In Konoha, Naruto lies down

"His soul was incredibly tall, like a mountain. I don't know why... I couldn't look directly at it. I was also shocked at the time."

Tsunade tapped the table, remaining silent.

.......

Naruto hadn't thought summoning a slug would be so easy. Whistling and holding an umbrella, he walked home. The new year had begun, and it was probably another endless cycle of missions and quests.

Such a life cannot be said to be monotonous, nor does he hate such a life.

More importantly, his training speed wasn't particularly fast. Aside from the Rasengan and Taijutsu, his power almost entirely came from the system, and completing missions actually made it easier to trigger system options.

If one had to say what his talent was, it was probably his ability to train tailed beasts. He even felt that it was precisely because of this talent that he was able to learn summoning techniques so quickly.

"Oh no! Will I become a trainer in the Naruto world in the future?" Naruto muttered to himself.

"This is not okay!"

Back at 404 Konoha Street, Naruto shook his umbrella and glanced back at the half-closed furniture store. He stomped his feet twice on the wet stairs and slowly went upstairs.

There were no lights in the hallway, but Naruto didn't care since he was the only resident. In the dim afternoon light, the open-air corridor was covered in mist and rain.

After the New Year comes the long rainy season, which usually lasts about half a month.

He didn't pay much attention to it, and took out the key and was about to open the door. Suddenly, he found someone standing at the door, and he was startled.

The man was small, holding an umbrella in his hand, standing timidly by the door.

Naruto suddenly recalled some bad memories, but he still walked over tentatively and asked.

"Hinata, why are you here?"

"I..." Hinata was speechless for a long time.

This actually made Naruto feel relieved. He had thought that old thief Danzo had done something terrible again and was waiting for him here. If something like that happened again, it would not end so well.

It's not that he doesn't have a temper, but Izanagi, who is now afraid of the old dog Danzo, has not yet considered seeking revenge. As for the idea of ​​being concerned about the village, it's a complete joke.

There were only a handful of people in this village who he had any affection for. Fortunately, he traveled through time relatively late; if he had traveled a few years earlier, Konoha would have been undergoing a massive Impure World Reincarnation.

Hinata's hair was damp, and she stuttered, not knowing what to say. She couldn't just say that she had no missions and no desire to train, so she'd been feeling down all night and wandered around all night, coming here.

Three months ago, she couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere and left suddenly, but now she is back.

"What's wrong with you?" Naruto had already opened the apartment door with his key and turned around to ask.

Chapter 177 Raising Hinata

Hinata bit her lower lip. She was wearing a thick winter coat, with a few rain stains on her left arm. She clutched an umbrella tightly, the joints between her fingers turning pale.

In the dim light, her face could not be seen clearly.

Naruto couldn't guess Hinata's thoughts for a moment, thinking that something had happened. He pushed the door open and immediately found the switch beside the door, opening it with a click.

Bright yellow light shone out from the entrance, illuminating a square-sized area in the corridor. Hinata stood there in a daze without saying a word, looking very pitiful.

"Hinata?" he asked again.

"Yesterday..." Hinata lowered her head and suddenly spoke in a low voice, her voice very soft.

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Naruto said after thinking for a while, "I ran into your sister at the snack street yesterday. She said you were quite busy recently."

"It's really hard to go on a mission, Hinata..."

Hearing the familiar tone, she felt a sudden lump in her stomach. It was as if a dam had burst somewhere in her heart, and the emotions that had been accumulating for three months burst out completely, with no way to contain them.

"You asked Hanabi to say hello yesterday. I'm actually...I'm not okay at all. I'm getting more and more sad."

Hinata raised her head, but still couldn't make eye contact. She looked at the bright area on the ground, and her gaze continued until it stopped at Naruto's toes.

Further back, a line of light and dark, dividing the main door from the corridor. It was raining outside, and downstairs was a furniture store that was about to go bankrupt.

There was silence all around, and the whistling wind was mixed with damp rain mist.

Naruto pursed his lips, without saying anything extra, he grabbed Hinata's wrist and pulled her into the entrance with a little force.

"Come in first and talk." he said.

