"Huh? Haste… Make waste?"
Due to her young age, Hinata was still quite clueless about matters between boys and girls. She blinked, confusedly repeating his words, but as the warmth and softness pressed against her cheek registered, realization slowly dawned. Her face flushed an even deeper red, like a fully ripened tomato, and her words became stammered once more. Overwhelmed by the girlish shyness blooming in her heart, she couldn't help but squirm a little, even though part of her didn't want to leave the comfort of Naruto's warm embrace.
"Mmm… N-Naruto-kun…!"
"Haha, alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. There, there."
Sensing the squirming in his arms, Naruto—well-versed in the art of 'knowing when to quit'—eased up immediately. He stopped teasing Hinata and subtly adjusted their position in response to her movements, letting her rest more comfortably in his arms. As he freed one hand to gently stroke her soft hair, he smiled down at her and continued speaking softly.
"But I wasn't wrong either, you know. In this third round of the exam, rushing things will definitely backfire."
"Huh? What do you mean…?"
Since she hadn't really been trying to escape from Naruto's arms, Hinata's half-hearted resistance vanished the moment he eased up. In a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, she whispered the question, and instinctively nuzzled into the warmth of his chest that gave her such a sense of safety. She let him hold her obediently, without the slightest resistance.
"Didn't the proctor say this round had a time limit?"
"But he didn't say exactly how long it would be, did he?"
Completely doting on the girl in his arms, Naruto answered her every question without hesitation. As he walked along the path, occasionally glancing at the conspicuous signs posted here and there, he explained casually while gently guiding her forward.
"In other words, as long as we return to the school before the exam ends, and we're not too far down the rankings to be disqualified, it shouldn't be a big deal."
Just as Naruto said, the exam time hadn't been clearly stated beforehand. It could be ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes… or two hours, three hours—everything depended on how the examinees performed during the test.
And if you included the loophole Shikamaru had discovered, what Naruto casually revealed just now was actually the third rule loophole in this round—the time limit was completely adjustable based on the examiner's discretion.
"So that's how it is… Naruto-kun, you're amazing! You figured out what the proctor was really trying to say right away!"
Upon hearing Naruto's explanation, Hinata felt like a fog had been lifted from her mind. Her face lit up with a soft smile, and she nodded in admiration.
She didn't know that compared to the examiner Tenzo, who was strictly following the planned script, it was Naruto who was the true head examiner of this year's entrance test. But encouraged by his calm confidence from beginning to end, she placed complete trust in his words without a hint of doubt. For once, Naruto didn't need to rack his brain to make up a convincing excuse—a rare blessing.
"Honestly, it's no big deal. Just like in the first two rounds, loopholes like this are everywhere in the rules. They're actually really obvious… all you need is a little attention to spot them."
Hinata's unconditional trust made Naruto breathe a quiet sigh of relief. The smile in his eyes deepened, and his hand gently slid from her soft hair down to her forehead, then playfully tapped her tiny nose.
"In other words, Hinata, you're so smart and adorable that even if I didn't point it out, you would've figured out these loopholes on your own. It's just a matter of time."
"Mmm… T-That's not true…"
Even though she'd slowly started to get used to Naruto's teasing, this sudden act of intimacy still made Hinata retreat like a shy ostrich. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her blushing face into his chest, rubbing against him like a spoiled kitten as she murmured in a soft, embarrassed voice.
(T/N: I sooo want to adjust their age to at least 12 (still too young), because 5 years old don't behave like that, and I'm now questioning the author.)
"Naruto-kun, you're always bullying me…"
Seeing her choose to cuddle into him instead of running away like before was a breakthrough in Naruto's eyes. That subtle, unconscious change brought a blooming smile to his face—like a flower opening in full bloom.
"Hehe… how could I bear to bully you? I'm just telling the truth, that's all. There, there…"
Trying hard to suppress his smile, Naruto responded with mock seriousness as he comforted the shy girl in his arms. Together, they continued their slow walk forward. Before long, the seemingly endless, straight road finally gave way to their first fork.
Of course, Naruto had accounted for this situation when designing the test… and sure enough, facing two diverging paths—left and right—each leading in opposite directions and making the choice difficult, the ever-present directional signs that had been so common throughout the journey were nowhere to be seen in this crucial moment.
Except… they were.
Right in the middle of the fork, a wooden signpost stood tall and clear. At the top, a red-painted arrow carved into the wood pointed unmistakably to the right. The shape of the arrow, tilted just so ↘, clearly indicated the correct path the examinees were supposed to take.
"Hmm… judging by the footprints, almost everyone who passed through here before us followed the sign and went right… Sasuke's really putting in the effort for food, huh."
Naruto's lips curved up in amusement as he took a quick glance at the sign and the contrasting trail patterns. Taking advantage of the fact that Hinata was still too shy to look up, he let a mischievous smile spread across his face.
"Well then, we can't keep him waiting too long… Let's pick up the pace a little."
With that, he gently slid his right arm around Hinata's shoulder and guided her forward with care.
But curiously enough…
Despite the clear directions on the sign, Naruto didn't take the right path.
Instead, he gradually veered to the left, heading down the wrong road—whether by accident or intention, it was hard to tell. It was as if he hadn't even seen the sign at all.
He was heading in the complete opposite direction…