Uzumaki Naruto sat frozen, his wide blue eyes staring blankly at the small, trembling figure standing protectively in front of him. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"H-Hinata…you…" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
The Hyuga heiress, usually so timid and quiet, stood her ground with a rare look of determination on her delicate face. Despite the fear gripping her heart, she refused to move.
"What does it matter?" she said, her voice firmer than ever before. "Maybe you've forgotten…but you protected me once. That day, when I was scared and helpless, you stood up for me… So this time, let me be the one to protect you!"
Naruto's breath caught in his throat.
For a moment, time seemed to slow as a long-buried memory resurfaced in his mind.
A cold, windy night… Heavy snow falling over Konoha… A small girl being bullied by a group of older kids…
And him—his younger self—throwing himself into the fight without hesitation.
They had beaten him up, leaving him bruised and aching in the snow. But back then, he hadn't cared. He hadn't known her name. He hadn't thought about the consequences. All he knew was that she had looked as lost and lonely as he felt every single day.
And now, standing in front of him, that same girl—Hinata Hyuga—was willing to take a beating for him.
Before he could fully process what was happening, laughter erupted around them.
"Hahahaha! Did you hear that just now?! The white-eyed freak actually said she'd stand with the fox boy, even if she got beaten?!"
Their words dripped with mockery and disdain, but the growing malice in their voices sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.
"This is hilarious! The white-eyed monster and the demon fox brat—what a perfect pair!"
Naruto clenched his fists. His body ached from the blows, but the pain didn't matter. What mattered was the rage burning in his chest—the rage at their cruelty, their ignorance.
And then, one of the drunkards sneered, his gaze flickering toward the silver note Hinata was still holding.
"Well, well… Look at that! The white-eyed freak has 10,000 taels on her too! She must have stolen it, just like the fox brat! Guess we'll just have to keep it safe for her!"
Without warning, the man lunged forward and shoved Hinata.
Naruto's body moved before his mind could catch up.
"You bastards!!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!"
His furious yell echoed through the restaurant, but the drunkards only sneered in response.
However, before any of them could strike again—
The sound of footsteps outside the restaurant made everyone pause.
A trio of figures approached, their presence drawing immediate attention.
One young man walked with an air of confidence, dressed in the traditional attire of the Hyuga clan, his white eyes piercing and unreadable. Beside him was a boy in a green jumpsuit with a bowl-cut hairstyle, his every movement brimming with uncontained energy. And finally, a kunoichi with her dark hair tied up into two buns, her sharp gaze scanning the scene with curiosity.
The three of them—Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten—had just completed their latest mission and were heading toward the restaurant for a well-earned meal.
Tenten furrowed her brows as she took in the commotion. "What's going on in there? Why is it so noisy?"
Rock Lee, always eager to investigate, bounced on his feet. "Let me see! Let me see!"
But Hyuga Neji barely glanced in the direction of the restaurant. His expression remained indifferent as he sighed, "It's too noisy. Let's just find another place to eat."
However, the moment Rock Lee caught sight of the scene inside, his eyes widened.
"Wait a second!!! Neji!!! Isn't that your cousin Hinata?! And that blond kid—Uzumaki Naruto! What are they doing in there?!"
Neji's brows furrowed deeply.
Hinata… and Naruto?
A sense of unease settled over him. He knew Naruto well—not personally, but well enough.
Because of Shouta Kazuki.
Unlike most of the villagers, Neji had never fully believed the rumors about Naruto. After all, Shouta had always been unusually perceptive, and he had made it clear early on that Naruto wasn't what people claimed.
Thanks to Shouta, Neji, Lee, and Tenten had occasionally crossed paths with Naruto. They weren't particularly close, but they had shared meals, casual conversations, and brief moments of camaraderie.
And now…
His cousin was standing in front of Naruto, shielding him from a crowd of hostile villagers.
A muscle in Neji's jaw twitched.
Without another word, he stepped forward, pushing his way through the crowd.
The moment his sharp white eyes took in Hinata's frightened but determined stance and the bruises littering Naruto's arms and face—something inside him snapped.
Veins bulged around his temples as his Byakugan activated.
"These people… dared to call my sister a monster?"
A chilling smirk curled his lips.
Heh… These fools were going too far.
And in the next instant—
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Four men hit the floor before they even realized what had happened.
Neji's movements were swift, precise, and utterly ruthless. Within seconds, he had struck down several of the drunkards with pinpoint accuracy, sending them sprawling outside the restaurant.
Hinata's eyes widened in shock. "B-Brother…!"
Neji glanced at her, his voice cool but firm. "Are you hurt?"
Hinata quickly shook her head. "I'm fine… And so is Naruto-kun."
Naruto, still dazed, looked between Neji and the unconscious men on the ground.
Then, a familiar voice broke through the tension.
"Naruto! Hinata! What the hell happened here?!"
Shouta Kazuki, Uchiha Sasuke, and the rest of their group had arrived, drawn by the commotion. The moment Sasuke saw the mess—especially the dirty shoe prints covering Naruto's clothes—his expression darkened.
Without a word, he reached for his waist, his fingers closing around the handle of a kunai.
Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Kiba Inuzuka immediately took defensive stances, instinctively forming a loose formation around their friends.
The drunken men outside groaned in pain but still had the audacity to glare at the group.
"You brats… You think you can threaten us? You don't know who we are!"
One of them sneered. "You must be friends with the little fox demon and the white-eyed freak! If you mess with us, we'll make you pay for it too!"
Those words…
That single sentence…
It was a mistake.
Neji's fingers twitched, chakra already gathering in his palms.
Sasuke flipped the kunai in his hand, his dark eyes burning with barely restrained fury.
Shikamaru let out a long, slow sigh. "Tch… What a drag… but I guess we can't just let this go."
A sharp tension filled the air as the team prepared to strike—
But before the fight could escalate further, a firm hand suddenly clamped down on Neji's arm.
Everyone turned to look.
It was Shouta.
His expression was unreadable, but the dangerous glint in his eyes made it clear—
This wasn't over yet.