"Cough. Hinata, get into your ready stance again. I'll help you work this out," Zeyu said.
"Okay," Hinata replied. She took a deep breath, then assumed the Gentle Fist ready stance again.
Zeyu walked over to Hinata and slowly crouched beside her. Then he said,
"Hinata, I'm going to adjust your posture. I'll only move you a few centimeters, but please focus on feeling the difference. It'll help with your training, so trust me."
"Okay, Zeyu-kun. I'll do my best," Hinata replied.
Then Zeyu reached out and touched Hinata's thigh, running both hands over it.
The sudden sensation startled Hinata. Her whole body flushed red, her heart raced, and she could barely get the words out.
"E-eh? Zeyu-kun, what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Hinata. This might embarrass you, but focus on feeling the difference. It's important, and this will make things easier," Zeyu said with a perfectly serious expression.
"Yes, I understand."
Since Zeyu had put it that way, Hinata had no choice but to close her eyes and focus on the sensation.
The ticklish feeling on her leg made Hinata let out soft moans. Her head tilted up involuntarily, sweat beading on her face and slowly running down her neck.
As Zeyu touched her thigh and waist, he explained,
"The most important thing in training your fists is keeping your lower body stable. Once it's steady, attacking and defending both take less effort and happen faster. Since men and women have different body structures, they should train the same style of fist in different ways."
"For you, Hinata, you should shift the force from your feet to your whole lower body. That'll help you perform your techniques better and faster."
"Mm," Hinata murmured. Her eyes had grown unfocused, sweat glistened on her skin, and her soft lips parted as she panted.
Feeling the sensations from her lower body, she couldn't stop herself from trembling. She thought, Zeyu-kun's hands... They're so big... so warm... I can't take it... It feels like something's about to happen...
Her head tilted back again. Her mouth fell open, letting out a warm breath, and her eyes grew hazy.
After making one more adjustment, Zeyu released her, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stood up. "Hinata... are you all right?"
Hinata was drenched in sweat. Her whole face was red, her body trembled faintly, and her clothes were soaked.
Zeyu suddenly wondered if he'd gone too far. He scratched his head, feeling awkward.
Hinata was still just a child!
Hinata came back to her senses at Zeyu's question. After taking a moment to recover, she smiled and replied, "Mm-hmm, I'm fine. Thanks for all your effort, Zeyu-kun."
Her eyes were full of tenderness as she looked at Zeyu, as though she could draw threads from them.
Zeyu felt a sense of dread and thought, Oh no... This is bad. I really went too far. Did I break Hinata?
Then he asked, "Hinata, do you want to rest for a while and try again later?"
Hinata shook her head lightly. "Mm-hmm, I'm fine. I can keep going."
She took a deep breath and added, "Zeyu-kun, please step back. I'm going to start."
Zeyu relaxed when he heard that and took a few steps back.
Hinata steadied herself, closed her eyes, and absorbed the method Zeyu had taught her. A moment later, the veins beside her eyes bulged, her Byakugan activated, and she struck out with her palm.
Feeling the clear difference, Hinata froze for a moment, then beamed with delight and continued practicing her other techniques.
With the change in how she generated force, her Gentle Fist felt smooth and effortless. The more she practiced, the more easily she moved, until she couldn't help smiling.
Watching Hinata happily practice her punches, Zeyu nodded in satisfaction.
After finishing the set, Hinata couldn't contain her joy. She hurried over to Zeyu, bowed deeply, and said, "Zeyu-kun, thank you. The method you taught me really works. I feel like I can become stronger."
Looking at the smiling girl before him, Zeyu couldn't help reaching out to pat her head. "You're welcome, Hinata. I only suggested a few little things. Becoming stronger is up to you."
Then he remembered how he'd just touched Hinata, and his hand stopped. As he pulled it back, he added, "I'm sorry, Hinata. I touched you like that just now. You must hate me. I'm really sorry."
Hinata reached out with both hands, took Zeyu's hand, and pressed it to her cheek. She tilted her head toward it, her cheeks turning pink. "Mm... Zeyu-kun helped me so much. I'm really grateful."
