The Hyuga Clan's compound, Clan Head's residence.
Hinata approached her father, bowed respectfully, and then sit with seiza posture on the tatami mat.
She lowered her head, her eyes downcast, filled with deep respect and fear for the Clan Head in front of her. She didn't dare to look up at him, nor did she dare to speak loudly. After a long silence, she finally spoke first, "Father, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Hiashi sat in seiza posture solemnly on the upper seat, dressed in dark blue attire. His legs were thick from the long periods spent sitting in seiza posture. Hinata didn't sit in seiza posture very often since she was a child, so she was spared from the adverse consequences.
"The village will soon hold a high-level meeting concerning Uzumaki Naruto." Hiashi had a blank expression on his face, with no emotion visible, and he stared straight ahead with his Byakugan, "I want to hear your thoughts."
"I… I don't have any." Hinata replied hesitantly.
"A Shinobi's life isn't suited for you."
"Being too close to Naruto isn't good either. It's dangerous."
Faced with her father's disapproval, Hinata bit her lower lip, her resolve beginning to waver.
She could vaguely guess the intention behind her father's words, but her father was a silent and serious man, and he would not say more if he felt it was unnecessary.
It felt like whatever she did was wrong, and whatever she liked needed to be corrected. Whether it was her choice to be a Shinobi or her feelings for Naruto. It seemed she had never been able to satisfy her father.
(Silence—)
Hiashi wasn't pleased with his daughter, who was naturally timid. She lacked the talent and the strong will necessary to be the clan leader. The Hyuga Clan needed someone bold to take on the great responsibilities.
Compared to Hinata, he was more inclined to nurture Hanabi.
But now, Hiashi sensed something unusual. This time, there was no shy or timid response from his daughter, only an endless silence.
"I'm sorry, Father... Please allow me to make this decision for myself. I want to become a Shinobi on my own terms." Hinata said in the most timid voice, yet it carried words of defiance.
"It's pointless. You have no talent. Continuing down the path of a Shinobi will only become increasingly difficult for you." There was no emotion on Hiashi's face, but his tone left no room for doubt.
Hinata bit her lip and shook her head in refusal.
"Father, I don't want to give up."
…
Click!
The lock on the door turned slowly.
A blonde girl, now dressed in casual clothes, pushed the door open. At the entrance, she adeptly changed her shoes, her graceful leg curves fully on display as she bent her knees. The keys jingled as she placed them on the shoe cabinet. She walked barefoot into the living room.
"Seriously, how did you end up falling asleep on the couch again?" Ino, tying up her long blonde hair, muttered as she walked, placing the food she had brought on the table.
"What's the matter with you giving me the key without asking, huh?"
Half-asleep on the couch, Naruto opened his eyes, squinting at Ino's back before dozing off again. Ino stood with her hands on her hips, but could only sigh.
…
Afternoon.
The two sat at the dining table, Ino looked at Naruto, who clearly hadn't slept enough, and asked with a frown, "Hey, did you even hear what I just said?"
"What?" Naruto replied, focused on his meal, not bothering to look up, "Thanks for the treat. It's really good. You must have made it yourself, Ino, I can tell."
"Don't say such half-hearted and gross things, you jerk." Ino clenched her fist, tempted to smack this bastard's head with a spoon.
"I'm being serious. It's delicious." Naruto said sincerely.
Having someone bring food is way better than cooking yourself. Whether it tastes good or not, just praise it first, especially from a wealthy girl, that's a win for sure.
"Whatever." Ino crossed her arms and turned her head to the other side, "I didn't make it."
"No way." Naruto didn't even pause to think. It didn't matter who made it, as he just wanted to praise Ino, "As long as you brought it, I'll like it."
"You bastard." Ino sighed, placing a hand on her forehead, "You'll go to any lengths just for free food."
"I'm not bringing you any more."
Huh? Does that mean I can come over to your place to eat?"
"Go to hell!" Ino's face turned bright red as she remembered the maid outfit incident. "It's all your fault. Now, every time my parents see me, they would always smile strangely. I'm too embarrassed to stay at home."
"Don't you dare bring that up again, or I'll beat you up!"
"That was an accident! And didn't you say your parents weren't home?" Naruto retorted.
"Ugh…" Ino had nothing to say to that, so she changed the subject. "What's with the key?"
"Don't get me wrong, I just think it's too scary when you knock on the door every time." Naruto put down his chopsticks, stood up and said, "Please accept the key."
"Huh? Scary?" Ino puffed out her cheeks slightly. "Although I can understand you saying that, considering what happened, but..."
She tried to maintain her composure, but her speech quickened a bit, and her fingers unconsciously twisted a strand of her blonde hair.
"Um... It could be easily misunderstood, right? It would be embarrassing if my parents found out that I suddenly had the keys to a guy's house."
"Hmm?" Naruto looked puzzled, "Can't you just hide it?"
"Ah??"
Ino gulped, her heart suddenly racing, 'Hide it? Keep it secret from everyone? Just hearing that sounded so forbidden!'
'Oh no, my brain is going to burn.'
"Why are you blushing?" Naruto frowned slightly.
'I felt like I didn't say anything lewd. It was just hiding a key. Was Ino really this honest?'
"Wh-who's blushing!" Ino stood up straight and quickly walked towards the bathroom, "I'm going to wash my hands."
Naruto shrugged, figuring Ino had agreed. After all, it was just a spare key, no big deal. Then, he sat back down to finish his meal.
Ino walked out of the bathroom slowly, and she seemed to have washed her face. Her hair was slightly wet, but her expression had returned to normal.
"Have you made up your mind?"
A breeze from the balcony swept through the living room, lifting the hem of Ino's skirt. She stood with her hands on her hips.
"Hmph, since you're begging me, I suppose I'll take it, begrudgingly."
"Thank you very much." Naruto replied, playing along.
Some time later.
After rinsing her mouth in the bathroom, Ino waved at Naruto, who was slouched on the couch, and said, "Let's go out for a bit. I have something to tell you."
Naruto reluctantly set down his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and looked at her in confusion, "Aren't you supposed to report back to the Hokage Tower tonight?"
"We've been busy for a while, so Asuma-sensei got us a two-day break." Ino said, letting her hair down before skillfully tying it up again, "We can't do missions all the time."
"What's this about?" Naruto put down the book reluctantly.
"It's about you." Ino grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him up, dragged him to the door, then turned back with a playful yet fierce expression, "Let's go. I went through a lot before finally found out about it from my dad."