In Konoha, Naruto lies down

"What nonsense are you talking about? It's disgusting."

Zai Mu ignored Hinata and didn't want to listen to anyone at all. His attitude could be described as quite rude.

"I don't want to be Hokage. I'm not as childish as you guys. That's just your ridiculous dream, right?" Naruto said, "But it's also quite sad."

"With your current strength, you may not even be ninjas in the future."

Naruto said mercilessly as he shoved the leading Zai Mu.

"Can you be the Hokage? Is there anyone in your family who can do it?"

"You can't do it! They can't do it either!"

"You...what are you talking about?" Zai Mu took a step back and looked at Naruto with a slight stutter.

Naruto's eyes were still sharp as he stared straight at the leader, Zai Mu.

"People change, Zai Mu."

"Go back and ask your father, believe it or not, I can burn your house down tomorrow and nothing will happen to it!"

"Think carefully with that muscular brain of yours! What is allowed and what is not allowed."

"Bah! What a thing!" Naruto spat in the boy's face and left with a gloomy face.

Anyway, this is not the first or second time I have skipped classes, but today I am skipping classes openly.

Zai Mu was stunned, recalling Naruto's ferocious tone just now, and didn't dare to say a word.

"You're talking nonsense! We didn't!" The ashamed and angry voices of the two people came from behind. Naruto's words seemed to have touched their sore spot.

The young man who wanted to become Hokage was both self-conscious and sensitive. Seeing his dream exposed naked in the daylight made him jump.

【Rewards were successfully distributed.】

After a mechanical prompt sound, Naruto felt a coolness in his body, as if he had drunk a sip of ice water on a hot day.

He tried to feel the chakra flow in his body. Sure enough, he could sense the direction of the chakra flow, and the chakra that had previously had almost no resonance became active.

It was like the ice spring water suddenly boiled, every cell in the body was nourished by the chakra, and a feeling of comfort came over the whole body.

This made Naruto shout out and think to himself that it was great.

"Shikamaru, did my ears get damaged just now?" Choji tugged at Shikamaru's clothes and asked as he watched Naruto leave. "Naruto said he doesn't want to be Hokage anymore?"

"Isn't that his dream? Why is it that suddenly..."

"Who knows?" Shikamaru's dead fish eyes moved, and he said indifferently, "That guy was too scary just now. Besides, what's so good about being Hokage?"

"I'm so busy all day that I don't even have time to relax."

"Don't say those things, Naruto is gone." Choji said, "If Mr. Iruka finds out that he's skipping class, he'll be in trouble!"

Hinata was in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, looking at Naruto with a troubled look on her face. Class was about to start, but she was afraid that something might happen to Naruto.

Naruto-kun, it's painful now, right?

Thinking of this, Hinata clenched her little hands.

She really wanted to chase after him, but she didn't have the courage. She had already used up all her courage just now trying to help him out, and now in front of so many people...

The ninja school seemed particularly quiet without Naruto. Iruka got angry as usual when he learned that Naruto had skipped school in the morning.

No one was making trouble with paint buckets, and no one was making a fuss in the ninja school. Everything seemed very harmonious.

By sunset, Iruka hadn't found any trace of Naruto on Hokage Rock. The most mischievous boy in the class seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.

Just when Iruka was a little panicked, a soft voice suddenly sounded.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Hinata? Why are you here?" Iruka turned his head and was slightly stunned.

The girl stood timidly in the orange sunset, lowered her head and dared not look at him, her face flushed, as if she had been caught doing something bad.

"I...I'm looking for Naruto-kun." The girl's voice was as low as a mosquito's. "Naruto-kun hasn't come to class all day...I'm worried..."

Looking at Hinata's red face that was about to bleed, Iruka smiled kindly and said.

"Little Hinata is worried about Naruto too, right?"

"It's okay, the teacher will be responsible for finding him. It's getting late now, you should go home first, otherwise Master Hiashi will worry about you."

"No...no!" Hinata mustered up her courage and said loudly, "Teacher Iruka, I...I also want to go with you to find Naruto-kun!"

Iruka's heart was touched, the smile on his face froze, he looked at the sky and said gently.

"Okay then, we can only look for another half an hour. If we can't find it, Hinata promised the teacher that we must go home."

"Yes! Thank you, Teacher Iruka!" Hinata nodded excitedly.

......

"Ah? Are you looking for me?" Naruto looked up and looked at the two of them in confusion, and was a little surprised that Hinata was there too.

"Hinata, why are you here too?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"I..." Hinata lowered her head.

"I asked Hinata-san to help me find it." Iruka spoke up to help, "I think Hinata-san should know where Naruto is."

"Is that so." Naruto scratched his head, "Is Iruka-sensei here because of skipping school?"

Chapter 3 Losing Myself in the Sound of Hinata-chan

"I guess so." Iruka hesitated for a moment and then asked as gently as possible, "But teacher, I want to hear why you gave up your dream?"

"No reason, that kind of thing is not my dream." Naruto shrugged, "Iruka-sensei said that the Hokage is the strongest person in the village, right?"

"Yes, I did say that." Iruka nodded.

"They are right. I am just a loser. There is no way I can become Hokage, right?" Naruto asked back.

"You can't say that. As long as Naruto is willing to work hard..." Iruka was also speechless. He roughly knew Naruto's situation, but due to the ban of the Third Hokage, he couldn't say it clearly.

Naruto tilted his head and looked at Iruka with a confused look on his face.

"Iruka-sensei, I don't want to be Hokage anymore. I want to change to a dream that is not so far away."

