Minato Namikaze: Hm!
Kakashi looked startled.
But Minato continued.
Minato Namikaze: Kakashi, I also really like Jiraiya-sensei's books. How about you bring this Icha Icha Paradise with you when you meet Kaede tomorrow? That way, I can read it too during the three hours you observe Kaede.
Hashirama Senju: That sounds good. I want to read too.
Minato Namikaze: !!
Kakashi's spiritual body's face instantly turned red enough to smoke.
Tobirama Senju: Kakashi, you can't do it? You can't even handle something this simple? Don't you know that for us dead people, aside from chatting in the small group, time feels like it's stopped? It's boring.
Minato Namikaze: Um... well...
Kakashi's spiritual body immediately started bubbling.
Minato Namikaze: Well, I might have to log off early today!
With that, Kakashi really did force himself offline.
Might Guy: Oh-ho... I think I've got something on Kakashi now.
Hashirama Senju: ???
Tobirama Senju: Kakashi ran away? Minato, what's wrong with your student?
Minato Namikaze: Sorry, First Hokage, Second Hokage... Kakashi wasn't very sociable in the past either. He's probably just rather introverted.
Kakashi wasn't introverted at all.
"Ah..."
"My head hurts!"
The moment Kakashi logged out of the small group, he clutched his head with both hands.
"Couldn't you just tell them directly?" Might Guy came over to his side. "Just say that you read Imperial Uncle."
"I can't say it!" Kakashi said. "Everyone seems to think I'm a good kid, but who would have thought that my true nature is... someone who hides under the covers reading Icha Icha Paradise!"
"My image would be completely ruined!"
"Oh... I see..." Might Guy didn't think there was anything wrong with Kakashi reading Imperial Uncle. After all, Kakashi had always been his lifelong rival!
There was no need to maintain an image. He still thought Kakashi was a genius and very cool. And then... his lifelong rival!
Thanks to big boss cwk000 for the donation.
There are so many flowers... I never expected this.
All I can do is work desperately to write more in return.
Opening Your Eyes Whenever You Want? Aren't You Uchiha Embarrassed! (Asking for Data)
While Kakashi logged off to escape reality, Kaede continued listening to Hinata.
He had thought it over.
The danger level of the Naruto world was extremely high. To stay safe, one needed absolute strength.
And how could one become stronger?
Protect others.
Once there was someone in one's heart who absolutely had to be protected, one could become stronger.
The person he had chosen was Hinata Hyuga.
So there was nothing wrong with cultivating their relationship now.
"So, you're feeling uneasy right now?" Kaede asked.
Hinata had run into a small problem.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, just like in the original story, she had joined Team 10 under the leadership of Special Jonin Kurenai Yuhi.
Her teammates were Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame.
A Special Jonin was a special rank between Chunin and Jonin.
It referred to someone whose abilities had not fully reached Jonin standards, but who possessed exceptional talent in a certain field and was therefore specially promoted.
The reason Kurenai Yuhi had been promoted was... her Genjutsu.
She had a perfect score of ten in Genjutsu. Her score was ten.
After the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, Hidden Leaf Village's Genjutsu users had instantly become far weaker, so she had been promoted.
In truth, she was quite strong.
She had no Bloodline Limit, yet she had cultivated Genjutsu to the peak attainable by ordinary people. That alone was worthy of praise.
However, Kurenai Yuhi was not suited to lead Team 10.
Even though she worked hard to teach her students, it was useless.
Hinata and the others simply could not learn her Genjutsu.
So ever since she took them on, everyone had been practicing their own clans' secret techniques.
This was also something unique to Hidden Leaf Village.
It called itself a ninja village where the village came before clans, yet all the major clans still kept their secret techniques tightly guarded. Only members of their own clans could practice their respective secret techniques.
Others could not interfere.
Or rather, their futures were destined to revolve around their clans' secret techniques.
Look at the Aburame Clan, the Nara Clan, and the Yamanaka Clan.
Those paths had all been set in stone.
