Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Pfft! Cough, cough, cough, cough—!"

Naruto, who never expected Hiashi to say something like that, sprayed out a mouthful of tea and immediately choked so badly he started coughing nonstop.

"Father!"

Hinata was also stunned. In the next instant, her face flushed scarlet as she closed her eyes and protested at her father.

Her tone carried three parts reproach, three parts confusion, three parts shock, one part joy…

And ninety parts embarrassment!

Hiashi, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm. Sitting where he was, he raised one hand and used chakra to form a barrier-like technique, blocking every drop of tea that came flying toward him.

Watching his eldest daughter blush furiously while still hurrying over to pat Naruto's back and help him breathe, Hiashi couldn't help sighing.

"You and Hinata were far too young back then. If you hadn't behaved sensibly afterward and avoided causing any serious… situation, and if you hadn't restrained yourself later, I would never have acknowledged you no matter what!"

Even if that lord personally begged me, I still wouldn't!

Hiashi added this silently in his heart, expressing the firm resolve of a father.

"This happened?"

Inside the mental space, Minato was shocked.

Previously, when Kurama told him Hinata was Naruto's future wife and explained how the two met, Minato had gone from worrying about puppy love to worrying about his son's hopeless emotional intelligence.

How did their relationship suddenly progress so rapidly during the period when he had fallen dormant?

Naruto never mentioned anything either, and later on, nothing about their behavior suggested they had already…

But based on their ages, that should be impossible. Even if they had the idea mentally, they physically couldn't have—

"What big thing happened?" Kurama was also baffled. "What is this guy talking about? Why does this old man not understand what he means?"

Minato gave Kurama a brief explanation of what Hiashi was implying.

"Hm? Isn't human reproduction something that happens after growing up? Naruto and Hinata still haven't… Speaking of which, Minato, you and Kushina are the youngest pair this old man has ever seen who—"

"Wait, Kurama-sama…"

Minato's expression became extremely complicated.

His voice turned dry and stiff.

"Could you… see back then too?"

Kurama's single sentence made Minato, who had originally been enjoying the drama, suddenly realize a terrifying possibility.

His entire body froze.

"Of course I could see. And even compared to Naruto and Hinata in the previous life, what you and Kushina did back then was—"

"I understand! That's enough! Kurama-sama, I believe Hiashi has misunderstood Naruto, and Naruto should explain clearly soon, so let's end this topic here!"

Sensing danger, Minato interrupted Kurama with the speed and precision of throwing shuriken.

Kurama froze.

In his memory, this was the first time Namikaze Minato had ever been so flustered in front of him.

Even when Kurama had nearly sent their entire family of three to the Pure Land back then, Minato hadn't panicked this badly before dying.

This immediately awakened Kurama's playful side.

Should he mention this to Naruto next time and see how he reacted to his parents' old story?

It felt like it would be very interesting.

"So, according to Hyūga tradition, I must choose either Hinata or Hanabi to inherit the Main House."

Hiashi continued.

"And naturally, the other will be branded with the Caged Bird seal and become branch family, sworn to protect the Main House."

"The Caged Bird?"

Naruto froze.

After learning about it from Neji, he had once mentioned it to his father. Together, they had already begun researching how to remove the seal without harming the person it was placed on.

They had even made some progress.

But Minato had also told Naruto that removing the Caged Bird seal was only the first step.

The true problem was not merely the seal itself.

It was the issue faced by the entire Hyūga clan behind that seal.

And this was something Naruto would eventually need to resolve if he truly wanted to become an extraordinary Hokage.

But Naruto had never expected this problem to arrive so quickly.

Hinata and her little sister were already being forced to face that choice.

"How can that be allowed?! Even if you place it on either of them, I'll definitely find a way to—"

"Don't rush. I haven't finished."

Seeing Naruto's face fill with obvious rejection, Hiashi closed his eyes and recalled.

"The reason I said this concerns you is precisely because of that. Do you still remember what you said to Neji?"

"You promised Neji that one day you would remove his Caged Bird seal."

"But behind that promise lies a challenge our Hyūga clan will inevitably have to face."

"You want to destroy the tradition that has supported the Hyūga clan all this time."

"But have you ever thought about how much resentment and hatred the Caged Bird has created over the long history of conflict between the Main House and Branch House?"

"Once the seal can be removed, once people's hearts lose control, how many clan members who already harbor dissatisfaction will begin stirring trouble?"

"It is not impossible for the Branch House and Main House to turn against each other."

"Can you imagine that scene?"

"Can you solve all of it?"

Hiashi's voice remained steady.

"A tradition that cannot be changed within an ancient clan exists because it was the inevitable choice born from generations of blood and tears, all so the family could survive in the shinobi world."

"Have you ever considered how much darkness lies behind those choices?"

"In truth, it is not only the Hyūga."

"And not only Konoha."

"Other villages and countries all possess problems that are fundamentally the same…"

Naruto lowered his head in silence.

