Ino Falls, Visiting Hinata

Feeling the soft, delicate body in his arms, as if it might melt into water, Naruto finally heard the system's notification finish.

Great Evolution Divine Soul Art?

It sounded badass.

But before he could think further, the system's supplementary explanation appeared immediately afterward:

[Great Evolution Divine Soul Art Usage Restrictions]

[Passive Effect Restriction: The Mental Sea's impregnable effect grants complete immunity only against attacks from those whose spiritual power level is lower than or equal to the host's. Against attacks exceeding the host's spiritual power level, such as Mangekyō Sharingan-level genjutsu or tailed beast-level mental pressure, the effect will be reduced to "greatly weakened." (Host's current spiritual power level: Peak Chūnin)]

[Active Effect Restrictions:

1. Soul Search and Spirit Seizure: Requires physical contact with the target and continuous chanting for 10 seconds. During this period, the host cannot move or defend.

2. Memory Alteration: Effective only against targets whose spiritual power is far below the host's, such as civilians or genin. Against targets with comparable spiritual power, such as jonin, the target must be in a completely defenseless state.

3. Mental Brand: Each use will deplete all spiritual power and trigger a 24-hour period of "mental weakness," during which all mental abilities, including passive immunity, will temporarily fail.]

[Note: All active effects may only be used once every 24 hours.]

"So there were this many restrictions..." Naruto understood.

That was more like it. It was a powerful trump card, but not so invincible that it ruined the balance.

Very good. Very system-like.

Now was not the time to study it.

Naruto released his hand and took a step back, putting a safe distance between himself and the girl.

He did not want her to actually faint in his arms. Then he would have to take responsibility and carry her back, which would be a pain.

He lowered his head and glanced at the carefully wrapped bouquet of Blue Enchantress roses in his hand, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. Fine quality. Worthy of my future principal wife."

After saying that, he did not even spare the utterly petrified blonde girl behind the counter a glance. Carrying the flowers, he turned and strode away.

From beginning to end, he had not said a single unnecessary word.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Only after that tall, arrogant figure completely vanished through the doorway did Choji Akimichi let out a long breath.

He looked toward Ino and saw that she was still frozen in the same position, without moving at all.

Her ears were so red that they looked ready to drip blood.

"Hey, Ino, are you okay?"

Ino did not answer.

She slowly raised a hand, her fingertips trembling as they touched her burning earlobe.

It was as though the man's scorching breath and those thunderous, shameless words still lingered there.

—"Become a woman of the Uzumaki Clan, and I'll make you... smile every day."

Ino stared blankly in the direction Naruto had left, and Sasuke's cold face instinctively appeared in her mind.

Before, she had thought that was cool. But now... compared to Naruto's volcanic, scorching dominance, the kind that seemed ready to swallow and melt both body and soul whole...

"Sasuke... really does seem pretty boring..." Ino covered her burning cheeks and muttered in a voice only she could hear.

"Gasp—!"

Shikamaru Nara sucked in a sharp breath. For the first time, a terrified expression as though he had seen a ghost appeared on his eternally deadpan face.

It was over!

This was huge trouble!

The Hidden Leaf's most famous "Sasuke fangirl ringleader"... had actually gone into heat?!

And the target was Naruto Uzumaki?!

Shikamaru irritably scratched his head and muttered his classic catchphrase, "What a drag..."

"Damn it, Private Gan!"

Elsewhere, in the Hokage's Office.

Late at night, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone at his desk. No image appeared within the crystal ball.

His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk. Spread before him were several recent intelligence reports regarding Naruto Uzumaki.

"A Pure Byakugan... impossible."

He muttered to himself.

There had never been any trace of the Hyuga Clan in Minato and Kushina's bloodlines.

Was it a transplant?

But he knew very well that outside the Hyuga Clan, there had never been a successful precedent for transplanting the Byakugan. The severity of the rejection reaction far surpassed that of the Sharingan.

Unless...

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze abruptly sharpened. He thought of a name that sent a chill down even his own spine.

"Orochimaru..."

Only that disciple who would stop at nothing in pursuit of forbidden jutsu might attempt such a bloodline fusion experiment that defied all reason.

If Naruto's Byakugan truly had something to do with Orochimaru, then the nature of the matter changed completely.

