No Headband, No Ninja

"Wait for me here."

As he spoke, Naruto suddenly ran toward a wall. Hinata watched as he nimbly climbed the wall in no time, bracing himself against the wall with his hands, and then smoothly passed over it.

Distracted by Naruto, Hinata panicked, but she stopped trying to be brave.

Logically speaking, Hinata shouldn't be running around.

Naruto scaled the wall, leaped onto someone's rooftop, and weaved through the narrow gaps in the staircases, quickly reaching Konohagakure Street. He quickly bought bandages and disinfectant, and also picked up a large bag of anti-swelling medicine.

When he returned, Hinata was indeed standing there motionless.

"Hinata, take off your leg wraps."

"Ah?"

Hinata was stunned as soon as Naruto finished speaking.

"Oh, what? Your leg is so swollen that the bandage has come loose, and there are bruises all over it."

Naruto waved the large bag of swelling-reducing and pain-relieving medicine in his hand and said.

"The wound needs to be treated first. If it's left untreated, it won't heal in two or three days."

Hinata was shy, but she nodded nonetheless.

Naruto has grown very tall recently, probably because he has plenty of money and isn't picky about food, Hinata only reaches Naruto's lips.

Watching her stand on one leg like a crane, head bowed, struggling to remove the bandage from her other injured foot, Naruto sighed and helped Hinata sit on a rock.

"Naruto, where did you get so many?" Hinata's gaze was slightly dazed.

"I bought it. If you climb over there and go through a gap in the wall, you'll reach Konohagakure Street," Naruto said, pointing towards the wall. "But there was a slight mishap; the person didn't want to sell it to me."

"Ah, then what's wrong with you Naruto?"

"It's nothing."

"I beat up the clerk, and then he sold it to me."

Hinata froze for a moment, then said in a flustered manner.

"We've caused trouble. Ninjas can't harm ordinary villagers."

Naruto, however, seemed unconvinced and pointed to his smooth forehead.

"I wasn't wearing Forehead Protector, so I don't count as a ninja."

"Besides, I don't have any missions, so I'm just an ordinary villager."

He took out the disinfectant and began to untie the bandages on Hinata's legs. There were also several scratches on her pants from overtraining.

"Your leg is terribly swollen. Why did you come back alone? Where are Kiba and Shino?" Naruto asked.

"I haven't had any missions lately, so I went to train alone," Hinata said somewhat embarrassedly. "I accidentally fell down the hillside."

"There's no need to push yourself so hard. Overtraining will only make you less efficient," Naruto said, removing the bandage that only reached his calves.

She took out an emergency Ice pack and applied it to the swollen area, then pulled her socks down to below her ankles. Contrary to Hinata's claim that her ankle wasn't injured, the high swelling was what caused her to temporarily lose sensation.

The legs, which had no excess fat, were unnaturally swollen, and the curves of the legs, which should have been smooth and fair, were distorted by various bruises and cuts from stones.

It's hard to imagine how Hinata managed to walk back alone.

Naruto, holding the Ice pack on his ankle, looked up with a natural expression and gave a few words of advice.

"The injury is quite serious. We can only reduce the swelling temporarily. The Hyuga Clan should have medical-nin. Once you get home, have someone treat it for you to avoid scarring."

"Thank you, Naruto."

Are you feeling any better?

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore," Hinata said.

Naruto stared at Hinata for a few seconds, then suddenly asked with a strange expression.

"Is it because of what happened in the Chunin Ninja Exams that you're training so hard?"

Hinata blinked a few times, instinctively wanting to shake her head.

"To be honest."

"Hmm." Hinata nodded hesitantly. "The gap between me and Neji is too big. The only one who could go toe-to-toe with Neji that time was Naruto."

"I also want to work hard to accomplish something."

"I want to stand up on my own!"

Sometimes, when people get stubborn, a single sentence can shine brightly.

The timid girl's unwavering determination in the face of life's uncertainties shone brighter than the blazing sun. So much so that one couldn't look away, as if she had seen the light of the world.

Hinata regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. She covered her face, somewhat at a loss. It was all a slip of the tongue; she didn't know why she had blurted out what was on her mind.

Oh no, I'm going to die!

How can I say something like this directly? Naruto will probably misunderstand.

"Hinata, keep it up! Remember to be more careful next time you train." Naruto bent down to apply medicine and secure the bandage to the wound.

When he looked up again, his eyes met Hinata's blinking gaze.

"I"

"Alright, let's go, I'll take you home."

Hinata blinked, clearly understanding Naruto's meaning: he was going to carry her back.

Given her current condition, Naruto couldn't possibly leave Hinata here or let her walk back on one leg. Besides, it wasn't the first time he'd taken Hinata back; he knew the route perfectly.

"Does it have to be carried on your back?" Hinata lowered her face.

"Let's just make do for now." Naruto finished packing up the bag of swelling-reducing medicine. "There aren't many people on the road. If you don't want to carry me, I can carry you in a princess carry."

"Then I'll just carry it by heart." Hinata covered her face and said softly, "Thank you, Naruto."

"It's nothing, I just happened to see it. If you don't want to bother me again in the future, then remember to protect yourself during training."

Naruto crouched down, Hinata carefully moved onto his back.

"Actually, I'd like to trouble you a few more times," she thought selfishly.

Hinata's body was very light, perhaps because she was suppressing her appetite. Even through many layers of clothing, one could still feel that Hinata's body was incredibly slender.

Perhaps out of excessive shyness, Hinata buried her face in Naruto's back, not daring to look up at all. Cool arms wrapped around his neck, and every few steps, a sweet fragrance would waft from his neck.

"I'm leaving the village tomorrow," Naruto suddenly said.

"Huh?" Hinata tensed up immediately. "Is it a mission?"

"I guess so." Naruto didn't know how to put it. The mission to find the Fifth Hokage was supposed to be unpaid, but it needed to be kept secret. "I'll probably be away for a while."

"Will it take a long time?"

"It shouldn't take too long, maybe half a month or a month or two."

"Will there be any danger?" Hinata asked sullenly.

Dangerous? Does the battle between the Legendary Sannin count? Orochimaru, who killed two Kage, shouldn't be in too much danger even if he lost both hands.

Naruto thought for a moment and then said.

"It's very safe."

There were hardly any people along the way, and the few he occasionally encountered were all strangers. He didn't know if Hinata knew him or not, but it didn't matter that he didn't.

After being taken to the Hyuga compound, Hinata came down with a flushed face, her swaying eyes looking at Naruto, and whispered something.

"I ran into an acquaintance on the way."

"Do you need me to explain this to you?" Naruto asked seriously.

"No, no, no!!!"

Hinata's face turned even redder, and she waved her hands frantically. If it weren't for her injured leg, she would have turned around and run far away.