"Are you all right? Do you want me to blow on it for you?"
Naruto asked with concern.
This was a major matter concerning his future happiness!
There was no room for the slightest mistake.
Little Hinata's face turned even redder!
She replied bashfully.
"I... I'm fine... I just need to rest a little..."
Several gazes fell on them from the shadows.
To be precise, most of them were fixed on Hinata.
After all, Hinata was the future head of the Hyuga Clan!
She was still young, so it was only natural to give her extra protection.
"Wuwuwu... Young Lady, you absolutely have to seize this opportunity!"
"That's right... Get along with Naruto. For the sake of our clan's future, you have to hold on to him!"
"I never imagined Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's Son."
"The more I look at them, the more I think little Naruto and our young lady are a perfect match. We should report this to the Patriarch as soon as we get home and arrange their engagement as soon as possible."
"Exactly. I heard that in the other great clans, those old fogeys are shamelessly trying to pair their daughters of a suitable age with Naruto."
"Pah... How shameless! Once they learned little Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's Son, those old geezers went crazy!"
"Little Naruto is a Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. If he were someone else's Jinchūriki, people would probably have objections. But he's that lord's son. One day, he'll surely make the Nine-Tails submit and become a Perfect Jinchuriki!"
"That means he'll probably grow into a ninja no less talented than any other genius. He might even surpass those who came before him."
"..."
Several Hyuga Clan Members secretly assigned to protect Hinata chattered away.
Naruto, whom they had once found fault with at every turn,
had somehow become someone far beyond their reach.
A ninja who could take the Hokage's seat
was no ordinary person.
Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, had earned that position.
His strength and achievements
had won everyone's recognition and approval.
He was also deeply loved by the people.
As the saying went, he who won the people's hearts won the world.
Ninjas didn't spend every day acting like hotheaded fools, fighting and killing.
They had to eat, too, didn't they?
They also needed places to stay.
Those matters naturally fell to the ordinary people.
You could say
that without the ordinary people, the ninjas would be out of a job.
Training and fighting both cost a great deal.
If everyone refused to pay taxes,
there'd be no money or food,
and no money to buy the ninja tools needed for battle.
...How could anyone manage that?
"You keep saying you're fine... Let me take a look."
Naruto's voice was full of concern.
They were standing rather close.
They could even feel each other's breath.
"I... I don't think that's a good idea..."
"What's wrong with it? If the wound's broken and you don't treat it in time, it might get infected."
"Ah... Is it that serious?"
"Of course. Come on, don't be shy. I just want to check it."
"Oh."
After Naruto urged her again and again,
Little Hinata parted her lips and stuck out her little tongue.
There was a small patch where the skin had been scraped off.
The wound wasn't serious, and the bleeding had stopped.
"Phew... Pain, pain, go away."
Naruto gently blew on it a few times.
As she felt the cool breeze,
Little Hinata's body stiffened.
With a pop,
she turned as red as a boiled lobster.
Wisps of white steam rose from her head.
Th-this was a little improper, wasn't it?
Hinata's heart fluttered wildly.
She stayed perfectly still, her tongue sticking out in that adorable pose.
To everyone else, the scene made them look like a sweet couple showing off their affection.
"Wow... Youth really is wonderful."
"That's the Hyuga Clan's Young Lady, right? She and the Fourth Hokage's Son make such a good match."
"I think so, too. Come on, Naruto, give it your best shot. We're all waiting to celebrate your wedding!"
"Wuwuwu... I want to fall in love, too."
"..."
Several Hyuga Clan Members were moved to tears.
"Naruto really does seem to like our young lady. That's wonderful news."
"Being close by gives you the advantage. Let's hurry back and ask the Patriarch to arrange their engagement. A man should marry when he's grown, and a woman should marry when she's grown. We can't put it off."
"They're already thirteen. They're not that young anymore. They can get married in a few years."
"Exactly... The policies are good these days. It'd be best if the young lady had several children. The future prosperity of the Hyuga Clan rests on them."
"I remember the romance between the Fourth Hokage and his wife was the stuff of legends, too. It's just like our young lady and Naruto. They're made for each other."
"I'll go home and report this to the Patriarch right away."
"Don't. There's no need to rush. The Patriarch and the Second-in-Command have been at odds lately, and they're giving each other the cold shoulder."
"What's there to discuss? Shouldn't they be loyal to the Patriarch unto death? That's how things have always been done."
"Ah... Rules are dead, people are alive. I wonder when that damnable rule will finally be abolished. I hope the young lady can get rid of it someday. It's such a headache."
"I'm not sure we can count on the young lady. We have better odds if we count on our future son-in-law. After all, he's that lord's son. If that lord were still alive, so many things wouldn't have happened in the village."
"..."
These guards were all from the Branch Family.
The Main Family didn't even consider them people.
They were simply tools for protecting the Main Family.
Whether they lived or died was entirely up to the Main Family.
To put it bluntly, they were treated like dogs—and weren't even allowed to complain.
It was only natural for resentment to build after enduring that for so long!
Why did you get to be the Main Family while we didn't?
Was it just because you were born a few days earlier?
What good did being born earlier do?
You were far weaker than us.
If they hadn't had the Caged Bird Cursed Seal carved into their foreheads,
the seal would damage their brains when activated, leaving them in unbearable agony.
Otherwise, they would have rebelled long ago!
Whoever wanted to put up with this could go ahead.
They were nearly at their limit.
That was why they desperately hoped someone would break this unjust system.
The chances of accomplishing it through the Hyuga Clan's own leadership
were practically nonexistent.
In their eyes, all that mattered was their own interests. They didn't care whether the Branch Family lived or died.
Why change the system when they had free labor and disposable fighters who wouldn't talk back?
So their only hope
was a powerful ninja from outside the clan.
Only then was it possible.
"How is it? Feeling a little better?"
Naruto smiled as warmly as a spring breeze.
Hinata didn't dare meet his gaze. Her little face was flushed, and her voice was as soft as a mosquito's.
"I... I'm feeling much better."
Before you continue