Mr. Naruto Likes Me!

Uzumaki Naruto walked through the bustling streets and arrived at the edge of the Forest of Death.

Even at its edge, the Forest of Death was filled with towering trees, their trunks impossibly thick, having clearly grown for at least several decades.

At the base of the trees, a few scattered mushrooms grew.

"Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple… Even if you gave me these poisonous mushrooms, I wouldn't dare eat them. One bite and I'd be seeing Uchiha Madara doing a spicy dance…"

Uzumaki Naruto shook his head and tossed away the colorful mushrooms in his hand.

This was his first time approaching the Forest of Death. Previously, he had been powerless and wouldn't have dared to come near this dangerous forest at all.

He had initially planned to see if there was any edible prey to roast with Scorch Release and eat.

However, he hadn't seen any ferocious beasts, only plenty of poisonous mushrooms.

He gave up on the idea of finding food at the edge of the Forest of Death.

On his way back.

Uzumaki Naruto paused, hearing the sound of a girl crying.

"Hm!?"

Uzumaki Naruto's brow furrowed, and he walked towards the bushes.

This voice…

Wasn't it Little Hinata, who he had just parted ways with a short while ago!?

Pushing through the bushes and peering through the tangled grass, Uzumaki Naruto clearly saw what was happening inside.

Three bratty kids were surrounding Little Hinata, laughing loudly and constantly, throwing pebbles at her.

"Monster, monster with Byakugan Eyes…"

"So ugly, so ugly, truly a monster…"

"Hand over all your money…"

"…"

Little Hinata, holding a lunchbox, squatted on the ground, covering her white pupils and crying in distress.

The three bratty kids felt no shame; instead, they seemed proud.

Their voices were sharp, filled with triumphant laughter, as if they had done something remarkable.

"Little Hinata!?"

A rare hint of iciness appeared in Uzumaki Naruto's azure eyes.

"Get lost!"

Uzumaki Naruto strode over to Hinata, kicked the leading bratty kid flying, and then embraced Little Hinata.

"Little Hinata, are you alright?"

Uzumaki Naruto held Little Hinata in his arms, stroking her hair, and gently comforted her, "Don't be scared, Little Hinata is the prettiest, and your white eyes are beautiful too."

"Naruto-kun…"

Little Hinata showed a hint of surprise, her little face flushed as she looked at Uzumaki Naruto.

Her face grew redder and redder.

Eventually, a wisp of white smoke rose from the top of her head, and she fainted, collapsing into Uzumaki Naruto's arms.

"Naruto-kun… hugged me…"

Uzumaki Naruto smiled helplessly, gently placing Little Hinata beneath a large tree.

Then, he turned to face the three bratty kids, his smile gradually fading, replaced by an unprecedented coldness:

"Do you… want to die!?"

Just because of a pair of white eyes, they treated Little Hinata as a monster.

Monster!?

Compared to a pair of white eyes, isn't it the corrupted human heart that's the real monster!?

The bratty kid whom Uzumaki Naruto had kicked flying grimaced and shouted loudly:

"Beat this damn monster to death!"

The other two bratty kids sneered, raised their fists, and swung them viciously at Uzumaki Naruto.

Uzumaki Naruto scoffed, clenching his fingers into a fist, dark red flames burning within it.

"Scorch Release: Scorch Kill!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Uzumaki Naruto struck only three punches, and the three bratty kids immediately lost their ability to fight, clutching their shoulders and screaming in agony.

The screams were horrific, as if they were being flayed alive.

And truly, they were.

The scorching flames pierced through their skin, burning their bones and marrow, a pain dozens of times worse than any physical blow.

But it wasn't just the pain.

With part of their bone marrow evaporated, their bodies would become extremely weak in the future, possibly even leading to death.

Yet, Uzumaki Naruto showed no mercy, throwing a few more vicious punches that made the three brats cry out for their parents.

He coldly eyed the three brats kneeling and begging for mercy, then snatched the money pouches from them, saying in a cold voice, "Get lost. Don't let me see you bullying anyone again."

The three brats looked as if they'd seen a demon. They scrambled and crawled away, crying as they fled this terrifying patch of bushes.

When Little Hinata woke up, Uzumaki Naruto rubbed Little Hinata's head, resting her head on his shoulder, and said with a helpless sigh, "Little Hinata, why didn't you hit them?"

"With your Gentle Fist, dealing with those three brats would have been more than enough, wouldn't it?"

Don't let Little Hinata's young age fool you.

Little Hinata was a princess of the Hyuga Clan, having practiced Gentle Fist since childhood, and her strength was among the best in their class.

Even if she wasn't good at fighting, dealing with a few brats of similar age would have been more than enough.

Little Hinata's face was flushed. She lowered her head and said softly, "But... that would hurt them..."

Uzumaki Naruto smiled helplessly, then sighed, "Little Hinata, being too gentle isn't always a good thing."

"Gentle people always get bullied. That way, you can't protect yourself, nor can you protect the people you want to protect."

Little Hinata blinked, looking at Uzumaki Naruto with some confusion.

"Naruto-kun, I don't understand..."

Uzumaki Naruto thought for a moment, then chuckled, "It's like this: if I were the one being bullied, Little Hinata, would you protect me?"

Little Hinata's eyes widened instantly. She clenched her small fists and said firmly, "I will definitely protect Naruto-kun."

Uzumaki Naruto smiled, rubbing Little Hinata's head again.

"That's what I mean."

"I like Little Hinata, so I want to protect Little Hinata. I don't want anyone to bully Little Hinata."

"But Little Hinata is too gentle; she doesn't want to hurt anyone, and that makes me very troubled."

"So... can Little Hinata choose me?"

Uzumaki Naruto received no response and looked down, puzzled.

Suddenly, Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but laugh.

Little Hinata, nestled in his arms, had a face as red as a large apple, with white steam rising from her head. She mumbled dazedly, "Naruto-kun likes me, Naruto-kun likes me, Naruto-kun likes me..."