Hearing Naruto's words, Hanabi immediately leaped off the bench and trotted over to the two of them, a cheerful smile on her face.
"Okay!"
She responded crisply, and no sooner had she spoken than she unhesitatingly assumed the standard Gentle Fist starting stance. Then, with a shift of her body, she swiftly attacked Naruto.
This was completely different from her older sister Hinata's hesitation and shyness.
Hanabi's moves were sharp, her attacks decisive, without any sluggishness, carrying the spirit of a young calf unafraid of a tiger.
Naruto calmly blocked and dodged while carefully observing the patterns of Hanabi's Gentle Fist moves, secretly nodding in approval at the little girl's talent and courage.
To more clearly perceive Naruto's Chakra flow, the veins around Hanabi's eyes instantly bulged, revealing the Hyuga Clan's Bloodline Limit—the Byakugan!
Under the Byakugan's vision, Naruto's complex circulatory system was instantly exposed, with blue Chakra slowly flowing within it.
After seeing the Chakra flow in Naruto's meridians, Hanabi's attacks became more targeted.
Her sharp palm strikes aimed directly at Naruto's Chakra points, attempting to seal his Chakra flow.
While defending, Naruto also clearly saw the concentrated, needle-sharp blue Chakra at Hanabi's fingertips.
Just as another of Hanabi's palms struck towards a vital point on his chest, he seized the opportunity, moved like lightning, and precisely grabbed Hanabi's wrist, stopping her offensive.
Hinata quietly came to the side of the training ground, watching Naruto and Hanabi's swift and fierce battle, understanding clearly.
Naruto-kun had definitely held back, but even so, her younger sister Hanabi, despite trying her best, couldn't land a blow on him.
And Hanabi's performance, whether it was her courage in battle, the decisiveness of her moves, or her use of the Byakugan, was indeed much better than her own.
This realization made Hinata's heart even more bitter.
As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's main family, she had been held to high expectations since childhood, receiving more and stricter education and training than Hanabi.
Her strict father and the heavy expectations of the entire clan were like two invisible mountains, pressing down on Hinata's tender shoulders, making her breathless and unable to even straighten her back.
Yet, she was inherently kind, even timid, and when sparring with her younger sister Hanabi during family training, she would always hesitate because she couldn't bear to strike hard, unable to display her true strength.
Her father Hiashi's attitude only made matters worse.
Hiashi often sighed in disappointment in front of Hinata, then turned to praise her younger sister Hanabi's talent and decisiveness.
Such a stark contrast and constant negation repeatedly struck at Hinata's already fragile self-confidence, making her even more timid and withdrawn in her training and interactions.
There was also a crucial, yet easily overlooked, reason.
Hinata was actually a big eater; her body required a lot of energy.
However, in the strictly regulated Hyuga household, especially in front of her father, she never dared to eat much. Each meal's portion had to be less than her father's, adhering to rigid etiquette.
This amount of food, far from meeting her body's needs, left her in a state of chronic energy deficiency.
How could a body that couldn't even get enough to eat sustain high-intensity training and fierce combat?
All of this together formed the heavy shackles that bound Hinata.
Soon, Hanabi, being still young, had limited stamina and Chakra. After a fierce assault, she felt exhausted, her small body swayed, and she looked like she was about to collapse.
Just before she fell, Naruto, quick as a flash, bent down and steadily supported her.
"That's enough for today, Hanabi. You're already very impressive."
Naruto praised her with a smile, then helped the somewhat exhausted Hanabi, whose face was still flushed with excitement, over to Hinata, who stood by the side of the field looking worried.
He looked at the two sisters, especially Hinata's still somewhat pale face, and offered a warm smile, extending an invitation: "You've been training for so long, and Hanabi must be tired. How about I treat you to dinner?"
He specifically added, "It's still early today, so we won't go to Ichiraku Ramen. I'll cook dinner myself today."
Hearing this, Hinata, who had instinctively wanted to decline, hesitated with the words on her lips, and finally gave a soft nod.
An indescribable mix of shyness and immense curiosity surged in her heart.
Naruto-kun... cooking himself?
Just imagining the scene made her heart feel a little sweet.
I... I'm really looking forward to it!
Naruto handed Hanabi over to Hinata, then quietly made hand signs to dispel the three remaining Shadow Clones at his home.
Hinata, supporting the still-shaky Hanabi, followed Naruto all the way to his home on the top floor of the apartment building.
The two sisters walked into the room somewhat reservedly, quietly observing the environment that was quite novel to them.
The furnishings here were simple, even austere, but surprisingly tidy, and items were arranged in an orderly fashion.
"Hinata, Hanabi, please sit on the sofa and wait for a moment."
Naruto said, skillfully opening the refrigerator. He first took out three bottles of milk and some steamed buns, then went into the kitchen to get busy.
Soon, sounds came from the kitchen.
Naruto first skillfully placed the milk and steamed buns on the steamer rack, then turned on the stove, covered the pot, and began preparing the actual dinner.
He took out a large piece of bright red, beautifully marbled Pork Loin from the refrigerator's cold storage, an ingredient he had specifically asked Teuchi-san from Ichiraku Ramen to help him buy through his supplier a few days ago.
Naruto knew very well that as a Ninja, with such a large amount of daily training, the body needed a lot of protein and energy; not eating meat was absolutely out of the question.
But the villagers wouldn't sell it to him.
With a swift motion, he cleaned the loin with flour, pounded it with a rolling pin, then cut it into finger-width strips, added cooking wine, salt, a little white pepper, and egg, and mixed it well.
He put it into a large bowl and set it aside.
Soon, he started preparing other dishes.
The two sisters sat quietly on the sofa; Hinata's hands were primly on her knees, while Hanabi curiously looked around the simple little home.
Not long after, an enticing, rich aroma of mixed oil and spices wafted out from the kitchen door.
"It smells so good, Big Sister!"
Hanabi vigorously sniffed with her small nose, her eyes sparkling, and she couldn't help but swallow, shaking Hinata's arm, a bit greedy for food.
Hinata also nodded gently. The scent filling the air unconsciously relaxed her previously nervous mood, and her heart was filled with even more anticipation for the upcoming dinner.