Hinata seemed to be still in that state, with a confused look in her eyes. She was dragged into the entrance hall, and the door slammed shut, completely isolating the sound of rain outside the corridor.

The two people were bathed in bright yellow light, and a small area of ​​the brown shoe cabinet in the entrance reflected the light.

Naruto took some effort to take the umbrella from Hinata's hand. Her knuckles holding the umbrella were twisted pale, and it took a lot of effort to pry them open.

He stared at Hinata, and seeing that she still had no reaction, he was already stroking his chin, wondering whether to take off her shoes.

This seems... not so good.

Hinata suddenly came to her senses with a cry of "Ah", as if she had just realized that she had been pulled into the entrance hall. She fell back in shock. Fortunately, Naruto was quick-witted and grabbed her.

"I'm sorry, I just said something weird." She apologized softly.

"Come in and change your shoes first." Naruto didn't answer directly, but skillfully changed the subject, "Your clothes are wet, I'll help you dry them later."

Hinata was slightly stunned and quickly waved her hand to refuse.

"No, no! I just... I need to go now. Sorry for bothering you! I'm sorry."

With that, he gave a quick, shallow bow and turned to leave.

Naruto had long noticed that Hinata's condition was not right, so how could he let her go at this time? He grabbed her arm with a snap and made up an excuse.

"The door is broken."

"Huh?" Hinata didn't understand.

"I closed the door too hard just now and it's broken!" Naruto said with a little embarrassment, "Anyway, change your shoes first. I'll find some tools to fix it later."

Hinata couldn't argue with Naruto, so she had to agree in a soft and gentle voice.

"Naruto-kun, you... aren't you going to fix the door?" Hinata was changing her shoes. When she looked up, she found that it was Naruto who was staring at her feet.

Suddenly I felt a little embarrassed and blushed.

"The door can be fixed anytime. I just saw that your shoes seemed to be wet, so I was a little worried." He said seriously, but he didn't intend to look away.

"That..." Hinata's face turned completely red. Although she was just taking off her shoes, Naruto's gaze always made her feel like she was about to lose something important.

So weird!

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked without even looking up.

"Naruto-kun...can you please stop looking at me?" Hinata said weakly, trying to struggle.

"I didn't see you. There seems to be something wrong with the floor in the entrance hall. I have to fix it another day." Naruto waved his hand and said, "It's okay, you go ahead and do your thing."

Hinata blushed terribly at Naruto's almost rogue words, but remained obedient. She thought to herself, if Naruto-kun likes to watch, then he can watch.

Anyway, anyway...it's just feet, at least there's something that people like.

He was not really shameless. After staring for a while, he left with satisfaction.

Returning to the kitchen, he skillfully boiled water and opened the window. He opened the balcony glass door to a gap as wide as his forearm. As he passed by the sofa, he placed a thin blanket over Ninetales, completely covering it.

Kyuubi actually didn't have that much temper. After being woken up by a piece of cloth, he just stuck his head out and looked around. Seeing Hinata sitting stiffly on the sofa, he immediately shrank back and continued to sleep.

Oh, stupid humans.

so boring.

Naruto poured a cup of hot water and asked Hinata to cover it with her hands.

"What about the clothes?"

Hinata grumbled and hesitated for a moment, then obediently took off her coat and handed it to Naruto. Naruto took it and hung it aside without rushing to dry it.

He had to figure out one thing: what did Hinata mean when she said she wasn't having a good time?

However, Naruto didn't ask directly. He knew that Hinata was a good person in every way except that she was too closed-minded. When encountering problems, her first reaction was to hide or endure it silently.

She was so timid that even Naruto found it a little outrageous. After all, she was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga family, from a legitimate main family, and was not bound by the constraints of a caged bird.

If I had this identity, let alone being treated harshly by Hinata Hiashi, if I couldn't make Hinata Hiashi have a heart attack, I would be considered a loser.

Is the eldest lady still going to endure this kind of bullshit?

Although Naruto guessed part of the source of Hinata's stress, he couldn't say to her face that the old man, Hinata's father, was a piece of shit!

Especially at this time, language art is particularly important.

