"If you don't have a girlfriend, then I..."
"No way!"
Might Guy leaped up, nearly dropping his cleaning rag. He waved his hands frantically and shook his head at Hinami's youthful face, a strange flush creeping over his rugged features.
"I'd be thrown in jail!"
"What are you thinking? I'm asking you to adopt me," Hinami explained, her expression darkening with a look of pure exasperation.
"A-Adopt?"
Guy froze, his eyes bulging beneath those thick eyebrows. That was certainly an answer he had never considered.
"You can tell I'm no ordinary person, right?" Hinami picked up her cane from the floor and nudged her beige bundle of belongings.
Guy nodded slowly. No "ordinary" person carried that much cash around. Moreover, despite being blindfolded, she moved with such ease that he couldn't tell if she was truly blind or merely pretending.
"I'm not a local. I came to Konoha specifically to become a shinobi. Since the Academy doesn't accept outsiders, I have to find a way to secure a residency permit."
Hinami kept her explanation brief and concise. Seeing Guy's scrunched-up features relax as he processed the information, she continued:
"You adopt me and help me become a Leaf Shinobi. I pay you. We both benefit. How about it?"
"This..."
Guy fell into a deep hesitation. He was twenty-one, had just become a Jonin a year ago, had no girlfriend, and had never given a thought to marriage or children. Adopting Hinami wouldn't actually disrupt his lifestyle.
The deciding factor, however, was that he was desperately short on cash.
As a Taijutsu specialist, he was limited to combat missions. Every time he opened the Eight Inner Gates, he ended up covered in injuries. Sometimes, the mission reward wasn't even enough to cover his stay at the Konoha Hospital, let alone his daily expenses. Nutritional supplements, meat, medicinal salves, and the constant wear and tear on his clothes—everything cost a fortune.
If he hadn't become a Jonin with access to higher-paying missions, he probably would have had to keep borrowing money from his best friend, Kakashi, just to survive.
The deal Hinami offered wasn't difficult, and the compensation was visibly substantial. But it felt too sudden. To become family after just one meal and a name exchange? It felt...
Thud! Thud!
Two stacks of cash slammed onto the floor in front of Guy. The heavy sound echoed like hammer blows against his heart, shattering his remaining reservations.
"If you agree, I will provide for everything from this day forward: food, clothing, training equipment, medicines, and ninja tools."
Hinami didn't mind spending wealth she hadn't earned—especially since it was plundered money. She brushed a strand of silver-grey hair from her forehead, her tone turning exceptionally bold.
"I also have access to rare, specialized medicinal oils and secret formulas for Taijutsu training. They are far superior to anything on the market. I will provide them exclusively to you, free of charge."
As a member of the Kaguya clan—a lineage renowned for Taijutsu—she did indeed know quite a few secret recipes.
Guy's expression softened further with every word she spoke. When she mentioned the secret medicines, the face of the training-obsessed maniac visibly brightened.
"Finally, I can give you a fixed monthly allowance for your personal use—"
"Enough!"
Guy waved his hand, cutting off Hinami's escalating offer. His eyes were now as steady as iron, brimming with burning passion.
"The Blue Beast of the Leaf is at your service!"
Rustle, rustle—
Guy was busy tidying up the guest room, clearing away the clutter from the bed. Hinami sat on a stool, watching him bustle about. Her cherry-pink lips curled into a beautiful arc.
The fish had taken the bait.
Earlier that afternoon, while scanning the streets of Konoha with her Byakugan, she had spotted Guy drenched in sweat at the training grounds. For Hinami, who was looking for a backer and a way to gain residency, he was a revelation.
Guy was a man of great character and strength, yet he was simple-minded and impoverished. He was, quite frankly, the perfect candidate.
Most importantly: The Eight Inner Gates.
With her "Steel Bone" physique that feared no damage, combined with the massive chakra of the Gates and her absolute "Body Domination" that could focus every muscle fiber into a single point—Hinami couldn't even imagine how terrifying her Taijutsu would become.
So, she had waited for him all afternoon at the exit of the training grounds.
Heaven rewards the diligent. The kind-hearted Guy couldn't bear to see a "poor blind girl" wandering the streets of Konoha. Before she could even deploy her fabricated tragic backstory, he had already filled in the blanks himself and brought her home.
It saved her a lot of breath.
After all, Kakashi had been watching her from a tree for half the afternoon. He knew some of her secrets, and acting under his gaze required a high level of conviction.
He's probably reporting to Sarutobi Hiruzen by now, Hinami thought, remembering Kakashi yawning over his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
The Hokage and Kakashi knew Guy's strength best. As long as she was with Guy, any scheme she might have would be suppressed by his sheer power. This would put them at ease and stop them from sending more spies.
Tomorrow, once the legal adoption process was finished, she would officially be Guy's relative. From then on, she could flaunt her talent and gain fame without restraint. As long as she didn't act against the village, no one would dare move against her openly.
A powerful backer, a Konoha identity, a Taijutsu master, a future sparring partner, the secret of the Eight Gates, and a live-in maid and cook rolled into one. All for the price of a salary.
Every problem she faced upon entering Konoha was solved in one go, allowing her to focus entirely on the path of the shinobi. Aside from technically having to call him "father" on paper, it was perfect.
Thud, thud, thud...
Hearing a noise, Guy turned around from the headboard he was wiping. He found Hinami already inside the room.
"Uh... the room isn't ready yet. It's been a storage room for a long time. If you want to rest, you can take my room for the night, and we can swap once I've finished here," Guy said cautiously, looking like a stressed employee accompanying his boss on a business trip.
Hinami shook her head. "You're too slow on your own. I'll help."
She leaned down, picked up a clean rag, and joined him.
"Wait, that's not right..."
"It's fine, Guy." Hinami flipped the now-darkened rag to a clean side and continued wiping the floor. "Our relationship might have started with money, but after tomorrow, we'll be family."
"Family..."
Guy's gaze shifted. Since the death of his father, Might Duy, he had been alone. The word "family" had become something distant and foreign.
Crash—
Hinami's elbow accidentally knocked over a pile of clutter. A dust-free glass photo frame tumbled down, headed straight for her forehead. Hinami remained hunched over, seemingly unaware.
"Look out!"
Guy gasped and lunged forward to catch it.
Snap!
A slender, pale hand shot up into the air, catching the frame with unerring precision.
"Don't worry, Guy. I have my own ways of sensing things."
She handed the frame—showing two green-clad figures—back to him, revealing her sensory abilities without hesitation.
"That... is a very important secret, isn't it?"
"No secret is more important than family."
Guy took the frame blankly. He looked at Hinami, who had already returned to scrubbing the floor. His rough fingers traced the familiar yet distant man in the photo.
The girl's soft voice merged with his father's deep words from years ago, echoing in his heart.
Family?
Watching Hinami busily working on the floor, the void left by his father began to fill with the shadow of this young girl.
Behind her blindfold, Hinami's Byakugan watched Guy's dazed expression. Her lips curled into a slight smirk.
This was exactly why she had come to Konoha.
The original plot didn't matter. Every flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a storm, let alone the presence of a person like her. The key was that she knew the fundamental nature of every important figure here.
As the saying goes, it's easier to change rivers and mountains than a person's nature. People's weaknesses rarely change. By understanding those weaknesses, she could easily strike the softest part of their hearts.
From this starting point, she would be unstoppable.
Succeeding in Konoha was going to be much easier than in any other mysterious, unknown village.