Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"Is that so? Then I won't disturb you any longer. I hope you recover soon."

Hayate Gekkō lifted his teacup and drained it in one gulp before standing to leave.

He didn't forget to politely address the lady of the house.

"The tea was excellent. Thank you."

"You're too kind. It was only hot water."

Hinata replied with a gentle smile.

Karin also said goodbye to Naruto and Hinata before following Hayate out.

Though it was only a short distance, Hinata still escorted them to the door. After exchanging a few more polite words, she watched them descend the stairs before returning inside to tidy up.

"Cough... thank you for showing me the way earlier."

Just as he reached the bottom floor, Hayate stopped and looked back at Karin, who was clearly hurrying after him.

"Do you need something?"

"Um... you're a Konoha jōnin, right?"

"...More accurately, a Special Jōnin. But yes, I suppose so."

"Then can I ask you for a favor?"

Karin clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

"I want to join Konoha."

"I want to become a Konoha ninja."

"Naruto-kun, what would you like for lunch?"

"Whatever you want to make."

Naruto yawned.

"If it's troublesome, we can just go..."

Halfway through his sentence, he gave up.

"...Forget it. I don't feel like doing anything right now. Just make whatever you like, Hinata."

Hinata wasn't surprised by the answer.

Naruto had already explained his current condition.

He was essentially using his own body as a research sample to study Kotoamatsukami.

The goal was to help free the ANBU who had been controlled.

As his girlfriend, Hinata naturally chose to support him.

Just as she had always wished.

No matter what Naruto decided to do, she would remain by his side.

Besides, taking care of a Naruto who didn't want to move wasn't exactly a burden for her.

In fact...

She rather enjoyed it.

Hinata cleaned up the teacups and cushions left by their guests.

Then she peeled several oranges she'd bought earlier and fed them to Naruto.

Afterward, she glanced at the clock on the table.

"It's still early..."

"I'll wait a bit before making lunch."

Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward the empty space on Naruto's bed.

It was technically only a single bed.

But Naruto was lying on one side.

There was just enough room for another person.

Without warning, Hinata remembered that night at the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water.

Her cheeks immediately turned red.

She hurriedly shook her head.

No.

No thinking about that.

After calming herself down, she quietly walked over and sat beside the bed.

"Naruto-kun."

She spoke softly.

"I'm going to practice for a little while. Can you watch over me?"

"Mm. Of course."

Naruto immediately rolled over to face her.

Natural energy training wasn't something to take lightly.

He needed to pay close attention.

Being this close to Hinata, however...

The faint fragrance unique to girls made his thoughts waver slightly.

Truthfully, Hinata wasn't the only one thinking strange things.

Naruto had plenty on his mind too.

The Kotoamatsukami influence only made him not want to do things.

It didn't stop him from thinking.

He was a healthy teenage boy.

His adorable girlfriend was right beside him.

Pretending he felt absolutely nothing would just be lying to himself.

Unfortunately...

Kurama and Minato were currently discussing things nonstop inside his head.

And both of them could clearly see what was happening outside.

Because of that—

Naruto absolutely refused to let his imagination wander any further.

So he simply watched.

Watched as Hinata slowly discarded distracting thoughts and immersed herself in cultivation.

"Oh."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"This time is going smoothly."

He could feel the surrounding natural energy gradually being drawn toward her.

As he looked at Hinata's closed eyes, Naruto suddenly remembered his own training.

Back then...

Had Hinata watched him the same way?

Just seeing the other person there made the process feel less boring.

Less lonely.

Without even realizing it, a smile would appear.

"So this is what happiness feels like."

Come to think of it...

The current situation wasn't much different from before.

Everything Hinata was doing now was practically the same as when Naruto had first trained in Fox Sage Mode.

Back then, whenever Kurama turned Naruto's consciousness to stone during training, his body would be left unattended.

Hinata would take care of him.

Now Naruto was merely lying around doing nothing.

At its core, there wasn't much difference.

Especially now that their relationship had been confirmed.

Reliving those days together filled Hinata with a strange sense of nostalgia.

Still—

The future was long.

As much as she wanted to simply enjoy spending time with Naruto...

She understood something better than anyone.

The Naruto she loved would eventually reach heights that almost nobody could attain.

If she wanted to stand beside him—

Good intentions alone wouldn't be enough.

She needed strength too.

Even though they were still young, Hinata possessed that determination.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, her brows knitted together.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

Naruto immediately sat upright.

He had been carefully observing her natural energy circulation the entire time.

Seeing her expression change startled him.

Hinata opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I-I'm fine."

"Maybe things just weren't going smoothly."

She frowned slightly.

"It felt like I couldn't sense the natural energy after it entered my body."

Naruto blinked.

That didn't make sense.

He had clearly felt her steadily absorbing natural energy moments ago.

Why would she say she couldn't feel it?

Hinata's training method had actually been developed by Minato after studying the Sage Mode methods of Mount Myōboku.

Essentially, Naruto first stored a small amount of natural energy inside her body.

She would then gradually learn to attract and absorb more from the environment.

Although Naruto's explanations were often vague and difficult to understand, Minato had optimized the method as much as possible.

Even so—

Only Sasuke had successfully mastered it so far.

Everyone else had failed.

Yet during their trip through the Land of Wind, Hinata had already begun showing signs that she could sense natural energy.

So why was she suddenly losing that sensation now?

"Maybe..."

Naruto looked worried.

"Maybe taking care of me these past few days has been exhausting."

"How about you stop training for today?"

"You should head home and rest."

"I'm fine."

Hinata quickly shook her head.

"If I rest for a little while, I'll be okay."

"And I still need to make lunch later."

"Then..."

Naruto climbed off the bed and patted the mattress.

"You lie down for a bit."

"I'll make lunch instead."

At the same time, he mentally informed Kurama and Minato that he'd temporarily resist the influence and pause their research.

Hinata obediently lay down.

The warmth lingering beneath the blanket belonged to Naruto.

Her face immediately turned red.

Still...

Something felt strange.

Now that she was lying down, Hinata realized she wasn't tired at all.

Not physically.

Not mentally.

After carefully recalling what had happened during training—

She finally noticed the real issue.

As the natural energy had entered and transformed inside her body...

There seemed to have been an unusual burning sensation.

Not throughout her body.

Not in her chakra pathways.

But specifically—

In her eyes.

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