Only by Knowing Where You Fall Short Can You Know Which Direction to Strive In

"Aww! Aww! No!"

Sansan tried desperately to break free from Yu Hagoromo's clutches, but she couldn't escape no matter what she did.

Hagoromo directly covered Sansan's forehead with Yang Release Chakra with both hands and vigorously rubbed it.

"The main reason I had you take Naruto and the others with you was in case something unexpected happened, but you've already started joking around."

After a while, Hagoromo finally put Sansan down. This guy has been getting more and more arrogant lately.

"Naruto, Sasuke, come here first."

Hagoromo looked at Naruto and Sasuke and said that the next Sage Mode would have to be discussed with them by herself.

Although the Hazy Moon Sage Mode originated from Sansan's Sacred Land, there are some techniques that Sansan clearly doesn't understand as well as he does.

Hinata's training seems unlikely to continue today, so let her rest for a while.

There's nothing I can say if I go there at this point.

"Teacher, I'll be there in a bit."

Naruto glanced at Hinata, whose condition was clearly off, and said to Hagoromo.

"Okay, go ahead, the teacher will go and wait for you."

Hagoromo nodded, and then grabbed Sansan, who wanted to stay and watch the show, and dragged her away.

Under the tree, Hinata lowered her head, her hands clenched tightly, her knuckles white from the force.

Although training in mirror imagery is not something that can be achieved overnight, it's not just about losing the battle; more importantly...

The mirror image of her 'self' laid bare all her hesitations, timidity, and shortcomings.

Those words kept replaying in my mind, and they remained incredibly clear to me even now.

"You're too weak." "Someone like you can't protect anything."

Her fingertips trembled slightly as she bit her lower lip, trying hard to suppress the stinging in her eyes.

Sure enough, I'm still the same person I always was.

Hinata--!

Not far away, Naruto, having finished speaking with Hagoromo, turned and shouted in the direction Hinata was.

The energetic voice made Hinata flinch and look up toward the source of the sound.

Naruto walked slowly towards her, and his bright blue eyes and radiant smile in the sunlight made Hinata lower her head in a fluster.

No, I can't let Naruto-kun see me looking so cowardly.

"Naruto- Naruto-kun..." Hinata composed herself and it took her a while to raise her head.

"Hey, Hinata, do you want to come with us?"

Naruto scratched his head and pointed in the direction of Hagoromo and Sasuke, who were walking away slowly not far away.

Naruto had hoped to use this method to help Hinata escape her current situation, but this time he didn't get a response from Hinata.

Seeing Hinata lower her head again, Naruto's smile faded. He squatted down in front of her and awkwardly began to speak.

"Uh... Hinata? What's wrong?"

Watching Naruto's clumsy yet earnest attempts to show concern, Hinata felt the tears she had been holding back were about to spill over.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I really am... still as useless as ever, I haven't changed at all."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Naruto was stunned. Hinata had always been a shy and gentle little girl in his eyes.

No matter how tough the training was, he never complained of being tired.

Sometimes, she even took on the responsibility of treating the injuries these boys sustained due to excessive training.

In his eyes, Hinata had always been a gentle yet strong girl.

However, Hinata's current behavior left him somewhat at a loss; he didn't quite understand why the mirror image training would cause Hinata to act this way.

But I completely understand how painful it is to lose and feel useless.

Instead of immediately saying something like "Don't cry" or "It's okay," Naruto scratched his face, remembering a method his father had once told him.

After a while, Naruto, having composed himself, looked at Hinata and spoke in a very gentle tone:

"I said... Hinata."

His gentle yet calm tone made Hinata look up at him.

"You know what? When I first started training with Master Hagoromo, I was actually quite slow. I couldn't even do the most basic Chakra refining."

Naruto recalled his past experiences and slowly recounted them to Hinata.

"At that time, I also felt very useless, and no matter how I refined it, I couldn't achieve it."

"It took a long time before I finally decided to go find Teacher Hagoromo. Although I was able to refine it later, there were still some training exercises I couldn't do."

Hinata stared blankly at Naruto; she naturally knew everything about Naruto's past.

While Naruto was training with Hagoromo- sensei, he had been secretly watching from the shadows.

"You wouldn't believe it, but at those times, I often feel useless, wondering if I'm really incapable."

Naruto continued talking, scratching the back of his head every now and then.

Looking back on his past self, Naruto inexplicably felt that he did seem a bit clumsy.

"I remember my teacher telling me that only by knowing your shortcomings can you know which direction to strive for."

"That makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?"

Hinata nodded; she had indeed heard Hagoromo- sensei say that.

Seeing that Hinata had finally calmed down a bit, Naruto smiled again and asked, "What was she like, the one who won?"

Hinata answered the question almost without thinking, "She... is very strong, very calm, and she doesn't hesitate at all when she attacks..."

"See?"

Naruto clapped his hands excitedly, his words carrying an inexplicable infectious charm.

"The teacher said that this training itself is a reflection of one's inner self."

"Isn't that powerful 'you' in the mirror also a part of you? It's just that she's ahead of you."

This peculiar perspective and explanation left Hinata completely stunned.

If that's the case, it actually seems to be true...

"What's the big deal about losing?" Naruto grinned. "That Sasuke always loses too, doesn't he?"

"Hinata, in my eyes you are much stronger than Sasuke."

Losing isn't a big deal, as long as you get back up every time you fall and understand why you fell in the first place.

"Then, be even stronger next time, surpassing the past step by step, and that will be enough!"

"Naruto-kun..."

Hinata looked at Naruto in front of her, and felt her vision blurring again.

"Hinata, don't cry!" Naruto reached out his hand to Hinata, offering his encouragement.

"Let's work together! I'm going to become Hokage! And my comrades will never give up so easily!"

Hinata nodded vigorously. Yes, it was just a trial.

My lifelong dream has always been to catch up with Naruto, or at least to walk alongside Naruto.