When Hinata returned to the Hyuga Clan's compound, the sky was already dimming.
The rising cold made her instinctively pull her clothes tighter. She hurried across the street, eager to get home. As she reached the door, she let out a small sigh of relief.
Quietly, she pushed the main door open, then gently closed it behind her.
The moment she turned around, she noticed that Hanabi's room was still lit. Before she could even react, the door swung open, and a young girl rushed out.
The light from the room poured out like a bright yellow cloth that spread at her feet.
The courtyard was filled with a biting chill. Hanabi, bundled up like a little cotton doll, had her cheeks reddened from the wind. She briskly walked up to Hinata and greeted her.
"Nee-san."
"Hanabi, why are you…?" Hinata wanted to say, It's so cold right now, why did you come out like this?
"Sister, I met someone today who asked me to say hello to you on his behalf." Hanabi shook her head lightly and said, "He said his name is Naruto."
"Huh? Naruto-kun." Hinata's eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly. Her finger started fidgeting, "… What did he say?"
"He asked if you've been busy lately." Hanabi replied.
"It's not that I'm very busy. I still need to train after the mission, so..." Hinata began to explain to herself, but abruptly stopped when she realized that it was only Hanabi in front of her.
"Hanabi, what did you say to him after that?"
Hanabi found it odd that her sister suddenly seemed so nervous, but she still answered honestly.
"I told him that you're probably very busy, going on missions."
Upon hearing this, Hinata secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"That'll do."
"Hmm?" Hanabi tilted her head, looking confused, "What did you say, Nee-san?"
"Oh, nothing." Hinata waved her hand, looking a little embarrassed and said, "I understand. You should go to bed early. I-I'll go back to my room now too!"
"Okay."
Hinata hurried back to her room, pressing herself against the door and clutching her chest, letting out a long breath. She pursed her lips, a relieved smile spreading across her face.
She swiftly removed her backpack, took off her Ninja Pouch, and set it on the table. In the bright light of her room, she unbuttoned her thick coat and tossed it aside.
Hinata's room has a private bathroom. With a click, all the lights were turned on. Hinata leaned against the wall to take off her shoes, revealing her alabaster white bare feet.
As if testing the waters, her rosy toes spread out, slowly touching the cold tatami mats. She let out a soft sigh as she gently stepped on them. Then, the other foot followed, both feet firmly on the tatami.
The room's temperature gradually rose as the heater kicked in. Hinata slowly undressed and made her way to the bathroom. After preparing her bath, she lightly stepped back out.
She caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror, with a faint smile playing on her lips. Her eyes slightly curved, and the fatigue from her missions seemed to dissipate.
Hinata stood before the mirror, gently turning her body. After a moment, she seemed unsatisfied and took off another piece of clothing. She spent another seven or eight minutes admiring herself before turning and entering the bathroom.
The bathwater was crystal clear, and with a splash, Hinata slipped into the tub, draping herself over the edge. Her back, with its elegant and fair contours, made the water seem even clearer.
The young girl was filled with thoughts, worried about her sudden departure from Naruto's home before, yet also happy about Hababi's encounter with Naruto today.
At this time, she suddenly realized something… She had been too passive.
It was difficult for outsiders to approach her home. Even her teammates, Shino and Kiba, would only wait outside the Hyuga Clan's compound when they had missions together.
Naruto's identity was sensitive, so it was even more impossible for him to just seek her out casually.
In addition, she knew that Naruto was training with Jiraiya, as she had heard that before. With missions keeping her busy and little free time available, if she continued to hope for chance encounters to see him... perhaps she would end up like today, only hearing about Naruto from others.
In fact, it wasn't that she had no time at all. It was just that she instinctively didn't want to approach him. That day, Ino's words had stirred her up, making her accustomed to avoiding the situation.
But now, Hinata finally understood that no matter how much she avoided him, a single word from Naruto could still leave her heart unsettled for a long time.
In fact, she wasn't doing well.
Among Team 8, she had the weakest foundation, constantly fearing that she was holding the team back. Her teammates were all so kind, but their kindness felt to her like a hot knife coated in sugar.
It pierced deep into her heart, yet she had to pretend she was comforted by it, which only made her feel worse.
Her father had never really looked at her. It seemed that everything she was now, including herself, was just a joke… a laughingstock in the eyes of the clan, a failure in her father's view.
"Is it okay no matter what?" She murmured, her pupils dilated as she stared blankly at the bathroom ceiling light.
With a soft splash, her white body slowly sank into the water.
Meanwhile, with a loud splash, Naruto yanked Kurama out of a pet bathtub with a look of utter disgust and yelled angrily, "Kurama, you deserve to die!"
"What were you doing messing around with the soy sauce in the kitchen? Are you out of your mind? Ah! You spilled it everywhere!"
"Damn it! Didn't I clean it all up?" Kurama protested, feeling wronged, "It's all your fault, stupid human, for leaving the bottle in that weird place!"
"You must be drunk! Damn it! That wasn't a booze bottle at all, it's clearly soy sauce!" Naruto was speechless, nearly tempted to throw this arrogant creature out the window on the spot!
"Not only did you dirty the kitchen, but you also got soy sauce all over yourself. If I hadn't caught you in time, you were going to sneak onto the sofa, weren't you?"
"I didn't! Let me go first!" Kurama kept arguing.
"Dream on." Naruto shoved Kurama back into the water, scrubbing him up and down like washing a mop.
"You... glub glub... just you wait... glub glub." Kurama threatened through the bubbles.
"Tsk." Naruto didn't care in the least.
After thoroughly rinsing Kurama, Naruto had no intention of blow-drying him. Instead, he let Kurama fetch the hairdryer himself. Kurama, still sulking, reluctantly endured it for the sake of the hundred bottles of booze promised!
So, drenched and grumbling, Kurama stood up, walked on two legs, fetched the hairdryer from the sofa, and started drying his own fur.