Good times are always fleeting. Soon enough, Hatake Kusuo arrived at the entrance of the Hyuga compound with Hinata on his back.
"Alright, Hinata, you're home now," Kusuo said gently to the girl behind him.
"Mm," Hinata hummed in a small voice, sliding down from his back. From the corner of his eye, Kusuo could see a look of reluctance on her face.
He looked at the magnificent and imposing gate of the Hyuga clan, its high archway proclaiming its status as one of Konoha's great noble families.
"Do you remember? The first time we met," Kusuo said softly, letting the words carry them back into their memories.
That was two years ago. After transmigrating to this world, besides training as much as possible every day, Kusuo would wander around the village. His goal was none other than to find an opportunity to save Hinata, hoping to gain an advantage by being close to her from the start.
He never found that opportunity in the end. Instead, it was here, at the gate of the Hyuga compound, that the two children met for the first time.
It was a night of heavy snowfall. Hinata, who was being punished by her father for her performance in training, was forced to stand outside the gate. She stood there helplessly until she was discovered by Kusuo, who happened to be passing by.
It was also the New Year. The entire village was celebrating joyous reunions. Only little Hinata stood alone and helpless in the ice and snow.
When Kusuo saw her, he didn't say a word. He just grabbed her hand and started running.
Later, Hinata spent that New Year's Eve hiding in Kusuo's home. The two of them hid under the covers, listening to the sounds of the entire Hyuga clan searching for their young heiress. That thrilling and heart-pounding experience became deeply etched in Hinata's heart.
Hearing Kusuo bring up their childhood memories, a knowing smile bloomed on Hinata's face. That was the first time she had ever tasted the joy of freedom. It was a completely different feeling from being cooped up in a grand mansion, burdened by the immense pressure of countless people's expectations.
Just once was all it took. Hinata had fallen in love with that feeling.
Seeing the smile on Hinata's face, Kusuo's heart was moved. He suddenly wrapped his arms around the girl in front of him, pulling her into his embrace. The shy girl hadn't expected Kusuo to be so bold and her small mouth opened in surprise. Looking at her delicate lips, Kusuo ultimately couldn't bring himself to go further. Instead, he gently pecked her on the cheek.
Cradling her face, he whispered, "Go on in. It's getting late."
"Mm." Hinata shyly fidgeted, turning back to look at him every few steps as she walked through the Hyuga gate.
...
After the night of the Uchiha massacre, no other major incidents occurred in Konoha. Everything passed by quietly.
Another year, another final exam. This time, however, the students in the class had gone through more than a full year of study, and each had made considerable progress. They all had a much clearer understanding of their classmates' abilities.
"Sasuke! Don't you run away later! I'm definitely going to beat you!" The moment Naruto entered the classroom, he immediately started shouting at Sasuke.
"Tch." After this period of tempering, Sasuke's demeanor had grown colder and more solitary. He couldn't even be bothered to glance at Naruto's challenge.
"Haha! Coward!" Seeing this, Naruto wasn't discouraged at all; in fact, he became even more puffed up.
Sakura couldn't stand it anymore. She put her hands on her hips and yelled at Naruto, "Hmph! What's the point of always picking on Sasuke, Naruto? If you've got the guts, go challenge Kusuo!"
"I think you're the real coward!"
A young boy's pride is a fragile thing, easily provoked by the girl he has a crush on. Naruto instantly puffed up his chest as if he'd been injected with chicken blood.
"Who says I don't dare? I'll go challenge Kusuo to a duel right now!"
As luck would have it, Kusuo walked into the classroom at that very moment.
Naruto's eyes darted around, and he immediately rushed forward, swinging his fist to smash it into Kusuo's face.
Sasuke, seeing that Naruto actually dared to challenge Kusuo, pretended not to care on the surface, but his eyes were secretly watching intently.
POW!
Just as Naruto's fist was about to connect with Kusuo's face, the latter leaned slightly to the side.
Naruto went tumbling head over heels, landing flat on his face.
"Ow! That hurts!"
Watching Naruto on the ground, clutching his face in pain, Kusuo had a completely baffled look on his own. What's going on? Naruto ambushed me the second I walked in. To him, their speed was like watching a turtle crawl, so he had dodged with ease.
"Dammit!" Naruto's never-give-up personality kicked in. Having been so thoroughly embarrassed in front of the girl he liked, he had to get his dignity back immediately.
Pushing himself up with his hands, Naruto crouched on the ground, ready to pounce.
Thump.
A flick on the forehead knocked him on the head.
He looked up. It was that guy, Kusuo!
"Grrr!" Naruto snarled at Kusuo, making a fierce face before lunging at him again. But with a casual backhand, Kusuo grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, and tossed him aside.
After doing all this, Kusuo walked back to his seat as if nothing had happened, as if toying with Naruto was just something he did on a whim.
The girls in the class and those passing by who saw this scene had little stars sparkling in their eyes, whispering about how cool he was.
Hinata shyly looked at Kusuo's side profile. He was still so gentle, still so handsome.
A bitter taste filled Sasuke's heart.
A shadow clone! That was just a shadow clone!
If his shadow clone is already this strong, just what level has his real strength reached?! I want revenge, but I can't even beat a classmate. How can I possibly defeat that man?
Kusuo seemed to notice the subtle expression on Sasuke's face.
"Heh," he thought. "Using me as your goal... if you want to catch up to me, you're still a long, long way off."
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