Let the Storm Come All the Harder

Hinata tilted her adorable little head in confusion.

She had no idea what Naruto was looking at.

So she asked in a daze,

"Naruto-kun, what are you looking at?"

Naruto coughed and looked away.

He turned his gaze back to Hinata's slightly chubby little face.

Then he said seriously,

"Hinata, I've discovered a very serious problem!"

It concerned the future health of his precious daughters.

He couldn't afford to let anything go wrong!

Especially not with Himawari.

How could he bear to let such a little girl go hungry?

As for keeping her warm, there was no need to worry.

After all, as the future Hokage, he'd have no shortage of coins to buy clothes.

Hinata froze for a moment. She felt as though Naruto had something important to tell her.

Thump, thump—

It seemed to be a serious matter.

Her little heart began to race.

"N-Naruto-kun, tell me!"

Naruto stopped teasing her and answered without hesitation.

"Hinata, I heard that eating papaya can make a girl's skin smoother and fairer."

"Your skin is already pretty good, but I feel like it's missing something."

"If you don't want to eat it, just forget I said anything."

Papaya really was good for the skin!

And not just for the skin.

It was nutritious, too.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with Rain Girl.

Mm... and it had absolutely nothing to do with boys.

Naruto didn't need it.

But his future daughters did.

As for his wife—

She had to be trained from a young age. Childhood was the best and easiest time to do it.

If he wanted a certain type, he could simply raise her to become that kind of girl!

It saved time and effort!

Naruto didn't want to regret it later.

That would be such a waste.

"So that's what you meant..."

Hinata blinked.

She'd thought he wanted to talk about ninjutsu.

She hadn't expected it to be about skincare...

Girls were born loving beauty, no matter which world they lived in.

It was written deep in their DNA.

A woman dressed up for the man she loved!

Since Naruto had brought it up himself,

Hinata couldn't just treat it as a joke.

Her little face turned serious.

"Naruto-kun, I... I understand. How exactly should I prepare the papaya? Should I steam it, or eat it as it is?"

My dear little wife, I'm not lying to you!

We're family. Can you really call it a lie?

One day, you'll understand my good intentions.

Mm... especially when you see that you've outdone Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno in the future.

Rise above them all!

Naruto grinned. To be honest, he didn't really know how to prepare papaya.

But he could piece together a recipe from his hazy memories.

"I think you steam it. With milk—oh, right! Pour in some milk, too. It'll not only improve your complexion, but also help you refine your chakra..."

Not only would it make her skin fairer.

It would also help her improve her training!

Where else could you find such a good deal?

As for how it would increase her chakra,

Naruto was completely making that part up.

Ahem... though he couldn't say it was entirely made up.

At least, he thought it might help a little!

Naruto spoke as if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

Hinata's clear eyes filled with curiosity—

and disbelief.

Her little mouth formed a small O.

She exclaimed,

"Naruto-kun, did eating papaya make you so strong?"

Naruto nearly choked.

You really are something, my dear wife!

That's right... exactly as you thought.

Only, I'm the second stage of digestion.

You digest the fruit first.

Then I digest you.

The logic was rock-solid. Nothing wrong with it.

Maybe the new kind of iron had problems, but the old kind didn't!

Because old iron was flawless.

So he nodded.

"Exactly!"

Hinata was shaken to the core. She believed every word Naruto said.

After getting his confirmation,

Little Hinata froze.

She was amazed by this seemingly viable training method...

But there was something else that surprised her even more!

Why would Naruto tell her a secret like this?

Could it be that Naruto liked her?

At the thought...

Little Hinata's cheeks flushed even redder.

She'd always been a shy girl, even as a child.

And all the more so in a situation like this,

alone with the boy she loved,

sharing whispers and talking about a secret only the two of them knew.

Hinata clenched her little fists, as though she'd made some momentous decision!

Her voice was resolute, barely louder than a whisper, as she murmured,

"I definitely won't let you down!"

Her voice was too quiet.

Naruto had no idea what she'd said.

So he asked, puzzled,

"Hinata, what did you just say? I didn't catch that. Can you say it again?"

Hinata was just about to answer

when someone from the Hyuga Branch Family called out,

"Shh... everyone, quiet! The Patriarch is coming out. Get back to what you were doing!"

The crowd stirred.

They'd been about to scatter, but then Hyuga Hiashi stepped outside.

They felt awkward about rushing back into the courtyard.

So for now, they could only obediently shut their mouths,

lower their heads,

and greet Hyuga Hiashi as he came out.

"Good day, Patriarch!"

"Good day, Patriarch!"

"..."

The commotion over there was loud enough that Naruto noticed it right away.

"Oh, Hyuga Hiashi, the current Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan—and my future father-in-law."

It was his first time meeting his father-in-law.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

But some things were bound to happen sooner or later.

So let the storm come all the harder!