"Bully people again, or give them stupid nicknames again, and I'll beat you up again. Got it?" Chiya hadn't gone hard on them; he'd only hit them enough to make their noses bleed. After a while, once they'd finished crying, he finally spoke with a mischievous grin.
As the saying went, it took a brat to deal with a brat.
If someone older stepped in, they'd only be scared for a little while. In a few days, they'd be sneering about it.
Only a kid who was even more of a brat could teach them a lasting lesson.
"Got it! Waaah!"
At Chiya's words, the three boys looked up. Seeing the wicked, amused smile on his fair face—an even worse one than their own—they shuddered and answered in unison, their voices choked with tears.
Only after Chiya stopped looking at them
did they flee in a panic, as if wishing their parents had given them an extra pair of legs. They ran off wailing.
Hinata still had tears at the corners of her eyes as she looked at the boy who had appeared like a hero and saved her.
For some reason, a sense of familiarity rose in her heart.
It seemed she had seen him somewhere before.
Summoning her courage, she walked up to Chiya, her little face turning red as she bowed gracefully. "Um... thank you."
"You don't have to thank me." Chiya formed a hand seal with his right hand. With a puff of smoke, he returned to his original size.
Watching Chiya suddenly grow taller, Hinata felt that inexplicable familiarity well up again. Unable to help herself, she asked, "Um, have we met somewhere before?"
"So you still remember. Two years ago, on that winter day, you got lost in the snow. Does that ring a bell?" Chiya crouched down and asked with a soft laugh.
"You're the big brother who took me home." At his words, the memory came rushing back to Hinata, and she exclaimed excitedly.
Chiya nodded and gently patted the little girl on the head.
Hinata immediately lowered her head shyly.
Chiya glanced toward the end of the road, where a male ninja with a pair of equally pale eyes stood.
Then he looked at the yellow-haired little boy hiding behind a tree not far away.
He spoke softly to Hinata. "You're a Hyuga Clan child with the Byakugan. You should have been receiving proper ninja training since you were little.
"Why couldn't you handle those brats?
"Remember, next time you run into something like this, don't back down or cry. Learn to fight back.
"Other people's help can only be temporary. No one can protect you for the rest of your life.
"Giving in and acting weak won't solve anything.
"If you want to protect the things you treasure, you have to learn to take the initiative.
"All right, I've got things to do. See you next time."
With that, Chiya turned and slowly disappeared from Hinata's sight without looking back.
A moment later, the Chunin from the Hyuga Clan ran over and said anxiously, "Lady Hinata, why did you sneak out again? What if you ran into a bad person? Thank goodness that man didn't do anything. Also, you didn't go near that yellow-haired brat, did you? The clan head told us we mustn't..."
Ignoring her guard's endless chatter, Hinata simply gazed at the place where Chiya had disappeared. A yellow-haired little boy had been sneaking along behind him, too. See you next time, big brother.
From that day on, Hinata's usual timid and meek demeanor changed.
She suddenly became much more enthusiastic about training in Gentle Fist. Besides completing the exercises her father assigned each day, she also practiced extra on her own.
Whenever she didn't understand something, she was quick to ask her father.
Hyuga Hiashi, who was responsible for teaching Hinata Gentle Fist, was both surprised and pleased.
After discovering that Hinata had made great progress during one assessment, he—usually so stern—actually praised the daughter he had never thought much of.
Hinata was overjoyed by her father's praise and trained even harder.
In the end, she gradually caught up with Hyuga Neji, who was hailed as a genius.
But that's a story for another time.
Meanwhile, Chiya had retraced his steps and returned to Ichiraku Ramen.
[ Ding, congratulations, host. You have completed the mission. Reward: Earth Release chakra nature transformation. ]
"Good thing I didn't waste my breath." Hearing the system notification in his ear, Chiya's lips curved slightly upward.
Then he glanced behind him.
A yellow-haired brat was hiding behind a telephone pole with the most pathetic stealth technique imaginable, occasionally poking his head out to look.
When he saw Chiya turn around, the yellow-haired boy hastily ducked back behind the pole, looking guilty.
"Come out. You've been following me the whole way. Aren't you tired?" Chiya sighed, utterly exasperated.
"Big brother, do you remember me? I'm Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." At that, Naruto emerged from behind the telephone pole with an awkward grin.
"Of course I remember you," Chiya said.
As it happened, the two of them had met because Chiya had taken Hinata home two years ago.
Originally, Naruto—who had no family and wandered the streets—was supposed to take Hinata home.
But Chiya's unexpected intervention meant they never met.
The same was true this time.
If Chiya hadn't stepped in, Naruto would have stood up for Hinata like he had in the original story, only to get beaten up.
On his way back, Chiya had run into Naruto. Feeling sorry for him, he'd treated him to a bowl of ramen.
He hadn't expected Naruto to still remember him after all this time.
At those words, excitement and happiness shone in Naruto's pale blue eyes, and his joy was plain on his face.
Chiya was the first person in Naruto's life, besides the Third Hokage, who hadn't looked at him strangely.
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen was the second.
Just then, Naruto's stomach growled.
"You haven't been eating properly again, have you?" Chiya looked at Naruto.
Naruto's little face turned red. He rubbed his belly awkwardly, then looked toward the brightly lit Ichiraku Ramen beside Chiya. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"I knew it. Come on in. I'll treat you to ramen." Chiya glanced unobtrusively at the Anbu Ninja secretly watching Naruto, then walked into Ichiraku Ramen first.
Naruto froze for a moment, then his face lit up with excitement and gratitude. He hurried after him.
In the shadows, one of the Anbu Ninja assigned to watch Naruto said, "Someone's approached the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Should we report it to Lord Hokage?"
Another Anbu Ninja replied, "No need. That kid probably just felt sorry for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and wanted to buy him a meal. Let's wait and see."
"Oh, it's Chiya! How come you didn't bring your little girlfriend today? What can I get you?" Teuchi greeted him with a smile.
"Give him a bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen." Chiya pointed at Naruto, who had followed him in, and took out what little money he had, setting it on the counter. "Teuchi, could you give him a bowl every day from now on? This should be enough to feed him until the new year."
"Naruto?" Teuchi's usually narrowed eyes opened a rare fraction wider. He looked at Naruto with a complicated expression, remembering how Chiya had brought Naruto here for ramen two years ago. Thinking of Chiya's own background, he couldn't help sighing. "Chiya, you really are a good person."
Chiya smiled faintly and was about to leave when Naruto's young, hopeful voice rang beside him. "Big brother Chiya, aren't you going to eat?"
"No, I've got plans with someone." Chiya shook his head. Izumi was waiting for him to have New Year's Eve dinner. Then he left without looking back.
Naruto was left standing there, dazed, but soon the delicious smell of Ichiraku Ramen distracted him.
Today was destined to be a wonderful day for Naruto.
Although he'd missed the chance to meet his future wife, he'd gained a bowl of New Year's ramen.
P.S. Second update. Please vote for the story and leave a monthly ticket.
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