Chapter 36: Daily Dog Food Sprinkling, Wow… Youth Is So Nice
"You okay? Want me to blow on it for you?"
Naruto asked with concern.
This was about his future happiness—no room for mistakes!
Little Hinata's face turned even redder!
She shyly replied:
"I… I'm fine… just need a little rest…"
Several hidden gazes fell on them.
More precisely—mostly on Hinata.
After all, she was the future head of the Hyuga clan!
Still young—extra protection was only natural.
"Wuwuwu… Young Lady, you absolutely have to seize this chance!"
"Yes… get close to Naruto—for the future of our clan, you have to hold onto him tight!"
"I never imagined Naruto was actually the Fourth Hokage's son."
"The more I look, the more I think little Naruto and our Young Lady are a perfect match. We need to go home and report to the clan head—get this engagement locked in early."
"Right. I heard that in other major clans, any family with a daughter of suitable age—the old fossils are already lowering their pride to try matchmaking with Naruto."
"Pfft… shameless! The moment they learned Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son, those old geezers went crazy!"
"Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. If it were anyone else, people might complain. But as the son of that man—one day he'll definitely tame the Nine-Tails completely and become a perfect Jinchūriki!"
"That means his future achievements won't be below any genius ninja—might even surpass his predecessors."
"…"
The several hidden Hyuga branch family guards protecting Hinata chattered nonstop.
In the past, they had looked down on Naruto everywhere.
Now, somehow, he had become someone they could never reach.
Anyone who could become Hokage
was no ordinary person.
And Naruto's father, Minato Namikaze, had occupied one of those seats.
Whether in strength or achievements—he had earned everyone's recognition and respect.
Plus—he was deeply loved by the people.
As the saying goes: win the hearts of the people, win the world.
Ninjas aren't brainless brutes fighting every day.
They need to eat too, right?
And besides eating—they need housing.
All that is naturally handled by ordinary civilians.
Simply put:
without those ordinary people, the ninjas would have nothing.
Training and war cost a fortune.
If everyone refused to pay taxes,
no money, no food.
No money to buy the ninja tools needed for battle…
…who could handle that??
"You're still saying you're fine… let me take a look."
Naruto's tone was full of concern.
The two were quite close now.
They could even feel each other's breath.
"N-no… that's not good…"
"What's not good about it? If the wound isn't treated quickly, it might get infected."
"Ah… that serious?"
"Of course. Come on—no need to be shy. I just want to check it."
"Oh…"
Under Naruto's repeated urging,
little Hinata parted her thin lips
and timidly stuck out her small tongue.
There was a small patch of broken skin on it.
The wound wasn't big—the bleeding had already stopped.
"Fuuu… pain pain fly away."
Naruto gently blew a few soft breaths.
Feeling the cool, gentle breeze,
Hinata's body stiffened.
Puff—
She turned into a boiled red lobster.
White steam continuously rose from the top of her head.
Th-this… isn't this a bit much?
Hinata's heart was in chaos.
She stayed frozen in that cute pose—tongue still out.
To everyone else watching,
this scene looked exactly like a sweet couple sprinkling dog food.
"Wow… youth is so nice."
"That's the Hyuga clan's young lady, right? She matches perfectly with the Fourth Hokage's son."
"I agree. Naruto, little bro—go for it! We're all waiting to drink at your wedding."
"Wuwuwu… I want to fall in love too."
"…"
Several Hyuga clansmen were in tears.
"Naruto really does have feelings for our Young Lady—this is huge good news."
"First come, first served. Hurry home and report to the clan head—lock in this marriage. Boy reaches marriageable age, girl reaches marriageable age—no delays."
"She's thirteen—not too young. In a few more years, they can marry."
"Right… policies are good now. Best if the Young Lady has lots of kids. The future prosperity of the Hyuga clan depends entirely on them."
"I remember the Fourth Hokage couple's romance was like something out of a fairy tale. Just like our Young Lady—they're a match made in heaven."
"I'm going home right now to report to the clan head."
"No rush on this. The clan head and the second head are having disagreements lately—they're in a cold war."
"What's there to disagree about? Shouldn't they swear absolute loyalty to the clan head? That's always been the rule."
"Sigh… rules are dead, people are alive. Who knows when this damn broken rule will be abolished. Hope the Young Lady can remove this unreasonable rule in the future—it's too heartbreaking."
"I don't think we can count on the Young Lady alone. Better chances relying on the future young master-in-law. After all—he's that man's son. If that man were still alive, so many things in the village wouldn't have happened."
"…"
These guards were all branch family members. In the main house, they weren't even treated as people.
Just tools to protect the main family.
Life or death—entirely up to the main house.
To put it bluntly—they were dogs. And dogs without the right to bark.
After doing this for so long, resentment was inevitable!
Why can you be main house while we can't?
Just because you were born a few days earlier?
So what if you were born earlier!
Your strength is way weaker than ours.
If not for the cursed seal of the "Caged Bird" engraved on our foreheads—
which destroys our brain nerves and causes unbearable pain when activated—
we would have rebelled long ago!
This humiliation—whoever wants to endure it can endure it.
They were almost at their limit.
That's why they desperately hoped someone could break this unfair system.
Relying solely on the Hyuga main house's higher-ups?
The probability was minuscule.
In their eyes—only profit mattered. The branch family's lives meant nothing.
Free, obedient cannon fodder labor—why change the system?
So they could only pin their hopes on an external powerful ninja.
Only then was it possible.
"How is it—feeling better now?"
Naruto's smile was like a warm spring breeze.
Hinata didn't dare meet his eyes. Her little face was flushed bright red, voice as soft as a mosquito:
"M-much… much better."
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