The New Year had just passed, and the lingering cold crept back. Naruto, dressed in a thick coat, stood with Kurama in front of a takoyaki stand, pondering how much to order.
Suddenly, Naruto felt like he was bumped by someone from behind.
He quickly turned around to see a little girl, who also looked up in surprise. Naruto couldn't help but gasp, 'Those familiar white eyes…!'
Hinata's younger sister, Hyuga Hanabi, was wearing a brown training outfit that made her look somewhat boyish. She was momentarily stunned from the collision, then quickly bowed in apology without even checking who she had bumped into.
"I'm sorry, I was careless. Are you alright?"
Naruto knew that the Hyuga Clan was fond of using honorifics. Whether apologizing or performing other courtesies, they were always precise, making them polite yet somewhat rigid.
"It's fine."
Hearing this, Hanabi sighed in relief. She was about to leave but suddenly noticed the blonde in front of her looked familiar. His forehead was bare, without a forehead protector, and he was accompanied by a bright red foxhound, which was also curiously eyeing her.
"You are Hinata's sister, Hyuga Hanabi, right?" Naruto asked with a smile on his face.
If Neji were here, he would definitely recognize that this was Naruto's signature sly smile instantly. Naruto and Tsunade were both the same kind of people, and when they smiled, it was always bad news for others.
The pure and innocent Hyuga Clan has been harmed twice by such smiles.
Naruto hadn't expected that, just taking Kurama out for a stroll, he'd run into Hanabi. Spotting the opportunity, he wasn't going to let her get away without finding out where Hinata was.
Last time, Naruto promised to accompany Hinata in training, but then he postponed it for a whole winter.
Although circumstances were beyond his control, he sometimes felt a twinge of guilt when he remembered it. He wondered if he had truly inherited Kakashi's tendency to bail on promises, as his flaking skills had reached new heights.
"I'm indeed Hyuga Hanabi. Do you know my sister? Who are you?" Hanabi asked with her eyes lowered.
"There's no need for honorifics." He waved his hand, recalling how Neji never used them when speaking either.
"Okay." Hanabi nodded earnestly.
Seeing this, Naruto was slightly taken aback, 'This girl seemed to be as dazed as Hinata. As expected, they were true sisters.'
"I am…"
"Customer, your takoyaki is ready." The shop owner handed over the takoyaki at this time.
"Thank you." Naruto accepted the takoyaki, first handing one portion to Kurama, then offering another to Hanabi, "I'm well-acquainted with your sister. You can call me Naruto."
Hanabi hesitated and didn't take the takoyaki, but Naruto pushed the takoyaki forward again, and she finally took it obediently.
"Is your sister very busy these days?" Naruto asked while picking up Kurama naturally.
Kurama was too busy munching on his takoyaki and didn't care about the stupid humans. He just focused on eating and kept sticking his tongue out as the food burned him.
"Yeah, I hardly see my sister anymore. I guess she's on a mission." Hanabi's attention was completely attracted by Kurama, who was using his paws to eat takoyaki.
"Is that so? Alright then." Naruto said, already having a vague guess in his mind.
Since Team 7 was short-staffed, the missions would have to be evenly distributed among the other Genin teams.
Although there are many missions, they weren't particularly dangerous.
Some people had comfortably lounged around for over half a year, and while the pain of missions hadn't disappeared, it had shifted onto others.
But unfortunately, whether it was Team 3, Team 10, or Team 8, all were distinctly characteristic teams, but not high-damage dealers.
Team 7 was established for that very purpose. If it weren't for Sasuke's defection, Team 7, which possessed the Kyubi's Jinchuriki and Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, would have been positioned as the village's vanguard.
Since graduating from Genin until now, Naruto's mission completion rate had been 100%, excluding the pursuit of Sasuke. No wonder the higher-ups are in a rush to reorganize Team 7.
Glancing at Hanabi, Naruto noticed that her eyes were fixed on Kurama.
He simply lifted Kurama over and asked, "Do you want to pet him?"
"Will he get mad?" Hanabi asked, unable to take her eyes off Kurama, clearly eager but restraining herself.
"No." Naruto answered without hesitation, "He has a good temper, especially since I'm planning to buy him something he's been wanting."
"Thank you." Hanabi cautiously took Kurama into her arms.
Kurama looked up and exchanged a glance with Hanabi before lowering his head and resuming his takoyaki feast. The sauce splattered everywhere, including on Hanabi's clothes.
Naruto noticed but didn't react, as this silly fox has always been like this.
Hanabi, however, was amused. She struggled a bit to hold Kurama in her slender arms, with an expression on her face that was completely different from the restraint she had just shown.
She lowered her gaze, her eyes filled with fondness as she watched Kurama, her expression utterly melted by his cuteness.
In fact, apart from Naruto, everyone's first impression of Kurama the silly fox was that he was adorable. Perhaps it was the rare fiery red fox fur that made him look like a ball of flames.
Even Hanabi herself might not have realized how much her current expression differed from her typically strict demeanor. Her rosy cheeks wore a gentle smile, making her especially cute.
Naruto, with his eyelids half-closed, stood idly by, waiting for Hanabi to have her fill of fun. When she finally, and solemnly, handed Kurama back, he turned his head.
"Thank you." Hanabi bowed and said.
"It's nothing." Naruto stood on the street, smiling as he waved her off, "Say hello to your sister for me."
"Okay." Hanabi responded with a serious expression, genuinely taking to heart what Naruto had casually said.