"What dream?" A trace of cold sweat broke out on Iruka's forehead. He himself didn't know why he was so confused by the words of a child.

"Probably finding a good wife to marry or something, like a normal adult," Naruto said, scratching his head.

Iruka was a little surprised and a little frightened. For Naruto, ordinary dreams were even more out of reach.

It is impossible for Naruto to get married and have children in an ordinary way.

These words were stuck in Iruka's throat. When he thought of all the cold eyes and exclusion directed at an orphan, Iruka felt a little uncomfortable.

In any case, Naruto sealed the Nine-Tails in his body and protected the people in the village. But Naruto made a contribution and became a Jinchūriki forever, but he had to suffer the villagers' contempt.

Iruka's parents both died in the Nine-Tails Rebellion, but Iruka could not hate the fatherless and motherless boy in front of him.

It wasn't him who was wrong, it was Kyuubi.

Naruto was poured into the Nine-Tails' container at birth and has been hated and despised until now.

Suddenly, Iruka realized that Naruto might have grown up and understood the disgust and hatred in the villagers' eyes. When this thought formed in his mind, Iruka suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Once the seeds of hatred are planted in the heart of a Jinchūriki, the consequences will be disastrous!

Iruka's eyes blurred, and when he looked again, Naruto still had that bright smile on his face.

"Naruto, your dream..."

"What's wrong? Isn't it great? Iruka-sensei!" Naruto smiled brightly. "Iruka-sensei, you are so old and don't have a girlfriend. You must have a lot of savings, right?"

"Hey!" Iruka's mentality exploded upon hearing this, and he clenched his fists and yelled, "Naruto!"

"Help!" Naruto screamed and ran away.

While the two of them were playing around, Hinata, standing beside them, had already blushed profusely, her entire body bubbling with embarrassment. Her hands were tangled together, and she was mumbling something.

......

"Okay, that's enough." Iruka lectured with a stern face, "Remember to go to school tomorrow, Naruto!"

"Yes, Teacher Iruka." Naruto lowered his head, looking like he was being taught.

At the same time, their eyes turned to Hinata, who was standing aside with her head down and silent. Hinata uttered an "ah" and her face quickly turned red.

"Naruto, just go home by yourself. I'll take Hinata home first. Are you okay going alone?" Iruka said, holding his forehead.

Naruto was about to respond when the panel popped up again without warning.

[Option 1: Pursue Sakura. Reward: S-level ninjutsu.]

[Option 2: Pursue Hinata and save yourself ten years of detours. Reward: Nine-Tails' recognition (you can use Nine-Tails' chakra at will)]

[Note: Option 1 will instantly grant you a random S-rank Ninjutsu Mastery (with a certain chance of obtaining a rare Wood Release Ninjutsu). Option 2 is a progress reward, which will be granted in sync with the level of the game.]

Is this something we can basically give up on? The power of the Nine-Tails is not comparable to an S-level ninjutsu.

Besides, even if there is no reward, let him choose one person to pursue from Sakura and Hinata.

Naruto would choose Hinata without hesitation. If nothing else, he should let his future child have a soft bite, right? Bigness is justice!

Choose the second one!

【The mission has been successfully launched, please complete it first. 】

"Teacher Iruka!" Naruto suddenly interrupted, "Let me take Hinata home!"

"Ah!" Hinata blushed to her ears when she heard the sound and turned around.

"Hmm?" Iruka looked at Naruto with some confusion.

"I know where Hinata's home is. I've sent her there before." Naruto explained with a smile, "Iruka-sensei, it would be too much trouble if you didn't go there on your way."

"This..." Iruka hesitated, but when he thought of the cold Hyuga people, he agreed.

"Okay, Naruto, you must protect Hinata and fulfill your duty as a man!" Iruka said with a smile.

"Yes! I will protect Hinata-san well!" Naruto responded with a bright smile.

After Iruka left, Naruto patted Hinata's shoulder. Hinata was startled and tears welled up in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'll take you home Hinata." Naruto smiled gently and his voice became much softer.

"Sorry to bother you, Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice was very low.

"Give me your hand then."

"Hinata-chan."

"Why...why?" Hinata was startled, her face turned red and she stuttered.

"It's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night, right? Wouldn't it be safer if ordinary friends held hands?"

"That's what I said, but...Naruto-kun's hand." Hinata hesitated.

"What's wrong? Is this bothering you? I'm sorry."

"No! No." Hinata shook her head like a rattle, and carefully extended her hand, her heart pounding.

Until the warmth from the other palm came, Hinata felt like a warm current was injected into her heart, and her uneasy mood instantly calmed down a lot.

Naruto-kun didn't lie to me, and I feel more at ease.

But...this already counts as holding hands, right?

What on earth was I thinking? Naruto-kun didn't think about that at all.

Looking at Naruto who was half a body length ahead of her, Hinata suddenly felt very nervous. Naruto was really a very gentle person at heart.

Naruto, who was walking in front holding Hinata's hand, was completely unaware of Hinata's thoughts behind him. Feeling the Nine-Tails chakra overflowing from his body and constantly circulating in his meridians, he couldn't help but feel happy.

Sure enough, it worked.

Naruto stopped after sending Hinata to the gate of the Hyuga residence. The Hyuga clan did not welcome outsiders unless necessary, let alone him.

"Thank you for bringing me back, Naruto-kun." Hinata bowed to Naruto with her ears red, her slender neck white and rosy.

"I should thank you. After all, Hinata, you came to find me." Naruto waved to Hinata, "Have a good sleep at night, Hinata-chan!"

After saying that, Naruto turned and ran away, heading in the opposite direction, towards the darkness in the distance.