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Zephyr's words instantly elevated his image in the eyes of all the little ones around him.
"Grandpa is so cool!"
Naruto couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
Even someone as seasoned as Zephyr couldn't help but feel a bit proud and pleased with himself after receiving so much admiration from the children.
Standing nearby, Garp's jealousy was almost palpable, especially when Luffy gave him a questioning look, which only made Garp even more irritated.
"Hey, you lot up front, stop blocking the street; you're disrupting traffic."
At that moment, a Pokémon traffic officer hurried over, shouting orders.
It doesn't matter if you're a 'Hero of the Navy' or the 'Navy's Chief Instructor'—it means nothing here! On this street, unless you're the League Lord himself, no one gets special treatment. If you're blocking traffic, you'll get scolded.
If you don't listen, you'll be fined or even jailed. (You breath to loud, Jailed. You overcook meat, Jailed)
"Alright, alright! Sorry about that."
...
When Zephyr finally brought the kids back home, the people from Konoha Village were also preparing to leave.
"Thank you for having us today."
"Thanks, Naruto, for inviting us to play."
"Pokémon Island is so beautiful! There's no war here, it's so peaceful, and there are adorable Pokémon everywhere!"
"Can we come again next time?"
Naruto's friends surrounded him, chatting away, which filled Naruto with a sense of pride. He couldn't stop grinning.
Today had been an incredibly fun day!
The only regret was that Sakura hadn't been able to come.
In the kitchen, Zephyr was busy preparing food while keeping an eye on the situation. Seeing Naruto so happy made Zephyr feel content as well.
To be honest, Zephyr was grateful to Dak for taking the initiative twice—bringing both Arcanine and Naruto to his side.
Although he was initially reluctant, life now was much better than it used to be.
However, there was one thing that had always bothered Zephyr.
He had heard Dak mention that there were two things inside Naruto that didn't belong to him and could potentially affect Naruto's growth and personality.
On Pokémon Island, there was nothing to worry about, but if Naruto returned to the ninja world, these things would definitely have an impact.
One of them was a tailed beast, and not just any tailed beast, but half of the Nine-Tails.
This could subtly influence Naruto's heart, leading him towards darker thoughts and a negative path.
The other was Asura's chakra.
This would warp Naruto's personality, forcibly steering him towards a healthy, optimistic, and positive outlook.
When Zephyr first heard about this, he was furious, wanting Dak to pull the Nine-Tails out so he could personally destroy it.
But Dak dissuaded him.
This was because the Nine-Tails and Asura's chakra had formed a balance, mutually restricting each other, preventing Naruto's personality from veering too far in one direction.
If the Nine-Tails were destroyed, the balance of chakra within Naruto would be disrupted, allowing Asura's chakra to unrestrainedly influence his development.
Moreover, they had no way to remove Asura's chakra from Naruto at the moment.
'Asura's chakra' was not a 'state' that could be forcibly removed with Pokémon tools. It might even be less practical than relying on Orochimaru's technology.
But there was no rush.
For now, Asura's chakra was in a state of flux, switching between 'online' and 'offline.' The Sage of Six Paths would definitely notice this and might show up. When that happens, they could catch him.
If all else failed, they could have Palkia search for the spiritual realm.
In short, there were many options, and Dak even considered letting Naruto master Kurama's power before removing Asura's chakra. After all, without Asura's chakra, Naruto might struggle to use 'Talk no Jutsu' effectively against Kurama, who had accumulated thousands of years of negative emotions.
If Naruto didn't master the Nine-Tails' chakra, his potential would be greatly diminished.
At best, he'd be a talented descendant of the Uzumaki clan.
Meanwhile...
Naruto saw off his friends one by one and then ran into the kitchen.
"Grandpa, who was that boy with the straw hat today?"
Naruto curiously inquired about Luffy.
He wasn't upset with Luffy; in fact, he felt a sense of kinship with Luffy, who shared the same dream.
"You heard it yourself, Garp's grandson, Monkey D. Luffy."
Zephyr was busy cooking while responding to Naruto.
As for Arcanine, it hadn't returned yet. It was still undergoing its training at the Navy base and wouldn't return until its tasks were complete.
"Oh."
Naruto made a mental note of the name 'Luffy.'
He believed Luffy would remember him too.
However, Naruto was mistaken—Luffy hadn't even given him a second thought. At that moment, Luffy was busy running around Windmill Village with Hinata.
Windmill Village.
"Yo, Luffy! Who's this cute little girlfriend you've brought back?"
A fruit vendor uncle teased as he watched Luffy running by with a little girl.
