I'm Just Concerned About You

Konoha Inner City, Mochizuki Residence.

A massive table capable of seating over a dozen people was laden with an array of mouth-watering dishes.

Zeyu, Hinata, Megumi, and Shota sat together, eating the food before them without pause.

"Ah, I can't do it anymore, I'm so full," Zeyu said, reclining in his chair and rubbing his stomach.

Glancing around casually, he saw Shota still devouring his food, while Megumi sat upright nearby, chewing slowly and elegantly, looking every bit the young lady of a noble house.

As for Hinata, although she ate quite daintily, the stack of empty plates beside her kept growing; it seemed she had eaten quite a lot.

Yet, Hinata continued to eat, showing no signs of being full. Watching her focus intently on her meal, Zeyu found her incredibly cute and smiled, beginning to pick up food for her.

"Third Miss, this is a letter from the Eldest Miss for you," the old butler said, approaching from behind Megumi and handing her the letter.

Megumi wiped her mouth, took the letter, read it, and spoke to the group.

"Ahem, well, my sister wants us to return to our old home to stay and do some training while we're at it. Zeyu, Hinata, do you want to go? My sister said you're both welcome to come along."

"I'm down for it. What about you, Hinata?" Zeyu asked.

"If Zeyu-kun is going, then I want to go too, but I might need to go back and let someone know first," Hinata said, her cheeks puffed out; clearly, she had been in such a hurry to speak that she hadn't even finished chewing her food.

"Does that mean I get to hang out with Big Brother for a month? Oh yeah!" Shota exclaimed excitedly, only to accidentally choke on his food.

"Geez, baka-niichan," Megumi sighed, helplessly raising her hand to pat Shota on the back. Shota felt a bit better, but then started coughing repeatedly.

Megumi handed a glass of water to Shota and said to Hinata, "Hinata, should we bring Kiba and Shino along too? It's not really great to keep splitting up from the team, is it?"

"That seems to be the case. Thank you for the reminder, Megumi. I'll ask them later," Hinata replied. Meanwhile, Zeyu reached over with a tissue and gently wiped a bit of broth from the corner of Hinata's mouth.

He then smiled as he watched her eat.

"Zeyu-kun, you're doing that... I'm getting embarrassed to eat," Hinata said, her face flushing slightly, her heart fluttering like a trapped bird.

"Eh? Is that so? But I didn't do anything," Zeyu said with a shrug and a smile.

He then rested his chin on his hand, continuing to watch Hinata. Seeing a lock of her hair fall in front of her face, he reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

Hinata's face grew even hotter, and she hurriedly picked up her water to take a sip.

Megumi watched the lovey-dovey pair with dead fish eyes, thinking to herself:

I was just wondering if I'd be putting Hinata in an awkward spot, but now I think... I absolutely have to call Kiba and Shino! Otherwise, who knows how far these two will go with their public displays of affection.

If I don't, Hinata's virtue will be in danger! Men are all no good!

No, maybe Kiba and Shino alone won't be enough!

Thinking this, Megumi forced a smile and said to the group, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.

"Hey, why don't we invite Nana-sensei and Kurenai-sensei too? It would be a great chance for us all to go to my home and have some fun, what do you think?"

"Yosh! Everyone together!" Shota laughed, holding up a chicken leg in one hand.

Hinata and Zeyu looked at each other and agreed casually, the atmosphere between them thick with affection as little hearts seemed to float in the air.

On the other side, after rushing to the hospital, Hanabi hurried to the front desk to ask the nurse on duty.

"Miss, could you tell me if a patient named Hinata Hyuga has been admitted recently?" Hanabi asked, her voice laced with anxiety.

"Ah, I believe there is someone with the surname Hyuga," the nurse said, searching her memory.

"Where is she?" Hanabi asked, jumping onto the counter in her urgency and grabbing the nurse's arm, her face covered in sweat.

The nurse, startled, quickly flipped through the admission list and gave Hanabi the room number. Hanabi muttered a "Thank you" and bolted up the stairs.

"Miss, wait!" Natsu Hyuga arrived late, panting as she followed behind.

