Hey! Don't forget to give it your all just because you're playing

Hinata's offer took Naruto by surprise!

But Naruto was a responsible kid, too. How could he let Hinata bear his misfortune for him?

Naruto said, "Hinata, you really are a good person, and loyal, too. But you don't need to stick your neck out over something like this..."

Hinata said, "N-no, that's not it. I, I..."

"Huh?" Naruto said. "Hinata, do you... do you like being treated as a ball?"

The first half made Hinata's little face flush, but the second half doused her with cold water!

Naruto scratched his head. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I just feel like this isn't right, so I should do it myself..."

Yu couldn't watch any longer. "You can do it together~"

"Huh?" Naruto asked in surprise. "What do you mean... together?"

Yu said, "I mean putting both of you inside the ball together~"

Naruto looked at the dough ball. "Will we fit??"

"You will. This dough is really stretchy..."

Yu detached a dough ring from the ball, slipped it around his waist, and spun it like a hula hoop. Sure enough, it grew larger!

"You can even do that??" Naruto hesitated. "But squeezing two people into one ball is still..."

Hinata said, "I-it's okay..."

Naruto said, "Huh?"

Blushing, Hinata lowered her head and fidgeted with her two index fingers. "If Naruto-kun doesn't mind, then it's okay..."

Thump, thump!

Naruto's heartbeat couldn't help speeding up!

He remembered that dream he kept having again...

"O-okay..."

Naruto thought, Wh-what's happening to me? I've never felt like this before...

With a touch of bashfulness in his heart, he crouched down facing Hinata.

Holding the dough ring, Yu said, "Get a little closer, or the ball I wrap around you will be huge..."

"Um, l-like this...?"

They moved closer, their foreheads almost touching, but it still wouldn't work. The resulting ball would be flat.

Yu said, "You need to use the space efficiently. Have you played with building blocks? Fit together wherever you can..."

Naruto suddenly looked downcast. "Uh, I've never played with building blocks..."

Okay, sorry. That topic got heavy all of a sudden...

Yu said, "Then how about this? Hug each other."

"Hey, little brother, that doesn't seem very..."

Neji had barely started speaking before Yu sealed his mouth with tape at godlike speed.

Naruto and Hinata were both startled and embarrassed. "H-hug each other...?"

Yu brainwashed them. "It's for the game! Whether you're studying or playing, you have to give everything your all~! Otherwise, how will you ever become Hokage?"

Naruto was successfully brainwashed. "T-to become Hokage, I have to hug Hinata. S-so that's it. I-it's for my dream? Hinata, I..."

Hinata said, "C-come on, Naruto-kun... for our dreams!"

Huh? Our dreams? Does Hinata dream of becoming Hokage, too??

The question flashed through Naruto's mind, but he didn't ask it. His body had already honestly wrapped its arms around Hinata...

Their cheeks pressed together as they rested against each other's shoulders.

At that moment, the world seemed to split into two extremes!

Naruto said, "Hinata, why is your face so hot? Do you have a fever...?"

"Mm..." Even Hinata's ears were turning red.

Yu walked over and slipped the dough ring around them. With a lift of his little hand, the dough ball separated into suitably sized rings that slipped around them layer by layer. Once they were in place, he suddenly flipped the ball over, because he still had to seal it!

Naruto said, "Hinata, um..."

Hinata said, "N-Naruto-kun..."

Naruto said, "If you need to fart later, let me know so I can mentally prepare..."

Hinata said, "..."

Wow... a rare little bubble of resentment [limited Hinata edition]!

Plop! Plop!

Two dough caps sealed the top and bottom of the ball, leaving two little holes for airflow [even when playing, you had to be meticulous enough. Such was the way of going the extra mile]!

Neji said, "Fine. If Lady Hinata has no objections, I won't say anything either..."

Sasuke said, "There's an extra outsider in there, but as long as that guy's inside, that's fine. Yu, hurry up and explain the rules!"

Tap~ tap~ tap~ Yu pushed at the bottom of the ball with his little hands, bouncing it upward [see volleyball moves]. "The rules? Let me think..."

Inside the ball.

Hinata said, "Mm..."

Naruto said, "Hinata, what's wrong? You're making weird noises."

Hinata said, "N-nothing..."

Plop...!

The ball landed on Yu's fingertip, and he rapidly flicked its side with his little hand, making it spin at high speed [see basketball moves].

