"Hinata, quickly thank Natsume."
Rinka patted Hinata's little head and pushed her forward a few steps, saying, "On the night of your birthday, if it weren't for him, you might have been in danger."
"Th... thank you."
Hinata glanced at Natsume, then quickly lowered her head, struggling to spit out the two words.
"Natsume, don't mind her. Hinata is just like that—quite shy."
Rinka gave an apologetic smile and said, "Perfect timing, you can try Auntie's cooking today."
She took out various food boxes and opened them, revealing quite exquisite dishes.
Natsume, wanting to take Hinata out to play, suggested a picnic outdoors.
Rinka was a bit puzzled, but since he was her benefactor, she naturally agreed to his request.
Not only did she agree, but she also cooked personally.
You have to know, after becoming the wife of the Hyuga clan's leader, she had never cooked for any man other than Hyuga Hiashi.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Natsume showed a sincere smile and said, "Auntie's cooking must be excellent."
"Try it first before you say that."
Rinka's lips curved up upon hearing this, clearly in a good mood.
"Okay."
Natsume picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of fatty meat, and tossed it into his mouth.
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"
Rinka watched him, asking with some anticipation.
"It's amazing!"
Natsume gave a thumbs up. "Auntie's cooking is the best among everyone I know."
"Such a sweet talker."
Rinka showed a gentle smile and said, "Eat as much as you want, don't be polite. Treat it like your own home."
She was the typical Yamato Nadeshiko type of woman.
Hinata clearly inherited her personality.
But she was the young lady of the main family.
Natsume ate quite happily.
The only pity was that there was no alone time with Hinata.
But it was clear her mood was good; a smile occasionally appeared on her face.
Natsume often caught her sneaking glances.
But when he looked back, she immediately lowered her head in shyness.
Rinka noticed the two's actions, smiled, and said nothing.
She had always worried that with Hinata's personality, it would be hard for her to make friends.
But now it seemed she did have friends.
She didn't think of it in terms of boy-girl relationships.
As the main family of the Hyuga clan, they basically married within the clan to preserve the bloodline.
It was very difficult for outsiders to marry in.
Natsume was the same.
Unless he became Hokage, then it might be possible.
If that really happened, Rinka wouldn't stop it, nor would she dare to.
"Brother Natsume, goodbye."
Hinata reluctantly waved her hand.
"See you next time."
Natsume winked, saying meaningfully.
Hinata immediately understood the hint, her face turning bright red, her small hands clutching her clothes, not daring to look at him.
With her appetite, she definitely wasn't full, so Natsume planned to go feed her again at night.
After saying goodbye to the mother and daughter, he returned home.
Opening the door, he didn't see Tsunade.
Natsume was puzzled and heard banging sounds from the courtyard.
He opened the window.
Tsunade was standing in front of a wooden stake, repeatedly attacking it with her fists.
Each punch created a trembling gust of wind.
But her usually gentle expression had become somewhat fierce.
Natsume narrowed his eyes slightly.
Something was wrong.
Having been adopted by Tsunade for nearly three years, he had never seen her exercise.
She was lazy, and it had no effect anyway.
Her strength had temporarily reached a bottleneck.
To improve, this kind of ordinary training was useless.
Natsume approached.
Tsunade continued without stopping, as if she hadn't noticed him.
She wasn't using ninjutsu or chakra in her training, just pure physical strength.
Perhaps because it had been going on for a while, she was sweating a lot, vaguely outlining her graceful body contours.
But Natsume was drawn to an even more beautiful sight.
Due to the exercise, Tsunade's skin was slightly flushed, her cheeks, neck, and collarbone glistening with a faint sheen of sweat, looking like a freshly washed peach that made one want to take a bite.
Natsume didn't disturb her.
After waiting about ten minutes, Tsunade stopped punching.
"Sis, are you tired?"
Natsume eagerly approached, not minding, and used his sleeve to wipe her sweat.
Tsunade subconsciously curved her lips, her brows slowly relaxing, and the bit of resentment in her heart dissipated like smoke.
"Were you happy today?"
"So-so."
Natsume answered casually, then asked, "Why didn't you come with us, Sis?"
"I can't always be by your side. Some things you have to do on your own."
Tsunade sighed inwardly and patted his head.
"Why not? I won't leave you, Sis."
Natsume moved his right hand down, brushing over her collarbone, wiping away the sweat beads.
Tsunade wanted to speak but stopped.
You're young now, so it's fine, but when you grow up, it's hard to predict.
