They returned to their original spot.
Hinata saw them coming and felt relieved—nothing bad seemed to have happened.
"Yo, Hinata-chan, sorry if we took too long," said Naruto as he approached her.
Hinata shook her head. "No... I don't think it was that long," she replied softly.
Then Hinata stepped closer to Hanabi and whispered to her, "You... didn't do anything bad, right?"
Hanabi turned to look at her sister, who seemed anxious. "No, Sis. I didn't do anything... we just talked and came back," she answered casually.
Hearing that, Hinata felt a little relieved. She didn't want Naruto to be upset, and she certainly didn't want her beloved little sister involved in any trouble.
She turned to look at Naruto. "So... are we going to start?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, of course."
Naruto got into position, and so did Hinata, standing about two steps in front of him.
They were about to begin a training session, a taijutsu spar between them.
Just a few days ago, while Naruto was on his way home from training, he had accidentally seen Hinata practicing her punches.
...
"Hinata-chan," Naruto called out.
Hinata stopped her punches and turned. Her eyes widened. "Naruto-kun?"
Naruto nodded, dropped down from the tree, and walked toward her.
"Heh, what are you doing here?" he asked, though it was mostly small talk.
"I was just training myself," Hinata replied while looking down and fiddling with her fingers. Her voice was barely audible.
"Oh, I see. Then... what's that?" Naruto pointed at her eyes.
Hinata quickly turned away and deactivated her Byakugan.
"Eh, why'd you turn it off?" Naruto asked innocently.
His disappointed expression made Hinata feel guilty.
"Ah, no... I mean... alright," she stammered. "But please don't laugh at me..." she added softly.
"Alright."
Hinata closed her eyes for a moment and then—
Her eyes began to glow slightly, making her look breathtaking. Not much had changed, but her pupils looked denser.
Byakugan. This was the first time Naruto had seen it in person. Even though the differences weren't major, seeing it up close felt completely different.
Naruto's gaze shifted to the fine veins around her eyes. "This..." He reached out, intending to touch them.
But Hinata quickly stepped back to avoid him.
Naruto flinched. He realized he had acted carelessly. "Sorry, Hinata-chan," he said softly.
Hinata shook her head. "No, I'm sorry... I didn't mean—"
"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have been so thoughtless," Naruto interrupted, scratching his head.
They both fell silent. The mood grew awkward in an instant.
'What was I thinking? Stupid. How could I try to touch her just like that...' Naruto scolded himself.
Meanwhile...
'What now? Ugh, Hinata, what are you doing? Why did you dodge him? It was just a touch... yeah, just a touch... a touch?' Hinata blamed herself, then immediately blushed at her own thoughts.
"Um..."
"Ehh..."
They spoke at the same time.
"Ah, you go first, Hinata," Naruto offered.
"No... you go ahead, Naruto-kun..." Hinata shook her head.
Naruto looked at her. "So... it looks like you were training. Do you train here often?"
"No, it's my first time here," Hinata replied softly.
"Oh... that makes sense," Naruto murmured.
"Then why did you suddenly want to train here?" he asked again.
"I was just looking for a quiet place," Hinata answered.
Naruto stepped closer. He took both of Hinata's hands, and her cheeks immediately flushed.
"Naruto-kun..." she whispered.
Naruto observed her. Hinata, she was too weak to fight—not physically, but mentally. If she stayed like this, her growth might stall completely.
"Hinata, you know? You can't go on like this," Naruto said in a calm, soothing voice.
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
Naruto released her hands and gently cupped her cheek.
"Look at my eyes, Hinata. Look... face others directly when you speak. Do the same when you fight."
Hinata's eyes welled up. Her hands trembled, and so did her entire body.
"I... I can't, Naruto... I've tried so many times, but... I just can't!" Tears started to fall.
But Naruto smiled and hugged her gently, causing her to flinch a little.
"I know... that's why take it slow," Naruto wiped her tears, "and also, do it together with me."
Hinata broke down in tears. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Naruto's words weren't grand, but they struck her heart just right.
From that day on, the two of them trained together. Naruto had decided to train Hinata while also training himself.
...
"Hyakk!" Hinata shouted as she attacked. Her Byakugan was active, and all chakra flows were clearly visible to her.
Swushh.
Her gentle fist shot toward Naruto's chest.
Naruto easily dodged, grabbed her arm, and launched a straight jab toward her face.
Bughh.
Hinata blocked it. At the last second, she parried the blow with her palm.
As she tried to grab Naruto's arm, he quickly pulled back.
But Hinata didn't stop. She rushed after him and unleashed a flurry of punches.
Naruto evaded using pull-back footwork, occasionally parrying her strikes.
Since the rapid attacks weren't landing, Hinata suddenly launched a straight kick to Naruto's chest.
Bagghh.
Unfortunately, Naruto was fast enough to block it.
Seeing an opening, Naruto grabbed her leg and threw her far.
"Hey!" Hanabi shouted.
She had been watching everything, amazed by their movements—but when Naruto slammed her sister down, she couldn't stay quiet.
Naruto turned and gave her a smug grin.
Hanabi grew even more irritated.
"Ugh," Hinata began to get up. Her body ached all over, yet somehow she felt happy.
'Naruto... he believes in me... I have to give it everything I've got.'
Bushh!
Hinata dashed forward through the air and landed a punch right into Naruto's stomach.
Naruto was sent flying and crashed into a tree.
"Ah! Naruto-kun!" Hinata ran over to check on him in a panic.
But all she found was a tree trunk...
"There!" Hinata turned around. But—
Ptakk!
Her shoulder was struck from behind with a shotei uchi.
Hinata collapsed.
"You cheated," Naruto said plainly.
Hinata looked at him, then turned her eyes away. "Sorry..." she replied softly.
It had been a pure taijutsu match without chakra. She had already been allowed to use Byakugan. But in that moment, Hinata had used a chakra boost in her legs to land that kick.
Naruto sighed. "Well, whatever." He offered his hand.
Hinata hesitated, but then took it. "Thank you..." she said in her usual soft, sweet voice.
But in Naruto's eyes, she had made great progress over the past few days.
His heart felt warm. Seeing Hinata take a step forward like this made him unexpectedly happy.
"Alright then, let's head home."
"Yes, let's..."
They walked together toward the Hyuga compound.
On the way, the streets were quiet. Most of the stalls had closed, leaving behind a chilly atmosphere.
"Hey! Don't walk side by side!" Hanabi suddenly rushed in and stood between them, stopping them from getting too close.
Hinata and Naruto were surprised but let her be.
"Hanabi, what are you doing?" Naruto asked.
Hanabi snorted. "Obviously to keep a scumbag like you from getting near my sister."
"A scumbag, huh? Alright, come here—" Naruto reached for Hanabi.
But Hanabi dodged and immediately hugged her sister, pretending to seek protection.
"Sis, look! He's terrifying!" she said with an exaggerated scared expression.
Hinata instinctively pinched her with an annoyed look. "You~!"
"Ouch," Naruto rubbed the spot.
But then—
He suddenly remembered something and looked at Hinata in surprise.
Hinata too realized, and her entire body trembled in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had acted that way.
Meanwhile, Hanabi just watched them, completely confused.