Hanabi reached the hospital room and pushed the door open without hesitation.

Upon entering, she saw that only the bed by the window was occupied. Sunlight streamed in, and a gentle breeze stirred the white curtains beside the bed, where a hazy figure sat leaning against the headboard.

"Sister..." Hanabi whispered, tears shimmering in her eyes.

She rushed forward, threw herself onto the bed, and hugged the figure, sobbing as she buried her face in the quilt.

Natsu stood at the doorway, head bowed, feeling a pang of sadness herself.

"Wuu wuu wuu, Sister, I'm so glad to see you're okay," Hanabi cried, rubbing her head against the quilt.

"It's all that damn redhead's fault for tricking you into training! He's an outsider, what could he possibly teach you? Don't worry, Sister, I'm going to go find him right now! I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!" Hanabi declared, clenching her fists, her eyes sharp.

"I'm afraid Miss Hanabi won't be able to do that," Neji said, his eyes closed as he spoke helplessly to the person in his arms. His hands, not yet fully recovered, rested at his sides.

Hanabi froze, her expression stiffening as she slowly lifted her head.

Seeing that it was Neji and not Hinata in front of her, she was so startled that she quickly let go and jumped to her feet.

"Eh? Neji-niisan? Where's my sister?" Hanabi asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest, looking confused.

"I don't know. She should be with Zeyu," Neji said, looking out the window.

"Zeyu? That damn redhead? Where is he? I'm going to beat him up!" Hanabi said, fuming as she clenched her fists and turned to march toward the door.

Just as Hiashi walked in, he carefully questioned the nurse before approaching. Learning that it was Neji and that Hinata had not been hospitalized, he appeared unhurried.

"Where are you off to again?" Hiashi asked.

Hanabi hung her head, her cheeks puffed out in anger. With her fists clenched tight and her lips pouting, she declared, "Finding Big Sister to beat up the redhead."

Hiashi sighed helplessly and exchanged a look with Xia, who was standing nearby.

Xia understood, took Hanabi by the hand, and led her aside.

Hiashi looked over at Neji by the window, walked toward him, pulled up a stool, and sat down to ask about the specific situation.

"Naruto, I'm telling you, you didn't even pass the exam, so why are you in such a rush to train? You just finished the test this morning, right?" Standing on the bridge with his arms crossed, Ebisu spoke to Naruto, who was sprawled out in the river.

Naruto sat up, his face dark, and said nothing.

Ebisu continued, "If you ask me, you should go grab a bite to eat, then go home, wash up, and get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you can practice on your own and—"

"No!" Naruto loudly interrupted Ebisu.

He stood up, clenched his fists, and looked at Ebisu with a determined gaze. "It's precisely because I didn't win that I need to train even harder! I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! How could I just give up like this?"

"Eating and sleeping are important, sure, but this isn't the time for me to be enjoying those things!"

"I'm too weak. If I don't get stronger, I'm going to be left behind!"

"Sasuke, Lee, Zeyu, and even that Gaara—everyone is so much stronger than me. I absolutely cannot stop here!"

"That's why I have to work even harder. If I only know how to eat and sleep, I'll never become Hokage. There are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage!"

"Naruto..." Ebisu murmured, looking at Naruto in astonishment.

Last night, Kakashi had sought out Ebisu and entrusted him with helping Naruto train.

"Isn't the result still pending? If he didn't pass the exam, does he really need extra training?" Ebisu had asked.

"Well, that's true, but knowing Naruto's temperament, he'd train himself to death even if he didn't pass. He's an idiot who always has the Hokage title on his lips."

"I've heard about what happened with Sasuke. I imagine he'll be with Sasuke later on, so I'll leave Naruto to you. Please."

Heh, Kakashi was right after all, Ebisu thought, offering a faint smile as he looked at the earnest Naruto before him.

"Oh no, it's this late already. He's probably back by now. Let's go home and check," Mikoto said, taking off her apron.

After finishing her work, Mikoto asked her boss for leave and hurried home with Sato.

