Camping the Fountain

The moment Hiashi Hyuga rushed home, he called out anxiously.

"Hinata, is Hinata up yet?"

Hinata, dressed in a black undershirt, poked her head out from the room.

She wiped her still-damp hair with a towel.

"Father, were you looking for me?"

Hiashi Hyuga strode over to her.

"Hinata, what do you think Feng An is usually like?"

"Huh?" Hinata was somewhat bewildered.

Why was her father suddenly concerned about Feng An?

"He's... he's quite good. He's handsome, and he's very considerate too."

"Stop." Hiashi Hyuga's face darkened. "Who asked about that? I mean, since you're on Team 8 with him, how has he performed in terms of ability?"

Hinata suddenly understood and nodded.

"He's usually very diligent. Oh, right, he's already mastered the C-rank Ninjutsu, Great Fireball Technique."

So what Kurenai said was true.

Hiashi Hyuga nodded. "Does he have any other notable traits?"

"He's also very fast. Other than that, I don't know..."

"Alright, I understand."

Hiashi Hyuga turned and left.

I'll take another look during the Chunin exam.

He murmured inwardly.

He did not expect Feng An to surpass Neji. As long as he performed well enough, Hiashi would no longer stand in their way.

After all, she was his daughter. He could tell that Hinata truly liked him, and Feng An did not seem like a frivolous man either. Otherwise, Hinata would not have liked him for so long.

He knew full well that Hinata's talent could no longer support the burden of leading the Hyuga Clan to prosperity, so he could only spend time cultivating her younger sister, Hanabi Hyuga.

"But will the clan elders allow Hinata to be with an outsider?"

To ensure the Byakugan did not leave the clan, the Hyuga Clan had always practiced intermarriage within the clan.

Hiashi Hyuga shook his head, refusing to dwell on such distant matters.

If Feng An truly demonstrated his strength and the clan elders still feared the loss of the Byakugan bloodline, then even if he had to give up his position as clan head, he would let his daughter choose her own life.

Time flew by, and a week passed in the blink of an eye.

Every day, Feng An tediously passed his time carrying out the catch-thieves-and-find-cats-and-dogs missions Kurenai took on.

At the same time, he had not slackened in his training of Illusion Techniques and Chakra control.

Today was also the final day of the wager Feng An had made with Kurenai.

"Have you really learned it already?"

Hinata followed behind Feng An as the two headed toward Kurenai's home.

"Of course. Otherwise, wouldn't I just be humiliating myself by going to see her?"

Hinata covered the smile at the corner of her lips with her tiny clenched fist.

Over the past week, their relationship had grown increasingly close while carrying out missions together.

Ever since Hiashi Hyuga had asked Hinata about Feng An that day, he had not obstructed their interactions much further.

Before long, the two arrived shoulder to shoulder at Kurenai's residence.

Feng An stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Kurenai, I'm here to keep our appointment."

But no one answered for a long time.

"Byakugan."

Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked into the inner room, only to discover there was not the slightest trace of Chakra flowing inside.

She shook her head. "Kurenai isn't home."

"Then where did she go?"

Leaning against the wall, Feng An found that the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

He had mastered two Illusion Techniques within a week, yet Kurenai had happened to give them the day off on the final day so they could rest properly.

Could Kurenai be trying to welch on the bet?

No. I'm camping right here today. I refuse to believe you won't come home even at noon.

Meanwhile, Kurenai was helplessly accepting Asuma Sarutobi's clumsy attentions.

She had never believed Feng An could master Illusion Techniques within a week, so she had completely forgotten that today was the final day of her wager with him.

Kurenai and Asuma Sarutobi sat inside a shop.

Asuma Sarutobi nervously carried several plates, laden with fruit salad and snacks.

Kurenai rested her lovely face in her hands and watched Asuma's awkward display with resignation.

"Can't you carry just one plate at a time?"

"R-Right..."

After setting the plates on the table, Asuma awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Then he cautiously speared a piece of apple with a toothpick and offered it to Kurenai.

After Kurenai opened her mouth and swallowed it, she still rolled her eyes at him helplessly. "Aren't you usually pretty smart?"

"Whenever I see Kurenai, I can't really think straight," Asuma replied sheepishly.

Upon hearing that, the corners of Kurenai's lips curved upward, though she quickly pressed them back down.

If anyone else had said something like that, Kurenai would certainly have thought they were being slick. But she had known Asuma for a long time, and she naturally knew that for a blockhead like him to say such a thing, he could only have been answering her question honestly.

Honestly, I don't know whether to call you stupid or just stupid.

Kurenai sighed inwardly.

Still, whenever that blockhead occasionally caught on, he always managed to make her smile knowingly.

On the other side, Feng An and Hinata stubbornly camped outside Kurenai's door.

If Feng An would not leave, then Hinata naturally stayed to keep him company.

The two even squatted outside her door and ate lunch.

Feng An wolfed down his eel rice with a fierce look in his eyes. What he seemed to be swallowing was not eel rice, but his dissatisfaction with Kurenai.

"Slow down. You'll choke."

Just then, Feng An suddenly stopped chewing and hurriedly straightened his back.

He had really choked.

It was not Hinata's fault either. Eating while squatting made it easier to choke than eating while sitting.

Seeing this, Hinata hurriedly handed him some water.

At the same time, she gently patted his back.

Feng An straightened his back and gulped down several mouthfuls of water before recovering.

He turned around and looked at Hinata sincerely.

"Good thing you were here. Otherwise, I'd have died an unjust death."

Hinata shyly picked at the food in her bowl, avoiding his gaze.

After nearly being killed by a betrayal from eel rice, he directed all his dissatisfaction and resentment toward Kurenai.

"I refuse to believe you won't come back tonight either."

He had already made up his mind. If she still did not return by nightfall, he would set her house on fire.