"Idiot Black-Frame Naruto, this is Hinata showing that she trusts you!"
Ino muttered under her breath.
"N-no… I don't…" Hinata poked her fingers together, extremely shy.
Ino shook her head. "Not honest at all. How about practicing in front of a mirror for a bit? If you can deny it without blushing or your heart racing, I'll believe you."
"Ino~"
How could Hinata still dare to argue?
She didn't even need a mirror—she knew her face was burning hot.
Still, every time she lifted her head to look at the black-framed giant screen and saw little Naruto's figure, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise.
Naruto-kun is really handsome~!
Sasuke isn't as handsome as Naruto-kun at all~!
"Sasuke isn't as handsome as Naruto, right~?"
"Isn't that what you're thinking?"
Hinata: "..."
Ino is so bad~!
["You should be done crying this time, right?"]
[Little Naruto looked helplessly at the Byakugan girl.]
[After thinking for a moment, he still reached out, resting his hand on his scarf.]
[But after hesitating for a second, he changed direction—]
[and instead used Hinata's own scarf to wipe away her tears.]
[Under Hinata's slightly confused gaze,]
[he carefully wiped her face with her scarf.]
["Alright, that's better—much prettier like this~."]
["Byakugan monster or whatever—they're just jealous that your eyes look nice."]
[Seeing that Hinata had stopped crying but was still staring at him without speaking,]
[little Naruto added, "You still remember the way home, right?"]
["Mm…" Hinata lowered her head slightly. Once she came back to her senses, she didn't dare keep staring at him like before.]
["Then that's good. You can head back on your own."]
[Little Naruto patted her on the shoulder and chuckled lightly.]
["You're strong. If you run into this kind of thing again, don't be afraid."]
["The more scared you are, the more they'll want to bully you."]
["Got it?"]
["Mm…" Hinata nodded gently.]
[But very quickly, she added in a tiny voice,]
["I… I'm scared…"]
["Scared?"]
[Little Naruto leaned closer—she was speaking too softly to hear clearly.]
["I'm scared that… if I run into you again, I'll bully you too."]
Seeing this scene, Temari froze.
Childhood memories surfaced in her mind.
Back then, there had been a really awful boy who always bullied her—
catching all kinds of strange insects just to scare her.
If only someone had stood up to protect me back then…
Thinking that, Temari looked at Hinata on the black-framed screen with clear envy.
["Haha~ alright, I should get going."]
[Little Naruto straightened up and waved at the girl whose cheeks were faintly red.]
["Um… thank you very much!" Hinata bowed deeply to him.]
["No big deal. See you." Little Naruto returned her a gentle smile.]
["Naruto… Naruto-kun… where are you going?"]
[Hinata didn't even know where she got the courage to ask.]
["I'm going to eat breakfast. Ichiraku Ramen is really good—I haven't been there in a while…"]
[Grrr—]
[Before little Naruto could finish speaking,]
[Hinata's stomach made an extremely cheerful sound.]
[In an instant, Hinata's cheeks turned red.]
["I… I…"]
["Want to go together?" Seeing this, little Naruto invited her.]
[He was just worrying about how to find an excuse to ask Hinata to help him buy useful books anyway.]
["I…" Hinata became hesitant again.]
[Little Naruto found it strange—last time, she hadn't been this shy.]
[Shaking his head, he stepped forward and grabbed Hinata's small hand.]
["Let's go. My treat."]
"Congratulations to Black-Frame Naruto—successfully obtaining a Byakugan little girl~!"
Ino lowered her voice and whispered into Hinata's ear.
Then, watching Hinata's originally pale cheeks visibly heat up,
Ino couldn't resist reaching out and kneading them.
Soft and squishy.
So cute~
The key point was—
Hinata's struggling looked more like shy resistance than real refusal.
It was completely irresistible.
Ino subconsciously glanced at Sakura.
"Back then, I definitely picked the wrong best friend. Mm, that must be it."
"What?" Sakura looked at her in confusion.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking—most of Black-Frame Naruto's money goes to us."
"After all, he always asks us to buy books for him, and often brings food over."
"So whenever his monthly allowance comes in, he hands it straight to us."
"This time, he probably kept a bit to go eat Ichiraku Ramen."
Sakura nodded. "That's true, but… he should've kept quite a lot. He'll definitely pack a portion for us."
Ino's eyes curved like crescent moons.
"No, no, Sakura—you seem to have missed a key point."
"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head slightly, unable to react immediately.
Ino stopped there.
Because she realized she might have gone too far.
Hinata's big eyes were already misting over.
That trace of black aura flashed again.
"Sorry, sorry, Hinata—I shouldn't have joked like that."
Hinata's reaction completely flustered Ino.
The black-framed screen continued.
["Naruto… Naruto-kun."]