"It seems that after speaking with Sasuke and Sakura, I must personally meet Naruto."

The Third Hokage took a deep drag from his pipe, his expression turning grave. "I must probe the true origin of those eyes."

Naruto had no idea that the Hidden Leaf's highest authority had already set his sights on him. He knew even less that the Third Hokage had issued an S-Rank Sealing Order regarding his abilities.

Holding the flowers, he made his way with ease to the outskirts of the Hyuga Clan estate.

To him, its fortress-like defenses were no different from a public restroom.

He thought to himself, Hmm, Hiashi isn't at the estate tonight. His chakra is over by the guard station, so he's probably dealing with branch family matters. The chakra fluctuations of the Pure Byakugan are on a completely different frequency from ordinary Byakugan, so these guards can't sense them at all. Now's the time.

"Pure Byakugan, activate!"

His three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision with no blind spots instantly pierced through everything, and Naruto soon found that familiar figure beside a pool in the back courtyard.

With a light tap of his foot, he silently floated over the wall like a feather and precisely slipped into the rear courtyard of the Hyuga Estate.

"Thinking about me?"

A teasing voice filled with magnetic charm suddenly sounded overhead without warning.

Hinata Hyuga's entire body trembled. She abruptly lifted her head and met a handsome face with a trace of wickedness.

Under the moonlight, the boy landed steadily before her, holding a huge bouquet of blue roses that seemed to glow in the night.

"The prettiest flowers in all the Hidden Leaf, for the gentlest eyes in all the Hidden Leaf. Just right."

Before Hinata could react, the huge bouquet was stuffed into her arms, rough yet gentle.

"N-Naruto..."

Hinata's mind instantly crashed, and her cheeks were hot enough to boil an egg.

"I came to see my future wife, and brought some flowers while I was at it."

Naruto reached out and, out of habit, lightly scraped the tip of her small nose with a finger. "Do you like them?"

Future... wife?!

Those four words were like the sweetest honey, instantly making Hinata completely dizzy!

Tears of emotion welled in her eyes.

She hugged the flowers tightly against her chest and looked at the man who had forcibly pulled her out of the darkness. Gathering all her strength, she nodded heavily.

But this time, she was not merely shy.

She lifted her tear-filled yet incomparably resolute eyes, gathered her courage, and spoke clearly, one word at a time:

"I-I like them! As long as they're from Naruto... I like them all! I... I'll work hard too, to become a woman worthy of Naruto!"

[Ding! Target of conquest detected: Hinata Hyuga. Favorability has undergone a dramatic fluctuation!]

[Current Favorability: 90 (Devoted for Life)!]

Seeing the girl's shy yet determined appearance, Naruto smiled in satisfaction.

Yeah, this was the bearing his principal wife ought to have.

Just as he was about to say something else, his Byakugan caught several guards' chakra rapidly approaching.

"Tch, no sense of romance."

Naruto curled his lip and bent down, dropping a bombshell beside her ear. "When I come back, I'll marry you."

After saying that, he turned into a shadow and vanished into the night under Hinata's stunned gaze.

Hinata stood there foolishly, hugging the flowers.

The wind blew past, and two trails of happy tears slowly slid down the girl's fair cheeks.

For the first time, a flame called "determination" ignited within those Byakugan eyes that had always seemed so weak!

I'll wait for you, Naruto!

However, Naruto had barely climbed over the wall and taken a few steps when a silver-haired figure appeared at his side like a ghost.

"Yo, coming on a date right after finishing a mission. You've got plenty of energy, Naruto."

Kakashi greeted him lazily with his dead-fish eyes.

"What is it?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, the Third Hokage asked me to pass something on to you."

Kakashi's expression grew more serious. "Regarding the abilities you displayed during the exercise, especially those eyes, the Third Hokage has issued an S-Rank Sealing Order. Until the village's upper ranks reach a conclusion, you are forbidden from showing or mentioning them to anyone."

Naruto snorted at that.

"Tch, the old man wants to keep it under wraps? Can he?"

He curled his lip, then shrugged. "Still, there's no need to make enemies everywhere at this stage. Keeping a low profile for a couple of days won't hurt."

Seeing Naruto's reaction—someone who did not take the rules seriously, yet still understood moderation—Kakashi helplessly scratched his head.

This brat was getting harder and harder to manage.