Naruto reined himself in, releasing Hyuga Hinata's wrist. He tapped his toes, swiftly retreated, and put distance between himself and Hinata.
He frowned slightly.
He realized his killing intent was too strong.
Because Shadow Clones are relatively weak against attacks, when eliminating Goblins, they often resort to long-range shuriken throws or close-range assassinations, aiming for a single fatal blow.
In just a few days in the Underground City, he had already killed hundreds of Goblins.
"No choice, the Shadow Clones have killed too many Goblins these past few days. Others gradually practice through real combat, but I started with life-and-death killing, so I've somewhat developed this kind of combat instinct."
Naruto's thoughts stirred. Seeing Hinata close in, her hands burning with bright blue Chakra aura, she pushed her palms forward, striking at his chest, so he dodged and moved again.
Hinata pressed closer, striking with palms, or pointing at vital points, or sweeping with her hands, her small face looking very serious.
Naruto dodged left and right, always managing to avoid Hyuga Hinata's attacks.
Hyuga Hinata saw him with his hands behind his back and asked in confusion, "Naruto, why aren't you attacking?"
Naruto smiled and explained, "Because internal organs cannot be trained, so even the most powerful Ninja, if struck by Gentle Fist, it's often fatal."
"But the premise is to hit, isn't it?"
Hyuga Hinata's delicate brows furrowed.
She immediately understood Naruto's intention.
To train her Gentle Fist and improve her accuracy.
Naruto, while easily dodging attacks with his high agility, also trained Hinata.
"In close combat, when facing enemies with tough hides and strong defenses, you need to increase the penetration of your Chakra. But what do you do when you encounter an opponent like me, who is quick to react and highly agile? Think about your advantage!"
"Advantage?"
"What is my advantage..."
Hyuga Hinata attacked relentlessly, simultaneously pondering Naruto's words.
"As a member of the Hyuga Clan, the most formidable thing isn't Gentle Fist, but... Byakugan!"
Byakugan, activate!!
Hyuga Hinata's eyes snapped open, and several bulging veins appeared at the corners of her eyes.
Instantly, in her vision, Naruto seemed to be completely seen through, and she could clearly see the bright blue Chakra flowing along the meridians within his body.
"Yes, that's right."
Naruto saw Hinata activate Byakugan, nodded with satisfaction, and continued, "Observe the Chakra flow, predict the opponent's next move, and then strike preemptively to hit their body!"
Suddenly.
Hyuga Hinata noticed the Chakra in Naruto's left leg becoming more active and flowing faster, realizing he might move to the left. So, her point-strike hand, which was aimed directly ahead, changed direction without warning and poked to the left.
"Clap"
Naruto's right arm was struck by Hyuga Hinata.
The shimmering blue Chakra, like a long, sharp needle, pierced into the acupoint of his arm, acting like a pillar, blocking the Chakra flow in his right hand's meridians.
"I... I hit him?"
"That's great... I succeeded!"
Hyuga Hinata was stunned at first, then cheered happily.
Naruto smiled slightly at the sight, feeling that letting Hyuga Hinata hit him on purpose was completely worth it.
"Hinata has experienced too many setbacks since childhood; she needs success and encouragement," Naruto mused inwardly.
Hyuga Hinata was only happy for a moment.
She lowered her head and came before Naruto, asking in a self-reproaching and worried whisper, "Nar... Naruto... are you alright?"
"I'm fine, what could possibly happen to me!"
Naruto grinned, flexing his arm to show off his muscles.
Hyuga Hinata's cheeks flushed slightly. She hesitated, timidly reaching out her hand, wanting to roll up Naruto's sleeve, but feeling too shy to touch him, she said bashfully, "Let... let me see."
Naruto rolled up his sleeve, only to see a red, swollen circular mark on his arm, as if he had been bitten by a poisonous mosquito, though he didn't know when it appeared.
Hyuga Hinata's eyes showed distress, and she was full of self-reproach: "I'm sorry, I... I was too heavy-handed..."
"I know, it hurts a lot when you're hit by a Gentle Fist acupoint strike, it's like a needle deeply piercing into your flesh."
Seeing Hyuga Hinata so upset, Naruto raised his hand and placed it on Hyuga Hinata's head.
"Hmm?"
Naruto unceremoniously ruffled her short blue hair, smiling as he replied, "Hinata, I'm not that fragile, you know."
He remembered in the original story, when Hinata fought Hyuga Neji in the Chunin Exams, she was beaten terribly; the acupoint marks on her arms alone were dense, looking even more painful. What was this little bit of pain of his?
"Rub it for me."
Naruto straightened his arm and presented it to Hyuga Hinata.
"Mm... okay..."
Hyuga Hinata did not refuse. She lowered her head, blushing, and massaged the spot on Naruto's arm that had been hurt by the acupoint strike.
Lunch break passed quickly.
Naruto decided to train Hinata gradually, not rushing to increase the intensity. He enjoyed the leisurely time spent with Hinata even more, and while he was at it, he made sure Hinata's stomach was full, increasing her Chakra reserves, so he could train her into a true Byakugan Princess in the future!
Before afternoon classes, Naruto summoned a Shadow Clone.
He told Hinata that the Shadow Clone would attend class in his place, while his main body had other things to do.
If anything happened, Hinata could notify the Shadow Clone.
When the Shadow Clone dispersed autonomously, its memories would flow back, and the main body would naturally know.
...Goblin Slayer World, Border Town.
Adventurers' Guild.
The Counter Lady took out a bag of coins and a jade pendant, smiling as she said, "Congratulations, Mr. Naruto, you've successfully completed the quest. This is the client's reward."
"Also, your promotion application has been approved. You are now officially a Jade Rank Adventurer!"
Naruto casually put away the money bag, then picked up the jade pendant and put it around his neck.
A pop-up window appeared in his vision:
[Side Quest "I'm Not a Novice" Completed]
[Obtained 50 Exchange Coupons]
"What a young Jade Rank Adventurer. I heard he's only twelve."
"Hmph, what's so special about that? He got promoted by killing Goblins."
"Exactly, who can't eliminate Goblins? They're the weakest monsters."
Jade Rank adventurers are the backbone of the Adventurers' Guild, and currently, there's a bit of a gap in their ranks. The appearance of a new Jade Rank Adventurer naturally caught the attention of many.
"Who can't eliminate Goblins? If that's the case, then you go. Why are you still an Iron Rank Adventurer?"
"Everyone's dreaming unrealistic dreams, either wanting to slay a dragon or clamoring to defeat the Demon King, but I haven't seen anyone actually take action."
A sacred and melodious voice, like the sound of nature, rang out.
Unfortunately.
Such a beautiful voice was mocking them.
Through the open doors, a beautiful young woman with a graceful figure, wearing a sacred Priestess robe and holding a Balance Sword staff, appeared. She strode in with her long, beautiful legs, entering the Adventurers' Guild hall.
"It's Alicia!"
"I heard she left the Kane Adventurer Team."
"A Priestess of the supreme god, I wonder how sought after she is."
"Alicia, join our adventurer team! Our leader is a Silver-rank Adventurer."
"Join us! We have two Silver Rank powerhouses among our members!"
The adventurers swarmed forward, eagerly extending invitations.
"Sorry, I'm not interested at the moment."
After rejecting everyone, the Sword Saintess walked directly towards Naruto.