Chapter 29: Ninja God's Diary (Skip If You Dislike, Optional Reading)
Naruto didn't really have a choice—the first option was clearly out of the question. Whatever his true feelings might be, Hinata's presence in his life was a blessing.
No one dislikes a gentle girl, and Naruto was no exception. He wasn't that clueless Naruto; he was a normal person.
A princess likes you? What's there to hesitate about? That's amazing, right?
Even if he could vaguely sense that Hinata being able to approach him was probably something sanctioned by the village and the Hyūga clan, he accepted it. Whether it was about continuing the Uzumaki bloodline or ensuring the jinchūriki had an heir, so be it.
After all, he wasn't truly Naruto, but a soul from another dimension. For him, the result wasn't what mattered most—the process did.
By the riverbank.
Hinata gripped her fishing rod nervously. Suddenly, her hand trembled, and a jolt of tension surged through her heart as she stammered,
"N-Naruto-kun!... A-a fish! A fish is biting!"
His max-level fishing skills kicked in—the rule of fish biting on empty hooks was terrifying indeed.
Naruto had already anticipated this outcome. Calmly, he took hold of Hinata's hands and slowly began to play the fish. Hinata found everything about this fascinating, but being held from behind by Naruto had her so nervous she could barely think straight.
"When the fish gets tired, we'll pull it up together, okay?" Naruto suggested.
"O-okay…!" Hinata responded, breathing a little faster, her face flushed red.
In the distance, the Hyūga ninja tailing them went pale. Watching what seemed to be an actual fish biting despite the lack of bait, he felt like a herd of stampeding horses was running through his heart.
"Impossible! How can a fish bite with no bait?" The Hyūga ninja's face was one of utter disbelief. He wasn't some love-struck Hinata who could overlook such details.
He just wanted to know—how the hell did this kid catch a fish on an empty hook? He was so fixated on that he didn't even care that his clan's young lady was loosely held in someone's arms. His eyes were glued to the water's surface.
The fish really had bitten and clamped down on the hook.
"Like this—lift slowly," Naruto instructed, still holding Hinata's hands as he seriously taught her. "Then pull hard!"
With a snap, a huge black fish was yanked out of the water, arcing through the air and leaving a shimmering half-moon trail. The rippling, glimmering water reflected in Hinata's eyes.
"I… caught it?" Hinata asked after a moment's daze, her cheeks flushed, her voice tinged with excitement and nerves.
Naruto knew Hinata had little self-confidence and a gentle personality, but deep down, she desperately wanted her abilities to be acknowledged—not just to be seen as the Hyūga princess.
"Yeah!" Naruto said, using their height difference to casually pat her head. "Hinata's amazing. You'll definitely be a gentle wife one day."
[Reward successfully distributed. Create a virtual persona?]
[(Any identity. Once created, it will be automatically rationalized and can speak under this identity.)]
Hinata's face instantly turned scarlet at Naruto's sudden words, and she started stammering again.
"W-wife?!!!"
"N-no… I… This kind of… It's just too…!"
At that moment, Naruto's attention was completely on that virtual persona option.
Nice!
Any identity, huh? In that case…
[Ninja God-- Creation successful. Deity creation successful. Host may speak once per day.]
Naruto almost coughed from holding back laughter. It really did accept anything. Though this thing might not have much practical use, it could make people within a certain range receive his messages.
From now on, he could speak under the identity of the Ninja God? Awesome!
Hinata, having summoned up her courage to look at Naruto, saw the joyful expression on his face and his tender gaze directed at her. Her own face turned even redder.
"Naruto-kun…"
Her mind went blank, her legs gave out, and she fell backward.
"Hinata!" Naruto was startled and quickly caught her. But no matter how he called her name, she didn't respond.
"Why'd she suddenly faint?" Naruto muttered, checking her forehead and then her breathing before sighing in relief and laying her gently on the soft grass.
Seeing that she wouldn't wake up for a while, he decided to deal with the big black fish first. Afterward, he gathered some wood nearby to make a grill. Finally, he sat down and opened his panel.
[--Ninja God--- (Can speak today)]
What should he say?
Naruto pondered. Since it was a broadcasting tool under the title of Ninja God and he could only use it once per day…
Might as well make it a Ninja God's Diary!
Ahem—let's do this.
Naruto typed the following message:
"August 15, clear skies. I, the Ninja God, am bored, so I'm checking in on the ninja world. Oh, today's ninjas are all idiots. Not a single one worships me, the Ninja God. No long-legged shrine maidens dancing ritual offerings—I'm not satisfied. Guess I'll just destroy this world, then! Oh, and Shimura Danzō, that old coin—he's got way too many Sharingan, it's disgusting!"
[Ding! Ninja God created successfully. Broadcast range: 500,000 square meters.]
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen, in the middle of writing paperwork, jolted so hard his brush ruined the entire document. Out of nowhere, the Ninja God's words had appeared in his mind, and the content nearly made him cough up blood.
When he turned to look at his guards, Yamashiro Aoba and Hyūga Raidō, and saw their equally grim faces, he knew this was bad.
"Lord Hokage!" Raidō stepped forward to the desk, looking tense.
The situation was beyond anything he had imagined. When words had suddenly appeared in his mind, Raidō, as a guard, immediately understood how serious this was.
As for the content of that diary entry… Raidō didn't dare think too deeply about it.
"Emergency! Summon Konoha's senior council for a meeting. Wait… call Yamanaka Hiashi first," Hiruzen ordered sternly.
"Yes!" Yamashiro Aoba and Raidō obeyed and instantly vanished.
The Yamanaka clan was one of the few in Konoha specializing in mental jutsu. Their clan head, Yamanaka Hiashi, was especially skilled in mind-transfer techniques and interrogation jutsu—capable of extracting information even from a silent enemy.
Elsewhere, Danzō, who had been resting with his eyes closed, turned pale at the sudden intrusive words. But he quickly calmed himself.
He knew someone was behind this and that they needed to be found—fast.
"Men!" Danzō called.
With thuds, four or five masked Root ninjas appeared, kneeling before him.
"Find out what's going on!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
Meanwhile, the so-called "Ninja God" himself was teaching Hinata how to grill fish, utterly guilt-free, basking in the sweet, bubbling moment.
"See, Hinata? If you flip the fish like this, the meat stays tender."
"Tasty."
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