Chapter 46: As Expected of Minato Namikaze's Son
Hyuga Ichiro reached out to grab Hinata.
But Naruto stepped forward first, blocking little Hinata behind him.
His eyes were cold, his tone flat:
"Talk if you want to talk—keep your hands to yourself."
The moment their gazes met,
a bone-chilling cold shot up from the soles of Ichiro's feet.
He couldn't help but shudder violently.
No matter what, his strength was at the level of an elite jonin in Konoha.
He had survived countless dangerous missions.
Licked blood off the edge of his blade more times than he could count!
Even against ninjas far stronger than him,
Hyuga Ichiro had never felt fear.
Yet this time, a single glare from a Konoha genin had terrified him.
If word got out…
it would be far too humiliating!
But Ichiro believed that any other jonin in his place
wouldn't have reacted much better.
The feeling this boy gave him wasn't that of a genin at all.
More like some prehistoric primordial beast!
"Naruto-kun…"
Little Hinata's heart warmed.
She wanted to say something,
but hesitated.
This was the first time she had ever defied Hiashi's orders.
Even managing this much was already incredibly difficult for her.
Hiashi crossed his arms over his chest, expression calm—impossible to tell if he was angry or pleased.
But in his mind, he had already begun evaluating Naruto.
"As expected of Minato Namikaze's son—to dare meet Hyuga Ichiro's eyes and stop him from taking Hinata away."
"Just this courage alone is commendable."
"But… in this world, courage alone isn't enough."
"Without matching strength, you're just a third-rate ninja in the end."
Hiashi hadn't noticed anything wrong with Ichiro.
He assumed Ichiro had intimidated Naruto.
He had no idea that Naruto had turned the tables—
the one truly shaken was Hiashi's most capable subordinate!
Naruto grinned. Just now he had released a faint trace of killing intent.
He had countless trump cards.
And he had seen blood before.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say:
crushing Hyuga Ichiro in front of him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
Even without using the Rinnegan,
with the vast array of techniques Naruto already possessed,
he was confident he could kill Ichiro in a very short time!
And if he didn't feel like doing it himself…
he could just call Kurama out to handle it.
Given that stinky fox's personality, it would probably be thrilled to take the job.
Who could refuse a chance to show their value in front of their master?
Too bad this Kurama wasn't a nine-tailed fox girl.
Naruto sighed lightly and put those random thoughts aside.
He turned around, back to Ichiro, and flashed a grin at Hinata:
"Hinata, go back first. Don't worry about me."
"But…"
Looking into Naruto's resolute eyes,
Hinata froze for a few seconds. Her conflicted heart finally made its decision!
She chose to trust Naruto.
"Okay, Naruto-kun."
For some reason,
Naruto's words filled her with an inexplicable sense of peace and security.
The feeling was subtle.
Hinata herself didn't know how to describe it.
It was as if no matter what Naruto said—even the most outrageous things—
she could unconditionally believe him.
This was a trust that came from the deepest part of her soul.
Since she had chosen to trust Naruto,
Hinata didn't linger. She walked straight back toward the house.
After a while,
Hiashi couldn't hold back anymore. He raised an eyebrow and said gravely:
"Hyuga Ichiro—what are you still standing there stunned for? Have you forgotten the task I gave you?"
Ichiro snapped out of his shock.
He took a deep breath.
"…Yes, Clan Head!"
With that, he didn't want to stay another second.
He hurriedly left.
Before departing, he gave Naruto one last fearful glance.
Decades of battlefield experience and instinct told him:
just now—if Naruto had wanted to—
his life could have been taken in the next instant!
This was no joke.
Besides having the Byakugan kekkei genkai,
Hyuga Ichiro also possessed an almost unknown sharp intuition.
He could sense fatal danger one step ahead,
allowing him to escape quickly or prepare countermeasures.
This was the main reason he had survived the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars!
Today, he had actually been frightened by a mere genin.
Hyuga Ichiro didn't even know what to say…
After clearing out all the bystanders,
the wide streets of the Hyuga clan grounds
were left with only two people.
One was Naruto.
The other was the current head of the Hyuga clan—
Naruto's future father-in-law, Hyuga Hiashi.
Of course, Hiashi could never imagine what the future held—no matter how hard he tried.
After all—he wasn't a transmigrator.
Back to the present.
Naruto and Hiashi simply stared at each other in silence.
Neither spoke first.
In any negotiation, whoever speaks first loses the initiative and appears weaker!
"Speak first, die first"—Naruto understood this principle very well.
Speaking first often signals guilt. If you're not guilty, why rush to explain?
No way!
Was Naruto guilty?
Not even a little!
He and his little wife were just normally deepening their relationship.
Perfectly legal behavior.
Even a father-in-law had no right to overstep and point fingers at them.
After a long silence,
Hiashi finally couldn't hold back anymore. He spoke first:
"As expected of Minato Namikaze's son—this level of composure and fearlessness in the face of danger is far beyond his peers."
He gave an honest evaluation.
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