Her face twisted for a moment, but in the end, she said nothing.
"Could it be that Sis doesn't want me anymore?"
Seeing she didn't answer, Natsume looked up, asking pitifully.
"What nonsense are you saying?"
Tsunade glared at him and said, "That's impossible."
"Oh."
Natsume hugged her tightly, sinking into her warmth, saying affectionately, "Then we'll never be apart."
Tsunade's body trembled upon hearing this.
A complex expression appeared on her face.
Being together forever was possible, but her identity was that of an adoptive mother, sister, or teacher.
Tsunade was certainly unconventional, but there were some boundaries she dared not cross.
She wasn't like Natsume, who had seen a lot in his previous life; her thinking was closer to that of ancient people.
"Alright."
Tsunade patted his little head and said, "I am all sweaty. Let go, I'm going to take a bath."
"Mm."
Natsume nodded.
He actually quite liked Tsunade's semi-transparent look from her slightly damp clothes.
Back in the living room, Natsume found himself with nothing to do.
He missed his beloved phone.
The sound of splashing water continued for a while.
With the sound of the door opening, Natsume subconsciously turned his head.
Tsunade emerged from the bathroom with wet hair, holding a dry towel.
Her usual style was twin tails, but now it was straight golden hair, giving her a different charm.
"Sis, let me help you."
Natsume quickly stood up and grabbed the dry towel.
Tsunade said nothing, letting him dry her hair.
"The Chunin Exams are in three months."
"Okay."
Natsume rubbed her golden hair, faintly smelling a fresh fragrance.
It might be shampoo, or perhaps her body.
"Inuzuka Hana will join you and Kabuto. You three are new teammates. For these three months, you can train together to build teamwork."
Tsunade's beautiful eyes reflected the TV screen as she said, "With your strength, passing the exam isn't hard. No need to worry too much."
Even without revealing Wood Release, Natsume had Jonin-level strength.
Kabuto and Inuzuka Hana weren't weak either; at least they wouldn't hold him back.
If they couldn't pass, Tsunade would suspect if Sarutobi Hiruzen was going senile.
Then, she'd have to go reason with him.
"I'll do my best."
Natsume patted his chest and said, "I guarantee everyone will know you trained a genius disciple."
A smile appeared on Tsunade's face as she said, "I doesn't lack fame. You three just ensure your safety."
…
While the two enjoyed their time, Jiraiya was very unhappy.
After returning to Konoha, he enjoyed the hot springs, ate at the red-light district, and then kept peeking at Naruto.
The more he watched, the more upset he felt.
He thought it would be heroic treatment, but it was worse than a dog's.
Poor living conditions, no one to care for him, and cold stares when he went out.
Jiraiya felt he had no face to see Naruto.
Because he had let down Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
He turned and asked someone else, finally understanding what kind of life Naruto had lived these three years.
Hokage's Office.
The door was rudely pushed open.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was rubbing his crystal ball, jumped in fright.
Who was this bold again?
"Jiraiya?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why did you suddenly come back?"
"Old man, what's going on with Naruto?"
Jiraiya didn't bother with pleasantries and questioned, "Why does everyone say he's the demon fox?"
"It was Danzo's doing."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile froze, gradually turning to regret. He explained, "After I found out, I ordered everyone not to discuss that Naruto is the demon fox."
"Couldn't you publicly reveal he's the Fourth Hokage's son?"
Jiraiya frowned and asked, "I don't want the villagers to misunderstand him like this."
He knew the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki needed secrecy, so he didn't mention it.
"Minato had great achievements, but he made too many enemies."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and said, "As his son, Naruto would be in danger. If it causes the Nine-Tails to rampage, the losses would outweigh the gains."
"..."
Jiraiya was silent for a moment, then said, "Let me take care of Naruto."
"No."
Sarutobi Hiruzen directly refused, his attitude extremely firm. "It's not time yet."
"I need a reason!"
Jiraiya met his gaze without fear.
"He's only three. Do you want to take him wandering the ninja world?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen countered, "Are you sure you can really take care of him?"
"..."
Jiraiya was speechless.
Finding the Child of Prophecy and the one who would destroy Mount Myoboku was obviously more important.
He really didn't have time to care for Naruto.
"Don't worry, Naruto's situation will change soon."
Sarutobi Hiruzen softened his tone and said, "I've already enrolled him in school. After he graduates, you can teach him."
PS: Bonus Chapter at 100 PS