The sight made Zeyu's heart flutter, and his face reddened too.
Hinata paused, then added, "Also, Zeyu-kun's hand is so big and warm. I like it a lot."
The atmosphere between them was so sweet and intimate that it seemed as if even the air had turned sugary. They both smiled.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
They both wondered the same thing.
Hinata thought, I-I-I-I-I... what am I saying? This is so embarrassing... But... I really do like Zeyu-kun's hand.
Zeyu thought, Hinata's being so forward this time. She's even cuter, and I like her even more.
Just as they were getting cozy together, Sarutobi Hiruzen came slowly toward the training ground, dressed in casual clothes and carrying his pipe.
Seeing the two of them in the field, he didn't go over to interrupt them. He stood to the side, examining them carefully as he thought,
Hm? That girl's from the Hyuga Clan, isn't she? Hiashi's eldest daughter? She seems quite close to Zeyu. Could they be in love?
At that thought, Hiruzen felt much more at ease. If Zeyu married into the Hyuga Clan, he'd be one of their own. The Hyuga were a prominent clan in Konoha, after all. If Zeyu did anything outrageous, the Hyuga would be implicated too, Hinata included.
Zeyu finally noticed the old man outside the training ground, and his heart tightened. Hm? Is that Sarutobi Hiruzen? Why is he here? Could he have sent someone to keep an eye on me?
Then he turned to Hinata and whispered, "Hinata, that person outside looks like the Lord Third."
Hinata froze and looked toward Hiruzen. Once she realized it really was the Lord Third, she shyly ducked behind Zeyu and whispered, "Eh? Why is the Lord Third here? Did he see us just now? How embarrassing."
As she spoke, she covered her face and leaned against Zeyu's shoulder.
Looking at Hinata, Zeyu thought, Hinata seems to have grown more forward without my noticing. She's coming close to me on her own now. Heh, this is great.
Then he said to her,
"Hinata, the Lord Third might be here to see me. Why don't you head home first? I'll teach you something else tomorrow."
Hinata looked surprised. "Eh? What does the Lord Third want with you, Zeyu-kun? Is everything all right?"
"Don't worry, Hinata. It's fine." Zeyu smiled at her and patted her head.
"Really?" Hinata asked, still a little worried.
Zeyu took Hinata's hand and hooked his little finger around hers. "Mm, I promise. It's all right, Hinata. Just trust me."
Then he winked and leaned closer to whisper, "I have a few other ideas too, even better than today's. I'll teach you tomorrow."
Hinata stared at him for a moment. Remembering how Zeyu had just touched her, her face slowly turned red.
Zeyu took the opportunity to gently lick Hinata's ear. Her whole body shuddered as if she'd been shocked, and a soft moan escaped her lips. She curled up, lowered her head, and covered her face with both hands, too embarrassed to look at Zeyu. A little puff of steam rose above her head.
Zeyu pressed his advantage and drew Hinata into his arms, gently stroking her head.
Feeling Zeyu's warmth, Hinata gave in. She wrapped both arms around his back and buried her head in his chest, quietly breathing in his scent.
A moment later, she came to her senses and pushed against Zeyu with both hands. Turning her face away, she said softly, "Um, the Lord Third still needs to talk to you, right? I'll be going now. See you tomorrow."
Hinata thought, Zeyu-kun smells so nice. I got carried away for a moment. I can't do that; I'll make things difficult for him.
"Not going to stay in my arms a little longer?" Zeyu teased with a smile, gently holding her arm.
Hinata looked at Zeyu, then quickly looked away, unable to meet his eyes. She steeled herself, turned around, and held her little hands to her chest. "N-no, Zeyu-kun has things to do. Bye-bye."
Then she pressed her lips together and whispered, "I'll hug you again tomorrow..."
After that, she ran off.
Watching Hinata disappear, Zeyu felt an itch in his heart, like a kitten scratching at him. He thought, Hinata's just too cute. I want to tease her so badly. A grin spread across his face.
Meanwhile, after Hinata left, the Lord Third realized he could go over. He slowly walked toward Zeyu.