Chapter 218

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[Naruto: Superpower Roulette] 

[One Piece: My Crew Is Trash!] 

[Pokémon Breeder in One Piece] 

[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] 

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[Naruto: Infinite New World] 

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"With the village's ninjas and clans now preparing to train Pokémon, and with Hokage-sama's strong support, it's a good thing for the young lady to know such a powerful-looking Pokémon. Don't interfere; be careful, or the clan head might punish you," the more astute branch family member quietly advised his companion.

"You're right."

The other man nodded in agreement.

The two then turned to head back to the clan grounds. Their task was simply to escort the young lady to the Ninja Academy; anything beyond that wasn't their responsibility.

Now that their task was complete, even if Infernape intended harm toward the young lady, it would be the Academy's responsibility, not theirs.

"Infernape-nii, I've been training at home these past few days, so I couldn't come to play with you all."

Hinata wasn't a fool; she could guess why Infernape had come. During the past five days, she had wondered if her absence would make the brothers at Mount Gorbo worry.

"Ho ha."

Infernape nodded, not saying much. Hinata's words confirmed that Sabo's guess had been correct.

He glanced up at the gray sky. The winter season in the world of the Hokage made it seem like snow could fall at any moment.

Infernape then looked down at Hinata, noticing her nose was a bit red, likely from the cold. He extended a hand and ignited a small flame in his palm.

The surrounding temperature instantly rose, making Hinata feel much warmer. Her pale eyes stared blankly at the firelight.

Infernape's head already had a small, ever-burning flame, much like Charizard's tail flame. However, this flame was more like a part of Infernape's body. As long as Infernape wasn't in a state of battle or aggression, others wouldn't be harmed by the flame, nor would they feel its warmth.

"Ho ha?"

'Do you want to go see them?'

Infernape knew Hinata probably wouldn't understand what he wanted to convey, but he asked anyway.

As expected, Hinata couldn't understand.

They had only spent half a day together, and although they felt close to each other, that wasn't enough for Hinata to instantly grasp Infernape's meaning.

Infernape shook his head, deciding not to pursue the matter further. He would wait until school was over and then try to take Hinata to Mount Gorbo, to see what she wanted to do.

"Infernape-nii, are you going to come to class with me?"

Hinata, carrying her small bag, turned her head to curiously ask Infernape, her big eyes filled with hope that he would accompany her to class.

Infernape glanced at Hinata's innocent expression, scratched his head in resignation, and nodded. He had originally planned to find a quiet spot to observe how people in this world trained and fought, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible now.

"Great!"

Hinata smiled happily, then reached out her small hand to touch Infernape's, "Infernape-nii's hand is so warm, and it's so fluffy."

As a Fire-type Pokémon, Infernape naturally had a higher body temperature than other creatures, and his fur helped keep him warm, making his body even warmer.

So, Infernape allowed Hinata to lead him to the Ninja Academy, where he obediently sat next to her, ready for class.

Hinata seemed especially happy with Infernape's presence, her small legs swinging back and forth energetically.

Typically, the first class at the Ninja Academy was led by the homeroom teacher.

In Hinata's case, that teacher was naturally Iruka.

When Iruka entered the classroom and saw a large monkey sitting among the students, he was initially startled.

However, he quickly remembered the existence of creatures like Pokémon and silently marveled at the Hyūga clan's influence. To have such a strong-looking Pokémon as Hinata's summoning beast already—impressive.

Hinata and Infernape, of course, had no idea what Iruka had misunderstood.

The lesson soon began, and it wasn't long before Naruto and a few others jumped out of the window and ran off. Iruka merely shouted after them half-heartedly, already used to such antics.

This was just another day in their lives.

If there ever came a day when these few didn't sneak out, that would be truly terrifying.

Iruka would probably suspect he was under some kind of genjutsu.

Hinata listened attentively to the lesson, even though it was about dry theoretical material. She still paid full attention.

As for Infernape, he had already laid his head on the desk, nodding off.

Time passed.

"Infernape-nii, wake up~"

Hinata's soft, sweet voice was like the one her daughter Himawari used to wake Naruto in the morning.

Luckily, Infernape was always on alert, so he had only been lightly dozing. The moment Hinata called him, he woke up.