You brat, you better not be hurt, Mikoto thought as she ran, biting her lip with a face full of worry.

Just as they rounded a corner, they saw Zeyu walking out of a gate with Hinata following beside him, clutching his arm.

"Hinata, why don't I take you home first? Your father is probably getting worried," Zeyu said.

"Um... it's okay to wait a little longer. It's still early," Hinata said, head bowed, leaning further into Zeyu. Zeyu looked at Hinata with a smile.

At that moment, Mikoto rushed over and skidded to a halt in front of Zeyu, kicking up a cloud of dust behind her heels.

"Zeyu, are you okay? Let me see!" Mikoto stepped forward and began fussing over Zeyu's head, checking every inch of him for injuries.

Sato arrived as well, watching Zeyu with a smile from the side. He looks fine, thank goodness, Sato thought.

"Auntie? I'm fine... hey, wait!" Zeyu said, trying to resist.

But Mikoto didn't care. She even started tugging at Zeyu's clothes, yanking his t-shirt up as she said, "No! I'm not convinced. What if you're just toughing it out? Let me see if there are any wounds!"

As his shirt was lifted, his near-perfect muscle definition was revealed.

Hinata, standing to the side, turned bright red. She covered her face with her hands, though she peeked through her fingers to watch the scene.

Seeing he was unharmed, Mikoto continued her inspection, placing her hand on the waistband of Zeyu's pants.

"Wait! Auntie, let's skip this part, I'm really okay," Zeyu pleaded, grabbing Mikoto's wrist and forcing a strained smile.

Mikoto smiled back at him. Her captured hand slowly rose, and the two stared at each other.

"Now!" Mikoto shouted, and with her other hand, she yanked Zeyu's pants down.

Hinata, watching from the side, had a massive nosebleed and fainted on the spot.

"Eh? Young lady, are you alright?" Sato asked, stepping forward to check on her.

Didn't she cover her face? Sato wondered, puzzled.

Zeyu quickly crouched down, hugging his legs with his arms, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as he wailed, "Wuu wuu wuu, I can't show my face in public anymore."

Mikoto circled around the crouching Zeyu, looking him over from left to right. Only after confirming he was truly unharmed did she heave a sigh of relief.

She bent down, smiling as she looked at Zeyu, and reached out a hand. "That's wonderful, Zeyu. You've returned safe and sound. Congratulations."

"I am not safe and sound. My heart is wounded right now," Zeyu said, crying as he slowly pulled up his pants and put them on.

Mikoto's hand froze in mid-air, and she retracted it, feeling somewhat awkward.

"Well, there isn't a part of you I haven't seen before, so what are you being shy about?" Mikoto said.

"Well, Mikoto was just worried about you, right?" Sato said, giving Mikoto a wink.

"Mm-hmm, that's exactly it," Mikoto said, crossing her arms and nodding.

Zeyu tidied his clothes slightly before walking over to Hinata and picking her up.

"I know, but what you did was too much, Auntie," Zeyu whispered.

"Uh... well, about that," Mikoto said, scratching the back of her head softly. She glanced around and only then realized there were still pedestrians on the road, and she had just stripped Zeyu's clothes off in public.

"I'm sorry..." Mikoto said helplessly. She hadn't felt like anything was wrong when she did it just moments ago.

Seeing the people around them whispering and gossiping, Mikoto hurriedly told the group to head home. She covered her face and walked ahead in a rush.

Sato followed behind, scratching his head in resignation.

At this moment, Kakashi, who had been searching for Zeyu, noticed the situation and spotted Zeyu walking quickly down the road while carrying Hinata.

"Yo, Zeyu," Kakashi said, stepping in front of Zeyu.

"Is there something you need, Kakashi-sensei? I'm not in the mood right now," Zeyu said, sniffling. With tear tracks still on his cheeks and tears shimmering in his eyes, he looked up at Kakashi.

"Uh... I just had a question I wanted to ask you," Kakashi said, looking at Zeyu's appearance with a hint of confusion.

Who managed to make this monster cry?... Who could possibly make this monster cry? Kakashi thought, cold sweat dripping down his face.