[Uchiha Clan District]
Hinata returned with Hanabi. Neither of them was in a good mood, and neither spoke.
Although Hinata had warned Hanabi yesterday not to dwell on the matter, after seeing Hizashi and Sota both brought back to life today, their emotions still wavered.
They didn't have much impression of Hizashi, and had only received kindness from him.
But Sota was someone who had died together with their father. That inevitably stirred something in both of them.
"Nee-san, I miss Father."
As they walked down the road, Hanabi suddenly spoke.
Hinata was still lost at a time like this. After all, she no longer had any elders either.
But in front of Hanabi, as the older sister, she couldn't show her own weakness.
She turned around and patted Hanabi's head.
"It's already in the past. You still have me."
Hanabi's eyes turned red, "Why? Uncle being revived is one thing, but why could Sota come back too?"
Hinata had no answer either, since she didn't know the details.
What worried her more was her younger sister.
"Hanabi, none of this is something we can control."
"You and I both know very well about the grievances between the main family and the branch family."
"Because of the Caged Bird Seal, more people from the branch family died, and they suffered more unfair treatment."
"No matter why Hyuga Sota was revived, it has nothing to do with us."
Looking at the concern in Hinata's eyes, Hanabi gradually calmed down.
"Sorry, Nee-san. I made you worry."
Hinata hugged Hanabi.
Hanabi was younger than her. It was normal for her to have emotions like this.
"It's okay. Let's go home."
Hanabi shook her head.
"You go back first, Nee-san. I want to train at the practice grounds for a while. The Chunin Exams are coming soon."
Hinata knew this sister of hers had always been diligent and disciplined. Seeing that Hanabi was no longer dwelling on what happened earlier, she relaxed as well.
"I'll go with you."
Just then, an extremely cheerful voice came from the distance.
"Hinata, so you're here!"
They turned and saw Naruto and Sasuke walking toward them.
There was a bandage on Sasuke's face, wraps around his hands, and his steps were somewhat unsteady.
Naruto was also covered in dirt from head to toe, but he looked energetic and full of life.
"Naruto!"
Hinata was very happy to see him as well. The two had already confirmed their relationship.
Although Hinata had been comforting Hanabi the whole time, she also needed comfort herself.
Naruto had already reached her side. He took her hand.
"Where did you go? I came over and couldn't find you."
Feeling the warmth that radiated from Naruto like the sun, Hinata's face reddened. She felt shy, but even more than that, reassured.
With a teasing expression, Hanabi gave Hinata a light push and nudged her into Naruto's arms.
"I want to train by myself. Nee-san, you should talk with Naruto for a while."
Hinata lightly glared at Hanabi.
"Then come back early."
Waving her hand, Hanabi ran off without turning around.
"It's fine inside the clan district. No need to worry."
Sasuke was injured and walking more slowly, so he was still behind them.
As Hanabi passed by Sasuke, she greeted him, "Sasuke-nii, I'm going to train."
Although Sasuke was tired, he still tugged at the corner of his mouth, showing a smile, and waved to her.
But when he turned his head, he saw Naruto holding Hinata's hand while Hinata leaned lightly against him. The two were talking quietly.
Sasuke rolled his Sharingan eyes, "Naruto, I'm heading back first."
"Ah... oh! Okay, see you tomorrow!"
Naruto responded a bit slowly, greeted Sasuke, then immediately turned back to look at Hinata.
Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and had wanted to spar with Naruto.
But over the years, Naruto had been taught by Minato in using Tailed Beast transformations, so Sasuke was still a bit behind in strength.
Even with Susanoo, he was still lacking a little. He lost again.
Karin had gone looking for Rengoku, and he had ended up watching them act lovey-dovey.
Now, after coming back and running into Hinata, he got another mouthful of it.
Sasuke was thoroughly annoyed. Speechless, he walked away without even greeting Hinata.
Because of what happened today, Hinata's mood wasn't very good either.
She had only stayed strong because she needed to be strong in front of Hanabi.
Now that Naruto had appeared, it gave her a bit of comfort.
She couldn't talk about something like this with other people, so Naruto was the only person she could choose to tell.
With Sasuke there earlier, she hadn't been able to bring it up and had hesitated.
Now that Sasuke was gone, she could finally say it.
In Konoha, Naruto was one of the few younger people who knew that Rengoku had the ability to revive the dead.
"Yesterday, Hanabi met someone..."
Hinata told Naruto everything.
Only then did Naruto realize how much Hinata had gone through.
But Naruto's way of thinking was somewhat different from hers.
He scratched his head, "Hinata, even though I can't solve this problem... You can tell Lord Rengoku about it."
"Didn't you say that Lord Rengoku told you about the sins of the main family many years ago?"
"That means Lord Rengoku was teaching you."
"Mom said that if someone teaches you and wants you to understand right from wrong, then they're someone who cares about you."
"So you don't need to be so distant. Just go directly to Lord Rengoku."
"Lord Rengoku treats all of us very well. He'll definitely help you think of a solution."
Inside Rengoku's illusion, Kushina had seen what Naruto would have become if he had been raised into a useless person by the Third Hokage.
Because of that, she had put a lot of effort into Naruto's upbringing over the years.
When it came to explaining things, his reasoning was actually quite clear.
And because Naruto had always admired Rengoku, this was naturally the advice he gave.
Although Rengoku wasn't someone who granted every request from the younger generation, compared to everyone else in the clan, he was already exceptionally approachable.
Those of them who had come out of the Uchiha kindergarten received the best educational resources, the best teammates, and even pocket money every month.
Other Uchiha clan members didn't receive that treatment.
Hinata was simply too involved in the situation herself, which was why she had never thought about seeking Rengoku out.
"Naruto, you're right. I should tell Lord Rengoku about this."
Although there still wasn't a definite solution, having a direction already made Hinata relax quite a bit.
Seeing her ease up, Naruto held her hand and said, "Hinata, you haven't come to my house for dinner in a long time. Mom said she wants to invite you over."
Hinata let out a small sound and looked embarrassed.
Kushina liked her very much. Ever since Hinata and Naruto confirmed their relationship, she had practically wanted to move Hinata into their house.
Naruto quickly added, "Don't worry, my dad will be cooking."
There was no way he would let Hinata taste the "delicacies" his mom came up with on a whim.
Blushing, Hinata agreed, "Then I'll come over in a couple of days."
Naruto was delighted, "Then the day after tomorrow."
"It's getting a little late now. I should head back."
Kushina had specifically told Naruto not to stay out too late when he was alone with Hinata.
So he said goodbye to her.
Hinata looked at the sky. It really was getting late.
"Then you should go back first. I still need to find Lord Rengoku."
Naruto pointed toward the training grounds.
"Lord Rengoku is at the training grounds right now."
"Got it."