Eat and Drink Well, Then Give Hiashi a Warning

Those little brats clutched their butts, crying loud enough to shake the heavens as they ran for their lives.

Hinata's face turned bright red, and she practically buried her head in her chest, not daring to look at Naruto.

Ever since she was little, her father had told her to stay away from Naruto.

But that old stick-in-the-mud Hyuga Hiashi didn't understand a thing. Once a girl became curious about a boy, it was over—there was no escaping once she fell for him.

"Th... thank you..."

Hinata lowered her head even further, her ears crimson as her fingers twisted the hem of her clothes. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Naruto grinned.

"No big deal."

Seeing Naruto's carefree manner, Hinata's face grew hotter, even the rims of her ears turning red.

According to the original plot, Naruto should have turned around and left by now.

That was what the Third had planned as well. After all, he couldn't have Hinata's guards held up for too long.

But the current Naruto was no longer the dense, straight-laced idiot from the original manga.

Without the slightest hesitation, Naruto grabbed Hinata's little hand and headed toward the Hyuga Clan Grounds.

"Come on. I'll take you home."

With a scumbag-like smile on his face, Naruto spoke to Hinata.

He had no intention of waiting until Naruto: Shippuden was over before Hinata came running to confess to him.

With her hand still in his grip, Hinata's face burned fiercely, though at least she did not faint on the spot like she would when she was older.

Naruto nodded in satisfaction, squeezing Hinata's little hand as happiness nearly bubbled out of him. A wife really had to be raised from childhood. Did this count as the legendary childhood-friend route?

"Lady Hinata!"

When Naruto led Hinata back to the Hyuga Clan Grounds, they ran into a Hyuga branch-family member who was pacing anxiously in circles.

"You are...?"

The branch-family member frowned.

"Lady Hinata, why are you with him?"

"N-Naruto saved me."

Hinata hurriedly pulled her hand back and explained haltingly.

The Hyuga branch-family member shot Naruto a disgusted glare, grabbed Hinata's hand, and said,

"Come, Young Lady. Do not stay with someone like him."

"B-but..."

Hinata looked torn, still wanting to argue.

The guard yanked her away. In his heart, Naruto was nothing but a humanoid weapon of Hiruzen Sarutobi's Hokage faction. Clan Head Hiashi deserved the Hokage's seat far more than that old Third did.

At that moment, Naruto spoke up.

"Is this how your grand Hyuga Clan treats its guests? I saved the eldest daughter of your Hyuga Clan, didn't I?"

The Hyuga guard's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth to roar,

"What do you know? If it weren't for—"

"Enough!"

A stern shout suddenly rang out from inside the gate.

Hyuga Hiashi emerged expressionlessly from behind the heavy gates.

"Clan Head."

The branch-family guard hurriedly bowed.

Hyuga Hiashi frowned and glanced at Naruto before turning away and saying,

"This is indeed not how the Hyuga Clan treats its guests. If you wish to come in, then come in."

Naruto broke into a grin when he heard that. This was exactly the outcome he wanted.

"Wait!"

Two masked figures leaped out from the shadows.

"You cannot go in!"

They were the two ANBU assigned to watch Naruto.

Naruto smiled faintly, turning his head with the rebellious, petulant look of a child throwing a tantrum.

"Who are you? What gives you the right to stop me? I'm going in anyway! I finally saved a highborn young lady, so I should at least get a proper meal!"

After saying that, Naruto darted through the Hyuga Clan's gates while the ANBU were not paying attention.

The two ANBU tensed and hurried forward to stop him.

But the moment they reached the entrance, two Hyuga Clan members blocked their path.

"This is the Hyuga Clan Grounds. Do not go too far."

The two ANBU's faces immediately turned green. Though they bore the ANBU title, they were ultimately only at the level of Elite Chunin. Trying to force their way into the grounds of a great clan like the Hyuga Clan? They simply were not qualified.

The Uchiha Clan was the same. Both clans had their own internal enforcement systems, and the village could not interfere at all.

The two could only stare helplessly as Naruto stepped through the Hyuga Clan's gates.

"I'll stay here and keep watch. Go report to Lord Hokage immediately—something has happened!"

The two ANBU exchanged looks, and one of them vanished with a Body Flicker.

The guards did not stop him at all. They merely wanted to flaunt their clan's authority, not actually wage war against Hiruzen Sarutobi. If the ANBU wanted to report back, they could not be bothered to care.

You were the ones who failed to keep watch over the Jinchuriki. What does that have to do with our Hyuga Clan?

That was the confidence of one of Konoha's two great clans.

As he walked through Hinata's absurdly enormous courtyard,

Naruto clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Just as expected of a great clan. A private estate all to yourselves."

Walking ahead, Hyuga Hiashi spoke to Naruto expressionlessly.

"The servants will properly entertain you later. Since you helped us this time, name any request you have. Hinata still needs to continue her Gentle Fist training, so she will not accompany you."

"Father?"

A trace of unwillingness flashed through Hinata's eyes.

Naruto, however, was not polite in the slightest and grinned.

"Is that so? Then I won't hold back."

Hyuga Hiashi said nothing more and directly led Hinata out of the reception room.

As the head of the Hyuga Clan, he had at least that much magnanimity.

Naruto did not stand on ceremony either. Ignoring the servants' contemptuous looks, he ordered an entire table full of dishes.

Before leaving, he even extorted a hundred thousand ryo from Hiashi.

For a great clan like the Hyuga Clan, that amount of money was not even worth a hair.

Even if he counted it as payment for his father's reputation, taking the money did not make his hands burn.

After eating and drinking his fill, Naruto swaggered toward the gate, waving the banknote in his hand.

Hyuga Hiashi, who had disappeared earlier, followed behind Naruto once more.

It was not because he feared Naruto might steal something. It was more like the respect due to a guest.

Naruto secretly laughed. Sure enough, this guy was a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside, repressed middle-aged man.

When they were almost at the main gate,

Naruto seemingly casually muttered,

"I heard Kumogakure's delegation will be arriving soon. Their leader is famously obsessed with the Byakugan. Maybe he'll set his sights on the Main-Family Byakugan."

Behind him, Hyuga Hiashi's pupils suddenly contracted as he stared at Naruto in shock and suspicion.

But Naruto was already waving the banknote in his hand as he ran out through the gates without looking back.