Sakura Haruno: How is that the same?! Please vote for me!!!

Hanabi obediently sat down beside her.

"Hanabi, why do you think we train hard and become stronger?"

"Of course, to protect the Hyuga Clan!"

Hinata smiled gently.

"Of course, that's the right answer, but..."

"It shouldn't be the only answer."

Hanabi blinked.

"Then what else?"

Hinata gazed out the window at the night sky. The crescent moon cast a hazy glow.

"It's different for everyone..."

"Some want others to acknowledge them, some want to prove themselves, and some want to fulfill their dreams..."

"Or..."

"To protect someone they care about."

"But most importantly..."

"It's about becoming a better version of yourself."

Hanabi looked puzzled. "Becoming a better version of yourself?"

"But couldn't you have done that before, too, Big Sister?"

Hinata let out a soft sigh and shook her head.

"That's not the same..."

"Hanabi, you're more talented than I am, but you're still very young. There are many things about the clan that you don't fully understand yet..."

"Though, I'm the same way..."

Hanabi scratched her head. "Then, Big Sister, do you have someone you like now?"

Hinata's face instantly turned red, but she didn't try to hide it from her younger sister.

"...Yes."

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

Chapter 35: Sakura Haruno: How is that the same?! Please vote for me!!!

Hinata looked at Hanabi's gossipy expression, feeling both embarrassed and amused.

She tapped Hanabi on the nose.

"I'll tell you another time..."

"It's a secret for now."

Hanabi pouted. "...Oh."

But a little devil bared its fangs in her heart.

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

Hinata stood up again and patted Hanabi's head.

"Go to bed first, Hanabi."

"I still have to train for a while."

Hanabi nodded and went out. Just as she was about to close the door, she turned back.

"Big Sister, don't overdo it..."

"Mm."

The door closed, and soon Hinata's voice rang out in the Cultivation Room once more.

Neither sister noticed that their father, Hyuga Hiashi, was in the courtyard and had heard their entire conversation.

"Hinata..."

Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly.

He remembered the past and how harsh he had been with Hinata. He had been downright cruel.

But...

He had had no choice.

As the clan head and a member of the Main House, he had reasons he couldn't avoid for doing what he had done.

Even if she was his own daughter, it was no different.

Because he had grown up the same way.

In fact, the Main House and Branch House had lived this way for over a thousand years...

And yet...

Hyuga Hiashi looked up at the crescent moon in the night sky.

Just because it had always been this way, did that mean it was right?

He saw that face again...

A face identical to his own, except for the Caged Bird seal on its forehead.

"Hizashi, what... am I supposed to do?"

"Will the tragedy between you and me, brothers, keep repeating itself?"

"Hinata..."

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

"And I, the clan head, the father, have done nothing all this time. I haven't dared to do anything..."

"I was the coward all along..."

As he listened to Hinata's voice as she trained hard, he let out a sigh in the lonely night.

By the time Naruto finally finished his training for the day,

it was already late at night again.

With the system keeping him on task, he went straight to sleep without the slightest delay.

Through his constant hard work, his Dual-Tasking ability had gradually become more practiced.

The Chakra Refinement Technique, the Transformation Technique, and Dual-Tasking had all improved considerably.

Chakra Refinement Technique proficiency: 88 points!

Transformation Technique proficiency: 76 points!

Sexy Technique proficiency: 70 points!

Dual-Tasking proficiency: 61 points!

His chakra reserves had also risen to 66 points!

Of course,

his training wasn't over. It had only just begun.

In his sleep, Naruto once again faced Sasuke in a ninja sparring match.

This time, however, Naruto began trying to control himself.

He would maintain his fighting spirit and killing intent without losing his reason completely.

In other words, his fighting spirit could raise his morale and combat strength, but that boost couldn't turn him into a madman or make him completely lose control.

This wasn't the system's special training.

It was a new, stricter demand Naruto had set for himself.

Of course, even in this state, he still had to do everything in his power to defeat Sasuke!

After fighting Sasuke for real during the day, Naruto felt more confident.

He understood that although he had come close to losing control and had eventually been stopped by the Third, he had nonetheless proven that he was qualified to fight Sasuke on equal terms!

That was the real reason for his confidence.

Naruto had grown a lot more that night.

The next day, Naruto felt a dull ache in his right leg, but he gritted his teeth and pushed on. It was nothing he couldn't handle.

With his special constitution, an injury of this severity was already healing quickly.

He didn't give up training just because he was hurt.

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

On the way to school, he still walked on his hands with weights, while using Dual-Tasking to study his school lessons.

Compared to the day before, Naruto was now handling Dual-Tasking with ease.

It was only the weight on his right leg that made him grimace.

But he kept at it until the end.

On another road in Konoha,

Ino spotted a familiar figure. Her heart stirred and her brow creased slightly, but soon she smoothed her expression into her usual bright, radiant smile.

She hurried over and patted the other girl on the shoulder.

"Morning, Sakura."

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

"Don't touch me."

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

Ino's hand froze in midair.

"Sakura..."

Still unwilling to give up, she hurried after her.

"Y-you're still angry?"

"I already apologized to you..."

"You still can't forgive me?"

Sakura Haruno said coldly, "Don't think I don't know."

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

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

"Looks like our friendship means nothing to you."

Ino's heart trembled.

Had Sakura seen them?

But...

"That doesn't mean anything. I only talked to Hinata for a bit..."

Sakura Haruno said, "No. As my best friend, you chose to side with Hinata and Naruto. There's nothing left to say."

Ino couldn't help raising her voice, too.

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