The three little brats surrounded Hinata and immediately started mocking her. They kept making fun of her unusual white eyes, until she was on the verge of tears.
Just as Hinata was about to burst into tears from the three brats' bullying, a boy about her age suddenly leaped out from the end of the alley. He shouted at the three brats who were picking on Hinata, "You jerks! Let that girl go! If you've got a problem, take it up with me!"
His shout drew everyone's attention, including little Hinata's. The boy who had suddenly appeared was dressed in an orange tracksuit.
(Forgive me, my writing ability is too poor to fully describe Naruto's outfit. You'll have to imagine for yourselves what he was wearing when he first appeared! The author is sweating profusely. TNT)
When the three brats bullying Hinata saw someone come along to ruin their fun, they all turned around to face the kid who had stuck his nose into their business.
After exchanging glances, the three of them decided to teach the meddlesome little brat a lesson.
And so Naruto got into a fight with the three brats who had been bullying Hinata.
Since it was three against one, the outcome was decided in just a few minutes. Naruto was no match for them and ended up bruised and battered, looking a complete mess.
Naruto's sudden appearance had spoiled the three brats' plans to keep bullying Hinata. In the end, they left, grumbling and cursing.
After the three brats were gone, Hinata looked over at Naruto, who was still lying on the ground. She was very worried about him, because he had been beaten up while saving her.
Mustering her courage, Hinata slowly approached Naruto, who was lying motionless on the ground. She had just crouched down to check how badly he was hurt when—
Naruto, who had been lying motionless, sat bolt upright as if he'd come back from the dead.
His sudden movement startled Hinata, who had just crouched down. His mouth came within a hair's breadth of her little face.
When Naruto's mouth was less than 0.0001 millimeters from Hinata's face, she froze on the spot. Her blood rushed to her head, turning her neck and face bright red. Her head spun, and she fainted.
Hinata's collapse gave Naruto another fright. He scrambled to his feet, flustered and completely at a loss, and started clumsily fussing over her.
After who knew how long, Hinata finally woke up. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a bruised and battered face. Her mind was still a jumble, and without thinking, she reacted on instinct and slapped the poor guy across the face.
With a sharp smack, another bright red handprint appeared on Naruto's already bruised and battered face.
Hinata's panicked slap had quite a bit of force behind it. Naruto was instantly left dazed.
For a brief moment, the two of them sat in silence. Hinata looked at the little boy in front of her, whose face was almost unrecognizable, and remembered what had happened before she fainted. She felt terrible for the boy who had saved her. Not only had she failed to thank him, she had gone and slapped him across the face.
At the thought, Hinata's cheeks turned bright red again.
When Naruto saw Hinata's flushed face, he thought she was angry because she had misunderstood something.
So Naruto started babbling, trying to explain himself with a whole lot of nonsense.
Watching Naruto act like that, Hinata thought he was so funny that she couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling.
When Naruto saw Hinata finally smile, he started grinning foolishly too. A little embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head.
Naruto's goofy grin, with his bruised and battered face and a handprint on his cheek, made Hinata laugh even harder.
Amid their laughter, the distance between them gradually began to shrink.
Little by little, Hinata became less shy than she had been at first. Still, her cheeks remained flushed with embarrassment.
After a brief conversation, they learned each other's names and a little about one another.
Naruto had wanted to walk Hinata home, but she refused. After politely insisting back and forth, they finally went their separate ways.
As soon as Hinata got home, she found Kamizuki and told him everything that had happened after she went out alone that day.
After hearing what Hinata had gotten up to, Kamizuki couldn't help thinking to himself, Could this be what they call fate?
After meeting Uzumaki Naruto, Hinata seemed to change. She was no longer as timid as before, and she wasn't quite so easily embarrassed. Of course, she was only a little better than before. A person's personality couldn't change that easily.
Kamizuki spent his days eagerly awaiting the Ninja Academy's opening and keeping up with his daily training.
One afternoon, some time later, Hinata and Kamizuki had just finished lunch and were lying beside their mother, Hyuga Huayan, listening to her tell them stories about the ninja world.
Just as they were listening with rapt attention, Hyuga Huayan, who had been telling the story, suddenly felt her throat tighten as if she were about to retch.
Before you continue