Chapter 436: Shyness
Naruto was enjoying his current time; the recent period of rushing around with Hikari had left him extremely exhausted.
This time, Hikari was resting at home and didn't come out with him.
The unification of the Ninja World was nearing its end, with only some simple mopping-up work left that could be handed over to subordinates.
The small nations were like this, and so was the Hidden Mist Village, the last of the Five Great Nations that Naruto hadn't yet taken down.
Naruto's other companions needed military achievements, so the Hidden Mist Village was the place he left for Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others to farm those achievements.
As he locked eyes with Hinata, a light, pleasant scent of shampoo, carrying the fresh fragrance of flowers and grass, wafted into Naruto's nose.
Hmm?
Naruto was slightly taken aback.
This scent... seemed a bit familiar?
He thought back carefully; this fragrance was somewhat like the brand of shampoo he usually used.
He hadn't expected Hinata to use the same shampoo as him.
Was it a coincidence?
Or... did she choose it on purpose?
The thought only flashed by.
What drew his attention more was the young girl's body fragrance emanating from Hinata beneath the fresh scent of the shampoo.
Seeing Naruto lean in close, Hinata hurriedly rolled over and sat up.
"Nar... Naruto-kun... I, I..."
She stuttered "I" for a long while without being able to say a complete sentence, feeling her mind go blank and her heart beating so fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat.
Countless thoughts collided in her mind, making her even more embarrassed and ashamed.
What is Sister doing?
Hanabi, who had long since woken up but was secretly pretending to sleep, was full of question marks after sensing her sister's actions.
She had originally thought that given her sister's liking for Big Brother Naruto—which was almost written all over her face—in such a rare "alone time" opportunity, even if she didn't take the initiative to do something, she would at least quietly enjoy this moment of warmth, right?
And the result?
Big Brother Naruto only got a little closer, and Sister bounced up like a startled rabbit!
Hanabi simply couldn't understand it.
She remembered very clearly the heartfelt joy and expectation that couldn't be hidden even in the corners of her eyes when her sister learned before coming that they could perform this special mission with Big Brother Naruto.
Why did she become so shy now that it was actually "alone time"?
'Sister is really something; Big Brother Naruto won't eat you.'
Hanabi grumbled silently in her heart.
She maintained her "sleeping" posture, not even changing her breathing frequency, but her heart was already incredibly anxious for her sister.
With such a good atmosphere and such a good opportunity, Sister, what on earth are you afraid of?
Hanabi even started considering whether she should wake up "at the right time" to smooth things over for her sister, or... just help her sister create some opportunities?
But on second thought, her sister was so thin-skinned that acting rashly might have the opposite effect.
Naruto was also at a loss regarding Hinata's state.
Things were clearly getting on the right track gradually; even holding hands before hadn't been like this. He felt that after being away for a while, Hinata had "formatted" back to how she was several years ago.
Naruto had noticed this when they just returned to the village for dinner, and this trip also carried the idea of solving the current problems with Hinata along the way.
He needed to figure out what made Hinata seem to have "formatted" back to the past.
Was it because he and Hikari had been acting together for a long time, making her feel insecure?
Or was it some other reason?
Naruto knew that the root of the problem might be deeper than he thought and had been buried much earlier.
The root lay with Hyuga Hiashi.
Hiashi had raised Hinata, a naturally kind girl, into a timid person who even carried a bit of an inferiority complex.
This wasn't an accusation, but a fact.
Naruto had also talked with Hiashi about Hinata's affairs; although he learned the reason, he still gave Hiashi a very low evaluation.
When Hiashi was young, he was a coward, and an indecisive one at that.
And the price of his cowardice was paid by his younger brother and daughter.
When facing pressure from the Family Elders, he didn't persist in being tough, and his brother died.
And Hinata was deliberately neglected because he didn't want Hanabi to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
If he had even half the courage back then that he had when shouting at Naruto a few days ago, plus the Third Hokage and Danzo who were truly prepared to fight Hidden Cloud Village at the time, Hizashi definitely wouldn't have died.
Hidden Leaf Village was having a hard time then, but was Hidden Cloud Village having it easy?
At that time, the Uchiha Clan of Hidden Leaf Village was still around, while Hidden Cloud Village had almost no Bloodline Limit families, and the only famous Ninjas were the Raikage brothers.
Wind Release counters Lightning Release.
And the number one Wind Release expert in the Ninja World at that time, Danzo Shimura, was truly willing to fight Hidden Cloud Village.
Don't mind that he was kicked to death by Naruto like a dog on the street; although this fellow Danzo had been corrupted by power, his Wind Release was indeed used beautifully.
In the original story, there were many reasons why Danzo lost to Sasuke: Danzo sensed Obito, who had killed Torune and Fu Yamanaka, nearby and was distracted; he over-relied on Izanagi; his Chakra consumption was too fast; he was old and his combat power had declined due to not fighting for a long time; he didn't expect Sasuke to stab through his own companion after he took her hostage; and Obito appeared at the end to take Sasuke, who originally couldn't escape, out of the range of the Four Symbols Sealing Technique.
A middle-aged Danzo and the Third Hokage working together could likely have taken down the young A-B Brothers.
However, no matter how much one repeatedly deduces past events, it is to no avail.
It's not that the Ninja World doesn't have ways to change the past, it's just that changing the past causes a series of chain reactions.
Also, how do you know that your return to the past isn't part of history?
Hiashi raised Hinata, this naturally kind girl, into a timid person with a bit of an inferiority complex; she had great talent but failed to convert it into strength, and the purity of her Byakugan was very high.
Because of personality flaws, her strength couldn't be brought into play, and timid people are often very sensitive. People need to grow, and the current Hinata's growth is not enough.
In the shadows not far from where the young Naruto, Hinata, and Hanabi were located, the adult Naruto, Yuji, and Simba were hiding silently.
They had arrived in this area of the moon earlier than the young Naruto's group and had used the adult Naruto's sophisticated Sealing Jutsu to avoid the other's perception.
Hiding nearby, Yuji clearly saw how the young Naruto used gentle words to soothe Hinata, then lightly picked up the still "sleeping" Hanabi, and then naturally reached out to take the hand of Hinata—who was still a bit shy but had stabilized much more—to continue comforting her.
Looking at the young Hinata's shy appearance—being led but still slightly bowing her head with reddened ears—and then thinking of the gentle and resilient mother in his memory, who was occasionally shy but more often tolerant and powerful, Yuji couldn't help but feel a huge sense of contrast and curiosity.
He couldn't help but lower his voice, turning his gaze to his father, who was also quietly observing beside him, and asked softly:
"Dad... was Mom Hinata... such an easily embarrassed person before?"
In Yuji's impression, his mother Hinata always carried a gentle smile, meticulously taking care of everyone in the Family. Whether working outside or teaching them siblings, she always appeared composed.
This was the first time he had seen her looking so shy.
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