"Ah—"
Sitting in the corridor outside the Heart Room, Naruto let out a long sigh. He and Neji were waiting for Hiashi to return. Hiashi had taken Hyuga Rokkaku somewhere.
Neji raised an eyebrow slightly and asked,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking that compared to your clan head, I'm terrible with words." Naruto looked troubled.
?
A rare trace of speechlessness crossed Neji's face.
Seriously, you already managed to rile him up enough to attack you. What more do you want—make him cough up blood?
"I don't mean when it comes to arguing." Naruto pursed his lips and blew upward, stirring the bangs over his forehead. "You can't go through life dealing with people by arguing all the time... I was just thinking, if I were as good with words as your clan head was just now, maybe things wouldn't have gotten so intense today... and you wouldn't have gotten dragged into it."
"Look, those mastermind villains in novels who plan everything out aren't cool?"
As he spoke, Naruto threw a few punches at the air.
"They manipulate people and interests with nothing but words, effortlessly holding everyone in the palm of their hand. They steer events in their favor, then sit back and reap the benefits from behind the scenes. Heh heh heh... Isn't that cool? It's way better than getting into an undignified street fight like I did."
Neji watched Naruto punch at the air with some amusement. He figured things would probably never go Naruto's way.
"I don't think you need to force yourself to be like that. Everyone has their own strengths, don't they?" Neji said. "I think you're fine just the way you are."
"Just the way I am?" Naruto twisted his mouth.
"Speaking from the heart." Neji's tone was earnest. "Few people in this world can speak honestly, but everyone likes dealing with sincere people. That's your gift."
"Then you've got me all wrong." Naruto snorted, remembering how he'd used Iruka during the Scroll of Seals incident. "I'm nowhere near sincere."
Neji was at a loss for words. He was about to say something else when the door to the inner courtyard opened. Hiashi had returned, with an old man behind him.
"Clan head. Great Elder."
Neji rose and bowed. Naruto stood too, eyes lowered, looking like a well-behaved child.
A strange glint flickered in Hiashi's eyes.
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Yes, Lord Hiashi."
Naruto was being perfectly respectful, but that only deepened the strange look in Hiashi's eyes. He'd figured it out: the kid was like a dog, changing his attitude faster than someone could turn a page.
Honestly, his personality was nothing like his father's.
Hiashi snorted. "Stop pretending."
Then he walked past them. "Didn't you come to see Hinata? What are you waiting for?"
Naruto and Neji exchanged puzzled looks. They'd thought Hiashi would question them a bit... or at least lecture them to defend the Hyuga Clan's dignity, right? Naruto had even prepared to take the high road, as long as the old geezer didn't go too far. And that was it? He was just letting them go see Hinata?
It was strange, but Naruto wasn't a masochist. Besides, he had nothing to lose. Since Hiashi had invited him, he followed.
Hiashi slid open the paper door. The first thing that drifted out was the faint scent of medicine, its bitter, slightly spicy aroma, characteristic of boiled herbs, filling everyone's nostrils.
Naruto stood in the entryway, his gaze immediately drawn to Hinata in the middle of the room.
She lay there, slender, nestled beneath stark white blankets. Her long black hair fanned across the pillow, making her face look almost translucent, fragile, and pale.
The room was spacious. Though it looked like a single room, it was divided into three sections, with Hinata in the middle and medical equipment and a place for the attendants to rest on either side.
Hiashi asked the attendants, who had been hiding in the room, to wait outside in the courtyard for now. Only four silent men remained inside, and the air felt so heavy it seemed almost frozen.
Naruto stared at the scene before him, shocked and struggling to take it in. Only seeing Hinata with his own eyes let him truly grasp how weak she was. Even he couldn't make sense of the emotions churning inside him—instinctive sympathy, the memories of how his wife had always liked him, and the recognition of that familiar feeling... All sorts of thoughts tangled together, drawing him closer until he stopped just a step away.
Hinata's eyelashes were long, and her lips had little color. Standing close, Naruto took it all in, then called out inwardly:
"Kurama."
[Quiet. I know. I'm sensing her!]
Naruto had never obeyed the Nine-Tails so readily. When Kurama told him to be quiet, he shut his mouth and waited in silence for a reply. The other three remained by the entrance, watching Naruto's unusually heavy-looking back.
Hiashi and the Great Elder showed no emotion, but Neji's eye twitched for some reason. Seeing how intently Naruto was staring at Hinata, he couldn't help thinking: This guy told me he was close to Hinata, but he didn't say they were this close! Wait, didn't he mention a girl named Ino, the one who took him to get his hair cut?
Was he two-timing them??
As Hinata's older cousin, Neji's fingers tightened unconsciously. But he still hadn't resolved his complicated feelings about Hinata, and another awkward emotion immediately welled up. He felt caught between two sides and stood there stiffly.
Hiashi noticed and glanced at Neji in puzzlement, but couldn't be bothered to ask.
Though he didn't show it, Hiashi was truly exhausted by how much trouble Naruto had caused in such a short time. Just thinking about the bickering at the upcoming clan meeting gave him a headache. So, aside from the fact that he did kind of want to beat Naruto up just to vent, he was also feeling a little like, I'm tired of this. Let it all burn.
