As Expected of Minato Namikaze's Son

Hyuga Ichiro reached out to pull Hinata away.

But Naruto stepped in first, standing in front of Little Hinata.

His gaze was cold, his tone calm.

"Use your words. Don't put your hands on her."

The moment their eyes met,

a chill shot up from the soles of Hyuga Ichiro's feet.

He couldn't help shivering.

He was, after all, a Konoha elite High Shinobi.

He had faced danger on countless missions,

and had repeatedly risked his life in battle!

Even when he encountered shinobi far stronger than himself,

Hyuga Ichiro had never been afraid.

But this time, a mere Konoha Genin had frightened him with a single look.

If word got out,

it would be utterly humiliating!

Still, Hyuga Ichiro believed that if another High Shinobi had been there,

they probably wouldn't have fared any better.

The boy in front of him didn't feel like a Genin at all.

He felt more like some primordial beast from the dawn of time!

"Naruto-kun..."

Little Hinata felt warmth blossom in her heart.

She wanted to say something,

but stopped herself.

This was the first time she had gone against Hyuga Hiashi's wishes.

Even managing this much had taken courage.

Hyuga Hiashi stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his expression calm, impossible to read as either anger or pleasure.

But in his mind, he had already begun to assess Naruto.

"As expected, a tiger father won't raise a dog for a son. He dares to stare down Hyuga Ichiro and stop him from taking Hinata away."

"His courage alone deserves praise."

"But in this world... courage by itself isn't enough."

"Without the strength to back it up, he'll end up just another mediocre shinobi."

Hyuga Hiashi didn't notice that anything was wrong with Hyuga Ichiro.

He assumed Ichiro had intimidated Naruto.

He had no idea that Naruto had turned the tables.

The one who had been rattled was Hyuga Hiashi's most trusted subordinate!

Naruto grinned. He had let a little killing intent slip out just now.

He had plenty of trump cards.

And he had seen blood.

It was no exaggeration to say

that crushing Hyuga Ichiro in front of him would be as easy as killing an ant.

Even without using the Rinnegan's abilities,

Naruto had plenty of other techniques at his disposal.

He was confident he could kill Hyuga Ichiro

in a very short time!

Besides, if he couldn't be bothered to do it himself,

he could call the Nine-Tails out to take care of things.

Given that stinky fox's personality, it would surely be happy to handle it.

Who could turn down a chance to show their worth in front of their master?

Too bad this Nine-Tails wasn't a Nine-Tails girl.

Naruto sighed softly and put aside his scattered thoughts.

Turning his back on Hyuga Ichiro, he grinned at Hinata.

"Hinata, go home first. Don't worry about me."

"But..."

Seeing Naruto's determined gaze,

Hinata paused for a few seconds. Her conflicted heart finally reached a decision.

She chose to trust Naruto.

"All right, Naruto-kun."

She didn't know why,

but Naruto's words gave her a strange sense of calm and security.

The feeling was subtle.

Hinata herself didn't know how to describe it.

It was as if no matter what Naruto said, however shocking his words might be,

she could believe him without question.

It was a trust that came from the deepest part of her heart.

Having chosen to trust Naruto,

Hinata didn't linger. She headed straight home.

After a while,

Hyuga Hiashi raised an eyebrow and said sternly,

"Hyuga Ichiro, why are you still standing there like an idiot? Have you forgotten the task I gave you?"

Hyuga Ichiro came to his senses, still stunned.

He couldn't help taking a deep breath.

"...Yes, Patriarch!"

With that, he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

He hurried away.

Before leaving, he glanced back at Naruto, still shaken.

His decades of experience on the battlefield told him

that if Naruto had wanted to,

he could have taken his life in an instant!

This was no joke.

Besides possessing the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai,

Hyuga Ichiro had a keen sense that few knew about.

He could sense deadly danger before it struck,

allowing him to escape in time or come up with a countermeasure.

That was one of the main reasons he had survived to this day,

after taking part in both the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars!

Today, a mere Genin had actually frightened him.

Hyuga Ichiro didn't know what to say...

After everyone else had been sent away,

only two people remained on the wide street in the Hyuga Clan's compound.

One was Naruto. The other was the current Clan Head of the Hyuga Clan,

Naruto's future father-in-law, Hyuga Hiashi.

Of course, Hyuga Hiashi could never have guessed what the future held, no matter how hard he tried.

After all, he wasn't a time traveler.

Anyway, back to the point.

Naruto and Hyuga Hiashi simply stood there, silently facing each other.

Neither spoke first.

Because at the negotiating table, whoever spoke first would surely lose the initiative and take the weaker position!

Speak first and you lose. Naruto knew that much.

Sometimes, speaking first also made you look guilty. If you weren't guilty, why would you be the first to explain?

Just kidding!

Was Naruto feeling guilty?

Not in the slightest!

He and his little wife were simply growing closer in their day-to-day life.

It was perfectly legitimate.

Even his future father-in-law couldn't cross the line and criticize them.

After a long silence,

Hyuga Hiashi finally couldn't hold back and spoke first.

"As expected of Minato Namikaze's son. Your composure and ability to keep your head in a crisis are far beyond those of your peers."

It was a fair assessment.