"What girlfriend? This is my sister, Hinata."
Luffy had no idea what a girlfriend was and simply introduced Hinata to the uncle.
"Hello, Uncle."
Although Hinata felt a bit embarrassed, she was well-mannered and bowed to the uncle.
"Oh, what a well-behaved girl! Old man Garp must be overjoyed. Here, Hinata-chan, take these peaches and enjoy them."
Seeing how polite Hinata was, the uncle was delighted and quickly packed some juicy peaches for her.
"Huh? No—"
"It's fine, just take them."
Such situations occurred frequently.
By the time Hinata and Luffy reached Makino's tavern, Hinata had been given so many treats by the uncles and aunts in the village that she had lost count.
Everyone who saw Hinata's appetite nodded in agreement. There was no doubt she was a member of the Monkey family.
"Makino, I brought Hinata here!"
"Hinata?"
Makino, who was wiping glasses behind the bar, tilted her head in confusion. She had no idea who Hinata was.
"Yeah, she's my sister."
Luffy pulled Hinata forward, proudly showing her off, as if afraid no one would know she was his sister.
"Hello, Sister."
Hinata greeted her politely.
After spending some time with Luffy, Hinata had become accustomed to her adoptive brother's ways.
Although she felt that Luffy was more like a younger brother, she didn't dislike him. She could sense that Luffy was trying his best to take care of her, even though he was a bit rough around the edges.
"Hello, Hinata, you're so cute. Here, let me get you a glass of Moomoo Milk. It'll help you grow big and strong."
Makino patted Hinata's head gently and then smiled at Luffy. "Luffy, you're playing the big brother role now, huh? Impressive."
"Heh heh, not a big deal."
Luffy bashfully rubbed his nose. "Makino, get me a glass of red wine!"
"Kids aren't allowed to drink!"
Makino lightly karate-chopped Luffy on the head, but it was more playful than painful.
At that moment, Hinata glanced outside, noticing the changing light, and her eyes showed some concern.
"Luffy-nii, I should head back."
"Head back? Where to?"
Luffy scratched his head in confusion.
"Back to the village, to my home."
Hinata explained.
"Huh? Aren't you supposed to come with me to Dadan's house?"
Luffy was completely baffled, his mind full of questions.
"No, my mom and dad will worry."
"What?! You have parents?!"
Luffy looked at Hinata in shock.
"Luffy, what are you talking about? You have parents too!"
"What?! I have parents too?!"
Luffy was shocked again.
Then he finally remembered that there had been someone recently named 'Dragon' who liked to call himself his father.
"..."
Hinata was speechless.
"Luffy-nii, I have to go now. I'll come back to play with you when I can."
But before leaving, she stepped forward and hugged Luffy.
At that moment, Sabo 'happened' to appear at the tavern entrance, ready to take Hinata back.
After all, in Windmill Village, only those like Garp and Sabo, who were permanent residents of the League City, had the pass to travel there. Without Sabo, Hinata wouldn't be able to return to Konoha Village on her own.
"Hinata, if you ever face any difficulties, come find us immediately, alright?"
At this moment, Ace also 'happened' to show up, standing on a tree branch, looking down and offering some advice.
Ever since Ace acknowledged Luffy as his brother, he had become less cold.
Nowadays, Ace's actions and behavior were heavily influenced by his idol, Infernape.
"Okay."
Hinata nodded.
But in reality, if she ever encountered any trouble, she wouldn't dare to bother Ace with it.
She definitely wouldn't want to trouble her doting brothers.
Under Sabo's escort, Hinata quickly returned to Konoha Village.
However, as Hinata recalled the day's events with a smile, she stepped into the Hyūga residence, and the atmosphere instantly turned cold.
"Where have you been?"
Hiashi sat inside, glaring at Hinata with his Byakugan.
"I... I went to play with Kiba and Shino at Naruto's house."
Hinata lowered her head, cautiously explaining.
"You should be focusing on practicing Gentle Fist, not thinking about playing all the time!"
Hiashi's words were harsh, a stark contrast to the attitude of Ace and the others.
This difference made Hinata feel something other than fear towards her father for the first time.
'Disappointment.'
"Yes."
Hinata nodded.
She didn't say anything more, obediently walked into her room, changed into her training clothes, and headed to the courtyard, where Hiashi was already waiting. She sighed.
'If only I were the princess of the Monkey family, not the Hyūga family.'
Because of this lapse, Hiashi decided that Hinata would spend the next week practicing at home, not allowed to go anywhere else.
However, this decision led the Monkey family to set foot in the Hyūga household.
(End of Chapter)