Chapter 277 : Hinata's Bloodline Talent
Hearing Riku's words, Tsunade nodded in satisfaction.
"But Sakura, that silly girl, still doesn't know about our relationship."
Riku chuckled. "She doesn't need to know. I'm not exactly good at keeping things subtle, and I think you've overestimated my abilities. She might have a crush on me, but that doesn't mean she likes me like that. She's always been infatuated with Sasuke. You know that better than anyone."
Tsunade sighed. "Yeah... I hope so."
As she spoke, Tsunade looked up at Riku.
Riku felt the warmth of Tsunade's body shift slightly in his arms.
He smiled wryly. "Don't start anything here—we're still in the Hokage's office."
It wasn't that he didn't want to. It was just... this was the Hokage's office. Even if Tsunade had ordered the ANBU to clear out, it still didn't feel right. Something about it made the situation far from normal.
Sure, the idea of doing something bold in the Hokage's office was tempting, but Riku still managed to keep his self-control.
Now, if they were at home—that would be an entirely different story.
Tsunade leaned against Riku's chest with a playful smile. "You talk like I'm the one being impulsive, but your heart's racing."
Riku could feel Tsunade's heartbeat too—it was just as fast as his. This was the closest they'd ever been while inside the Hokage's office.
No one in Konoha knew about Riku and Tsunade's relationship yet.
Not even Shizune.
Even so, Riku didn't push Tsunade away. He just held her gently and looked calmly out the window.
Later that evening, after work, Riku and Tsunade walked back to the Senju compound from the Hokage's office.
As they passed by a familiar barbecue restaurant, they spotted Naruto, Sakura, Sora, and Ino eating together.
Riku only gave them a passing glance and didn't think much of it.
He continued walking down the street with Tsunade, chatting and laughing.
But just as they passed the window of the restaurant, Naruto and Sakura both happened to notice them.
The two were smiling and laughing—Tsunade's smile in particular was rare and radiant.
With Tsunade's beauty, Riku's good looks, and their height difference—not to mention their public positions—Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but jump to conclusions.
A dreadful idea popped into both their minds at the same time:
They look like a couple.
Sakura immediately shook her head and scowled. "No way. That's impossible. Tsunade-sama is way too old. There's no way she'd be in that kind of relationship with Riku. He's her bodyguard—that's all. Still... they do look really good together."
A pang of jealousy twisted in Sakura's chest.
Even though she knew it was ridiculous, just seeing Riku and Tsunade walking together so happily made her envious.
Just a man and a woman, smiling like that.
Naruto looked a bit confused. "Why does it look like Riku and Granny Tsunade are a couple...? No, no, I must be imagining things... I can't believe I even thought that."
Meanwhile, Ino, who was tending the grill, spotted them outside and froze.
"That's Riku!"
She dropped the tongs and ran out the door without warning.
Everyone at the table was stunned.
By the time Riku and Tsunade had passed the restaurant, they were nearing the ninja academy up ahead.
Suddenly, Riku felt a presence closing in behind him.
Just as he was about to turn around, Ino leapt forward and threw her arms around his back, giggling.
"Riku! Long time no see!"
They hadn't seen each other much since the mission to the Land of Water and the Chūnin Exams in Sunagakure.
By now, Ino was supposed to have a crush on Sai.
But because of Riku... that never really happened.
Tsunade, however, didn't look the slightest bit angry. She just glanced at Riku and smiled faintly. "You sure attract a lot of attention."
Riku already knew Ino liked him. He'd told Tsunade all about her behavior at the ninja academy.
Back then, he was pretty sure she had feelings for him.
He let out a helpless sigh and smiled.
To be fair, Ino had grown up over the past three years. Her figure had developed quite a bit—certainly more than Sakura's.
Riku said gently, "Ino, get down. We're on a public street. The Hokage's right here."
Only then did Ino realize Tsunade was with them. She quickly let go, stuck out her tongue, and greeted,
"L-Lady Hokage!"
Tsunade gave her a nod.
After her greeting, Ino turned back to Riku with a bright smile.
"We're eating barbecue—come join us!"
She latched onto his arm without hesitation.
Riku glanced at Tsunade.
Tsunade nodded.
Ino looked back and forth between the two of them curiously.
Something about their interaction seemed off, but she didn't dare say anything out loud.
Still... if Riku did want to do something, he'd need Tsunade's permission first, right?
So she turned to Tsunade and said,
"Why don't you come too, Lady Hokage?"
Tsunade smiled but declined.
"You guys go ahead."
Then she looked at Riku and added,
"Don't stay out too late."
She wasn't bothered by Ino's behavior—she wasn't the jealous type.
As Tsunade turned and walked away, Riku could only sigh inwardly.
Looks like I'll be doing extra physical training tonight...
Ino tugged on his arm cheerfully.
"Come on, Riku!"
Riku chuckled. "You don't need to drag me—I'm not going anywhere."
Ino gave him a serious look.
"Nope. What if you do run away?"
The truth was, she just wanted to hold onto him.
In her head, she thought,
Heh. I've already made a move. I bet Hinata's never even dared to get this close.
And it was true.
Hinata's strength had grown significantly. But because she didn't want to inherit the Hyuga main family position, the role had been passed to Hanabi.
Even so, Hiashi had never placed the Cursed Seal of the Branch Family on Hinata.
He knew that doing so would ruin her life.
He had always loved Hinata deeply, even if he was harsh on the surface.
Hinata's quiet personality had kept her from showing her true strength.
But she had trained relentlessly, determined to catch up to Riku.
Through that training, she discovered that her Byakugan was far more powerful than most within the Hyuga clan.
In fact, her bloodline was extremely pure—her Byakugan had frightening potential.
Once she began to truly develop it, she realized her abilities exceeded even Neji's.
She had already mastered Revolving Heaven, Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, and other advanced Gentle Fist techniques.
She had pushed her Byakugan far beyond normal limits.
Because of her pure lineage, her eyes had reached a level even higher than Neji's.
In time, her strength would surpass his completely, and she'd be recognized with the title of Hyuga Tennin.
The term "Hyuga Tennin" didn't refer to a single person, but rather a title—granted to the strongest Hyuga of each generation.
Hiashi had always assumed Neji would be this generation's Tennin.
But Hinata's bloodline and hidden talent far surpassed anyone's expectations.
She had simply never developed those abilities before due to her shy and hesitant nature.
But now, in her pursuit to grow stronger and stand beside Riku, she had trained harder than ever—unlocking the true depth of her potential.
She never spoke of it openly.
But she remembered Riku's words well—how he once told her she had exceptional talent, the kind that couldn't always be shown to others carelessly.
And so, in silence, she kept training.
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