[In Naruto's growth arc, love is also a very interesting theme. In his younger days, the "love interest" faction mainly consisted of two sides: the Sakura faction and the Hinata faction. For a while, the Sakura faction even managed to overshadow the Hinata faction.]
[But after a particular battle, the Sakura faction was completely wiped out, and Hinata won a decisive victory. After that, the position of the "Female Lead" was never shaken again.]
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Training Ground]
The three members of Team 7, who had been scuffling moments ago, suddenly froze. Sakura tossed Sasuke and Naruto aside (ignoring their pained grimaces), her face flushed crimson, and she pointed at the Sky Screen, shouting.
"Hey, hey, hey! What nonsense is this thing saying?! I've never liked Naruto! What 'Sakura faction'?! There's no such thing!!!"
"And I don't care about being some 'Female Lead'!" Sakura stomped her foot in frustration, leaving a small crater in the ground.
She didn't understand. The screen had already said that Hinata would be Naruto's future wife, so why was it teasing her now?
Besides, she had never liked Naruto. Not in the past, not in the present, and not in the future.
Still… Sakura was also curious. Given how dense Naruto was now, how on earth would he end up falling for Hinata?
She simply couldn't picture Naruto pursuing Hinata.
But then, some mental images popped into her head, and she shuddered.
Nearby, Naruto sat on the ground, chin resting on his hands, clearly also curious about what the Sky Screen was saying.
After seeing so many versions of his future self, he didn't feel as much rejection toward his original fate anymore.
Sasuke sat beside Naruto, yawning. Though he usually had no interest in matters of romance, now that Naruto was involved, he perked up a bit.
"Dead-last, seems like you're quite popular."
Naruto scratched his head. "Hehe, really?"
---
[Hyūga Clan Grounds]
Hiashi looked at the screen with a displeased expression.
Even though the suitor was the son of the Fourth Hokage and likely the future Seventh Hokage, he still wasn't happy.
No father was ever thrilled about someone "taking" his daughter.
If it weren't for the fact that this kid could break Hinata's "caged bird" fate… well, forget being Hokage—he might not have agreed at all.
However, when he glanced at Hinata, who was sitting nearby with her face already bright red, the corner of his eye began to twitch.
Her face was so red that it looked like it might start steaming. She had her head lowered, her hands fidgeting, and she looked utterly boiled.
"Hinata." Hiashi spoke.
"Y-yes, Father!" Hinata snapped her head up, her voice trembling.
Hiashi opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, he just sighed: "…Nothing."
Sigh, a grown up daughter was hard for a father to control.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina perked up excitedly the moment she heard the Sky Screen's content, instantly forgetting her earlier sorrow.
"Ho ho ho!" She put her hands on her hips, her eyes squinting with a smile.
"As expected of my Naruto. Even though he was bullied, he's still so popular. 'Sakura'? 'Hinata'? People fighting over him… Ahahahaha!"
Minato also nodded proudly, feeling that Naruto had inherited his own suave demeanor.
"Hmm. I feel like Naruto has some of my old charm."
Kushina's laughter abruptly stopped. She turned to look at Minato, her eyes turning dangerous: "Oh? 'Old charm,' you say? Minato, it seems you're still living in the past."
Minato's smile froze on his face: "Uh… Kushina, that's not what I meant…"
"Then what do you mean?"
"I mean... Naruto... he inherited my..."
"Inherited your what? Your talent for attracting bees and butterflies?"
"No, no, I meant he inherited my excellence..."
Kushina snorted, "Better be that way."
Minato wiped away the cold sweat, not daring to speak again.
Just then, the scene on the screen shifted.
It showed Konoha. When the people of the Shinobi World realized what they were seeing, they recognized it as the aftermath of Pain's Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push).
Ruins and rubble as far as the eye could see. Total devastation.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hokage Office]
Tsunade and Hiruzen, who had been joking around moments ago, immediately sat up straight, their eyes fixed on the screen.
Tsunade's expression was grim. "Is that... when Pain attacked Konoha?"
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and nodded slowly.
"It should be. The screen showed a brief glimpse of it before."
---
Land of Rain, atop a tower.
Nagato, who had been emotionally unmoved by Naruto's childhood, narrowed his eyes.
He hadn't expected the Sky Screen, which had been discussing Naruto's love life, to suddenly shift to a scene of his future self in Konoha. And this was clearly the aftermath of his Shinra Tensei.
But... had his plan to personally capture the Nine-Tails succeeded?
Nagato stared at the Sky Screen, waiting for the answer.
When the image cleared, Naruto—wearing a red cloak—was shown pinned to the ground by Tendo Pain. Black rods pierced his body, and both his hands were impaled, blood flowing freely.
Yet even so, Naruto remained defiant, staring indifferently at Tendo Pain.
---
[Konoha, Year 50. Hokage Office]
Kushina's smile vanished instantly. She stared at the blood-soaked Naruto on the screen, her hands clenched tightly together.
"Naruto... why is his fate always so cruel?"
Minato's expression also darkened. He looked at Tendo Pain standing opposite Naruto, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Hyūga Clan Grounds]
Hinata's heart instantly tightened. Watching Naruto on the screen, impaled by black rods, her eyes reddened.
"Naruto-kun..."
Hiashi noticed his daughter's distress and gently patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. The screen already said Naruto will become Hokage. He won't die here."
Hinata nodded, but the worry in her eyes refused to fade.
---
"I guess I'll be taking you now..."
Pain spoke calmly on the screen, his left hand spreading its five fingers, about to unleash the next Jutsu to finish Naruto.
Just as Kushina and the others' hearts were about to stop, a figure appeared, sprinting toward Pain.
"Ha!"
When the people saw who it was, they were stunned—it was Hyūga Hinata!
On the screen, she leaped high and struck toward Pain.
But the gap in strength was too great. Pain casually stepped back, easily dodging the attack, while Hinata's fist slammed a massive crater into the ground.
---
[Konoha, Year 60. Location of Team 3]
Neji was stunned.
Was this still the same Hinata he knew—the delicate, weak young lady of the main branch?
The girl who whispered, blushed easily, and spoke so softly—was she really the same person who just punched a crater into the ground and dared to attack Pain?
The Sky Screen had previously introduced Pain as the leader of the Akatsuki, a man capable of single-handedly destroying a Hidden Village. And judging by the scene, the village had already been leveled.
When no one else stepped forward, Hinata stood up for Naruto?
A complex light flickered through Neji's eyes. This young lady... seemed to be much braver than he imagined.
*****
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