Jaune spent the next hour diligently teaching Naruto every nuance of the Gon Freecss's Fishing Technique he had acquired, ensuring the boy fully internalized the skills of stealth and patience.
He showed Naruto how to clean the fish, how to make a small, smoke-free cooking fire, and how to preserve his catches.
Time flew quickly on the back of Hokage Mountain, marked only by Naruto's rapidly increasing competency.
Soon, the mission clock in Jaune's mind told him it was time to help the girl in need.
"Naruto, I have something else urgent to take care of in the village. Can you wait for me here?"
Jaune looked at the boy, who happily chewed on a piece of fish he had caught and cooked himself.
The relief was immense; there was no need for Naruto to scavenge inside trash bins ever again.
Jaune pressed the Gon Freecss's Fishing Rod into the boy's small hands.
"Keep this. It's yours now. And remember everything I taught you."
Naruto cradled the fishing rod, his face glowing with pride and appreciation.
He would treasure it his whole life.
"Yes! I will wait for you here, Arthur-san!"
Naruto wanted to go with him, but he knew if he went with Jaune, he might cause him a lot of trouble, just like the old woman had caused trouble earlier.
He settled for waiting patiently.
Jaune took to the air, pulling away from the mountain.
He immediately contacted Ciel.
He didn't know where to go to look for the girl; the village was enormous, easily comparable to a small city.
[Please head in that direction. It should be a playground near the central academy district.]
As Jaune flew, soft, large flakes of snow started to fall, dusting the rooftops and trees with white.
Jaune possessed a God Physical Body, so he felt no genuine cold, but the sight of the snow made him realize the brutal reality of the seasons.
"I should go back and give Naruto some clothes first,"
He said instantly, worried about the boy shivering through the night.
[Ciel advises against returning. Inside the boy's body resides the Nine-Tails Demon Fox. Its spiritual and physical energy—its immense Chakra—provides a natural, formidable resistance. His body could withstand the cold easily.]
Jaune was shocked.
This was the first time he had heard such a fundamental piece of information from Ciel.
"Why didn't you tell me about that first?"
[The system predicted the host's actions. Even if the host knew about the threat within the boy, the host would still help him and prioritize his immediate survival. Therefore, the system did not think it would be necessary to inform the host of the long-term containment protocol.]
Jaune sighed, frustration mixing with the adrenaline of the mission.
"At least tell me so I can be prepared if something goes wrong, or if I accidentally put him in danger."
[Noted. The system will prioritize all immediately relevant threat information.]
Jaune flew toward the playground. He saw a girl around the same age as Naruto was being picked on by several older children.
She was backed against a chain-link fence, silently sobbing.
They called her "white-eyes freak," referencing her unusual, pale-eyed appearance.
Jaune had been bullied before—not physically, but by the relentless critique of his lack of skill.
He knew how the helpless, sinking feeling the girl must have felt.
He didn't waste any more time. He landed on the roof of a nearby building to remain concealed, then began rapidly gathering the fresh snow.
Using the precise motor control granted by his God Physical Body, he began launching perfectly formed snowballs with devastating accuracy and speed.
THWACK! THUD! WHAP!
The bullies were shocked that someone was pelting them.
"Who are you! Why are you throwing snow at us!"
One boy yelled, rubbing his stinging ear.
"Ouch! Stop!"
They complained, but Jaune didn't listen.
He controlled his throwing strength meticulously; the hits hurt when they connected, ensuring they felt stinging pain, but not enough to cause serious, lasting injury.
They quickly decided the invisible attacker was a strange ghost, and they scattered, abandoning the girl.
Jaune dropped down onto the playground.
He approached the girl, who was still silently sobbing, her small body shaking.
She looked up at him, her pale eyes wide with fear.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Jaune asked, his voice gentle.
"I—I am okay. Please don't mind me…"
She whispered, trying to shrink away.
Jaune shook his head and asked where her parents were.
"M—My dad is busy with work. And my mom is sick…"
Jaune felt a wave of sympathy. He instantly suspected her mother might just be suffering due to the pervasive cold or the general hardships of the slums.
[Mission: Protect a girl in trouble completed. Reward: 5 mcc successfully transferred to Host's account. Current Balance: 8 mcc.]
He had earned his currency, but his generosity had already been sparked.
He looked at his pitiful copper coin balance, then back at the little girl.
"Ciel, give me a bottle of Red Potion."
The potion materialized in his hand.
He gave the vial to the girl.
"Take this potion. Give it to your mother, and she will get better! Don't cry anymore! My name is Jaune Arc. What is yours, little miss?"
The girl, rubbing her eyes with a mittened hand, stared at the bright red potion in confusion.
She didn't know if she should accept a strange bottle from a stranger.
But seeing the genuine kindness and concern in his face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"M—My name is Hyūga Hinata… Thank you for helping me, Jaune-san."
She managed to pronounce his name better than Naruto had.
She carefully accepted the potion.
Just then, a sudden, swift shadow fell over the playground.
A tall figure clad in the traditional garb of the Hyūga Clan appeared, moving with silent, lethal speed.
He quickly scooped up Hinata to bring her back home.
Jaune immediately felt the cold, palpable hostility radiating from the man.
It wasn't the blind hatred of the thugs, but the wary, possessive suspicion of a powerful guardian.
The man's pale, veined eyes—identical to Hinata's—flickered briefly to Jaune, assessing him as a potential threat before instantly disappearing with the girl.
Jaune shook his head. He had done all he could.
He decided to go back to Naruto, but he paused.
"Ciel, how long can I safely stay in this world after the mission?"
[As long as the host wants. However, if the host stays in this world for too long, the system's protective overlay may degrade. There might be some people—specifically those with acute sensory or prophetic abilities—who may become suspicious of the host and come to make trouble. The system was only designed to protect the host from being too exposed to this world's fate during the mission phase.]
Jaune didn't quite understand the "exposed to this world's fate" part, but he could tell he shouldn't linger.
He still had a severe shortage of currency back home.
He flew quickly back to the mountain, finding Naruto exactly where he had left him, patiently tending to his small stack of fish.