First Meeting of the Chirping Chick

The three brats surrounded Hinata and activated their mocking skills, relentlessly jeering and insulting her unique Byakugan until she was on the verge of tears.

Just as Hinata was about to cry from their bullying, a young boy around her age suddenly jumped out from the end of the alley. As he leaped out, he roared at the three bullies: "You jerks! Leave that girl alone—if you have a problem, take it up with me!"

His shout drew everyone's attention, including little Hinata's. The boy who had suddenly jumped out was wearing an orange tracksuit.

(Forgive my poor writing skills; I lack the ability to fully describe Naruto's outfit. Please use your imagination for the attire Naruto wore during his first appearance! 'Author is sweating buckets' TNT)

The three brats bullying Hinata saw someone running over to ruin their fun, so they all turned in unison to face the meddlesome brat.

After exchanging looks, the three decided to take action and teach this nosy kid a good lesson.

And so, Naruto and the three bullies began to brawl.

Because it was three against one, the outcome was decided within minutes. In the end, Naruto was no match for the trio; he was beaten black and blue, looking quite wretched.

Because of Naruto's sudden appearance, the three brats' desire to continue bullying Hinata was disrupted, and they eventually left while grumbling and cursing.

After seeing the three bullies leave, Hinata looked at Naruto, who was still lying on the ground. She was very worried about him, as he had been beaten like this because he had tried to save her.

Mustering her courage, Hinata slowly approached the motionless Naruto. Just as she crouched down to check if his injuries were severe, the boy who had been lying still on the ground suddenly sat bolt upright, as if he had been resurrected from the dead.

His sudden movement gave the crouching Hinata quite a fright, and his mouth nearly kissed her little face.

With Naruto's lips less than 0.0001 millimeters away from her face, Hinata froze on the spot. Blood rushed to her brain, turning her neck and face a deep red. Feeling a wave of dizziness, she fainted right then and there.

Hinata's sudden collapse gave Naruto a huge scare. He scrambled up from the ground, panicked and flustered, not knowing what to do.

It is unknown how much time had passed before Hinata regained consciousness. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was a face covered in bruises. Still dazed and confused, she didn't think twice; acting on pure reflex, she slapped the bruised face in front of her.

A crisp "smack" echoed, and a bright red palm print appeared on Naruto's already battered face.

Given Hinata's distress, the force of the slap was significant, and Naruto was stunned instantly.

Time stood still between them for a brief moment. Hinata looked at the boy whose face was a complete mess and recalled what had happened before she fainted. She felt terrible for this boy who had been beaten up for her sake; not only had she failed to thank him, but she had rewarded him with a slap.

Thinking of this, Hinata's little face turned bright red once more.

Seeing Hinata's flushed face, Naruto assumed she had misunderstood something and was angry.

He began to ramble, offering a mix of nonsensical explanations and desperate justifications.

Seeing Naruto like this, Hinata found the boy quite amusing and couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Seeing Hinata finally smile, Naruto began to laugh foolishly along with her, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

Naruto's silly grin, accompanied by his bruised face and the fresh palm print, only made Hinata laugh harder.

Amidst this laughter, the distance between the two slowly began to close.

Gradually, Hinata became less shy than she had been at the start, though her face still radiated a glow of red from the lingering shyness and embarrassment.

After a simple conversation, the two learned each other's names and basic information.

Naruto had wanted to walk Hinata home, but she declined. After a brief exchange of polite gestures, they each headed back to their own homes.

As soon as Hinata returned home, she found Kamizuki and told him everything that had happened since she went out alone that day.

After hearing about Hinata's outing, Kamizuki couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Could this be what they call the arrangement of fate?

After meeting Uzumaki Naruto, Kamizuki felt that Hinata had changed. She was no longer as timid as before, nor was she quite as easily embarrassed—though this was only a relative improvement; one's personality is not so easily changed.

Kamizuki spent his days in endless anticipation of the Ninja Academy's opening, paired with his daily, non-negotiable training.

One afternoon, shortly after lunch, Hinata and Kamizuki were lying beside their mother, Hyuga Huayan, listening as she told them stories about the ninja world.

Just as they were listening with great interest, Hyuga Huayan, who was in the middle of her story, suddenly felt a wave of nausea and gagged.