Chapter 7: A Bold Declaration
Ren Arakawa ignored Hyuga Hizashi's outburst in the live stream chat and calmly moved his chair closer to Hinata.
He demonstrated his intentions through action.
If they were just desk mates before, now they were sitting side-by-side, nearly in the same spot.
But he wasn't finished.
After closing the distance, Ren shamelessly leaned his face closer to hers and whispered, "Hinata, do you know? I've actually been watching you for a long time. Do you remember that day Naruto and I helped you? For you, it might have been just an ordinary day, but for me, it was the happiest day of my life. Because on that day, fate let me meet the most important person in my life."
The system had given him the identity of an unremarkable war orphan. His life was monotonous, his memories bland. Aside from having a slightly better relationship with the "crown prince" Naruto Uzumaki, the only truly memorable event was that winter, when he and Naruto had encountered Hinata being bullied by some older kids.
Both of them had ended up getting beaten up by those thugs when they tried to intervene.
In a way, he had benefited from Naruto's connection to Hinata. After all, in the original timeline, it was around that time that Naruto first met Hinata. This time, however, he and Naruto had encountered her together.
"R-Ren-kun, please... please don't do this, Iruka-sensei will see," Hinata Hyuga stammered, her face already flushed from Ren's proximity. His cheesy lines were pushing her to the brink of fainting.
"Don't worry about that. True love has nothing to fear," Ren said with a soft smile. "Hinata, remember my words today. Everything I've said is true. But I also know that with my current status, your father would never agree to us being together. Don't worry, though. In the very near future, I will become the strongest man in Konoha—no, the strongest man in the entire shinobi world. When that day comes, your father will have no choice but to accept me!"
To emphasize his determination, Ren leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead.
Hinata Hyuga froze completely, her mind going blank.
Ren's bold action immediately drew the attention of everyone nearby.
Nara Shikamaru: "Holy... what did I just witness?"
Inuzuka Kiba: "Ren, you've got some nerve! Just laying it all out like that?"
Haruno Sakura: "So frustrating! Ren is so handsome, but Hinata got to him first. Well, it's fine, I still have Sasuke-kun!"
Yamanaka Ino: "Sigh~ Another handsome guy taken. My heart is broken. Guess I'll have to settle for Sasuke-kun from now on."
Uchiha Sasuke: "Hmph. What does a mere deadlast have besides slightly better looks than me?"
Ren paid no mind to the stares from his classmates, but Hinata Hyuga, overwhelmed by the attention and embarrassment, finally succumbed and fainted clear away.
[Hyuga Hizashi: Hinata! Streamer! Have you no shame! Hinata is still so young! If you're willing to let Hinata go, I'll give you all the jutsu I know!]
Hinata was his elder brother's daughter. As her uncle, Hizashi couldn't just stand by and watch her be taken advantage of by this scoundrel Ren. Seeing her faint pushed him into a frenzy.
"Uncle Hizashi, please calm down. With me here, Hinata will be perfectly fine," Ren said, still ignoring the man's frantic messages, though his use of "Uncle" was a clear acknowledgment of the man's familial role.
Hyuga Hizashi was utterly beside himself.
Just then, as the live stream view zoomed in, everyone watched as Ren carefully supported the unconscious Hinata. Then, without a word of warning, he pressed his lips to hers in a long, dramatic kiss.
Hyuga Hizashi: Streamer! I'm going to have an aneurysm!
[The Third Raikage: Tch. The youth today... instead of focusing on proper ninja training, they waste their time on this frivolous nonsense.]
[Yuhi Kurenai: Thank goodness my daughter is all grown up. Otherwise, I'd probably be as furious as Hizashi is right now.]
[Minato Namikaze: This youthful romance... it brings back memories of my own past.]
[Kushina Uzumaki: Minato! There are so many people here, control yourself!]
[Yagura Karatachi: Don't tell me the Fourth Hokage and Lady Kushina also started this young?]
[Minato Namikaze: You could say that. After all, Kushina and I were young once, tasting the sweetness of first love. Thinking back on it now, it's still rather thrilling.]
[Yagura Karatachi: Your village is a mess!]
Ren's audacious display not only gave the powerful figures in the live stream a taste of youthful passion but also showed everyone in the physical classroom what true boldness looked like.
The moment he had kissed Hinata's forehead, the entire class had erupted into chaos. The girls, especially, were nearly screaming themselves hoarse.
Iruka Umino, who had been conducting graduation tests on the podium, finally noticed the commotion around Ren. In an instant, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right in front of Ren's desk, his face a mask of fury.
"Ren Arakawa! What do you think you are doing? Release Hinata this instant!" Iruka yelled, his voice echoing in the suddenly quiet classroom.
"Iruka-sensei, please don't misunderstand," Ren said, looking up with an innocent expression. "Hinata fainted. I was just performing... rescue breathing."
And then, right in front of a stunned Iruka, Ren proceeded to demonstrate another round of his "rescue measures" on the unconscious Hinata Hyuga.
Iruka: ? ? ?
Meanwhile, Naruto Uzumaki, having finally finished cleaning the toilets at Ichiraku Ramen to pay off his debt, was sprinting back to the academy as fast as his legs could carry him.