Chapter 12: The Not So Intelligent Protagonist.

After Naruto expressed his desire to become stronger, several months passed, and the path to becoming stronger proceeded in an orderly manner under the guidance of his father. However, the results were not as satisfactory as expected.

"No, it's not like that. I told you that the hand signs must be as familiar as your own limbs, making it a part of your body!"

"There's no time for seals in real combat!"

"You must perform the seal as soon as your hand touches the opponent!"

The Nine-Tails perked up its ears, impatiently lifting its eyelids to observe the father and son who were training in front of it. From the moment Minato started scolding Naruto, the scolding hadn't ceased. Naruto didn't resist; he just followed Minato's instructions and practiced the ninjutsu called Flying Thunder God.

Performing seals is a way to guide the flow of chakra. It can accelerate the flow of chakra and is not a prerequisite for using ninjutsu. Once one becomes proficient, they no longer need to perform seals. However, very few people can achieve that level. Flying Thunder God, an ultra-S-rank ninjutsu, requires no seals and has no cooldown. It is simply beyond the capabilities of humans. The term "genius" can only be used to describe talents like Minato.

Naruto, on the other hand, did not inherit Minato's excellent talent. Although he didn't want to admit it, Minato had already realized that Naruto wasn't as talented. It took him a long time to even learn the seals. How could his son be someone so lacking in talent... Just as Minato was thinking this, Naruto made another mistake in his seals. At this rate, not to mention Flying Thunder God, he probably couldn't even perform Shadow Clone Jutsu properly and would be limited to using Rasengan.

"Naruto, take this seriously!"

Minato lost his composure and scolded loudly. Naruto seemed taken aback, turned around, and looked at the angry Minato before nodding and continuing his practice.

"What are you doing, Nine-Tails...?"

Before Minato could react, the tail that was connected to him threw him against the wall, and then the tail changed shape, wrapping around him like a spider's web.

"What's wrong, Nine-Tails?"

"Nothing. Your dad is a bit tired. Stop training. Let's chat."

The Nine-Tails didn't know why it did this, so it came up with a decent excuse. It was too noisy, and it was affecting its quality of sleep.

"Chat? About what?"

"Just anything."

"Listen, Auntie Hiromi gave birth to a healthy baby named Hanabi. She's a little girl and very cute!"

Naruto thought for a moment and then shared some of the recent small events he had experienced. The Nine-Tails closed its eyes and listened to Naruto's clumsy expression of his thoughts.

"By the way, Nine-Tails, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"This room is sealed and doesn't have a toilet, so... um, is all this water... I won't laugh at you."

"...Tailed Beasts don't need to use the toilet!"

The Nine-Tails took a long time to understand what Naruto meant and threw him out of the space with an angry roar. It was the first time in a long while that Naruto had gained an advantage over the Nine-Tails in their conversation.

"Alright, the brat is gone."

After Naruto left, the Nine-Tails yawned lazily and lay down on the ground, releasing Minato. Its tail wrapped around him and brought him back to itself.

"Nine-Tails, why did you interrupt me?"

"Don't you think you were too harsh on that brat?"

"How is that possible? I was only training him according to the system!"

"Don't you realize it yet? Lower your head and take a look."

"This is..."

Minato lowered his head and looked at the reflection on the water's surface. The originally azure iris, the same as Naruto's, had transformed into the Nine-Tails' slit pupil, emitting an eerie red light.

"You hoped too much for the brat to become stronger, and it has affected your mindset."

"No, that's not it. It's your chakra..."

Minato covered his right eye, which had turned red, with his palm, shaking his head in pain, unwilling to admit it.

"Humans always like to shift responsibility. It seems you're the same. Do you want that brat to learn any ninjutsu he sees, to fly around with your Flying Thunder God at the age of five, defeating all opponents? Becoming the second Yellow Flash of Konoha?"

"I never said that!"

"No matter what you think, that brat is only five years old. Do you think he can master such a high-level ninjutsu? It's ridiculous."

"I... we have too many enemies."

Minato sat weakly on the ground. He knew he had made a mistake, a terrible mistake. Even though he was the Fourth Hokage, he was just an ordinary father who had placed too much expectation on his child and was afraid that the masked man would come knocking at his door at any moment. That's why he trained Naruto so harshly, but he accidentally ended up hurting him.

"Thank you, Nine-Tails. Without you, I'm afraid that child would hate me."

Minato, worthy of the title of the Fourth Hokage, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the ominous red eyes had disappeared, replaced by a gentle blue.

"With me around, that brat won't die so easily."

"Do you want to help him?"

"Don't misunderstand. I only want to kill the enemy that put us in this situation."