"Have you been under too much pressure lately?" He chose his words carefully. "If you have any trouble, you can tell me."

"No." Hinata shrank back and said in a low voice.

"Are you sure?" Naruto frowned, looking at the stubborn Hinata, "It's a bit unfair that you're even on guard against a law-abiding villager like me."

"Ah?" Hinata didn't understand what Naruto said and trembled slightly. "I... I'm just a little unhappy. It will be fine in a few days. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough."

"Huh? What does this have to do with hard work?" He frowned slightly, stood up and sat directly next to Hinata.

"Eh? It should...it should be related, right?" Hinata leaned back slightly, "If I can try harder, maybe..."

"Just what?" Naruto took the opportunity to strike. He knew Hinata's personality very well. If he didn't ask immediately, it would be better not to ask at all! The more it was at a time like this, the better to get to the bottom of it!

"Just...just become stronger." Hinata said hesitantly, her voice getting lower and lower.

"That's not certain. If hard work is effective, then what's the point of having a teacher?" Naruto retorted bluntly. "Besides, everyone's foundation and talents are different, so we don't have to use the same standards to measure them."

"That's what I said..." Hinata was a little flustered and didn't know what to say.

"That's not the truth, it's just the way it is." Naruto sighed, reached out and patted Hinata on the head and said, "Tell me what your strengths are?"

"...Eyes." Hinata said cautiously.

"You know it's the eyes. The last time I saw you training, you kept holding on to the soft fist." Naruto said, "Although it may be cruel to say this, not everyone is a genius like Hyuga Neji."

Hinata lowered her head upon hearing this.

"But Hinata, you are different from Hyuga Neji." At this point, Naruto suddenly lowered his voice. Even though there were only two people in the living room, he pulled Hinata over.

As if afraid that others might hear, he whispered in her ear.

"If you practice the Byakugan, you might be even more powerful than Hyuga Neji. There's no need to keep clinging to the Gentle Fist. If you keep insisting on following someone else's path, it's easy to lose yourself."

Hinata was so nervous that she froze in place, unable to move.

The warm breath kept circling around her ears, and every word hit her heart like a heavy hammer. She opened her eyes wide and her nerves were trembling.

In particular, before Naruto moved away from Hinata, he deliberately sniffed her with his nose. The tiny movement did not escape Hinata's perception, making her cheeks blush.

"I...I know."

She wanted to tell him that she had come early and waited there for a long time, her heart as wet as rain. Her father didn't care about her at all, and the family kept their distance from her.

When it comes to cultivation, no matter how she practices, she will always be the one with the worst aptitude.

Even the person she loved was snatched away from her. It was as if the whole world was against her. Nothing was going smoothly, and there was no hope for the future.

But the words are on the tip of my tongue and I can’t say them. No one will easily express their troubles. Some words go around in my mind for a while, and when I return to them, I’m already halfway through.

"That's good. Are you hungry?" Naruto stood up and prepared to help her dry the clothes, but suddenly turned around and asked.

"Not hungry." Hinata shook her head.

......

"Two servings of takoyaki, and two more..." After reading out a bunch of dish names, Naruto suddenly turned around and looked at Hinata who was sitting there obediently, narrowing his eyes.

I guess you won’t be full just by ordering these.

Fortunately, all my money is in the sealed space, and Hinata's appetite won't bankrupt me. So I'll just eat at a different restaurant. Since I'm here, I should at least feed her.

After changing to the third store, Hinata felt a little embarrassed. She glanced at Naruto, who was almost rolling his eyes, and whispered.

"Or, let's just stop here. I want to go back."

"No!" Naruto coughed, patted his chest violently, and swallowed the octopus ball, "I'm fine!"

Chapter 178 Xue Ji Ninja Technique

Eating with a girl is a mystery. Some people have a BBQ by the sea at night. Some people go to three rounds in a row, and then collapse unconscious in the arms of a girl.

Fortunately, thanks to the protagonist's halo, he managed to save his life.

"Naruto-kun, let's go back." Hinata was already crying. She was really afraid that Naruto would die in front of her, or in such a hasty way as dying of starvation.