So Jonin Instructors... were pretty useless.
Hinata's surname was Hyuga. She belonged to the Hyuga Clan and was also the daughter of clan head Hyuga Hiashi.
Naturally, what she practiced was the Hyuga Clan's secret technique—the Gentle Fist, which required the Byakugan to use.
She was learning the Gentle Fist Sixty-Four Palms.
Although she already knew how to perform the Sixty-Four Palms, she did not have enough training time.
And the Chunin Ninja Exams would begin in half a month, leaving her under immense pressure.
In other words—
Her strength was still insufficient. If she participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams, she might embarrass herself.
But if she did not participate, she would embarrass herself as well.
After all, everyone else was taking part. If she didn't, people would think poorly of her.
She was the clan head's daughter... and was under the Hyuga Clan's internal scrutiny...
Thus, Hinata had fallen into a dilemma.
"..." Kaede.
Kaede did not respond immediately. Because of his appearance, Hinata was slightly different from the original story: Hiashi had not given up on her.
After all, if Hinata had a good enough relationship with him, the Hyuga Clan would gain the goodwill of a Wood Release awakener. It might even change the Hyuga Clan's bloodline from then on.
It could allow future clan members to awaken Wood Release as well.
Everyone knew Wood Release could conquer the world!
So—
The temptation was too great.
Linglong: 856323613
After the Uchiha Clan was gone, the Hyuga Clan had proclaimed itself Hidden Leaf Village's number one clan, and its ambitions had surged.
Thus—
Hinata was not abandoned like in the original story, but nurtured.
Meanwhile, her younger sister Hanabi... had become the next head of the Branch Family and was being raised accordingly.
She had also received the Caged Bird seal at the age of four.
This was completely different from the original story.
In the Hyuga Clan's eyes, Hinata only needed to retain her fertility. They did not care about her level of ninjutsu.
But such words... would be far too cruel to say to Hinata.
After considering it for a moment—
"So, as long as you have a little more time, you'll be able to fully master the Gentle Fist's Sixty-Four Palms, right?" Kaede asked.
"Mhm... but I might... need another month."
Hinata said this somewhat embarrassedly.
She knew her talent was not strong.
Neji, who was one year older than her, had not only mastered the Sixty-Four Palms, but even the Rotation.
And the Rotation was not something the Branch Family was allowed to learn, so it was a technique Neji had developed through his own understanding of the Gentle Fist.
That was what a genius was!
Of course, she did not compare herself with Neji. She merely thought... if she participated in the Chunin Ninja Exams, then Kaede would also participate...
And... if she performed too poorly in front of the person she liked... she would feel terribly ashamed.
"A month..." Kaede lightly tapped his fingers against the table.
"Then it won't be difficult." Kaede said. "I'll get you a month."
"Get me... a month..." Hinata froze for a moment.
"Could it be... you're going to postpone the Chunin Ninja Exams?"
Kaede Observation Group (^_-)
Tobirama Senju: This kid wants to change the rules for a woman. That's a little too impulsive.
Hashirama Senju: I think it's pretty good.
Hashirama Senju: When you're in love, you just want to give the other person the best.
Tobirama Senju: Brother, shut up!
Hashirama Senju: Urgh... Sorry, Tobirama, I brought up something painful.
Brother of Hashirama Senju: I get it now. Tobirama Senju, are you a single virgin who died without ever marrying!?
Brother of Hashirama Senju: How embarrassing.
Tobirama Senju: Izuna, shut up! What would someone who died without even getting the chance to fall in love know?
Tobirama Senju: It's not that I don't date, it's that I have too much to do! Too much to do, understand?!
Brother of Hashirama Senju: Hmph!
Minato Namikaze: My lords, I think we should wait a moment. Kaede does not seem to be trying to stop the Chunin Ninja Exams.
Tobirama Senju: Then what is he doing?
Unmarriageable Older Single Woman: He took out the Sharingan.
Only then did everyone notice that Kaede had installed the two-tomoe Sharingan Danzo had left behind.
Before you continue