Naruto and Hiashi sat facing each other at the small dining table, the atmosphere heavy.
Hanabi and Hinata, meanwhile, had been confined to Naruto's room by Hiashi, who claimed he wanted to
"Is that so? Because the training was tough, you treated Hinata and Hanabi to a meal?"
Hiashi's face was stern, his Byakugan eyes fixed on Naruto without blinking, as if trying to see right through him.
"Naruto, you truly are a... gentle child."
His scrutinizing gaze was immensely oppressive, even making the Nine-Tailed in Naruto's Sealing Space uneasy, thrashing its tail restlessly in its cage: "This old man's Byakugan keeps staring, it's creepy.
Naruto, quickly think of a way to get rid of him!"
But Naruto's expression at this moment seemed unusually calm. He ignored the Nine-Tailed's complaints, merely nodding slightly and speaking in a tranquil tone: "You flatter me."
Hiashi's tone suddenly shifted, with a hint of probing: "I heard that not long ago, Naruto, you defeated the Uchiha in your class who had activated his Sharingan during a combat training session?"
He paused briefly, not giving Naruto time to think, then pressed on,
"With your strength, Naruto, you must have found it quite easy to spar with my daughters.
So, in your opinion... who do you think has more Ninja talent, Hinata or Hanabi?"
This question was extremely sharp.
Inside Naruto's room, Hanabi and Hinata, eavesdropping, unconsciously held their breath and perked up their ears, feeling both nervous and secretly anticipating Naruto's response.
"I believe Hinata's talent is very strong."
Naruto affirmed first, then immediately changed his tone, "However, she seems to... not eat enough at home. If she doesn't eat enough, her body won't have strength, and many talents naturally won't be able to manifest."
The implication was clear: forget about abstract things like talent for now; your large Hyuga Clan can't even feed its children, you need to address this first.
This indeed stunned Hiashi.
Upon hearing this, Hiashi's face showed a look of astonishment for the first time.
Hinata not eating enough? How could that be?
A girl of that age, her appetite was almost catching up to his, how could she not eat enough at home?
Seeing Hiashi's obvious disbelief, Naruto didn't argue further. He simply got up, walked into the kitchen, and then... under Hiashi's somewhat stunned gaze, brought out the two large bowls used for serving dishes and braised noodles, as well as the previous serving plates, placing them one by one on the table in front of Hiashi.
"The three of us just ate this much."
Naruto pointed to the empty containers, "And also eight steamed buns."
Hiashi looked at the pile of
His gaze swept back and forth between the two large bowls and plates, and an absurd thought uncontrollably emerged:
Naruto Uzumaki's house... actually has such large bowls?
Did I really not enter the Akimichi Clan's compound?
Looking at the empty
This ironclad fact hit him harder than any stern lecture.
He had never truly paid attention to his daughters' appetites before, merely adhering to rigid dining etiquette.
He slowly stood up, straightened his robes, and then, facing Naruto, a child he had previously not thought much of, he bowed deeply and solemnly.
"...I am truly sorry, I was negligent. You've seen my embarrassment."
His voice was low, carrying a hint of imperceptible regret and the awkwardness of a father who had failed in his duties.
"It's nothing, you don't have to do that."
Naruto immediately stood up to support Hiashi.
"Hinata, Hanabi, and I are friends. Friends should look out for each other."
But he didn't stop there. He looked at Hiashi and continued, his tone becoming serious: "However, I think Hinata's psychological problems seem even more serious than not eating enough."
He spoke bluntly, "As a father, Uncle, you should give her more encouragement and affirmation."
He looked at Hiashi's Byakugan, which had lost some of its sharpness, and shared his insight: "If a Ninja lacks the most basic self-confidence, then no matter how good her talent, even if she's well-fed, she definitely won't be able to unleash her full strength."
"Naruto-kun... could you elaborate on your thoughts?"
Hiashi's attitude had softened considerably. He slowly sat back in his chair, his tone no longer stern, but rather carrying a hint of seeking advice.
Naruto also withdrew his hand from the dishes, sat back in the chair opposite him, organized his thoughts, and said: "I feel that Hinata's basic training is very solid, her foundation is excellent. But..."
He carefully chose his words.
"The pressure she carries seems too great, and her personality is rather introverted, not good at expressing or releasing it. I imagine, Uncle Hiashi, and the Hyuga Clan, must have placed very high expectations on her, right?"
Hiashi heard this, fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Yes. Hinata is the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main Family, this is her inherent responsibility.
In the future, she must bear the heavy responsibility of leading the entire Hyuga Clan. Therefore, the demands and expectations placed on her by the clan are naturally very high."
Meanwhile, in Naruto's room, Hanabi, who had overheard her father's words, clearly felt her sister's breathing suddenly become heavy and rapid, and the hand holding hers unconsciously tightened, trembling slightly.
Hanabi instinctively squeezed her sister's cold hand back, looking up at her sister's profile, where she was biting her lower lip and trying to suppress her emotions.
Only at this moment did she truly feel how heavy that burden, named
Previously, she was still young and the second daughter, so most of the clan's attention and pressure were focused on the eldest daughter, Hinata, as the heir.
Although she knew her sister trained hard, she had never before so clearly realized that her sister alone had silently endured this immense, suffocating pressure from the entire clan.
"Sometimes, a person is like a bow."
Naruto used a simple analogy.
"If the bowstring is drawn too tight, too far, it can easily snap, ultimately damaging the bow and injuring the person.
Even many adult Ninja, after completing long-term missions outside the Village, know they need to relax appropriately to recover.
Hinata is still so young, why, Uncle... are you unwilling to give her some space to relax appropriately?"
Hiashi listened to Naruto's words and fell silent for a moment.
He naturally understood this simple principle, even more profoundly than Naruto.
However, the fundamental reason he was so strict with Hinata, even intentionally or unintentionally suppressing her confidence to make her seem