Inside the ball.

Naruto said, "Ugh..."

Hinata said, "N-Naruto-kun, wh-what's wrong?"

Naruto said, "I'm so dizzy. Aren't you dizzy?"

Hinata said, "I-I'm okay..."

After all, the Hyuga Clan's inherited Taijutsu often involved spinning in circles...

Tap~ tap~!

Yu headed the ball a few times, juggled it with fancy footwork, then trapped it beneath his foot [see Conan-style soccer]!

"I've got it. Let's play 'relay ball.' The server passes the ball to the second player, who hits it to the third player. The third player also hits it back into the server's hands, completing one round. After each round, we change servers, and so on, until someone fails to receive a serve or pass. Then the game ends."

Neji said, "I see. So everyone except the server can only pass by hitting the ball. But will this be okay? Lady Hinata is inside. Could she get hurt if we hit it too hard?"

Yu smiled. "It's fine. This dough absorbs the force. Whatever reaches the inside won't be enough to cause any harm..."

Neji smiled. "Heh, then I can relax..."

Sasuke said, "Wait, there's still a loophole. If the person serving or passing throws the ball straight at the ground, doesn't that leave the receiver with no chance at all?"

Yu said, "I wasn't finished yet. Look at you getting impatient~ Whether serving or hitting, you have to keep the ball in the air for a while. Hmm, at least five seconds, to give the receiver enough time to react. And you can't deliberately throw or hit it in the opposite direction. Also, every ball game has boundaries. We'll use this mountaintop as ours. If the ball falls down the mountain, it's out of bounds, and whoever sent it out loses..."

"That works, then." Sasuke nodded, thinking, He's always fooling around, but he thought through this improvised game so thoroughly and so quickly. Could he actually... have a decent brain?

Sasuke said, "The loser should get a punishment, right? Otherwise, it's too boring..."

Yu said, "There'll be one loser in this three-player game~ The loser will be punished along with our friends inside the ball. And the two winners get to choose the punishment..."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Oh~ So the guys wrapped inside the ball are doomed to be punished?"

Yu said, "Hehe, that's right..."

Neji touched the bandages around his forehead and couldn't help growing melancholy. "Yes, an inescapable fate. Isn't that life itself...?"

Yu thought, Don't be sad, big brother. I erased your Caged Bird Seal ages ago. The one on your forehead now was drawn on with a pen, just like mine. Hehe...

Sasuke said, "Got it. Hurry up and start!"

The three stood in a triangle!

Sasuke said, "You're serving first?"

Yu said, "You can do it, too~"

Sasuke said, "Hmph, whatever. You serve!"

"Then I won't hold back. We're passing clockwise, so you're receiving!"

Yu flicked the ball up from beneath his foot, caught it in his little hand, then swung his arm rapidly like a giant spinning wheel!!!

Sasuke focused his gaze. "That stance is the same as the High-Arc Shuriken he used before!!! Itachi said it used rotation!!!"

Whoosh...!!

Released from his hand, the ball shot high into the air. At its highest point, it plunged at high speed along a bizarre curve!

Sasuke said, "Just as I thought. But once I've seen through its trajectory, this move is nothing!!"

Tap!! He moved swiftly to the landing point, clasped his hands together, and thrust upward with all his strength!!

Thud...!

A muffled impact rang out as the air swirled around him!!

Sasuke's face strained. "Ugh, this ball is coming down so heavily!!!"

With a tremendous effort, he finally stopped its descent, glanced toward Neji, and heaved his arms upward!!!

Thud...!

The ball flew into the sky, but the force behind it was weak, and its direction wavered!

After all... just receiving it had already pushed him to his limit!

"Hmph..." Neji ran toward the ball, his Byakugan activated and his face full of fighting spirit!

"Yu, you may be my little brother, but your big brother won't go easy on you at a time like this. Let me show you the kicking technique I've been honing lately!!!"

Whoosh!!

Beneath the landing point, he abruptly stopped...

In the background, the esoteric diagram of the Eight Trigrams Formation appeared!

Screee...!

The instant he drew back his leg, a sharp aura soared skyward, like a falcon sweeping across the heavens!

Wrong show! This wasn't Captain Tsubasa!!!

"Shatter, fate of the caged bird!!!"

Neji unleashed a powerful kick, as though trying to smash apart the cage of destiny...!!!

-Eight Trigrams: Falcon Kick!!!