Frustrated

Inside the Sealing Space.

After Naruto's consciousness entered the space, he saw that the Experience Orbs around the Nine-Tails had not returned. He said nothing and returned to reality once more.

On the bustling street.

Naruto quietly watched Kakashi and the other three approaching from afar, frowning as he began to think.

Since Kakashi's Experience Orbs had not disappeared, there was no way to tell the exact situation, but there were no Experience Orbs around Iruka.

This showed that Iruka and the Nine-Tails would find it difficult to recover Experience Points without following the plot, while Sasuke and Sakura had recovered some Experience Points.

Most likely, Sasuke and Sakura were different, and perhaps even Hinata was different.

Filled with deep curiosity, Naruto quickly ran toward Konoha's gate. In his perception, Kurenai was returning with Hinata and the others.

Going over now would let him meet Hinata, and more importantly, only he could see the Experience Orbs. He could also earn some Experience Points from the gate guards while he was at it.

A moment later.

At Konoha's main gate.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane, who were serving as guards, had been standing lazily at the gate. When Naruto came running over in such a hurry, they found it rather strange.

They looked around but found nothing unusual, which only made them more puzzled.

"Kid, did something happen? Why are you running so urgently?" Kotetsu Hagane asked doubtfully, worried that something had happened in the village.

"Nothing." Naruto stared quietly in the direction outside the gate and waited.

"If it's nothing, why are you running so fast? I thought something had happened." Izumo Kamizuki shook his head and returned to his lazy state.

[Experience Points +1]

"Nothing happened in the village, but something happened outside," Naruto suddenly said.

"What happened?" Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki immediately became alert upon hearing that.

"Outside, my little Hinata is about to come back," Naruto said.

"What? Your little Hinata is about to come back?"

Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki froze for a moment. They had thought it was something serious, only to find it was children's puppy love. They were utterly speechless.

The key was that neither of them even had girlfriends, yet they had just been force-fed romance by some brat. That left them very depressed.

"Kid, you're thinking about that stuff at such a young age? That's way too early. As a ninja, the first thing you should think about is improving your strength," Izumo Kamizuki advised.

"That's right, Izumo is correct. At your age, it's the perfect time to build a foundation. You can't neglect your training, or your strength may be too weak in the future for you to even support a family."

Kotetsu Hagane also tried to persuade him. Although he had been force-fed romance, the feeling of a senior educating a junior was still pretty good.

So he and Izumo Kamizuki exchanged looks, both very pleased with what they had said.

"It's fine. If I don't have money to support a family, my little Hinata can support me. She's the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan. She has plenty of money," Naruto said righteously.

"This..."

Hearing that, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki felt even more depressed. This brat wants someone else to support him, yet he still acts so righteous about it. How infuriating.

In order to correct Naruto's strange way of thinking, the two began persuading him again.

"Listen, as a man, how can you let a woman support you? You need to have masculine pride, or people will look down on you," Izumo Kamizuki said.

"Exactly. Look at the two of us. We're clearly men with masculine pride. We hold one of Konoha's most important duties: guarding Konoha's gates," Kotetsu Hagane said proudly.

"Is that so?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane said in unison.

"But you don't have girlfriends." Naruto blinked his innocent eyes.

Crack!

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane froze, suddenly feeling as if something had stabbed them in the heart.

"Ahem, it's not that we don't have girlfriends. We simply don't plan on finding any. Konoha still needs us to protect it," Izumo Kamizuki said after coughing twice.

"No need to make excuses. I understand. Everyone I've met who couldn't find a girlfriend said the same thing," Naruto replied.

Crack!

Veins bulged on Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane's foreheads. Why was this kid's mouth so infuriating? The worst part was that his words really did hurt.

Taking a deep breath, Izumo Kamizuki spoke again. "Let me tell you, having a girlfriend costs a lot of money. Giving gifts and such is just normal."

"That's right. Look, you didn't even bring a gift or anything. That's not good," Kotetsu Hagane said, nodding.

"It's fine. My Hinata can just give me gifts," Naruto replied, blinking as though it were only natural.

"This..."

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane truly did not know what to say this time. The brat in front of them had such an infuriating worldview.

"Still, you're right about giving gifts to your girlfriend," Naruto suddenly changed the subject.

"See? It's perfectly normal for a boy to give a girl gifts. You need to learn more. Remember to bring a gift next time."

Izumo Kamizuki smiled, feeling that the brat was finally becoming a little more agreeable.

"No need to wait until next time. I brought a gift."

Naruto reached into his ninja tool pouch. When he pulled his hand back out, he was holding a pretty hairpin.

"Oh? You really brought a gift."

Izumo Kamizuki said this in surprise, then added, "Not bad. Bringing a gift is the right thing to do, but next time, try to buy a better one. That's how you show your sincerity."

"No need. This hairpin is different. It carries a special meaning."

Naruto rubbed the hairpin, a trace of contemplation flashing through his eyes.

"A meaning? What meaning? Does it have some kind of story behind it?"

Izumo Kamizuki asked again, while even Kotetsu Hagane beside him looked curious.

"No, there's no story." Naruto suddenly shook his head.

"Then what meaning are you talking about?"

"Because..."

Naruto's expression turned solemn. Then, beneath the curious gazes of the two guards, he said, "Because I'm the one who gave it."

Crack!

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane's faces darkened. This brat was unbelievably good at making people mad.

They felt that if they kept talking, this kid would anger them to death. So, for once, neither of them said anything. They simply stood at the gate with dark faces.

"Look at the sky!" Naruto suddenly pointed upward with his right hand.

"What's wrong with the sky?" The two guards hurriedly looked up.

"There are clouds in the sky."

"..."

After that, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane stopped talking. No matter what Naruto said, they ignored him and pretended to be deaf.

Fortunately, the Experience Orbs around them were not very large. In a short while, he had absorbed more than half of them. After entering and leaving Konoha's gate a few more times, he would be able to absorb the rest.

Therefore, Naruto could not be bothered to keep talking and simply waited quietly for Hinata's return.

Not long after.

Hinata finally appeared. The instant she saw Naruto, she happily jogged over.

"Naruto, why are you here?" Hinata looked at Naruto happily, her entire little face flushed red with delight.

"Of course, I'm here to give you a gift."

Seeing the Experience Orbs reappear around Hinata, Naruto smiled and placed the hairpin in her hair.

That intimate contact instantly made Hinata so shy and dizzy that she swayed, about to faint.

Fortunately, Naruto would not let her fall. He caught her, but his hand landed on Hinata's waist, and then...

Then Hinata blinked her big eyes and truly fainted.