The others' thoughts aside, Kurama's voice finally sounded after a moment.
[Kid, since you say you're Asura's reincarnation, you should know about one of my special talents, right?]
Seeing Kurama still speaking in riddles at a time like this, Naruto felt a little irritated. But he understood that Kurama didn't fully trust him yet, so he patiently replied,
"Sensing good and evil?"
[...Hmph... Right. To be precise, it's not good and evil, but emotions. Those two emotions just happen to be the clearest, so I can sense them especially well.]
Since Naruto had answered, Kurama stopped beating around the bush.
[I can sense that this girl named Hinata isn't unconscious. Her emotions are fluctuating strongly, just like those of you who are awake.]
"How can that be?"
[Don't rush me, kid... Let me finish.] For the first time, Kurama had gotten the upper hand in a conversation with Naruto, and he couldn't help feeling smug. His tails swayed gently.
[But I can also sense that her emotions, along with her chakra, are flowing into a "hole" just below the center of her forehead. I'm a mass of chakra, after all, so I can sense chakra to some extent.]
"What do you mean, a [hole]?" Naruto furrowed his brows. He didn't understand. If Hinata had really gone into the movie theater just like him, why were their situations so different?
[How should I know?] Kurama huffed. [Unless you can touch her, it's still too far away.]
"How is this far?"
Naruto looked at the distance between himself and Hinata—barely more than a few inches—and considered how likely he was to get beaten up for touching an unconscious girl in front of her father. He decided to abandon that overly daring option.
But he still had to try something else...
—Sigh...
"Sorry." Naruto tried to recall the scene of his parents being killed by Obito, then suddenly spoke.
His voice was thick with bitterness, even trembling almost imperceptibly, as if he were struggling to suppress an overwhelming emotion. "Could I use the bathroom?"
"You..."
Meeting Naruto's dull, lifeless eyes, even Hiashi, who had kept his face stern, couldn't help but be moved. What pain, what sincere feeling! Even the urge to beat Naruto that had been building inside him faded considerably.
I never thought my daughter, whom I'd always assumed was a loner, would actually have someone... um, who cared about her so much.
"Go ahead. Go on."
Hiashi waved him off. Naruto cared so much about his daughter—how could he make things difficult for him?
Seeing this, Neji began doubting himself even more. Had he misheard back then? Was Rock Lee right? Was Ino really a man??
"Thanks."
Naruto answered in a subdued voice and went to the bathroom in the room on the right. Only after the sound of the faucet running did he come back out, his hair slightly damp.
"Thank you, Uncle. I've finished visiting Hinata, so I won't disturb her rest." Naruto's expression had returned to normal, though he still looked a little dejected.
"Leaving already? Don't you want to stay a bit longer? It's fine."
Hiashi had finally gotten one of his daughter's friends to come visit, and he almost didn't want him to leave. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded.
"All right."
They left the Heart Room, and Hiashi called the attendants back from the courtyard.
But during the brief moment when the Heart Room stood empty, another Naruto emerged from the bathroom Naruto had just left.
"Kurama, quick, quick!"
He quietly hurried to Hinata's bedside and laid his hand on her forehead.
This Naruto was a Shadow Clone Naruto had created while using the sound of running water to cover it up. He had already reached an agreement with Kurama, who had agreed to send some of his chakra into the clone—though Kurama had mainly done it to satisfy his curiosity.
[Coming, coming!]
Knowing they were short on time, Kurama didn't argue with Naruto. He sent his chakra through Naruto's hand and into Hinata, then followed it into the "hole"!
He was a Shadow Clone too, so even if something went wrong—what the hell!!
[Aagh!]
"??"
Kurama only had time to let out a strangled cry before an immense suction force emerged from the hole, dragging his chakra—and Naruto, who was connected to him—inside!
"Hm?"
Creak...
The paper door to the Heart Room slid open again. The Great Elder, apparently having heard something, poked his head in.
But he found nothing.
The spacious room remained silent, with Hinata lying quietly in bed.
"Was it... my imagination?"
The Great Elder muttered, stepping aside to let the attendants back in.
"Fuuuuuck—!!!"
The Shadow Clone Naruto had no idea what was happening. Everything went black, then spun wildly around him. Even his thoughts seemed torn to shreds, leaving only his body to wail in agony.
"Fuuuck—huh?"
Suddenly, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, as if he'd landed on earth. His vision gradually cleared, and he could see again.
The first thing he saw was the sky, tinted with the colors of dusk.
Naruto realized he seemed to be standing on a long street. Wooden houses stood in uneven rows on either side. There weren't many people on the street, and they were all dressed in old-fashioned kimono. Most of them seemed completely unsurprised by his sudden appearance, showing little shock at the sight of a strange newcomer.
"Where is this...?"
"Hey, we've got a newcomer!"
A square-jawed man walked toward Naruto and shouted toward the end of the street,
"Old man! We've got a newcomer! Someone else died—a kid, too. Come take a look!"
Then he gave Naruto a friendly pat on the shoulder, grinning like they were old friends.
"I know you've probably got a lot of questions right now, but first, welcome."
"Welcome to the Soul Society, kid!"
Before you continue