The little girl with the Byakugan walked ahead, leading Naruto through the winding corridors of the Hyuga main house with the air of a young mistress.
Hanabi Hyuga was the second daughter and the pride of the clan head. While she was dedicated to her family's Gentle Fist training, at her core, she was still just a little girl.
She stepped slowly onto the wooden stairs and spoke in a low voice. "Naruto Uzumaki, you qualified for the final matches in the Chunin Exams. Your progress is much faster than when you were at the Ninja Academy. Do you think you'll be promoted to Chunin this time?"
"Not sure."
Naruto rubbed his hair and followed closely behind her. "It's strange," he replied softly. "I feel like actually becoming a Chunin is much harder than killing one."
This was an awkward but true fact.
During what was supposed to be a C-rank mission, Naruto had killed many Chunin, Tokubetsu Jonin, and even Jonin. To this day, he still couldn't figure out how those people had ever been promoted in the first place.
And then there were these Chunin Exams. The written test was so hard that even the Nine-Tails, an ancient being who had lived for ages, could only answer two questions.
In the Forest of Death, Orochimaru himself—one of Konoha's legendary Sannin—had ambushed them just to get to Sasuke. Then, in the preliminary match, his opponent was the One-Tail Jinchuriki, who ended up destroying the entire exam venue.
To be honest, Naruto felt his luck wasn't very good.
"Is that so?"
Hanabi stopped in her tracks. "My sister was eliminated by our cousin, Neji," she asked softly. "That means she won't have a chance to be promoted this time, right?"
"Probably."
Naruto hesitated for a moment before nodding. "But it doesn't matter. It's not like that guy Neji has a chance to be promoted, either."
"Huh?"
The little girl with the Byakugan looked at him in confusion. "Father said that Neji is the most talented ninja in our entire clan. He should be able to..."
"Because he's up against me." Naruto paused and clenched his fist. "That guy Neji looks strong, and he might win against someone like Shikamaru, but he's been paired with me."
Hanabi Hyuga was silent.
To be honest, the little girl didn't know if Naruto was praising himself or just mocking Neji and Shikamaru Nara. Her sister's classmate certainly had a wild style.
"That's not possible. The Hyuga are the strongest clan in the village." Hanabi shook her head, her small face full of stubborn confidence. "Every ninja in our clan will become a Jonin. I don't think you can defeat Neji. He has the strongest Byakugan bloodline!"
Her father, Hiashi Hyuga, often spoke of the Hyuga clan's achievements, and his words were deeply ingrained in the little girl's heart. She was very proud.
And it wasn't an empty boast. With the Byakugan's reconnaissance ability and the clan's natural aptitude for learning, most Hyuga members were promoted to Jonin after becoming adults. For example, Natsu Hyuga, who was assigned to protect Hanabi, was a Konoha Jonin. This was the foundation of a noble clan.
Unfortunately, the person standing before Hanabi didn't really believe in noble bloodlines, mostly because Naruto didn't have "such a thing".
"Uh, let's be a little more rational..." The blond genin scratched his hair and spread his hands helplessly. "Telling others you're the strongest is one thing, but why lie to yourself?"
He, at least, was very clear on this.
His teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, was once a young master of a noble Konoha clan. The Uchiha were even known as the number one clan in the ninja world, possessing the powerful Sharingan bloodline. And the result?
The so-called "number one clan" was wiped out by Sasuke's older brother, Itachi, leaving Sasuke as the sole survivor.
As for whether the Uchiha could rise again... that was a tricky question. It didn't just depend on Sasuke's future achievements; it also depended on how many children he could have.
Hanabi felt a little annoyed listening to him. Did this person even know how to hold a conversation? Shouldn't he have said something like he'd long heard of the Hyuga clan's strength?
"How's Hinata?" Naruto looked at the pouting little girl and decided to change the subject to something he was more concerned about. "Is she okay?"
"If my sister wants to continue being a ninja..." Hanabi's face showed a hint of worry. "She might need to rest for a while. That's what the doctor ordered." Even if her father's influence made Hanabi less than respectful, Hinata was still her sister.
Truthfully, before Hiashi Hyuga began interfering in their lives, Hanabi had been very dependent on her older sister. But over the years, as her father favored her, Hanabi had come to dislike her sister's weakness. Or rather, she resented her for not fighting for herself. Hinata was the true heiress of the main house.
In this Chunin Exam, Hinata had actually dared to challenge their cousin, Neji, which made Hanabi's opinion of her change a little.
Of course, Hinata's taste in people was still questionable. This blond genin in front of her had a sharp tongue and a peculiar way of thinking. She couldn't see any traits that would attract a woman.
Upon entering the courtyard, Naruto finally saw Hinata. Her injuries weren't as serious as they had been during the exam, and she had clearly recovered a lot.
The girl sat on the wooden veranda, her feet dangling quietly in the air. She seemed silent and a little lonely. Even the exquisite view of the pond couldn't seem to make her happy. Only when a fish occasionally leaped from the water did a hint of surprise cross her face.
Naruto didn't want to disturb her mood. The blond-haired genin stood where he was, watching the scene. He even pulled Hanabi back, stopping her from going to wake her sister.
"Shh..." Naruto frowned, holding a finger to his lips. The little girl with the Byakugan frowned back but nodded helplessly and stood there with him.
Time passed, and the day grew late. The warmth in the courtyard faded, and a chill rose from the pond water.
Hinata supported herself on the floor and carefully stood up. As she turned to walk to her room, she noticed two figures of different heights standing not far away.
"Naruto? Hanabi?" Hinata's face gradually turned red, and she nervously wrung her fingers. "I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. How long have you been here?"
Hanabi couldn't help but frown. She really couldn't stand her sister's weakness. Their clan practiced the Gentle Fist, not so its members would have gentle personalities.
"Sister, what were you doing just sitting there?" Hanabi said with some dissatisfaction. "We've been standing here for..."
"Ha, not long," Naruto interrupted, scratching his hair. "Probably less than a few minutes."
"Naruto, I was being so rude," Hinata said, lowering her head with an apologetic expression.
-----
Bonus:
Hanabi: Why did you lie?
Naruto: Why are you so serious?
Hanabi: You lied! You lied to my sister! What are you trying to do?
Naruto: What could I possibly be trying to do?
Hanabi: Do you like her?
Naruto: No! Of course not! Don't talk nonsense!
Hanabi: You're flustered! You're totally flustered!
Naruto: Hey, with my charm...
Hanabi: I know, your charm isn't that great. You're not good enough for our Hyuga clan.
Naruto: No, I mean, with my charm, it's usually girls who are chasing after me...
Hanabi: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms