Hinata Hyuga

Naruto didn't know whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.

So in the end, the only thing he could truly rely on was his own strength.

However, three was too young an age to even refine Chakra, so there wasn't much he could do.

After thinking it over, the only thing he could do was exercise.

The body was the foundation of everything. Whether a ninja specialized in ninjutsu, taijutsu, or genjutsu, having a strong body brought tremendous benefits.

Otherwise, at best, they'd be a one-trick pony. And one-trick ponies... didn't get very far.

In a secluded alley, three bratty kids were picking on Hinata.

"Hey, is that the Byakugan?"

"Hey, your eyes look so creepy. You're a Byakugan monster, aren't you?"

"Let's gang up on her and drive the Byakugan monster away."

The brats laughed, ignorant and fearless. They'd never been taught a lesson by the real world and had no idea what it meant to be part of the prestigious Hyuga Clan. They even dared to bully the young lady of the Hyuga Clan.

If their parents had been there, they would probably have been on their knees apologizing and begging for forgiveness by now.

"I... I'm not..."

Wronged, pitiful, and helpless, Hinata's eyes welled with tears. She stammered for ages without managing to say a complete sentence, then fell onto the snow.

Her tears flowed even faster, while the brats laughed all the louder.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Their laughter abruptly stopped as three snowballs slammed into their faces, turning them red.

Who was that?!

The brats glared over angrily. It was Naruto, passing by on his run.

"Are you still not going to get lost?"

As he spoke, Naruto threw three more snowballs in quick succession.

The brats were furious. The nerve of this kid! Didn't he know this street was their turf?

Just as they were about to attack,

one of the brats noticed the six whisker-like marks on Naruto's cheeks. Remembering the warnings from the adults at home, he turned deathly pale.

"Wait, don't... don't go near him! He... he's the Demon Fox!"

Prompted by their friend, the other two brats recognized Naruto as well.

"Waaah! It really is the Demon Fox! Run! Don't let him eat us!"

They dared to bully a fake Byakugan monster... but when they encountered the "real Demon Fox," all three brats screamed and ran.

They were so terrified that they even tripped several times.

But they didn't dare stop for even a moment. They wiped their noses, scrambled back up, and kept running.

"..."

Seriously, had the village rumors really gotten this exaggerated? They were even worse than in the original timeline.

But when he thought about it, it wasn't that surprising. In the original timeline, Naruto had been the villagers' dumping ground for all their negative emotions. Now, he was at odds with those unruly villagers.

Not only could they no longer vent their negative feelings on him, but they had even more frustrations—and more bumps on their heads—to deal with.

It went without saying which version they hated more.

But it didn't matter!

They were just a bunch of unruly villagers. He didn't care what they thought.

Putting those thoughts aside, Naruto turned his attention to Hinata.

He saw that Hinata had somehow gotten to her feet and was trying to sneak away as quietly as she could.

"What are you doing?"

Thump!

Hinata fell over again. Looking utterly helpless, she sat on the ground and trembled.

"D-don't eat me."

"..."

If you weren't possibly going to be my future wife, I'd punch you just to teach you some manners.

After more than ten minutes of effort, Naruto finally got the little girl to understand that he didn't eat people, that he wasn't the Demon Fox, and that she shouldn't believe the brats' nonsense.

"I'm off, then. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

He waved and prepared to continue his run.

The next moment, he turned back in exasperation and saw Hinata clutching the hem of his clothes, refusing to let go.

"Is something wrong?"

"I..."

Hinata looked hesitant and upset, tears welling in her eyes, but she just couldn't get the words out.

Naruto was about to die of frustration. He raised his voice a little. "If you have something to say, just say it!"

At that, Hinata's tears streamed down her face, and she became even less able to speak.

Why was she crying all of a sudden? Was it really that serious?

Naruto gaped at her, then suddenly had an epiphany: girls were extremely troublesome creatures, and had to be raised with the utmost care!

For the sake of his future wife, Naruto spent another ten minutes comforting Hinata and learned why she didn't want him to leave.

"You're lost? You want me to show you the way home... Even the Byakugan can get lost? Now I've seen everything."

Naruto gave Hinata an odd look, then had to admit it.

His future wife was pretty, came from a prestigious family, had a great figure, and was utterly devoted to "him."

But... she really was useless, and exceptionally so. What a waste of a pair of high-purity Byakugan.

Hinata lowered her head in shame, her face bright red.

She didn't want to be like this, but... there was nothing she could do. If she couldn't do it, she just couldn't.

With a sigh, Naruto patted Hinata on the shoulder and said earnestly,

"Hinata, you need to do your best and work hard. Otherwise, how will you be worthy of me in the future?"

"You should know that the future isn't set in stone. I can't say for sure whether I'll marry you. I can only say that you have the best chance."

"But don't get complacent!"

"Being the canon couple isn't a guarantee of anything. Don't use your status as the canon couple as an excuse to slack off. If you don't work hard, even the canon couple can be broken up or switched around..."

"All right, that's enough for now. Take my hand, and I'll walk you home."

The Hyuga residence.

"The young lady is back."

A clan member who had gone out to look for Hinata came to Hiashi and reported what had happened.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki? How had Hinata come into contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?

Hiashi couldn't help frowning. For a great clan like the Hyuga, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a very troublesome person. They had always tried to avoid contact with him whenever possible.

Just a while ago, the Uchiha had had a brief encounter with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and had immediately received a warning from the Third Hokage.

The past was a lesson for the future. The Hyuga couldn't afford to repeat the Uchiha's mistake.

Especially with things so sensitive lately. It wouldn't be good if Konoha misunderstood and thought the Hyuga were dissatisfied with the village and plotting to seize the Nine-Tails.

At the thought, Hiashi clenched his fist, his heart full of frustration.

The Hyuga were the ones who had suffered a great loss, and yet now... now...

Sigh, Hizashi...

"Father."

Hinata had changed into a little kimono. She walked up to Hiashi and greeted him.

Looking at Hinata, Hiashi fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "Hinata, tell me what happened while you were out."

Hinata nodded meekly and began to explain.

When he heard that his daughter had been bullied by some brats, Hiashi was instantly incensed.

He was angry at the brats, but even more so at Hinata.

So timid!

The young lady of the Hyuga Main Family had been bullied by a bunch of ordinary brats. It was humiliating.

Seeing her father's grim expression, Hinata was too scared to speak.

Her behavior only made her father angrier. If she was this timid, how could she bear the burden of the clan in the future?

He took a deep breath and forced down his anger, doing his best to speak calmly. "Go on. Focus on... how you met the boy who brought you home."

"...Yes, Father..."

But she subconsciously skipped over a few things...