Seeing Naruto fall quiet, Hiashi seemed slightly melancholic.

But when he looked toward his daughter beside Naruto, he paused.

Hinata was also looking at Naruto.

Unlike Hiashi, however, there was not a trace of unease or wavering in her eyes.

He had seen such eyes before.

On the battlefield.

When comrades looked toward the leader who might guide Konoha toward a brighter future, they looked just like that.

Trust.

And the resolve to stand beside him in battle.

In Hiashi's memory, his daughter had never shown that expression before.

It seems she truly has grown.

At that moment, Naruto's voice suddenly sounded.

"Uncle, honestly, I don't understand most of the things you just said."

"But I do know one thing."

"If your family has to hurt its own relatives for reasons like that…"

"If your so-called family will fall apart unless you hurt clan members…"

"Then that only proves one thing."

Naruto raised his head again.

This time, his eyes locked directly onto Hiashi's.

Even anger burned in his voice.

"What you call a clan isn't really family or comrades at all!"

"And a family like that has no reason to exist!"

"If you have to restrict people…"

"If you have to use seals to control family members like Neji, Hinata, or even her little sister just to make them branch family…"

"If that's the only way to protect the so-called Main House…"

"If that's the only way to maintain the Main House's stability and safety…"

"Then from now on, your clan will never have any safety again!"

"Because I will definitely break the so-called Caged Bird!"

Naruto stood up, placed his fist over his chest, and spoke with passionate, unwavering resolve.

His eyes were locked firmly on Hiashi.

It was almost like a declaration of war.

"And I, Uzumaki Naruto, will become the enemy of rules like yours in the future!"

"Until I smash apart every rotten rule that makes people sick, I won't stop even if I have to risk my life!"

"Never!"

"What if the village stops you?"

"Then I'll fight the village too!"

"What if the entire shinobi world is like this?"

"Then the shinobi world…"

"Will also be my enemy!"

"... Anyone can talk big."

Naruto answered with a steel-like vow and eyes blazing with fiery determination.

"I say what I mean, and I do what I say."

"That is my nindō!"

After Naruto finished, Hinata beside him also looked toward her father.

Her voice was soft, but the will within it did not waver at all.

"Father, if that day truly comes…"

"Then I will also stand beside Naruto-kun and face it with him."

Hiashi froze.

Then he smiled with relief.

He raised his hand and gestured downward, signaling Naruto not to get too worked up.

Looking at the furious Naruto, Hiashi felt no anger at all.

His tone remained extremely calm.

"I still haven't finished speaking."

"Also, your shoes are dirtying my tea table."

Naruto glared at Hiashi while still puffed up with anger.

"You speak first."

"Otherwise, forget the tea table. I'll even step all over the walls!"

Looking at Hinata sitting beside him with a serious expression, Naruto silently changed "your face" to "the walls."

After all, this was Hinata's father.

He still needed to show at least basic respect.

"That is why I asked when you plan to marry Hinata."

"This…"

Naruto instantly deflated.

"What does that have to do with this?"

Hiashi frowned at Naruto, who still didn't understand.

"Because I can only delay things until then."

"Delay?"

"In order to preserve bloodline purity, the Hyūga clan forbids clan members from marrying outside the clan. Especially the Main House."

Hiashi explained seriously to Naruto.

And he knew Minato was likely listening too.

"Since things have already reached this point, I won't stop you from being together."

"But you must give me a clear answer."

"Because if you two are to marry, then the clan will decide Hinata's future branch family status accordingly."

"I let Hinata attend the Ninja Academy so she could walk another path."

"However, you will also remove the Caged Bird seal for the branch family."

"In other words, once these two matters happen at the same time, the Hyūga clan will inevitably undergo enormous turmoil."

"But before that happens, I can delay it."

"Sending Hanabi to the Ninja Academy was also for this reason."

"As long as I do not decide the Main House heir, they can only keep waiting."

"And since Neji is still the future successor of the Branch House, I can also temporarily use him as a reason to dismiss the elders who want to arrange a new branch family head early."

"That is also the explanation I can give the clan."

"But… Uncle, aren't you the clan head?"

Naruto couldn't help asking.

"Why not directly change the rules instead of doing all this to…"

"Naruto."

Hiashi suddenly looked at him very seriously.

His voice deepened.

"If a clan head could decide everything in a clan, then tell me—how do you think the Uchiha clan's tragedy happened?"

That question shook Naruto's heart.

Hinata's father knew about the Uchiha clan's truth?

"That is why I am not treating you and Hinata as mere children right now."

"I am speaking with you seriously because I believe you two truly will change these things, exactly as you say."

"You will remove Neji's Caged Bird seal."

"You will become Hokage."

"Even when you say you will change the entire shinobi world, I believe you."

"But right now, you have not yet reached that point."

"So you cannot demand that others believe you and accept it as well."

"And the clan will not allow me, as clan head, to change a tradition that has continued for generations simply because of you."

Hiashi's words were blunt and direct.

