"I said stop!"
"Didn't you hear me?!"
Naruto stormed over, eyes burning with anger, and threw himself between Hinata and the boys. His small figure wasn't exactly threatening, but in that moment, to Hinata, he looked like a giant.
Like a real hero.
The boys paused. Their expressions twisted with irritation when they saw it was Naruto—the Naruto. Ever since the whole "son of a hero" thing came out, they were told not to mess with him. Parents' orders. The whispers about him being a monster had started to quiet down, even if the stares hadn't.
"Tch. Naruto? Why're you here?! We're not messing with you, alright?" one of them said, scowling. "You're the Hokage's son or whatever now. Just get out of the way!"
"Yeah!" another one snapped. "She's the freak here! Those creepy eyes! She's not normal like us!"
Naruto didn't move. He spread his arms wide, standing like a human shield in front of the frightened Hinata. "I don't care what you say. I won't let you touch her! If you wanna pick on someone, you'll have to go through me!"
He meant it, too.
Naruto knew what it felt like to be treated like garbage—like he didn't belong. That kind of loneliness didn't go away easily. So, when he saw someone else going through it, especially someone smaller and quieter, it hit him hard.
This wasn't about being a hero's kid. It was about not letting people like them do whatever they wanted.
The boys looked at each other, annoyed. None of them wanted to risk getting scolded at home for hurting Naruto. After a few more seconds of awkward silence and muttered complaints, they finally backed off and took off running through the trees.
The second they were gone, Naruto collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily.
He wasn't scared—just exhausted from all the extra training Toji had been putting him through lately. His legs felt like rubber.
Once he caught his breath, he turned to Hinata, still curled up on the ground. He crawled over and asked gently, "Hey, are you okay?"
Hinata's face turned bright red. Her eyes darted away from Naruto's, and she nodded shyly. "I-I'm okay…"
"Good." Naruto smiled, then offered his hand. "Come on, I'll help you up."
Hinata hesitated. Her cheeks were burning. But she finally reached out—and winced the second they touched.
"Ow!"
Naruto pulled back, alarmed. "What's wrong?"
"I-It's nothing… just a practice injury. It's not your fault."
She looked away again, shrinking a little.
Naruto didn't push. He didn't want to scare her off.
They started walking side by side, slowly making their way out of the woods. Naruto kept glancing over at her, trying to figure her out. She was so quiet. So… nervous.
Back in the original timeline—before everything changed—Naruto had gotten a little obsessed with Sakura. Mostly because she reminded him of himself in some weird way. But now, seeing Hinata like this… shy and scared and still standing strong even when things were hard, he felt something else.
He got it now.
And truthfully, the whole thing felt too perfect to be a coincidence.
Because it wasn't.
From up above, Toji had been watching everything through a summoned bird, arms crossed, hidden in a tree. And honestly? None of this surprised him.
It all made way too much sense now.
Why else would the Hyuga clan's heir end up alone in a shady part of the woods? Why else would some random brats happen to be nearby, just ready to bully someone? And why would Naruto of all people wander in and save her?
Yeah.
It was definitely Sarutobi Hiruzen's doing.
The guard was probably pulled away on purpose. Hinata, Naruto, and those dumb kids were all lured here, maybe with subtle Genjutsu. Classic "create a situation to forge a bond" move.
Toji shook his head with a sigh.
Manipulative old man.
Still… this time, he wasn't going to ruin it. In fact, he'd even give it a little push. Naruto making connections was part of the plan anyway.
He figured it was time for the protagonist to actually do something.
"Hey Naruto," Toji's voice echoed faintly in Naruto's head, "Didn't you say you wanted to make friends?"
Naruto blinked. "Yeah…?"
"Well, here's your chance. That girl you just saved? Talk to her."
Naruto hesitated. "But… she seems scared of me. I don't know how to be friends with someone like her."
"That's okay. Just be the first to take a step. You don't wait around for friends to show up. You make them."
That was enough for Naruto. He took a deep breath, turned to Hinata, and gave the biggest smile he could manage.
"Hey, my name's Naruto! Uzumaki you can just call me Naruto! What's your name?"
Hinata flinched, her fingers fidgeting in front of her.
"I-I'm Hinata… Hyuga Hinata."
Naruto's grin stretched wider. She actually answered!
"Nice to meet you, Hinata!" he said, practically bouncing in place. "So… wanna be friends?"
Hinata shyly glanced at him, then down at her hands. She poked her fingers together, and after a long, quiet moment, gave the tiniest nod.
"Mm-hmm."
Even though it was barely audible, Naruto caught it.
"YES!" he yelled, throwing an arm around her shoulder like they'd been buddies for years. "Then we can hang out and train and play and—"
Thud.
Hinata dropped like a stone.
Naruto panicked. "H-huh? H-Hey! Hinata?! Why'd you faint?!"
But she was out cold. Her face was beet red.
Toji, watching from afar, let out a quiet laugh.
Things were going well. Much better than in the original timeline.
But one bond wasn't enough. If Naruto was going to stand at the top one day and get everything he deserved, he needed more.
It was time to find the next target.