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"Neji said you're planning to steal the Clan Head’s position from your father?" Naruto suddenly dropped a bombshell during their walk, completely throwing Neji under the bus without hesitation.
“No!!” Hinata, surprisingly not stuttering this time, immediately denied it, her face turning bright red as she nervously fidgeted with her fingers, “I-I never said anything like that!”
Maybe she really hadn’t said such words, and Neji hadn’t either, but Naruto just loved teasing her . Anyway, the meaning was not much different. Wasn’t becoming the Clan Head the same as taking her father’s position?
"If you didn't, then you didn’t. No need to shout so loudly." Naruto said with a completely serious face.
Hinata's face flushed even redder, and she became flustered, lowering her head in embarrassment. She wasn’t the type to scold or lash out. If it was Ino, she would’ve smacked Naruto by now.
People were different, and everyone’s thoughts varied greatly.
Naruto didn’t know what Hinata truly wanted, and he wasn’t about to try to design her life for her. Even though he could foresee many things, he wouldn’t use the excuse of ‘for her own good’ to criticize her choices.
"I-I never thought about it." Hinata quietly defended herself midway through their walk.
"It’s fine either way. The Hyuga Clan is your family’s business. The problem of the main family and the branch family is a mess, and someone has to deal with it." Naruto said, grabbing Hinata’s hand.
Hinata's body stiffened for a moment, but soon returned to normal. Apart from her face being slightly red and her voice trembling, she didn’t seem overly uncomfortable.
"My father couldn’t solve the problem, and I’m too weak to do anything about it. I don’t know…" Hinata hesitantly continued the previous topic.
Her ears felt slightly hot, and she could clearly hear the sound of her heart beating like a drum.
Naruto had held her hand before, and also touched her before, so it wasn’t exactly the first time. But this time felt different…
‘It's obviously just a touch on the hand, but it feels like I’m not wearing any clothes at all? Where does this weird feeling come from?’ Hinata couldn’t figure it out, she only knew her whole body felt hot.
It was just a simple hand-holding, yet as she debated whether to pull away, Naruto spoke again.
"What your father couldn’t do doesn’t mean you can’t. Hinata, since you’re already thinking about it, why not give it a shot? Whether you succeed or not, at least you won’t have any regrets."
"Although the Hyuga Clan’s internal issues are complicated, if there’s a major shift in the future, many problems might resolve themselves. So, there’s still a chance."
Hinata’s expression froze, not because of his encouraging words, but because Naruto’s hand had already moved to her waist. His fingers restlessly roamed across her side.
"T-this…" Hinata's voice trembled.
"What? You think I’m wrong?" Naruto asked casually
"N-no." Hinata wanted to say something but swallowed her words. She then looked up at him with a pleading expression, which Naruto completely ignored.
Whether what he said made sense or not, all she knew was that his hand was now at her waist. Her body felt a little strange, she couldn't use any strength, and she couldn't speak properly even if she wanted to.
It's a bit embarrassing, as this kind of action seemed to go beyond friendship.
Fortunately, Naruto didn’t cross any real boundaries. After touching her waist for a moment, he withdrew his hand, coughed awkwardly, and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.
"So, you want to become a Jonin first and then see how things go?"
"Huh?" Hinata was shocked, ‘How could Naruto-kun know that? Was I too obvious? But I had even kept it a secret from Neji-nii-san.’
"Did I guess right?" Naruto grinned.
"My father values Hanabi more. With her personality, she is more suitable to be the Clan Head. I-I just want to improve my strength first. Maybe… if possible… Hanabi..."
‘Hanabi? That useless sister-in-law?’
Hearing Hinata’s uncertain tone, Naruto couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. The Hyuga Clan's ‘plug-and-play USB’ Byakugan was really not something that Hanabi could handle on her own.
Even if both sisters combined their efforts, they’d still just be figureheads.
The Hyuga Clan only had two possible paths: either abolish the Caged Bird Cursed Seal and create a universal restriction where only those of the Hyuga bloodline could use their techniques, or become the next Uchiha Clan… crushing anyone who dared to covet the Byakugan, even going as far as eradicating their entire lineage.
Naruto was more inclined toward the latter, as this world was one where power ruled. Hashirama had proven it, suppressing all chaos and spreading the holy light of peace with his unbeatable strength.
But without a doubt, the Caged Bird Seal had to be abolished.
"Hanabi doesn’t necessarily have more resolve than you. Regardless, the Caged Bird has to go." Naruto said nonchalantly, "Right now, it’s not wartime. Besides the Shinobi, most of the civilian Hyuga Clan’s members don’t even activate their Byakugan."
"If you guys keep relying on such measures, the Hyuga Clan will implode before any external enemy appears. The main family is overly dependent on the Caged Bird, and its strength is getting lower and lower. The branch family is oppressed by the is overly dependent on the Caged Bird, making it extremely difficult for a genius to appear. Even if one does appear, the main family will probably fall apart."
Naruto spoke casually, talking about whatever came to his mind.
"Neji is such a genius. If he weren’t your cousin, he might have become the next Orochimaru." Naruto said, "That’s both his fortune and his misfortune."
Hinata was visibly shaken by those words. By the time they arrived at Training Ground Five, she still seemed a bit absent-minded.
“What’s wrong?” Naruto asked.
"Huh? I… I want to remove the Caged." Hinata finally expressed her own thoughts firmly for the first time, perhaps influenced by Naruto’s earlier analysis.
"If that’s what you want, then go for it." Naruto replied, standing about a meter away from Hinata as he zipped up his windbreaker.
There were only two of them in the huge training ground, with a gentle spring breeze blowing through their hair.
Naruto was deliberately trying to guide Hinata to build her self-confidence, to focus on her own strength. He wanted her to see that there were more options for her future than just becoming a housewife.
If someone fought so hard in their youth to prove their strength, only to become a housewife later, then what was the point of all that effort?
If nothing was going to change, she might as well have done nothing from the start. It would’ve been easier to simply stay a cute, meek girl without ambitions.
"Mm, I’ll aim to become a Jonin first, and then..." Hinata sorted out her thoughts and nodded to herself.
In fact, Hinata also has her own ideas, but her self-esteem has been worn out by her high-pressure family. Naruto is different from the original Naruto, he wanted to encourage Hinata to stick to her true self.
There was no need to rely on others’ light, and she could become her own sun.
Naruto wasn’t someone who liked to bear all burdens alone like a superhero saving the world. Instead, he preferred sharing the load with everyone and pulling others into the fray, while staying in the background himself.
"For now, focus on becoming a Jonin. Hiashi-sama will probably be surprised." Naruto said, picking up from her thoughts, "Now, let’s start training."