Fwoosh…
Warm water evaporated into a light mist, floating in the air.
Naruto sat at a low table, across from Hinata, whose small face was flushed with happiness. Hyūga Aoba, leaning over, quietly poured tea nearby, adopting a humble posture, as was fitting for a branch family maid.
Yet, this submissive attitude didn't stem from a sense of duty. No, it was due to the immense psychological trauma Naruto had inflicted upon her. Coming from a traditional clan like the Hyūga, she had never been exposed to certain... experiences.
Naruto's demonic actions had left deep mental scars. That's why she was even more reserved in his presence. But in the eyes of the other clan members, this simply appeared as profound respect for the honored guest. She had even received praise from Hiashi for her impeccable service. Only Aoba knew what she truly endured in private.
Naruto, who had climbed the Hyūga compound wall, casually grabbed a pastry from the table and bit into it. Even without doing anything particular, simply sitting there and nibbling was enough to make Hinata overjoyed.
"Naruto-kun came to see me willingly..." This thought made her heart pound.
"Naruto-kun~, eat as much as you want~."
Hinata, her face scarlet, radiated joy.
The shadow that had weighed on her heart was chased away by Naruto's visit. All that mattered now was this simple happiness: He came for me.
"By the way, where are Aunt Hizuki and the others? I didn't see them when I climbed the wall," Naruto asked nonchalantly.
"Mom is at the hospital..." From Hinata's explanation, Naruto understood Hyūga Hizuki's current situation. This also proved one thing: without the Byakugan, it was impossible to monitor every corner of Konoha in real-time.
"I see..." If Hizuki was about to give birth, it meant her death was approaching. Indeed, shortly after giving birth to Hanabi, her condition had suddenly deteriorated, leading to an untimely end. To keep his promise to save Hinata's mother, Naruto had an idea: continue to perfect his jutsu.
He rubbed his hands to remove the crumbs, then took a sip of tea.
"Hinata, if possible, send Aoba to my place one of these days. There are some places I can't seem to clean..." Hinata, eyes shining with adoration, immediately accepted.
"Of course!"
Hyūga Aoba: "! " The poor branch family maid was distraught. She really didn't want to deal with Naruto anymore. But now, she had just been sold out by the young mistress of the main clan. With a heavy heart, she could only accept her fate.
As she was about to cry from anguish, Naruto exclaimed,
"Oops." Tea had spilled on his clothes. Hinata, slightly surprised, reacted immediately:
"Aoba, please accompany Naruto-kun to the washroom so he can wipe himself off."
For her, it was a simple matter of politeness, a natural reaction. But for Aoba, these words resonated like a death sentence.
Catching Naruto's half-closed gaze, where a mischievous glint shone, she understood. There was no escape. Her body stiff, she slowly rose from the tatami.
"Naruto-kun... This way..." In a barely audible voice, she guided him toward the washroom.
"Everything's fine~." Hinata watched Naruto walk away, her mind already busy imagining what would happen next: playing with him, training, maybe even keeping him for dinner…
Click.
The washroom door closed. Naruto approached the sink and turned on the tap.
"Naruto-sama, let me help you..." Aoba rushed to intervene, but Naruto grabbed her wrist with a force that took her breath away. His eyes, glowing with an unsettling light, made her freeze in place.
"You..." Naruto had taken advantage of the days yūgao and Nono were at his place to experiment. After many trials, he had finally found a promising lead.
"Yang Release + Kyūbi's chakra" fused to create a new power. When he used it directly on a human body, it caused uncontrollable reactions, as with yūgao . But in reality, everything also depended on... a certain liquid.
Through his experiments, Naruto had understood that it was possible to reduce the dose. The solution was simple: Instead of directly using his new power through contact, he had to draw inspiration from the injection of Hashirama's cells. Mix the Yang Release with milk, in the form of a jutsu. This was equivalent to a cell transfusion or the absorption of tailed beast flesh. The Yang Release amplified the effects of the milk immensely while filtering its properties, thus reducing the intensity of the reactions. Result: the person remained conscious, while receiving a "vital force infusion."
But were Hyūga clan members different from normal people? To find out, he had to experiment. And the maid Aoba was the perfect guinea pig.