Uzumaki Naruto stared blankly at the petite figure standing in front of him...
"Hinata... you..."
But at that moment, the usually timid Hyuga Hinata spoke with unshakable determination.
"Naruto... maybe you've already forgotten, but you protected me that day! So... today, let me protect you!!!"
Hearing that, Uzumaki Naruto froze. Memories from many years ago surfaced—a snowy, blustery night...
A little girl had seemed to be getting bullied. He'd stepped in to help, only to get beaten up himself.
So that little girl had been... Hinata!!!
The drunks surrounding Naruto and Hinata burst out laughing!
"Ha ha ha ha ha... did you hear that?! That Byakugan freak just said she'd stand with that Nine-Tailed Fox brat even if it meant getting beaten up?!"
"That's hilarious! The Byakugan freak and the Nine-Tailed Fox brat—what a perfect match!!!"
"If they're so eager to get beaten up, let's grant their wish!!! They're both just monsters!!!"
"Yeah! And look, the Byakugan freak's got a ten-thousand-ryo bill, too! She must've stolen it from there! We'll just have to take it off her hands!!! Ha ha ha ha ha..."
As they spoke, the drunks began shoving Hyuga Hinata, who was standing in front of Uzumaki Naruto!
Seeing this, Uzumaki Naruto hurried to his feet!
"Damn it!!! You bunch of bastards!!! Let go of her, right now!!!"
Just then, three people arrived outside the barbecue restaurant.
One wore the Hyuga Clan's clothes, another had a bowl cut and wore a green jumpsuit, and the third was a pretty girl with her hair tied up in buns.
They were Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten, who had finished a mission and were planning to get some barbecue!
Tenten looked curiously into the noisy restaurant.
"Neji, Lee... what's going on in there? Why is it so noisy?!"
"Let me see! Let me see!!!"
Rock Lee bounced up and down, eager to see what was happening inside.
Hyuga Neji, meanwhile, remained expressionless...
"It's so noisy in there. Let's go somewhere else."
Just then, Rock Lee let out a loud gasp...
"Eh?!!!! Isn't that your sister, Hinata, Neji!!! And that's Uzumaki Naruto, who's a year below us!!!"
At Lee's words, Hyuga Neji frowned.
What was his sister doing here?!
And Uzumaki Naruto, too?!
Neji wasn't unfamiliar with Uzumaki Naruto—in fact, he knew him quite well...
Because of Ito Hirofumi, Neji had gotten to know Naruto, too. The guy seemed pretty dumb, but he wasn't the Nine-Tailed Fox brat people claimed he was!
That's right. After Ito Hirofumi came to this world, he'd already started befriending Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten at the Ninja Academy, even before he got bound to a system.
Their relationship wasn't as close as the one between Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Choji, but they were still friends...
At first, Hyuga Neji hadn't wanted anything to do with Ito Hirofumi, but they'd gradually gotten to know each other. Neji had even joined Ito Hirofumi's class squad for a few casual get-togethers.
Without a second thought, Hyuga Neji pushed through the crowd and walked in...
In the next instant, veins bulged around Hyuga Neji's Byakugan!
His little sister, Hyuga Hinata, was being bullied here?!
They'd even called her a Byakugan freak!!!
Heh...
These bastards had gone way too far!!!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!!!!
Hyuga Neji sent the drunks flying in an instant...
"Brother..."
Hinata finally let out a sigh of relief when she saw her brother.
"Are you all right? And you... Uzumaki Naruto?" Hyuga Neji asked, his face cold, as he looked at Hinata and Naruto.
"I'm fine... brother..."
Facing her brother, Hinata slipped back into her earlier timidness.
Uzumaki Naruto looked at the three people in front of him, delighted.
"Neji! Lee! Tenten!!! What are you doing here?!"
Seeing Naruto battered and covered in shoeprints, Rock Lee stepped forward and helped him up.
"We'd just finished a mission and were planning to eat some barbecue here. We never expected to find this happening!"
"Those guys are awful!!!" Tenten said with a frown.
The drunks Neji had just knocked flying struggled to their feet in the street...
"Damn it!!! You dare hit me?! So there's another Byakugan freak here, huh?!!"
"Oh! And now there's a green-skinned freak, too!!! Look at that ridiculous bowl cut! I'm dying here!!!"
"Hmm... that girl with her hair in buns is pretty cute, though!!!"
"..."
Hearing the shouting outside, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, Tenten, Uzumaki Naruto, and Hinata all walked out.
The rest of the squad, who had been shopping elsewhere, noticed what was happening and hurried over...
When they saw how battered Uzumaki Naruto looked, they all guessed what had happened.
They turned cold glares on the drunks...
Uchiha Sasuke, in particular, saw the messy shoeprints on Naruto's clothes and reached behind his waist. In the next instant, he had a kunai in his hand!
Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Kiba also moved into position, surrounding the drunks.
"Hey!!! What do you brats think you're doing?! What's with those looks?! You wanna fight me?!"
"Tch!!! You'd better find out who I am before you start acting tough! What are a bunch of brats doing here, anyway??"
"You're obviously friends with that Nine-Tailed Fox brat and the Byakugan freak, right?! Push me too far, and I'll take you all on!!!"
With every other word, they called Naruto a Nine-Tailed Fox brat and Hinata a Byakugan freak. The squad's glares grew colder and colder!
Hyuga Neji gathered chakra in both hands, ready to strike, and immediately took up the stance of the Gentle Fist!
But in the next instant, a hand grabbed Neji's arm...
Before you continue