"Ha~"

Infernape stretched, rotating his neck.

He looked at the darkening sky outside and the empty classroom, feeling a bit disoriented.

He hadn't expected to sleep through the entire day.

"I should go home now, Infernape-nii."

Seeing that Infernape had finally woken up, Hinata breathed a sigh of relief. She had been waiting for him to wake up; she didn't want to leave him behind and go home alone, feeling that would be impolite.

"Ho ho."

Infernape pulled out an emergency contact token and showed it to Hinata.

"Um... I can't go. Father will scold me."

Hinata knew what the token meant and looked down in disappointment, unable to meet Infernape's eyes.

Infernape stayed silent for a moment, then put away the token and pointed to himself, then to Hinata.

"Do you want to come home with me?" Hinata guessed.

Infernape nodded.

"Oh, okay."

Hinata didn't think too much about it. Since she had visited Infernape's home, it seemed reasonable to let him see hers.

With her school bag on her back, Hinata led the way out of the classroom.

Infernape followed silently, a spark of determination in his eyes.

'Fully rested and ready.'

When Infernape and Hinata left the Academy, they were met once again by the two branch family members who had come to escort Hinata home.

The two men exchanged glances when they saw Infernape but chose to ignore him, not even bothering to ask Hinata about it.

This left Hinata, who had been preparing to explain, feeling a bit puzzled.

Once they were a distance away, Naruto appeared.

"Hinata's house is in that direction. I see her walking that way after school every day."

Naruto pointed in the direction Hinata and Infernape had gone and spoke to the figures behind him.

Behind Naruto stood six figures: Emboar, Typhlosion, Blaziken, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy.

"Thanks, Naruto! We'll take it from here. You should head home."

Sabo stepped forward, gently ruffling Naruto's hair.

"Yeah, don't worry Zephyr-sensei. This is our family matter," Ace added, spinning the staff in his hand.

"Don't cause too much trouble. I'm heading out," Naruto nodded.

His simple nature didn't let him see the fighting spirit emanating from Emboar and the others.

"Don't worry! I'll just punch Hinata's dad into the sky!" Luffy shouted, swinging his arms.

Naruto's face turned pale.

Had he just brought trouble to the village?

But Naruto quickly shook his head. He had already decided to help his friends, and he wouldn't go back on his word.

"Need my help? I could call Arcanine," Naruto offered, glancing worriedly in the direction of the Hyūga clan grounds.

He remembered Shikamaru saying that, currently, the Hyūga clan was the strongest in Konoha, not just in terms of power but also in numbers.

"No need. We don't want to drag anyone else into this. Go on, don't let anyone see you with us," Ace refused Naruto's offer.

They were prepared to stir up trouble, and while the League might punish them, Naruto, being from this village, could face severe consequences if he got involved.

From what they had seen earlier, Naruto's position in the village might already be precarious.

"Alright, I'll leave then."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but seeing their determination, he nodded.

However, he secretly resolved to hurry back and tell Grandpa about this!

Ace and his group watched Naruto leave, then began making their way toward the Hyūga clan's grounds.

Along the way, their presence naturally attracted attention, especially since Emboar and the other Pokémon looked both powerful and impressive. It was hard not to notice them.

Even the Anbu had taken note of Ace and his companions and quickly reported the situation to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows in deep thought.

He suspected that the kids and Pokémon were headed for the Hyūga clan, but he couldn't determine their relationship with the clan.

He recalled hearing earlier that Infernape had been very close to the Hyūga clan's young lady, Hinata, and seemed to be her summoning beast.

But according to the Anbu's report, the kids and Pokémon looked quite displeased, as if they were heading to cause trouble.

"...Notify the League's inspection team and have them keep an eye on the situation. We won't intervene," Hiruzen decided after careful consideration.

On one side was Konoha's prestigious Hyūga clan, and on the other, the new powerhouse that was the Pokémon League. Hiruzen knew which side he should lean toward.

Besides, he had been looking for an opportunity to suppress the Hyūga clan.

If these kids were indeed going to stir up trouble with the Hyūga clan, it would work in Hiruzen's favor.

He could then step in at the right moment, playing the good guy and smoothing things over, earning goodwill from the League and a favor from the Hyūga.

Perfect.

(End of Chapter)