Raising Hinata

Hinata bit her lower lip tightly, wearing thick winter clothes with some rain stains on her left arm. She gripped an umbrella tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

In the dim light, her face was not clearly visible.

Naruto couldn't immediately guess Hinata's thoughts and assumed something had happened. He pushed open the door, his hand immediately reaching for the light switch beside it, and turned it on with a click.

Bright yellow light shone from the entrance hall, illuminating a small area of the corridor. Hinata stood there blankly, not saying a word, looking rather pitiful.

"Hinata?" he asked again.

"Yesterday," Hinata said softly, her head lowered.

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Naruto thought for a moment and then said, "I ran into your sister at the food street yesterday. She said you've been pretty busy lately."

"Missions are indeed tough, Hinata."

Hearing that familiar tone, she suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. It was as if a dam had burst in her heart, and the emotions that had been building up for three months surged out completely, impossible to control.

"You asked Hanabi to say hello yesterday, but actually... I'm not doing well at all, and I'm getting sadder and sadder."

Hinata looked up, but still couldn't meet his gaze. She looked at the area of light projected onto the ground, and stopped when she saw Naruto's toes.

Further on, a line of light and shadow, alternating between light and dark, separates the main entrance from the corridor. It's raining outside, and downstairs is Furniture Store on the verge of bankruptcy.

The surroundings were silent, with only the whistling wind carrying damp rain and mist.

Naruto pursed his lips, said nothing more, grabbed Hinata's wrist, and pulled her into the entryway with a slight force.

"Let's come in first and talk about it," he said.

Hinata didn't seem to have gotten out of that state yet; her eyes were somewhat dazed. She was pulled into the entryway, and the door slammed shut, completely shutting out the pattering rain from outside.

The two people were bathed in bright yellow light, and a small section of the brown shoe cabinet in the entryway reflected the light.

Naruto struggled to take the umbrella from Hinata's hand. Her knuckles were white from gripping the umbrella, and it took her a lot of effort to pry it open completely.

He glanced at Hinata and, seeing that she still didn't react, he was already stroking his chin, wondering whether he should take off her shoes.

That doesn't seem right.

Hinata suddenly gasped and snapped back to reality, as if only now realizing she'd been pulled into the entryway. Startled, she nearly fell backward. Luckily, Naruto reacted quickly and caught her.

"I'm sorry, I said something strange just now," she apologized softly.

"Take off your shoes and come in." Naruto didn't answer directly, skillfully changing the subject. "Your clothes are all wet, I'll dry them for you in a bit."

Hinata was slightly taken aback, and quickly waved her hand in refusal.

"No, no! I'm just leaving now. Sorry for bothering you."

With that, he gave a quick, shallow bow and turned to leave.

Naruto had already noticed that Hinata wasn't in a good state, so how could he let her go at this moment? He grabbed her arm with a snap and made up a reason.

"The door is broken."

"Huh?" Hinata didn't understand.

"I slammed the door shut too hard, and it's broken!" Naruto said, slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, you should change your shoes first, and I'll find some tools to fix it in a bit."

Hinata couldn't argue with Naruto, so she had to agree softly, her voice gentle and light.

"Naruto, weren't you going to fix the door?" Hinata was changing her shoes when she looked up and found Naruto staring intently at her feet.

I felt a little embarrassed and blushed.

"The door can be fixed anytime. I was just a little worried because your shoes looked wet," he said seriously, without intending to look away.

"Um..." Hinata's face turned completely red. Although it was just taking off her shoes, Naruto's gaze made her feel like she was about to lose something important.

That's so weird!

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked without looking up.

"Naruto, can you please stop looking at me?" Hinata said weakly, trying to struggle.

"I wasn't looking at you. There seems to be something wrong with the floor in the entryway. I'll have to fix it another day," Naruto said, waving his hand. "It's okay, you go ahead with your work."

Hearing Naruto's almost shameless words, Hinata blushed furiously, yet remained obedient. She thought to herself, "If Naruto likes to watch, then let him watch."

Anyway, anyway, it's just feet, at least there's something about them that's liked.

He wasn't truly shameless; after staring for a while, he left satisfied.

Back in the kitchen, she expertly boiled water and opened the window. She opened the glass door to the balcony a crack, just wide enough for her forearm. As she passed the sofa, she casually draped a thin blanket over Nine-Tails, completely covering it.

Nine-Tails) wasn't actually that temperamental. After being woken up by a piece of cloth, it simply poked its head out and looked around. Seeing Hinata sitting awkwardly on the sofa, it immediately shrank back into sleep.

Ha, foolish humans.

How boring.

Naruto poured a cup of hot water, had Hinata cover it with her hand, and then asked...

