"Is that the Hyuga Clan in the village?"
Naruto asked as if seeking confirmation, though he already knew the answer.
Those distinctive white eyes and the insults the children had hurled at her earlier had made everything clear.
Besides, Naruto had known Hinata for a long time.
Hinata nodded gently, her hands still nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, and answered in a small voice, "Y-yes."
Seeing her so timid, Naruto felt his heart soften for some reason.
He planted his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest, trying to look dependable.
"Listen! If anyone ever dares to bully you again, come find me!"
He jabbed his thumb firmly at his own chest, a confident smile spreading across his face.
"I'll help you get even. I keep my word-that's my ninja way!"
That blunt, heartfelt promise swept through Hinata's unease like a warm current.
Her first instinct was to politely refuse-the words "I'm sorry for the trouble, but there's no need" had almost reached her lips.
But looking at the blond boy who had just appeared like a hero and was now standing up for her again, she felt his unmistakable sincerity and swallowed those words.
A faint, barely noticeable blush rose to her little cheeks. She lowered her head again, her voice still soft but warmer than before:
"Th... thank you."
"You're welcome!"
Naruto waved a hand, his voice even clearer than before and filled with unwavering conviction.
"I'm going to be Hokage!"
He paused, as though announcing something perfectly obvious, then continued explaining his simple but stubborn reasoning. "I'll never let anyone bully people in the village! Protecting everyone in the village is the Hokage's job, isn't it?"
The light of his dreams shone in Naruto's blue eyes, yet his words carried a clarity and sense of boundaries beyond his years.
"If someone dares to bully people in the village for no reason, I won't stand for it-even if they're from the village too! As far as I'm concerned, bad guys who bully their own people don't count as part of the village until they genuinely repent.
If someone bullies you, make sure you tell me. I'll help you and get the guys who've gone astray back on the right path!"
His words rang with conviction. Their logic was simple and direct, yet they carried an unusual sense of justice that sank deep into Hinata's heart.
She looked up at the boy who seemed to glow amid the snow and felt that, for the first time, the distant idea of a "Hokage" had become something tangible and warm.
Over the past few years, Naruto had grown accustomed to playing the role of a sunny, optimistic "Naruto Uzumaki" who longed for recognition under the watchful eyes of the ANBU sent by the Third.
At first, these declarations brimming with the Will of Fire had indeed been a carefully polished performance for survival, spoken for the eyes and ears hidden in the shadows.
But the more often he said such things, the more effortlessly they came to him.
Naruto would never believe in the Will of Fire that the Third had rewritten after the Second's death. Under the Third's rule, even children were sent to the front lines, completely betraying the First's original purpose in founding the village.
Still, at least in this moment, facing this girl who had thanked him so sincerely, he was willing to believe that every word he had said was true.
"O... okay."
Hinata answered quietly. Naruto's declaration about the Hokage and protecting others settled in her heart like a warm seed, quietly taking root. As she watched the blond boy standing in the snow, she felt as though he really was shining.
"Hehe!"
With his hands on his hips, Naruto was so pleased with her answer that he broke into a broad grin, revealing two neat rows of teeth.
His smile looked especially bright against the snowy scenery.
But before his smile had lasted more than a few seconds, a rather uncooperative gurgle suddenly rang out from his stomach, particularly loud in the still air after the snowfall.
The unexpected noise cut his laughter short, and he scratched his dazzling blond hair in embarrassment.
He really was hungry. He had just finished training that day, and it was already getting late.
Whatever food had been in his stomach had long since been used up.
But he immediately clapped his hands together, looked at Hinata with shining eyes, and offered an enthusiastic invitation. "Ahaha... look, it's almost mealtime, and it's so cold out!"
He pointed at the sky, where snow was still falling, trying to make his suggestion seem more natural.
"How about we go have a nice hot bowl of ramen together? I know Ichiraku Ramen is really delicious!"
Without waiting for Hinata to refuse, Naruto took her hand and headed toward the Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
Almost at the same moment that Naruto began running cheerfully toward Ichiraku Ramen with Hinata in tow, several figures concealed in the shadows beneath the eaves or among the bushes silently exchanged glances.
Without a word, an ANBU member wearing a cat mask flickered into motion, skimming across the snow-covered rooftops like a wisp of smoke and heading for the Hokage's office building as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in his office with a pipe between his lips, white smoke curling upward.
In the crystal ball before him, the Telescope Technique clearly displayed everything that had just happened.
It showed Naruto throwing the snowball, his ringing declaration, and then his pure smile as he invited the Hyuga Clan's daughter to have ramen.
When the ANBU member knelt on one knee and finished a concise report of the situation, the Third merely nodded slightly. His gaze remained on the crystal ball, a barely perceptible trace of gratification in his eyes.
"Mm, understood. You may go."
The ANBU member quietly departed, and silence returned to the office.
The Third slowly exhaled a mouthful of smoke, its white wisps gently unfurling in the air.
Naruto's performance today had certainly met his expectations, and even exceeded them.
Sunny and cheerful-and, more importantly, possessed of an instinct to defend his comrades and a clear belief that "protecting the village" was his responsibility. That was precisely what he had always tried to guide and cultivate in him.
Yet alongside that gratification, another detail in the crystal ball stung his eyes: Naruto's winter clothes were visibly too small, leaving gaps at his cuffs and trouser legs.
Combined with the ANBU's longstanding reports that "villagers generally refuse contact with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki," a harsher reality instantly replaced his initial assumption that the child had simply been careless.
The boy's clothes are too small, and he doesn't even think to replace them...
The thought came instinctively, only for him to abruptly realize the truth.
No, it's not that he doesn't think to replace them. The shopkeepers probably won't sell to him at all.
At that thought, the Third felt a headache coming on, mingled with helplessness and a barely perceptible trace of guilt.
In silence, he tapped his pipe against the hard edge of his desk, shaking loose the excess ash as though trying to knock his own thoughts into order.
At last, he made a decision.
Perhaps I should increase Naruto's living allowance!
At least that would give the boy more breathing room for food, clothes, and daily necessities. Naruto's old enough to make friends now, too. He should have a little more pocket money.
He considered it. I'll personally bring him a properly fitting winter outfit tonight!
Delivering the clothes would not only genuinely improve the child's circumstances, but also give him an opportunity to praise Naruto in person for protecting a comrade today, deepen their bond, and further strengthen his sense of belonging to the village.