"However, once you possess enough power and status to change the present situation, all of these problems will be solved."

"We elders will buy as much time for you as possible."

"That is the reason I needed to explain all of this to you."

"So now…"

Hiashi looked straight at Naruto.

"Do you understand why I asked when you plan to marry Hinata?"

"I…"

Naruto opened his mouth.

The heroic momentum from earlier had completely vanished.

So Hinata's father was thinking about all of this…

However, Naruto's hesitation caused Hiashi to misunderstand slightly.

Hiashi suddenly activated his Byakugan.

His tone turned chilling.

"What? Don't tell me you never considered marrying my daughter at all?"

"You did the deed but refuse to take responsibility?"

"If that is the case, I will not let you walk out of—"

"No, no, no!"

Naruto immediately waved his hands frantically.

"That's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"

Seeing even Hinata begin wavering from her previously firm and resolute expression, Naruto hurriedly explained.

"I just think this kind of thing should wait until we're older!"

"And right now, my… my guardian still can't come over!"

Hearing Naruto's words, Hinata first sighed in relief.

But then she immediately felt something was off.

Naruto-kun's guardian?

Isn't Naruto-kun an orphan?

"Hmph. So that's what you mean."

Hiashi, who understood Minato's circumstances, accepted this explanation.

He withdrew his Byakugan and snorted coldly.

"But why didn't you think about waiting until you were older before doing that sort of thing?"

"You bullied my daughter."

"As her father, I cannot wait for you to grow up before demanding an explanation."

After hearing her father repeat this several times, Hinata finally couldn't endure it anymore.

"Father, what exactly do you think Naruto-kun did for you to keep asking him this?"

"Truly, your elbow turns outward so quickly."

Hiashi frowned.

"Wasn't it what happened a few years ago when you two—"

As Hiashi spoke, Hinata's expression shifted from confusion to sudden realization.

Then—

Fury shot straight to her head!

Naruto also finally understood why Hinata's father had shown such an attitude from the very beginning.

He also understood why Neji had been so furious in the classroom back then even after Naruto beat him down.

I thought Neji was just asking for a beating back then.

Turns out it was because of this…

Hinata immediately interrupted her father and solemnly explained the truth.

"So that whole period… you two were only training????"

"... Ahem."

"Even if it was training, a boy and girl alone in the same room is still improper!"

Hiashi was worthy of being a great clan head.

The moment he realized he had made a huge misunderstanding, he immediately found a way to recover.

He swiftly concealed his embarrassment and put on an extremely serious expression.

His attitude remained righteous and proper.

"In any case, your matter is settled."

"Since there is no plan to marry in the short term, then this arrangement will remain for now."

"You young people can decide young people's affairs yourselves."

"I have already made the consequences clear."

As Hiashi spoke, he naturally stood up.

Under Naruto and Hinata's watchful gazes, he opened the door without looking back and walked out.

Then he smoothly shut the door behind him.

Standing in the corridor, he let out a long breath.

His old face had nearly been completely lost today.

Immediately after, he hurried toward Hanabi's room.

When he activated the Byakugan just now, his all-around vision had clearly spotted Hanabi hiding in the corner of her room.

He couldn't tell whether she was crying little pearls or sulking angrily.

He needed to go comfort her quickly!

Of course, the more important reason was to find an excuse to flee.

As long as he ran away fast enough, the juniors wouldn't have time to recover and criticize him.

That could preserve at least a little dignity!

Only Naruto and Hinata remained in the room, staring at each other.

Outside, evening was already approaching.

The golden light of dusk slipped through the windows and paper-painted door panels, spilling across the floor and furniture.

It also illuminated the two pairs of eyes gazing at one another.

Gradually, Hinata felt like she could barely breathe.

Her cheeks burned hot.

She wanted to say something, but she had no idea how to begin.

Looking at Hinata's still-flushed face, filled with embarrassment and lingering anger, Naruto became helplessly flustered.

"Um, Hinata, you see, we…"

But as Hinata watched Naruto panic like this, she remembered this wasn't the first time she had seen him so flustered.

At first, it had been a question she hadn't heard clearly.

Little by little, countless memories surfaced in Hinata's heart.

For some reason, while looking at Naruto, she suddenly remembered something Sasuke had once said in the Land of Snow.

"That idiot doesn't understand anything. You'd better tell him directly."

"Naruto-kun."

Hinata suddenly spoke, interrupting him.

"I have something I want to tell you."

In Naruto's eyes, Hinata's face became redder and redder.

And her face drew closer and closer.

A soft, warm sensation brushed against his lips and vanished in an instant.

Naruto's eyes widened.

A powerful electric current seemed to surge through his entire body from that single touch.

"I like you."

Those flawless white eyes did not look away.

Staring into Naruto's dizzy, overwhelmed gaze, Hinata took the initiative this time, even though she was so embarrassed she felt like she might faint at any second.

Because saying things directly…

Was also her nindō.

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