Year 55 of Konoha.
A year had passed since Naruto enrolled in the Ninja Academy.
(A/N: The timeline for the Uchiha Massacre is too vague, so let's just say it happened this year)
Training Ground 3.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
The sound of flesh colliding echoed continuously as two figures clashed repeatedly, their fists and palms meeting in rapid succession.
Facing Naruto's defense, Hinata had already unleashed sixteen consecutive palm strikes. Despite her heavy breathing, she gritted her teeth and persisted, her movements fluid and precise, showing no signs of faltering.
And watching Naruto and Hinata fighting constantly, Sasuke, who was sitting on the side, had a cold face, secretly curled his lips, and his eyes were full of dissatisfaction.
He couldn't help but mutter, "Why does Naruto always spend so much time with that girl?"
"Sasuke, Hinata-sama beat you last time. If you're bored, we can spar."
Neji, who is sitting nearby, noticed Sasuke's displeasure and found it somewhat amusing. 'Sasuke seemed to have a strange attachment to Naruto.'
This past year had brought significant changes to Neji as well. In the past, he had harbored resentment toward Hinata, who, despite her lack of talent, was born into the main family and held authority over the branch family's members. He had despised the idea of risking his life to protect someone who couldn't even master the Gentle Fist.
But after witnessing Hinata's determination, her relentless effort, and her rapid improvement, which is like a rocket soaring into the sky, Neji found it hard to hold onto his hatred. He had even gone through a period of confusion. While he still harbored deep resentment toward the main family, his animosity toward Hinata had significantly lessened.
The main reason for this change, however, was Naruto.
---
"Hyuga Neji, do you believe in fate?"
Looking at the Hyuga Clan's prodigy that he met by chance, Naruto felt a rare spark of interest.
"Do you need something?"
Neji looked at the blond boy in front of him, who was half a head taller than him and seemed close to Hinata, with caution.
"The child of a Hokage might not necessarily become a Hokage, but the child of a scapegoat will always be a scapegoat."
"A bird kept in a cage for too long forgets how to fly. Is that you, Hyuga Neji?"
"You bastard! Are you looking for death?" Neji's forehead vein bulged as he glared at Naruto. The Cursed Seal on his forehead, the 'Caged Bird,' was his greatest source of hatred.
Naruto ignored Neji's anger and instead looked around at the peaceful streets.
"Look at this peace that was bought with your father's sacrifice. Isn't it beautiful?"
"Bastard!" Neji lashed out, and his palm charged with Chakra strikes towards Naruto's shoulder.
But before his strike could land, Naruto's fist connected with Neji's face, sending him flying. Neji tumbled several times before coming to a stop.
After stopping, he clutched his swollen cheek, staring at Naruto in shock.
He had never been hit like this before!
"Those who believe in fate also secretly hope for a stroke of luck, don't they?"
"If you want to fly again, come to me, bird in the cage."
---
Although Naruto had said that, Neji still hadn't seen any chance of breaking free from his cage. However, training with the group had significantly improved his strength compared to practicing alone.
"Hmph, sparring with you is boring. Only Naruto is a worthy opponent!"
As Neji reminisced, he heard Sasuke's cold voice. His mouth couldn't help but twitched, 'This guy had never beaten me, yet he had the audacity to talk big.'
Sasuke wasn't a sore loser, but sparring with Neji always left him frustrated. After all, Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist was infuriating. A single touch during close combat left him aching for a while, and at a distance, all he had was the Great Fireball Technique, which had never hit anyone.
So, he found sparring with Naruto much more enjoyable.
"Tch, then keep waiting."
Neji scoffed and fell silent, observing Naruto and Hinata's movements.
Naruto naturally heard the brief exchange between the two clearly. Although he was sparring with Hinata, it was still easy for him to do two things at the same time if it's just against Hinata.
He noticed that Sasuke seemed to be growing a bit... off. But that might have something to do with Naruto constantly boosting Sasuke's favorability over the past year.
From the start, Sasuke had shown an intense desire to fight him. Naruto wasn't sure why, but he ended up beating Sasuke a few times. Since then, Naruto's life had revolved around eating, training, and beating Sasuke.
And somehow, Sasuke's favorability toward him kept increasing.
However, this wasn't a bad thing for Naruto. Over the past year, he had secretly absorbed Sasuke's Chakra multiple times.
However, for some reason, while his Sharingan seemed slightly stronger, the improvement was minimal. Naruto chalked it up to Sasuke still being too weak, with the Indra Chakra in him not yet potent enough. He planned to try again once Sasuke awakened his Sharingan.
If that didn't work, he would reveal his identity, stab Sasuke in the gut, and deliver the iconic line: "Sasuke, admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding."
Then, he would defect on the spot.
He wondered if Sasuke would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan right then and there, collapsing to the ground and shouting:
'No matter who the opponent is, it doesn't matter. If my arms get torn off, I'll kick them to death. If my legs get torn off, I'll bite them to death. If my neck get torn off, I'll glare them to death. If even my eyes are gone, I'll curse them to death. Even if I'm torn to pieces, I'll do it. I will bring Naruto back.'
'Ha, why does it feel a little funny?'
As Naruto stifled his laughter, he suddenly noticed that the force behind Hinata's palm strikes had weakened. Looking closer, he saw that Hinata was completely exhausted. Each breath she took was heavy, sweat streaming down her face like a small river. Her movements had slowed, as if she were trudging through mud.
When she threw another palm strike, Naruto stepped back, avoiding it. As Hinata stumbled, off-balance, he moved forward to catch her.
"Ah, Na-Naruto-kun!"
Hinata, who was suddenly caught in Naruto's arms, let out a small gasp, her face immediately turning red as she tried to steady herself.
But Naruto simply picked her up and carried her toward the two spectators.
"Alright, Hinata, you're too tired. Let's get you some rest."
"Na-Naruto-kun, I can walk on my own."
Though her personality had changed a lot, being suddenly held by the person she liked still made her incredibly shy.
Naruto did not answer, but just injected Hinata with the purified Nine-Tails' Chakra.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been watching, stood up with a look of excitement, eager for his turn.
Naruto, seeing this, decided to give Sasuke exactly what he wanted… another beating.
---
Under the setting sun, the clouds looked as if they had been painted with fire, stretching across the sky. The four of them walked home, their shadows stretching long behind them.
Among the four, Sasuke was the first to leave. The Uchiha Clan's compound didn't welcome outsiders, and after being thoroughly searched by the Anbu a year ago, the Uchiha had become even more paranoid.
After making a declaration of victory, Sasuke ran off directly.
A short while later, they reached the Hyuga Clan's compound.
"Naruto-kun, I'll head back now."
Hinata reluctantly bid Naruto farewell and walked toward the figure waiting for her at the gate. A small head popped out from behind the door, looking at Hinata with joy but glaring at Naruto with a snarl, which Naruto found amusing.
"I should get going too."
Neji smiled and headed toward the compound's gate, though he felt a pang of regret. He still hadn't found the answers he was looking for...
"Wait, Neji."
Naruto's voice suddenly called out. When Neji turned around, he found himself in a black-and-white world.
This was Naruto's Genjutsu, and Neji realized it instantly.
"Bird in the cage, are you ready to fly again?"
Neji's eyes widened. A gentle breeze blew past, and he instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Naruto was gone, and the Genjutsu had ended.
"Neji, are you coming for dinner tonight?" Keiko appeared at the gate.
Neji pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment before walking toward her.
'Next time... I might not come back.'