Naruto and Hinata searched along the way until they reached the outer wall of the Aburame Clan compound!
The Aburame Clan's wall was so high that Naruto failed to get over it despite jumping several times!
Hinata said, "I-if only we had a rope or something."
Naruto said, "I've seen Iruka-sensei walk up a cliff face, but I have no idea how he did it."
Hinata said, "I-I heard that if you release chakra through the soles of your feet, you can stick to walls or the surface of water..."
Naruto glanced at her. "You even know about that? You're amazing, Hinata!"
Hinata blushed. "Huh? N-not really..."
"I'll give your method a try!"
Naruto formed hand seals in front of his chest and strained, stirring a faint current of air around his feet!
He tried climbing, and sure enough, his feet stuck! One step... two steps, crash!
He fell flat on his back, limbs splayed!
Hinata rushed forward. "Naruto-kun!!"
Naruto got up. "Oof, this is really hard..."
It was true. Though the principle was simple, it required extremely precise control. In the original story, even after graduating from the Ninja Academy, Naruto and Sasuke had only mastered it through intensive practice!
Hinata comforted him. "I-it's okay. I'm sure you'll learn it, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto was touched. "Thanks, Hinata. Just like in my dream, you really are a gentle girl."
"Huh???" Hinata's heart fluttered wildly. D-dream...
Naruto pinched his chin, his expression going flat. "Hmm, how can we get up there?"
As they struggled for ideas, Hinata said, "N-Naruto-kun, why don't you step on me to get up?"
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Oh! That could work! But what about you? How will you get up?"
Hinata hesitated. "I-I, actually, I can..."
She had already learned how to climb using chakra!
Thanks to the Hyuga Clan's natural ability to release chakra from their tenketsu at will, she had mastered this skill earlier than Naruto and Sasuke.
She had only held back out of concern for Naruto's feelings!
Seeing her falter, Naruto smiled. "Actually, forget it. You're so delicate, I'm afraid I'd break you if I stepped on you..."
Hinata said, "I-it's okay, if it's you, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto said, "Besides, I don't want to climb up by stepping on someone else. Let's think of another way!"
Seeing Naruto display such extraordinary resolve, Hinata blushed and nodded meekly. "Mm, okay. Whatever you say, Naruto-kun..."
Below the wall, Naruto racked his brains!
"I've got it! This should work!"
He formed hand seals. Poof!
Two Shadow Clones appeared, lifted Naruto together, and tossed him onto the wall!
"Haha, that worked perfectly! That's my Shadow Clones for you, believe it!"
Hinata became his little fangirl. "A-amazing! You really are a genius, Naruto-kun!"
Naruto rubbed the nose of his mask. "Heh, you're the first person to call me a genius, Hinata. I'll have my clones throw you up too!"
Before Hinata could respond, the two Shadow Clones had already moved in, each grabbing one of her thighs and lifting her tiny body!
"Huh??" Hinata's face instantly went pale!
"One, two!"
The two Shadow Clones swung their arms a few times, then tossed Hinata onto the wall!
The rest was easy... Naruto simply scooped Hinata into his arms and leaped from the four-meter-high wall beneath the moon, landing on the soft earth!
He was the spitting image of Minato II-if he hadn't been on his way to blow up shit...
After he set her down, Hinata felt as though she were floating. Her little feet trembled like those of a newborn fawn, and she clutched her pounding chest, her breathing audible through her mask.
Naruto said, "You're breathing so fast. Do you need to pee?"
Hinata said, "Hah... n-no... hah!"
Naruto shook his head in bewilderment. "You're such a strange one..."
Poof! Poof!
The Shadow Clones vanished outside the wall.
The two little ones had successfully infiltrated the Aburame Clan compound.
The chirping of insects echoed through the night, and beneath the streetlights, swarms of bugs could be seen flying about.
Naruto said, "How weird. It's already autumn, so why are there still so many bugs here...?"
Hinata said, "The Aburame Clan specializes in raising insects to use in battle. Shino from our class belongs to the Aburame Clan."
Naruto said, "Shino? Is there someone with that name in our class...?"
Narrator: Shino had been forgotten yet again...
After winding their way around, they reached an open area on the northern side of the Aburame Clan compound!
It was precisely where the map had marked Cesspool's location!
Hinata activated her Byakugan, found the hidden talisman, and peeled it off. Once the stone slab opened, not only did a foul stench spread, but all sorts of unidentifiable bugs flew out...
With protective suits and gas masks, none of that was a problem!
Naruto took off his backpack and held it in his arms, his last shred of decency putting up a futile struggle. "Hey, Hinata, are we... really going to do this?"
Hinata fell silent. To be honest, she still hadn't sorted out what had happened tonight. Somehow, she had become an accomplice...
As a sheltered young lady, she would never even have considered something as vulgar as blowing up shit. G-good heavens.
But tonight was also the first time she and Naruto had truly "interacted."
Even if the bond behind that interaction had gone off course... she still felt a satisfaction she had never experienced before.
Naruto spoke from the heart. "All these years, I've had no friends. Everyone treats me like a walking plague. Yu was the first person to really treat me as a friend. He even stood up for me, despite offending the whole class."
"When I first found out we'd be doing this, I honestly didn't want to. I just didn't want to put my friend in a difficult position..."
Naruto tightened his grip on the backpack. "But now, I think this is exciting. Whenever I think about what's going to happen, I can't stop myself from getting worked up. Hinata... what do you think of me being like this?"
Hinata said softly, "Naruto-kun, you only need to be yourself!"
"Is that so...?"
A light breeze brushed past, carrying a faint hint of gold.
Naruto no longer hesitated.
"I... want to blow up shit!!!"
Whoosh!
He hurled the backpack full of Explosive Tags into the foul air, throwing away his decency along with it!!!
Plunk...!!
The backpack landed in Cesspool!
Naruto said, "Aah, there's really no going back now, believe it!"
Hinata said, "I-I'm your accomplice, Naruto-kun!"
Naruto said, "Hehe, let's close this stone slab and get out of here..."
Clang...!!
"Who's there!!!!!"
Just then, a sharp shout rang out!
Naruto and Hinata both jolted!!
A stern man in a gray coat, wearing sunglasses even in the dead of night, approached!
As it turned out, members of the Aburame Clan released some of their insects to scout outside even while they slept-a habit developed during wartime!
Naruto said, "Oh no, we've been spotted!!!"
Hinata said, "That's... Shino's father, Lord Shibi!!"
"Intruders? Your luck has run out!"
Shibi Aburame extended his hand, and thousands upon thousands of insects spread into a gigantic net that descended upon them!
It covered far too wide an area... there was no way to escape!
Naruto said, "He's incredible! So this is a real ninja!!"
Hinata said, "It's my fault. If I'd kept my Byakugan active, I wouldn't have put you in danger, Naruto-kun..."
"It's too early to give up, believe it!!"
As the curtain of insects bore down on them, Naruto scooped Hinata into his arms and leaped into Cesspool...!!!!
Splash...!!!
Amid a spray of golden sludge, their figures disappeared beneath the surface of the shit...
Shibi Aburame said, "They were willing to jump into Cesspool to escape rather than let their intelligence leak. Such resolve... though their builds suggest two children, I'm certain they must be professionally trained Anbu Ninja from an enemy nation!"
Before you continue