.

In today's Shuriken assessment, Sasuke had scored one hundred because one hundred was the limit of his ability. Hinata had scored one hundred because the perfect score was only one hundred.

Sasuke looked up at Itachi excitedly. "Brother, teach me how to practice with Shuriken!"

Itachi looked at Sasuke and said, "Tomorrow. Your current condition is not suitable for further training."

"Okay..."

Sasuke was somewhat disappointed.

And what was our protagonist, Hinata, doing at this time?

Compared to someone like Sasuke, who trained conscientiously, Hinata's daily training assignments were actually quite easy.

Especially after she entered the Ninja Academy.

Hyuga Hiashi did not have time to personally instruct Hinata every day. More often, it was Tokuma Hyuga who accompanied Hinata in practicing the Gentle Fist.

Tokuma Hyuga was much easier to handle. Hinata used every trick in the book—acting cute, whining, and playing adorable—trying to find all kinds of excuses to slack off every day.

Of the original two-hour training period from seven to nine, Hinata would rest for at least half an hour to an hour.

Yet even so, Tokuma Hyuga despairingly discovered that his Young Lady's strength was improving every day at an astonishing rate.

"Young Lady, you have finished the fruit. It is time to train."

"No! Exercising right after eating is bad for the stomach. Let me rest a little longer, just ten minutes."

"But it's already eight fifty..."