The Toad, Hinata, and Naruto

Are you freaking my master?

Tahm had wanted to say such a classic, imposing line for a long time. He had just been waiting for some blind fool to sign a contract and summon him out.

But when he saw his contractor, Tahm swallowed that vulgar catchphrase right back down. Instead, he squeezed out what he thought was a kind and approachable expression and said in a gentle tone he had never used in either of his two lives, "Little princess, your knight Tahm reports for duty!"

Of course, everyone knew that with his appearance, he had absolutely no chance of resembling such a glorious figure as a knight.

As Tahm's contractor, Hinata gazed at the black-skinned, chubby frog over two meters tall before her. She instinctively felt a little frightened, but there was also a strange sense of security. Hinata did her best to tilt her head up to make up for the difference in height and said to Tahm, "Are you the partner who came to help me? I—I'm Hinata Hyuga."

Tahm recognized her at once as the heroine Hinata, but his mind was filled with thoughts: Is this Hinata as a child? Her voice is so soft and sweet. Her white eyes are unexpectedly dazzling too.

Tahm was instantly intoxicated. He had never expected Jiraiya to find him such an excellent contractor. This was the actual heroine! Senior brother, I, Tahm, will never forget your kindness!

The adorable, innocent little girl and the chubby summoning beast over two meters tall—pet?—were undoubtedly a special combination. At first glance, there was indeed a heartwarming contrast between them.

But from the perspective of the few little hooligans nearby, the scene was anything but harmonious:

A huge, broad-bodied black-skinned frog with a gaping maw suddenly appeared in a cloud of smoke and stood in front of them. Its enormous body blocked half the sky, casting a vast shadow over them. The dangling tongue that extended from a mouth larger than their entire bodies made the little brats tremble in fear, as though they were afraid the monster before them would swallow them the moment it became unhappy.

"Ah, ah, ah! There's a monster!" One of the weaker-minded underlings couldn't endure the terrifying sight and collapsed to the ground, screaming in terror.

Only then did Tahm realize that there were several brats nearby. Taking a closer look, he saw a lone little girl surrounded by a group of boys whose faces practically read, I'm a hooligan. The girl's clothes had even been tugged into disarray.

Tahm knew exactly what kind of plot this was. Anger flared in his heart. She's my contractor, and she's an adorable little girl. You dare bully her?

"Heh heh..." This time, Tahm revealed a genuinely sinister expression and said in a low voice, "Brats, looks like you were having quite a lot of fun just now, huh? Want me to keep you company for a while?"

"N-no... no need." Even the yellow-haired leader, who had been swaggering around moments ago, couldn't keep up his act and immediately cowered.

"Oh? I happen to have some different ideas." Tahm took a step forward and looked down at the little brats. His restless tongue squirmed eagerly.

"Waaah!" They were still just children. The group burst into tears and tried to run away. Seeing this, Tahm merely stuck out his tongue and wrapped all the little brats up together, lifting them into the air to play a game of being raised up high.

"Help! Waaaah... he's going to eat us!" The little brats were thoroughly traumatized.

"Will you still dare bully people in the future?" Tahm used his special technique of speaking while sticking out his tongue.

"We won't... we won't..."

"Louder!"

"We won't! We'll never dare again!"

Watching several wayward youths repent and turn over a new leaf under his loving education, Professor Tahm felt deeply satisfied. He vaguely felt a bond of mutual appreciation with a certain famous lightning mage surnamed Yang from his previous life.

Just as he was preparing to put them down, another stammering voice suddenly came from the side. "L-let them go, you big monster!"

Big monster? Let them go? Why does it feel like I'm the villain bullying children now? Tahm had absolutely no self-awareness. His current appearance was more than villainous—it was that of a villainous monster who ate children.

"That's not true..." Hinata, who had been shrinking timidly to the side, spoke first. "Tahm came to help me. He's a good person, not a monster." Her soft voice even carried a trace of anger, completely unlike her usual manner.

Tahm's heart warmed. This contractor really hadn't disappointed him.

Tahm loosened his tongue and dropped the little brats to the ground. Then he turned to look at the newcomer.

A child in a shabby orange tracksuit stood there, with golden hair, bright blue eyes, and six iconic whisker marks. Both his legs were trembling from fear, yet he still persisted in staring straight at Tahm.

This appearance... isn't he the protagonist, Naruto? Wait... a back alley, several brats bullying someone, Hinata, and Naruto—this is the canon pairing's fateful meeting scene! If I hadn't appeared, Naruto and Hinata should have met and increased their affection for each other here. Then Hinata would have embarked without hesitation on her inexplicable one-sided love.

Have I unknowingly done something huge? Tahm thought. Because of my appearance, Naruto has ended up standing against Hinata instead. Looking at Hinata's slightly angry little face, their affection for each other must basically be zero right now, right?

Despite his fear, Naruto still displayed the style of a born hero and shouted, "You guys run! I'll hold back this fat toad!"

Fat toad... Tahm, who had still been thinking about how the plot had changed, instantly dropped his opinion of Naruto to zero as well.

The little hooligans weren't polite at all. Seeing that Tahm wasn't attacking them anymore, they scrambled up from the ground and ran. Within seconds, they had escaped the alley, but before leaving, they shamelessly shouted, "Help! The fox monster and the toad monster are going to fight!"

The light in Naruto's blue eyes instantly dimmed. His thin body seemed to shrink inside his dirty, tattered tracksuit, making him look rather pitiful.

"Brat, they've all run away. Aren't you going to run?" Tahm broke the silence.

"I'm not running... If you're going to eat someone, eat me." After saying this, the child instead wore an expression of relief.

"Heh... Using your own life to save those beat-up little bastards. Is it worth it?"

"I don't regret it..." His answer didn't match the question, and silence fell again.

Tahm didn't say anything more. Instead, he scooped Hinata up and placed her atop his enormous head, ignoring her series of soft cries of surprise.

"Let's go, Miss Hinata. I'll take you home."

"Mm..." Hinata answered softly as she sat atop Tahm's broad, soft head.

Tahm started walking, gradually disappearing into the distance, while Naruto remained rooted to the spot, dazed and seemingly lost in thought.

"Hey, golden-haired brat, listen carefully!" Tahm, already far away, suddenly turned his head.

"Hm?"

"My name is Tahm! I don't eat people, and I'm not a monster!"

"Huh?"

"And one more thing! Remember this properly: you aren't one either!"

Naruto froze.

"If we get the chance, we'll meet again!" Tahm continued into the distance, leaving behind a hearty laugh.