Byakugan Purity

Although Naruto acted as if he didn't care in the slightest, Hinata's gaze still changed a little.

At that moment, Hinata understood a lot. She realized how hard things had been for Naruto.

Her eyes were filled with concern for him.

Naruto felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Come on, you're here with me, aren't you? Compared to that guy from earlier, I'm much luckier. Keep looking at me like that and I'll have to punish you."

Naruto was at a loss for words. As he spoke, he gave Hinata's little nose a playful flick.

With so many people around, Hinata's face instantly turned red.

The tender, affectionate look vanished in an instant.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief.

The two of them headed to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

They ordered several bowls of ramen. When Uncle Ichiraku saw Naruto, he was incredibly welcoming, adding plenty of extra toppings to every bowl.

After their meal, they thanked Uncle Ichiraku for his hospitality.

Naruto led Hinata to his home.

Although Hinata didn't say anything, this had been her first mission outside the village, and she had performed so poorly that she was naturally in low spirits.

Naruto could tell. With no other choice, he decided to teach Hinata a few more things. He could also let her in on some things and help her prepare in advance.

They had been too young before, and it would have been inappropriate to do anything.

Now they were twelve, which counted as adulthood in the Ninja World. They were mature enough to learn certain things.

For example, about eyes, and about a few other things.

Meanwhile, Kakashi submitted the mission report and went to see the Hokage.

"What do you think? Are those three kids ready to take part in this Chunin Ninja Exams?"

Tsunade asked.

"They're still quite inexperienced, but they're strong enough to qualify." Kakashi nodded.

He was quite satisfied with their abilities. They just lacked some combat experience, but that was no big deal—they could build it up over time.

"I read the mission report. Isn't Naruto's strength a little too great?"

It was no secret that Tsunade paid close attention to Naruto. People like Kakashi understood what that meant.

"Yeah. His strength was beyond what I expected."

As Kakashi said this, he thought of Naruto's Flying Thunder God. Naruto had already mastered about a third of his teacher's skill with it.

Tsunade frowned. She had read Naruto's file countless times.

It was incredibly simple—almost absurdly so.

And yet Naruto's strength was unexpectedly immense, in a way that defied reason.

He had, at most, two opportunities—and even those could be counted as one. The Third Hokage had gravely damaged the Nine-Tails' soul, allowing Naruto to obtain the Nine-Tails' chakra, as well as the memories of his parents, the Fourth Hokage and his wife.

He had learned the Flying Thunder God and Sealing Jutsu.

What no one could understand was how Naruto had become so absurdly strong without anyone teaching him.

Tsunade and the others didn't suspect anything. They were simply worried.

Give a child a gun, and he could easily lose his way and take the wrong path.

On top of that, Naruto's childhood had shown that he was rather solitary, which made them even more concerned.

If not for his bond with Hinata, Tsunade and the others would have worried even more.

Tsunade greatly disliked her teacher's way of doing things, but she had to admit that indoctrination with the Will of Fire could be effective. It was clear from Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha.

"Don't worry, Lord Hokage. Naruto's a kind boy."

Naruto had stepped forward to help Kazahana Koyuki during the mission, which showed that he wasn't truly cold-hearted. That was why Kakashi trusted him.

And with Hinata there, Naruto wouldn't go astray.

"Mm. As his teacher, you need to keep a close eye on him."

Tsunade couldn't help reminding him.

The next day, Kakashi brought the registration forms and made it clear that the three of them had to take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

None of them objected. They signed up and waited for the exams to begin.

For the next few days, the Genin stopped taking missions and began preparing for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

During that time, Naruto began training Hinata.

In the backyard of Naruto's home, he had set up a large number of Sealing Jutsu and barriers.

"With your current abilities, you're already strong enough. What you need to do now is build a solid foundation."

Before getting started, Naruto didn't teach her any techniques. Instead, he began by explaining some basic concepts.

The body was the foundation of everything. His original plan had been to use the Nine-Tails' chakra to strengthen Hinata's body. Once she was older, he could work on her chakra. Whether by combining it with someone else's chakra or taking the ocular power from the heavens, he could bring about a drastic improvement in Hinata's strength.

But this mission had shaken Hinata's confidence. The girl hadn't had much confidence to begin with, and if she kept taking hits like this, she might return to how she used to be.

So, with no other choice, Naruto could only give her strength quickly.

"I don't want to be a burden."

Hinata looked Naruto straight in the eye.

Her gaze was firm and resolute.

Naruto relied on his own strength, while Sasuke had the Uchiha Clan backing him and was already fairly capable.

Hinata alone had never been especially talented, and she had given up the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Palms because of Naruto.

Watching the two of them make progress while she stood still, how could Hinata not worry?

Naruto didn't really understand, but if she wanted this, he would help her. A short-term boost to her combat strength wouldn't affect his original plans.

"Your current offensive techniques are already quite strong. There are two ways to improve your combat strength in a short time."

"The first is to work on your eyes. The second is to work on your chakra."

Naruto gave her two options.

Hinata didn't know much about any of this, so she looked to Naruto.

Naruto fell into thought.

After considering it, he decided to start with her eyes.

"I don't know if you've heard of the Sharingan's abilities, but I'll explain them to you today."

"Once the Uchiha Clan awaken their eyes, the Sharingan progresses from One-Tomoe to Two-Tomoe, then Three-Tomoe."

At this stage, the Sharingan hadn't undergone any qualitative change. It was powerful, but compared with the Byakugan, it still fell short.

Hinata nodded unconsciously. At this point, the Byakugan had the advantage in terms of basic abilities.

"Next comes the Mangekyō Sharingan, which is a qualitative change. Its abilities are much stronger, and it grants the user special ocular techniques."

Naruto explained, and Hinata nodded. She knew about what he had said so far, but she had only heard of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

After all, no one had ever explained it to her.

Naruto knew far more about the Sharingan than anyone else in Konoha.

Then Naruto explained the Mangekyō Sharingan's power in detail, listing the abilities of each known Mangekyō as well.

Hinata didn't ask how Naruto knew so much, and he didn't explain.

Hinata had known for a long time that Naruto had secrets.

"The Sharingan evolves through intense emotional stimulation."

As Naruto said this, he looked at Hinata.

"For the Byakugan to evolve further, its purity has to increase."

The Hyuga Clan knew that the Byakugan's strength depended on its purity, but purity was something a person was born with. No one had ever considered how to improve it later, because they had no idea where to start.

For Naruto, though, it was simple—or rather, it was simple for the Twin Palms.