Naruto, What's the Point of Being Hokage Without You!

Hanabi sat obediently by her side.

"Hanabi, why do you think we work so hard at our training to become stronger?"

"To protect the Hyuga Clan, of course!"

Hinata smiled gently.

"That is certainly the correct answer, but..."

"It shouldn't be the only answer."

Hanabi blinked her eyes.

"Then, what else is there?"

Hinata gazed at the night sky outside the window, where the crescent moon cast a hazy, pale glow.

"Everyone is different, I suppose..."

"Some want to gain recognition from others, some want to prove themselves, some want to fulfill their own dreams..."

"Or..."

"Some want to protect the person they love."

"But most importantly..."

"It is the desire to become a better version of oneself."

Hanabi looked half-convinced: "Become a better version of myself?"

"But couldn't the sister from before do the same?"

Hinata sighed softly and shook her head.

"That is not the same..."

"Hanabi, your talent is superior to mine, but you are still too young, and there are many things within the family that you do not yet fully understand..."

"Although, I am the same in that regard..."

Hanabi scratched her head: "Then, sister, do you have someone you like now?"

Hinata's face turned red instantly, but she had no intention of hiding it from her sister.

"...Mm."

Hanabi's eyes lit up, her face full of anticipation: "Ah, who is it, who is it, who is it!"

Sakura Haruno: Can that even be compared?!

Hinata looked at Hanabi's gossiping expression, feeling both shy and amused.

She tapped Hanabi on her little nose.

"I'll tell you later..."

"It's a secret for now."

Hanabi pouted: "...Oh."

Yet, the little devil in her heart bared its fangs.

Hehe, I can find out on my own...

Hinata stood up again and patted Hanabi's little head.

"You go to sleep first, Hanabi."

"I still need to train for a while longer."

Hanabi nodded, walked out the door, and just as she was about to close it, she turned back and said.

"Sister, don't push yourself too hard..."

"Mm."

The door closed, and soon the sounds of Hinata training echoed once more within the Cultivation Room.

Neither sister noticed that their father, Hyuga Hiashi, was standing in the courtyard, having heard every word of their conversation.

"Hinata..."

Hyuga Hiashi's brows furrowed slightly.

He recalled the past, how his strictness toward Hinata had truly reached the point of harshness.

However...

He had no other choice.

As the clan head, as the main house, he had reasons for having to act this way.

Even if she was his own daughter, it made no difference.

Because he, too, had grown up exactly the same way.

In fact, for thousands of years, the main house and the branch house had always been this way...

However...

Hyuga Hiashi also gazed up at the crescent moon in the night sky.

Has it always been this way, and is that truly right?

He saw that face again...

A face identical to his own, only with the Caged Bird curse mark etched upon the forehead.

"Hizashi, what... what exactly should I do?"

"Will the tragedy between us brothers continue to drag on?"

"Hinata..."

"Has she been resisting this so-called destiny in her own way all along?"

"It turns out that I, the clan head, the father, have done nothing all this time, dared to do nothing at all..."

"The coward, it turns out, has always been me..."

Listening to the sounds of Hinata training hard, he let out a sigh beneath the desolate night sky.

By the time Naruto finally finished his day of training, it was already late into the night.

Urged on by the system, he didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately drifted off to sleep.

Under his continuous and diligent practice, the Dual-Tasking ability had gradually become more proficient.

Chakra Refinement Technique, Transformation Technique, and Dual-Tasking had all received significant boosts.

Chakra Refinement Technique proficiency: 88 points!
Transformation Technique proficiency: 76 points!
Sexy Technique proficiency: 70 points!
Dual-Tasking proficiency: 61 points!
Chakra volume has also increased to 66 points!

Of course.

The training had not ended; it had only just begun.

In his dreams, Naruto once again faced off against Sasuke in a ninja sparring match.

Only this time, Naruto began to try and control himself.

While maintaining his fighting spirit and killing intent, he strove not to lose his reason entirely.

In other words, he could allow his battle will to boost his morale and combat power, but he could not let that boost turn into madness, or worse, a complete berserk state.

This was not a special training session from the system.

It was a new, strict requirement Naruto had set for himself.

Of course, even in this state, he still had to give his all to defeat Sasuke!

Having had a real battle with Sasuke during the day, Naruto felt a bit more confident.

Because he understood that although he had been on the verge of losing control and was ultimately stopped by the Third Hokage, he had, in any case, finally earned the right to fight Sasuke on equal footing!

This was the root of his newfound confidence.

That night, Naruto grew significantly once more.

The next day, Naruto felt his right leg still throbbing with pain, but gritting his teeth, he decided it was nothing he couldn't handle.

With his special constitution, an injury of this degree was already healing rapidly.

He did not give up on his training just because he was injured.

The system didn't give him that chance, either.

On the way to school, he continued to walk on his hands while carrying weights, all while practicing Dual-Tasking to study his academic subjects.

Compared to yesterday, however, Naruto's Dual-Tasking was already becoming effortless.

Only the weight on his right leg made him wince from time to time.

But he persisted until the very end.

On another street in Konoha.

Ino caught sight of that incredibly familiar back, her heart stirred and her brows furrowed slightly, but she quickly smoothed them out, replacing them with her usual bright and radiant smile.

She stepped forward quickly and tapped the other girl on the shoulder.

"Morning, Sakura."

However, Sakura Haruno's expression remained cold as ice.

"Don't touch me."

She twisted her shoulder, shaking off Ino's hand, and strode away.

Ino's palm remained suspended in mid-air.

"Sakura..."

She chased after her again, unwilling to give up.

"Are... are you still angry?"

"I've already apologized to you..."

"Can you still not forgive me?"

Sakura Haruno said with a cold face, "Don't think I don't know."

"After arguing with me yesterday, you went home with Hinata on the way back from school, didn't you?"

"I think you've already made your choice."

"Our friendship, it seems, is worthless to you."

Ino's heart trembled.

Did she see it?

But...

"That doesn't mean anything, I just spoke a few words to Hinata..."

Sakura Haruno said, "No, as my best friend, you chose to stand on Hinata and Naruto's side; there's nothing left to say."

Ino couldn't help but raise her voice.

"But, Hinata and Naruto really didn't do anything wrong..."