Chapter:8

Kirito confronted the bullies, warning them, "If you ever bully others or call people names again, I'll make sure you regret it. Understand?" He didn't use excessive force—just enough to make their noses bleed. After they had cried for a while, he smiled mischievously and spoke.

As the saying goes, sometimes tough love is the best teacher. When adults intervene, kids might behave for a while, but they'll soon revert to their old ways. However, when someone their age, or worse, naughtier than them, steps in, the lesson sticks.

"Got it, wahh," the three bullies responded tearfully, their bravado completely shattered by the sight of Kirito 's playful yet menacing smile. Once he stopped looking at them, they were so scared that they wished they could run away even faster.

Hinata Hyuga, still with tears in her eyes, looked at the boy who had suddenly appeared like a hero to save her. She felt a strange sense of familiarity, as though she had seen him somewhere before. Mustering up her courage, she walked up to Kirito , blushing, and bowed, "Um, thank you."

"No need to thank me." Kirito formed a hand seal, and with a puff of smoke, everything returned to normal.

As Hinata watched Kirito , who had suddenly grown larger, the sense of familiarity grew stronger. She hesitantly asked, "Um, have we met before?"

"It seems you still remember that winter day two years ago, when you got lost in the snow. Do you recall?" Kirito squatted down, chuckling.

"You're the big brother who took me home!" Hinata exclaimed, the memory flooding back to her.

Kirito nodded and gently patted her on the head. Hinata immediately lowered her head shyly. Kirito then glanced at a male ninja with the same white eyes at the end of the road and at a blonde boy hiding behind a tree nearby.

He whispered to Hinata, "You're a Hyuga, with Byakugan, and you've been trained as a ninja since childhood. So why couldn't you handle those bullies? Next time, don't retreat or cry. Learn to fight back. Remember, others can only protect you temporarily; no one can guard you forever. If you want to protect what you hold dear, you must learn to take the initiative."

With that, Kirito turned and disappeared from Hinata's sight. Shortly after, a Chunin from the Hyuga clan ran over, scolding, "Miss, why did you sneak out again? What if you encountered danger? Fortunately, that boy didn't cause any harm. Also, did you get near that blond kid? The clan leader has forbidden it."

Hinata ignored the guard's words, her thoughts focused on the place where Kirito had disappeared. She noticed the blonde boy secretly following him and whispered to herself, "See you next time, big brother."

From that day on, Hinata began to change. She became more interested in practicing her clan's Gentle Fist technique. Besides her daily training, she would privately practice more, seeking advice from her father whenever she encountered difficulties. Her newfound dedication surprised and pleased her usually strict father, Hyuga Hiashi, who eventually praised her progress.

This praise motivated Hinata to work even harder, and she gradually began catching up to the clan's prodigy, Neji Hyuga. But that's a story for another time.

Meanwhile, Kirito made his way back to Ichiraku Ramen.

[Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Reward: Earth attribute chakra nature transformation.]

"Looks like my efforts weren't wasted," Kirito thought, a faint smile playing on his lips as he heard the system notification.

Glancing behind him, he spotted a little blonde boy clumsily hiding behind a telephone pole, occasionally peeking out. When the boy noticed Kirito looking back, he quickly ducked behind the pole, embarrassed.

"Come on out, you've been following me for quite a while. Aren't you tired?" Kirito sighed, a bit exasperated.

"Nii-san, do you remember me? I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," the boy said, stepping out with a shy smile.

"Of course, I remember," Kirito replied.

They had met two years ago when Kirito had taken Hinata home. Naruto, who had no family, was wandering the streets then. If it weren't for Kirito 's intervention, Naruto would have been the one to rescue Hinata, only to get beaten up afterward.

During that chance meeting, Kirito had felt sorry for Naruto and treated him to a bowl of ramen, something the young boy had clearly never forgotten.

Naruto's light blue eyes lit up with excitement and joy. Kirito was one of the few people, besides the Third Hokage, who didn't look at him with suspicion or disdain. The owner of Ichiraku Ramen was another.

Just then, Naruto's stomach growled loudly.

"You haven't been eating properly again, have you?" Kirito remarked, noticing Naruto's embarrassed expression as he glanced longingly at the brightly lit ramen shop. His throat tightened as he swallowed hard.

"Just as I thought. Come on, I'll treat you to some ramen," Kirito said, casting a brief glance at the ANBU ninja hiding in the shadows, monitoring Naruto, before leading the way into Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed, his face glowing with excitement.

In the shadows, one of the ANBU tasked with watching Naruto whispered, "Someone's approaching the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Should we report it to the Hokage?"

The other ANBU replied, "No, it's just a kid feeling sorry for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and buying him dinner. Let's keep observing."

"Hey, it's Kirito ! Where's your girlfriend today? What'll you have?" Ichiraku greeted with a smile.

"Give him a bowl of tonkotsu ramen," Kirito said, pointing at Naruto. He placed some money on the counter and added, "Uncle Ichiraku, this should cover his meals until New Year. Make sure he gets a bowl of noodles every day."

"Naruto?" Ichiraku looked at the boy with a complicated expression, recalling the time two years ago when Kirito had brought Naruto in. Knowing Kirito 's past, Ichiraku sighed, "You're really a good person, Kirito ."

Kirito smiled but started to leave, when Naruto's hopeful voice stopped him, "Nii-san, aren't you going to eat with me?"

"No, I've got an appointment," Kirito replied, shaking his head. He had a New Year's Eve dinner to attend with a friend, and without another word, he left.

Naruto stood there, feeling a bit lost, but his thoughts quickly shifted to the delicious ramen in front of him. Today had turned out to be a good day for Naruto. Although he missed meeting his future wife, he gained a new year's worth of ramen.

(End of chapter)