Little Hinata's Road to a Comeback

Ugh, my head hurts.

Where am I?

I think I was sparring with Neji...

Right, I think I managed to awaken my eyes.

So, is this a dream world?

Little Hinata opened her eyes and found herself in a completely unfamiliar world.

This world was incredibly strange, with towering trees, an enormous cage, and a blue screen in front of her.

Excuse me, would you like to become stronger?

yes or yes

That was what the screen said.

"Become stronger?"

Little Hinata's soft, sweet voice echoed through the forest.

After a moment's thought, she pressed her little hand against the "or" between the two instances of "yes."

But it was "yes" that lit up.

The words on the screen changed.

Hamura Template added...

Selecting progression method...

Method confirmed-eating food.

Restriction: you are forbidden from telling anyone anything about this screen.

Note: congratulations, little Hinata. You now have a path to the top that is no less impressive than those two cheaters'. Remember to eat plenty and never go hungry. That's how you'll get stronger.

"Huh? I don't think I pressed yes."

Little Hinata tilted her head. Although she really wanted to grow stronger, her abduction had made her wary of things like this.

But this screen seemed to be forcing the deal on her.

As the screen disappeared, little Hinata left this world.

"Hey, Kurama, did you sense an unfamiliar presence?"

Just before she left, little Hinata heard a faint, indistinct voice.

But she had already taken this experience for a dream.

Hyuga Estate

Hinata's eyelashes fluttered, and then her eyes opened. Her white eyes seemed to have undergone a slight change.

An invisible pressure radiated from Hinata's eyes.

But it vanished without a trace an instant later.

"Young lady, are you all right?"

Seeing that Hinata was awake, the maid brought over a bowl of tea and asked how little Hinata was feeling.

"I'm fine. I feel really comfortable now."

A refreshing sensation spread through Hinata's body. This was the power of the Hamura Template gradually improving her body.

Little Hinata sprang up from the bed with a kip-up.

Feeling her little fists brimming with power, she excitedly ran outside to find Neji for a spar.

Let us observe a moment of silence for Neji, the next unlucky victim.

Meanwhile, inside the Sealing Space, Hashirama stood where little Hinata had just been, looking puzzled.

He rubbed his chin.

"That's not right. I clearly sensed someone here."

A tiny Kurama on his head gave a disdainful snort.

"This is deep inside little Naruto's mind. Anyone trying to get in from outside has to pass through the Sealing Technique on his stomach."

"If someone passed through that Sealing Technique, how could we fail to sense them?"

Kurama thought Hashirama was simply making work for himself. After all, people always felt compelled to find something to do when they had been idle for too long.

Before, Hashirama had always busied himself with landscaping and repairing the horse-racing tracks. Kurama hadn't expected him to learn how to prank a fox today.

"Could I really have sensed it wrong?"

Hashirama began doubting himself.

"Yes, really. If you've got that much time on your hands, you might as well finish the tracks sooner."

Kurama agreed with Hashirama, speechless, while reminding him that they still had a race against little Naruto tonight.

"All right, then. The winner of tonight's Second Great Shinobi World Horse-Racing War will definitely be me, Hashirama Senju!"

Hashirama accepted that his senses had been mistaken, then turned his attention back to tonight's Great Shinobi World War.

There was a human, the God of Shinobi, and the strongest Tailed Beast, and they were competing.

If that wasn't a Great Shinobi World War, what was?

ヽ(￣▽￣)ﾉ

Hashirama clapped his hands, and wooden racetracks spread straight across the Sealing Space.

The little Nine-Tails didn't want to sleep on this jostling man's head, so he jumped back into the cage and returned to his main body.

Hmm, I'll keep watching what little Naruto is doing.

Little Naruto jolted awake on the little bed in his apartment.

"Hinata!"

Last night's terrifying experience was still replaying in his mind. The sensation of the Nine-Tails Chakra overwhelming his will kept echoing through him.

"Huh? How am I here?"

Little Naruto looked around and discovered that he was actually still in his cozy little home.

And the hand he remembered being badly injured was completely unscathed.

Could it be!

I didn't go out last night, and all of that was a dream?

"Hey, Naruto, that wasn't a dream."

Seeing this, Kurama reminded him.

"You really did save your friend last night."

"Then what about the injuries on my hand?"

Little Naruto curiously raised his hand and asked the air.

"..."

There was actually no need for Naruto to raise his hand. It made him look rather dim.

"Your ability to heal yourself is strong, and my chakra itself has healing properties. It was almost completely healed last night."

The Nine-Tails curled his lip as he spoke.

"Oh, then thank you, Kurama. You're really amazing. No wonder you're the strongest Tailed Beast."

Little Naruto thanked Kurama sincerely. After all, Kurama had stepped in and saved his sorry life.

"Hmph, it was no big deal."

The Nine-Tails haughtily raised his head, enjoying Naruto's gratitude and praise.

"Thank you for being my family."

Little Naruto's words left the Nine-Tails feeling embarrassed.

"Actually, your own ability to heal yourself played a big part too."

Kurama spoke while forcibly suppressing the upward curl of his lips.

"You can start your Taijutsu training with Hashirama now. You don't have to stick to simple training in exerting force anymore."

Little Naruto's physique was becoming more and more like a Sage Body, practically cast from the same mold as Hashirama's.

His recovery was absurd, his physical toughness was absurd, and his chakra reserves were absurd.

I really don't know how a physique like this came about. I remember only the Sage of Six Paths having a physique like this back then...

Well, damn. It's trouble the old man left behind!

That damned old man. He's been dead for so many years, and he's still making life difficult for us.

Although Kurama was inwardly grumbling about the Sage of Six Paths, the corners of his main body's mouth inside the cage still rose involuntarily.

"Hey, Kurama, come see if this looks all right!"

Hashirama's voice traveled over from a distance through his enormous wooden megaphone.

"Got it. You're such a nag."

Kurama shouted in that direction, and then a little Nine-Tails slipped smoothly through the gap in the cage.

Sure, I admit the Fourth Hokage's Eight Trigrams Seal is impressive, but when I bring out a plant man who knows the Gate of the Great God, how will you deal with that?

￣へ￣

"Hey! Just how much did you shorten your own track?!"

Speechless, Kurama looked at the innocent-faced Hashirama and his track, which was over a hundred meters shorter.

"Redo it! Don't think you can sneak in cheats for yourself!"