"Where are the clothes?"

Hinata hesitated for a moment with a soft "hmm," then obediently took off her coat and handed it to Naruto. Naruto took it, and without bothering to dry it, hung it up to the side.

He needed to figure out something: what did Hinata mean when she said she wasn't doing well?

However, Naruto didn't ask directly. He knew Hinata was a good person in every way, except that she was too closed off emotionally. Her first reaction to problems was to run away, or to silently endure them.

She was so timid that even Naruto thought it was a bit outrageous. After all, she was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, a legitimate member of the main Main Family, and not bound by the Caged Bird Seal.

If he had that status, let alone being treated harshly by Hyuga Hiashi, he would consider it a loss if he couldn't even make Hyuga Hiashi suffer a heart attack.

Is the young lady really going to put up with this nonsense?

Although Naruto guessed part of the source of Hinata's stress, he couldn't very well say to her face, "That old bastard of yours is a real piece of work!"

At times like these, the art of language becomes especially important.

"Have you been under too much pressure lately?" he asked, choosing his words carefully. "If you have any problems, you can tell me."

"No," Hinata said softly, shrinking back.

"Are you sure?" Naruto frowned, looking at the stubborn Hinata. "It's a bit unfair of you to be so wary of law-abiding villagers like me."

"Huh?" Hinata didn't understand what Naruto said, and her body trembled slightly. "I... I'm just a little unhappy. I'll be fine in a few days. Maybe I didn't try hard enough."

"Hmm? What does this have to do with hard work?" He frowned slightly, stood up, and sat down directly next to Hinata.

"Huh? There should be... there should be a connection, right?" Hinata leaned back slightly. "If I could try a little harder, maybe..."

"What?" Naruto pressed on, knowing Hinata's personality well. If he didn't ask, he might as well not ask at all! It was precisely at times like this that he should dig deep to get to the bottom of things!

"I guess I'll get stronger," Hinata stammered, her voice trailing off.

"That's not necessarily true. If hard work were all that mattered, what would be the point of having teachers?" Naruto retorted crisply. "Besides, everyone's foundation and talent are different, and we don't have to use the same standards to measure everyone."

"That's true." Hinata was a little flustered and didn't know what to say.

"That's not just talk, that's how it is." Naruto sighed, reached out and patted Hinata's head, saying, "Tell me yourself, what are your strengths?"

"Eyes," Hinata said cautiously.

"You know it's about the eyes. Last time I watched you train, you kept gripping the Gentle Fist." Naruto said. "It may sound cruel, but not everyone is a genius like Neji Hyuga."

Upon hearing this, Hinata lowered her head.

"But Hinata, you're different from Neji Hyuga." Naruto suddenly lowered his voice as he said this, pulling Hinata over even though there were only two people in the living room.

He whispered in her ear, as if afraid that others would hear.

"If you were to train the Byakugan, you might be even stronger than Neji Hyuga. There's no need to keep clinging to the Gentle Fist. If you keep insisting on following someone else's path, it's easy to lose yourself."

Hinata was so nervous that she froze on the spot, unable to move.

The warm breath lingered in her ear, and every word struck her heart like a heavy hammer. Her eyes widened, and her nerves trembled.

In particular, before Naruto moved away from Hinata, he deliberately sniffed her nose. This subtle movement did not escape Hinata's notice, causing her cheeks to flush red.

"I... I understand."

She had wanted to tell him that she had arrived early and waited there for a long time, her heart heavy with emotion, like it was raining. Her father didn't care about her at all, and the rest of the family kept their distance from her.

In matters of cultivation, no matter how hard she tries, she will always be the one with the worst aptitude.

Even the person she loved was taken away; it felt like the whole world was against her. Nothing was going smoothly, and there was no hope for the future.

But the words just won't come out; no one easily shares their troubles. Some thoughts circulate in your mind, and by the time they return, half of them have already subsided.

"That's good. Are you hungry?" Naruto got up to help her dry her clothes, but then suddenly turned around and asked.

"I'm not hungry." Hinata shook her head.

"Two Takoyaki, and two more." Naruto rattled off a long list of dishes, then suddenly turned to look at Hinata, who was sitting obediently there, and narrowed his eyes.

Ordering just these things probably won't fill you up.

Fortunately, all his money was stored in the Sealing Space, and Hinata's appetite wouldn't bankrupt him, so he decided to try different restaurants. Since he was already there, he had to at least feed her.

After trying the third shop, Hinata felt a little embarrassed and glanced at Naruto, who was so full he was practically rolling his eyes back, and whispered something to him.

"How about we stop here? I'm going back."

"No way!" Naruto coughed, patted his chest, and swallowed the takoyaki. "I'm fine!"