Sparring

Early morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the window, playfully landing on Toru Kujyo's eyelids. He frowned slightly, rolling over and burying his face into the soft pillow.

"Toru-哥哥, time to wake up. Today is the team assignment day." Hinata's voice was like a spring in the valley, gentle and pleasant. She wore simple, elegant home clothes, kneeling beside the bed as her fair fingers gently nudged Toru Kujyo's shoulder.

Toru Kujyo's eyelids twitched. He snapped his eyes open, and with a sweep of his arm, he pulled the unprepared Hinata into his arms, using the momentum to roll over and pin her beneath him.

"Ah!" Hinata let out a soft cry as her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, like a ripe apple. The sunlight happened to catch her slightly parted lips, carrying a hint of alluring gloss.

"Morning, Hinata." Toru Kujyo lowered his head, the tip of his nose almost touching hers, and his warm breath puffed against her face with the lazy sluggishness of someone who had just woken up.

"Toru, Toru-哥哥... get up quickly, we're going to be late..." Hinata's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, her gaze dodging away as she didn't dare meet his eyes. Her hands pressed helplessly against his chest, yet she could feel that solid, powerful heartbeat.

Looking at her bashful appearance, the corners of Toru Kujyo's mouth curved into a mischievous smile, and he murmured in her ear using his hometown dialect with its strange cadence, "I want to touch those boobs."

His voice was very soft, carrying a hint of teasing magnetism.

Hinata had no idea what this strange sentence meant, but the ambiguous tone in which Toru Kujyo spoke, along with the teasing gleam shining in his eyes, made her instinctively feel a wave of intense shyness. Her cheeks instantly turned even redder with a "boom," and her body trembled slightly as if struck by an electrical current, leaving even the hands pressed against his chest feeling somewhat weak.

"Y-You, y-you... what are you saying..." she asked stutteringly, her heart beating like a drum.

Toru Kujyo merely chuckled lightly, kissed her smooth forehead, and then nimbly rolled out of bed, walking toward the bathroom bare-chested: "Nothing, just praising you for being cute."

Hinata lay dazed on the bed, watching his retreating figure enter the bathroom while that strange sentence and Toru-哥哥's gaze just now still echoed in her mind. Covering her burning cheeks, it took her quite a while to climb out of bed, hastily straighten her somewhat disheveled clothes, and flee Toru Kujyo's room as if running away.

A moment later, Toru Kujyo emerged from the bathroom, having already changed into a brand-new combat outfit.

It was a uniquely styled white robe, with the hems and cuffs adorned with black Tomoe patterns similar to the attire of Otsutsuki Indra, and a high-collar design that made his jawline appear even more distinct. The tailoring of the robe was exceptionally fitted, making him look both ethereal and refined without losing a sense of capability. Around his wrist, he also wore a plain black metal wristband that looked unremarkable, but actually had a storage space embedded within it.

When Hinata saw the completely renewed Toru Kujyo once more in the hallway, she could not help stopping in her tracks, her Byakugan widening slightly.

Sunlight spilled over him through the window, making the white robe seem to glow, while the black Tomoe patterns added a touch of mystery and majesty. At this moment, Toru Kujyo possessed a little less of his usual gentleness and a lot more sharpness and nobility, resembling a divine child stepping out of mythology.

Hinata's heart accelerated uncontrollably, and a blush bloomed on her cheeks once more. She felt that the Toru-哥哥 before her eyes was... so handsome it made people unable to look away.

"How is it? This outfit." Toru Kujyo noticed her gaze, tilting his head slightly with a trace of a smile at the corner of his lips.

"V-Very handsome! It suits Toru-哥哥 very well!" Hinata said somewhat nervously, her fingers twisting together unconsciously. In her heart, she quietly made up her mind that she too should go commission a pretty Kimono so that she could stand beside Toru-哥哥 looking even better matched.

After a simple breakfast together, the two headed toward the Ninja Academy.

Along the way, familiar classmates greeted them from time to time.

"Yo, Toru, Hinata, you two really are inseparable as always!" a passing classmate joked with a smile.

Hearing this, Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly as she unconsciously leaned closer to Toru Kujyo. Toru Kujyo's expression remained as usual, and he only gave a faint smile without saying much.

Inside the Ninja Academy classroom, quite a few Genin waiting for team assignments were already seated. The air was permeated with an atmosphere where excitement and anticipation intertwined.

Toru Kujyo and Hinata chose seats by the window.

Right at that moment, a figure stopped beside them.

Sasuke Uchiha wore a cold expression as he sat directly in the empty seat beside Toru Kujyo.

"Toru," Sasuke spoke, his voice cold as ever. "If possible, I hope to be placed on a team with you two."

Toru Kujyo glanced at him with some surprise, and Hinata also cast a curious gaze.

"Oh?" Toru Kujyo raised an eyebrow. "The Third probably won't put the top three in the grade all on the same squad, right?"

The three of them-Toru Kujyo, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hinata Hyuga-happened to be the top three ranked students among this year's graduates in terms of grades. According to past team assignment conventions, in order to balance the strength of each squad, top-tier students were usually separated.

Hearing this, Sasuke's brow furrowed imperceptibly before smoothing out again. "Yeah, I understand." A trace of unperceivable disappointment carried within his tone, but he quickly returned to calm.

Just then, a commotion broke out at the classroom door.

"Sasuke-kun-!"

"I'm right here! Sasuke-kun!"

Accompanied by the shrieks of female students, Naruto Uzumaki barged in boisterously, immediately spotting Sasuke sitting there. With his trademark silly grin plastered across his face, he ran over to Sasuke in a few strides and then, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, squatted directly on the desk in front of Sasuke, glaring down at him from above.

"Sasuke! I'm going to duel you!" Naruto announced loudly, his tone brimming with provocation.

Sasuke's face darkened instantly, veins bulging on his temples: "Idiot, get down right now!"

"Naruto! You guy! Get down from in front of Sasuke-kun right away!" The surrounding female students also rebuked Naruto one after another, expressing strong dissatisfaction with his actions.

The atmosphere in the classroom instantly grew tense and confrontational.

The din inside the classroom was like boiling water. The moment Sasuke's voice trailed off, a clumsy classmate who was rushing to push forward accidentally bumped heavily from behind into Naruto, who was squatting on the desk.

"Wah-!" Naruto let out a startled cry, lost his balance, and lunged straight forward.

His target was precisely that cold face in front of him.

"Ugh!"

"Plop!"

Time seemed to freeze at this very moment.

Naruto Uzumaki's lips pressed with pinpoint accuracy straight against Sasuke Uchiha's lips.

The surrounding air instantly congealed, and everyone stood dumbstruck.