["What is it?" little Naruto replied without turning around.]
["I… actually I…"]
[Before Hinata could finish, little Naruto turned back, smiling brightly at her.]
["We're here."]
[With that, he pulled Hinata into Ichiraku Ramen.]
["Uncle~!"]
["Ayame-nee~!"]
[Little Naruto called out.]
[Ayame, busy in the kitchen, immediately poked her head out.]
["Naruto~!"]
["You… eh?"]
[She was just about to ask what Naruto had been up to lately—]
[when she turned and noticed he'd brought another little girl with him.]
['She's still a child… she wouldn't understand yet, but his luck with girls is really something.']
["Hahaha, Naruto brought me a new customer again?"]
["Alright~!"]
["Since Naruto brought you, your first bowl is on the house!"]
["Eat as much as you want~!"]
[Teuchi then looked at little Naruto.]
["Same as usual?"]
["Mm~!"]
["Uncle Teuchi, two bowls of pork-bone ramen!"]
Two big pork bones were about to be slaughtered again.
["Coming right up!" Teuchi answered, turning around to start cooking.]
["Uncle Teuchi's ramen is really delicious~."]
["One bite, and you'll never forget the taste~!"]
[Hinata nodded softly.]
["Wait a moment—I'm going to find Ayame-nee. I'll be right back."]
[Little Naruto hadn't forgotten his main task—he still needed Ayame to help him buy vegetable seeds.]
[After little Naruto left,]
[Hinata smelled the rich broth, and her stomach let out another joyful sound.]
[Teuchi's ears twitched as he laughed.]
["Really hungry, huh?"]
["Don't worry—make sure you eat your fill. First time here, so your first bowl's free."]
[Teuchi's voice was very gentle.]
[But to Hinata, every word sounded like thunder.]
[She looked up shyly.]
["Uncle…"]
[Teuchi turned back with a smile.]
["What is it?"]
["Can I… really eat until I'm full?" Hinata lowered her head again, not daring to look at him.]
["Hahaha~!"]
["Of course—eat as much as you want!"]
["Don't judge Uncle by appearances—I'm one of the best ramen masters in the village!"]
["Mm~" Hinata gathered her courage and smiled sweetly at Teuchi.]
['This way, Naruto-kun won't feel troubled…']
['Uncle really is a good person~']
[Teuchi recognized Hinata as being from the Hyūga clan.]
[Of course, he didn't yet know that this adorable smile would become unforgettable for him.]
[Soon, little Naruto happily ran back.]
[The pork-bone ramen was ready.]
[One big bowl each.]
[Little Naruto's eyes lit up. He broke Hinata's disposable chopsticks for her, then immediately dug in.]
[Teuchi folded his arms, standing beside the two little ones, watching them with a slight smile.]
["Uncle, why have people on the streets been talking about… Uchiha, Uchiha lately? What are the Uchiha?"]
[Little Naruto suddenly asked between slurps.]
["They're the Konoha Police Force. They're decent people—just hot-tempered and a bit proud."]
["But every time they eat ramen here, they never dine and dash."]
["They even pay a bit more than other customers."]
[Teuchi thought for a moment and shared what he knew.]
[Then he reminded Naruto,]
["Naruto, don't listen to what others say. The people in the Police Force are good folks."]
["You don't need to be afraid of them either—they only arrest bad people."]
["Is that so?"]
["Uncle, you're amazing—totally different from everyone else~!"]
[Little Naruto appropriately put on an admiring look.]
[Teuchi's emotional value meter instantly filled, and he nodded proudly.]
[Just then—]
[A soft, timid voice interrupted them.]
["Um… I…"]
[Teuchi and little Naruto froze and turned their heads.]
[The bowl in front of Hinata—larger than her face—was empty!]
[Not a single drop of broth remained!]
[Even little Naruto usually needed quite a while to finish one bowl—]
[and if he drank the broth, his belly would end up round and full.]
["I… I…"]
[Hinata still didn't have the courage to say 'another bowl.']
[Grrr—]
[Her stomach volunteered and spoke for her.]
[Teuchi, little Naruto: !!!]
Everyone in the ninja world: "Huh?!"
Hyūga Hiashi beat his chest in deep regret.
"No wonder that child always…"
"I've truly failed as a father!"
"I never once let my own daughter eat until she was full!"
Such a waste of Hinata's talent—
long-term malnutrition.
Yamanaka Ino: "No wonder Hinata gets shy so easily—and even faints with steam coming out."
Terumī Mei: "So it's because of long-term malnutrition—hypoglycemia."
Hinata rolled her eyes and collapsed stiffly into Ino's arms.
Deceased. Do not mourn.
Sss—
Little Hanabi sucked in a sharp breath.
The next second, Hinata sat bolt upright, grabbed Hanabi, and covered her mouth.
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