The Show Begins

Time rolled back slightly to a bit earlier.

Another morning waking from a dream, Naruto let out a long yawn. He had already started to get somewhat used to the situation of dreaming every day.

Though he could never remember what the contents of the dreams were, he only felt that every time he woke up from a dream, he felt extremely at ease, with a special warmth, as if someone was listening to his loneliness and sorrow, and then continuously encouraging him.

This made the hostility brought by the cold glances and taunts Naruto experienced on ordinary days almost dissipate. Moreover, what was even more magical was that although the dreams made Naruto very comfortable, Naruto himself did not have any desire to indulge in the dreams.

This was a feeling that was hard to describe, as if every time he woke up, a brand-new goal emerged in his heart that he wanted to accomplish, such as...

Ah... the milk is expired. Naruto shook the milk carton in his hand. Normally carefree and inattentive to such details, today Naruto went against his usual habits and began picking and choosing among his ingredients, with the result that not many of his stored foods at home could be considered "safe."

It was as if someone had specifically reminded him to pay attention to food expiration dates.

I'll go out to eat. Tossing the milk back into the cupboard, Naruto changed out of his pajamas and headed out.

When he opened the door, the mild sunlight shone on Naruto's face, making him subconsciously half-squint his eyes.

This too had become the norm; often he would sleep all the way to noon, as if the time inside the dream was more important.

Fortunately, the October sunlight was not dazzling, only feeling very warm.

Ah, come to think of it, today was a special day indeed.

Inside the Hyuga Clan.

"...Neji wins, that's it."

Following the referee's shouted halt, Neji's slightly fierce palm wind stopped less than half a finger's width away from the forehead. Under the opponent's respectful gaze, Neji Hyuga withdrew his palm and bowed, signaling the end of the clash.

"As expected of the genius Neji, his Gentle Fist already has this kind of mastery. Even the elite of the branch family who are five years older than him are no longer his match."

"Forget the branch family; among the main family's younger generation, there probably isn't anyone who can defeat this kid."

"Hizashi left behind a good son."

Amidst the conversations of the Hyuga clansmen, words of praise rose one after another without end. Yet for the six-year-old Neji, many of these words felt grating to his ears.

These people always put on an appearance of praising him, but unconsciously they kept emphasizing the branch family and the main family, as well as his father who had met an untimely death.

It was as if they were telling him not to be complacent, and that he was nothing more than a...

Caged Bird Seal.

"Will it be soon be Miss Hinata's turn?" A participant from the main family who had already finished his match let out a long breath, then looked around the surroundings. "Why haven't I seen her?"

"Come to think of it, the young miss doesn't seem to have been around for a while."

Meanwhile, at the back gate of the Hyuga Clan estate, Hinata Hyuga was squatting in a corner.

As a prominent clan of Konoha, the etiquette of the main family naturally did not allow the young miss to adopt such a posture that compromised her status, but Hinata could no longer worry about that now.

She was terrified.

Hinata had never understood combat. Why did the clansmen who usually spoke kindly to each other become so serious during these times, fighting with reckless disregard for pain and injury, all just to prove something?

Brother Neji, who used to take good care of her, had also for some reason become especially hateful toward her, and in previous battles, he had shown no mercy whatsoever in his attacks against her.

Hinata feared pain, she feared injury, and at the same time she feared hurting others. Yet at this moment, although she wanted to run away, she understood even more that she could not escape.

How terrifying. The more Hinata thought about it, the more shaken her heart became. She squatted in the corner, buried her head in her knees, and curled up into a ball.

"Yo-ho, hmm, what are you doing?"

Just at that moment, an innocent-sounding greeting rang out.

"Eh?"

Hinata, who subconsciously raised her head upon hearing the voice, saw a yellow-haired boy wearing a bright smile and greeting her.

Was it... him?

Hinata looked at the other person with utter surprise. She knew Naruto. During a winter prior, when she had gotten lost and was bullied by bad kids, it was he who had helped her and sent her home.

Later on, Hinata had even intentionally gone to inquire about the other person's name...

"Uzumaki... Uzumaki-kun, h... hello... why are you here?" Hinata responded timidly, though her voice sounded somewhat soft, causing Naruto to instinctively lean in closer to hear what she was saying.

Poof.

Hinata's face turned instantly red as Naruto drew near.

As for Naruto, however, he was thrilled.

Because although for the most part he would greet others, there were not many people in the village who would respond to him, let alone the fact that most of his peers banded together to mock him for having no parents.

"Ah, hello, hello~" Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto grinned foolishly. "Just passing by, passing by. I was just heading out to eat breakfast... uh, should I say lunch?"

The high sun hung directly overhead, forcing Naruto to correct himself in time.

"Oh, oh."

Hinata nodded, and the two fell once again into a state of mutual silence.

"Um, you still haven't said what you're doing here." But Naruto had an impatient personality and quickly dragged the topic back.

"I..."

"Ho~ oh~" Inside the mental world at this moment, the Nine-Tails, watching this scene, let out a sound of watching a good show.

"What is it?" Minato Namikaze, standing off to the side, heard the Nine-Tails' movement and asked out of curiosity.

"...How should I put it." The Nine-Tails glanced sideways at Minato Namikaze, thought about it, and said, "Naruto truly is your son. He's exactly like you when you were a little kid—oh wait, even earlier than you."

"What are you talking about?" Having his interest thoroughly piqued by these words from the Nine-Tails, Minato put down what he was doing. In the mental world, many imagined things could be conjured up, and a body made of chakra did not require sleep either, which allowed Minato to conduct various ninjutsu researches even when he wasn't inside Naruto's dreams.

Yet any research could be put aside for Minato, whose curiosity was bursting at the seams right then, seeing as the Nine-Tails' remark had reminded him of matters a father simply had to care about.

"See for yourself." The Nine-Tails didn't keep him in suspense, making a slight change to the nature of the chakra it provided to Minato so that he, too, could temporarily access the external field of view of Naruto, just like itself.

Minato felt the scenery before his eyes shift. That dark and gloomy sealing space gradually vanished, replaced by Naruto and a little girl he did not recognize engaged in conversation. And the next scene Minato saw made him understand what the Nine-Tails had meant by its previous remark.

"...It doesn't matter even if everyone else doesn't acknowledge you. I can be the only one who believes in you. You have to have confidence in yourself!" Naruto suddenly reached out to grab Hinata's small hands that were retracted on both sides, staring with wide eyes as he showered her with encouragement.

"Wuh-eh~~~" Little Hinata's face blushed until it was practically smoking.

"Hm? What's wrong with you?" Looking at the little girl before him who was on the verge of fainting, Naruto wore a face full of question marks, before that bright spark suddenly woke up. Ah, it seems you're still scared. Well, it's fine; I'll go back with you and cheer you on!

"Wu-wu... yeah..." Poor little Hinata couldn't even process most of what Naruto was saying at that moment. Being far too shy by nature, her brain was overloaded at that point, leaving her capable of nothing more than blindly making random noises in response.