Early morning, at Team 8's training grounds.
"Morning, Hinata!"
Seeing Hinata Hyuga approach, Kiba Inuzuka, who had been waiting there for some time, hurried over to greet her.
Akamaru, the Ninja Hound perched atop his head, also barked in agreement, looking especially adorable.
"Kiba!"
Hinata Hyuga replied softly.
"Huh? Why are you alone today? Where's the senior responsible for protecting you?" Kiba Inuzuka asked, somewhat confused.
For the past few days, someone had always been specifically escorting Hinata Hyuga, but today she was by herself.
If she had not looked perfectly fine, Kiba Inuzuka would have thought something had happened again.
"Senior Xiao has other things to do. He won't need to escort me anymore," Hinata Hyuga said.
In truth, Konoha was still very safe. There was absolutely no need for an escort.
Kiba Inuzuka nodded. After falling silent for several seconds, he said,
"Then I'll come find you first from now on, and we can come here together."
He arrived early every time anyway. Rather than waiting here, he might as well come with Hinata Hyuga.
"Thank you!"
Hinata Hyuga smiled.
She did not refuse Kiba's concern.
"We're teammates. No need to be so polite." Kiba Inuzuka smiled sheepishly before changing the subject. "By the way, Hinata, how is your New Gentle Fist research going?"
The topic instantly perked Hinata Hyuga up. A smile blossomed across her face as she said,
"I've come up with another new idea. I want to ask Senior Ye Fan for advice."
"Yeah, Brother Ye Fan is amazing. But Hinata, you should have more confidence in yourself too."
There was a hint of envy in Kiba Inuzuka's eyes as he said this.
Even Hinata Hyuga had begun researching and experimenting with new taijutsu, yet he had no idea when he would finally complete the