The Nine-Tails revealed its sharp fangs. It would never forget that night when an ominous Sharingan controlled its body. It would repay that humiliation in kind!

...

"Hinata, where are you going?"

After Naruto was expelled from the Nine-Tails' body, he woke up and encountered Hinata on his way out of the room. He decided to follow her. Ever since the kidnapping incident, he had gained the right to live in the Hyuga household. Naruto could stay there anytime, which meant he had already fulfilled half of his dream of freeloading.

"I'm going to see Mom and the baby."

"Oh, let's go together."

"Yeah, Naruto-kun, is that a toy in your hand?"

Hinata curiously looked at the small balloon in Naruto's hand. At some point, Naruto had started carrying a balloon with him all the time, never letting go of it.

"I guess so. It's also a form of training."

Naruto made an effort to manipulate his chakra, causing the balloon to shake vigorously. However, he still had a long way to go before bursting it. Since Minato had taught him the practice method for the Rasengan, he had stopped guiding Naruto and focused solely on teaching him the Flying Thunder God technique.

"It's quite fun."

Hinata's eyes curved as she chuckled. She found Naruto's determined efforts very attractive.

"Yeah, I think so too."

The two of them walked and laughed together, passing through the grand and spacious corridors of the Hyuga household. They arrived at the door of a lavishly decorated room, and a maid bowed to Hinata and let them in.

"Hinata, Naruto, you've come."

Lying on the bed, Hinata's mother, Hyuga Hiromi, had a pale complexion. Her body was exceptionally weak after giving birth. When she saw Hinata, she forced a smile.

"I came to see the baby."

"No matter how many times I see them, they're always adorable."

Hinata and Naruto leaned over the crib, looking at the tiny baby inside. The baby had fragile, snow-white skin, and even the veins on their slightly translucent lips were visible. The little one seemed oblivious to being observed and slept soundly, snoring softly.

"What if they grow up to be even cuter than Hinata? What would Naruto do then?"

"Huh?"

"Wouldn't you want to find a different partner to marry?"

Hinata's mother smiled mischievously at Naruto, wanting to tease her daughter through him.

"M-Mom!"

Hinata called out shyly, but she was also concerned about Naruto's thoughts. If the baby really turned out to be cuter than her, what would Naruto choose?

"No, I wouldn't. Having Hinata is enough for me."

It was clear that Hinata was overthinking things. Naruto hadn't even considered such a thing. He responded casually.

"Where did Father go? Shouldn't he be with Auntie Hiromi at a time like this?"

Naruto looked around and noticed that the spacious room was missing the baby's father. At a time like this, shouldn't he be with his wife?

"Well... he's probably busy."

Hiromi's smile faded instantly, feeling a bit disappointed, and she glanced at the baby in the crib, sighing lightly.

"He prefers boys over girls."

Hiromi tugged at Naruto's sleeve and whispered in his ear.

"Prefers boys over girls? What does that mean? Aren't they both his children?"

"Naruto, you're still young and don't understand. As the head of the Hyuga clan, if he doesn't have a male heir, he'll be looked down upon. It's always been customary for a boy to inherit the clan."

Hiromi shook her head. She knew Hiashi was disappointed, but he didn't know who to be mad at, so he resorted to drinking.

"This is his reason for not coming to see Auntie Hiromi? I can't accept it!"

"Naruto, where are you going?"

Ignoring Hiromi's call, Naruto rushed out of the room and overcame numerous obstacles to enter the study of the Hyuga household.

The study of the Hyuga household was where Hiashi Hyuga usually worked, but today the room was different from usual. The smell of books was overshadowed by the strong scent of alcohol. Hiashi Hyuga was drinking one cup after another.

"Who let you in?"

Hiashi Hyuga looked displeased at Naruto, his speech tainted with the strong smell of alcohol.

"Who let you not go see Aunt Hiromi and the baby? (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻"

Unexpectedly, Naruto had an even greater temper than him. He immediately overturned the low table in front of Hiashi, and asked angrily.

"I'm busy."

"Being busy means drinking here? Is this how a man should behave?"

"What do you know, you brat! Hiromi's body is no longer suitable for giving birth. As the head of the Hyuga family, I don't have a son to carry on the family name. How can I hold my head up among the prominent clans?"

Hiashi Hyuga became more depressed as he drank more, pouring another mouthful of alcohol into his mouth.

"Cough, how would I know what you want to do? All I know is that Auntie Hiromi is alone. At the time she needs you the most, you're here drinking, and even for such a flimsy reason, you can't even see your own kid. Don't you think that's pitiful?"

Naruto snatched the bottle of alcohol from Hiashi Hyuga's hand and, enduring the burning sensation, gulped it all down. He started arguing with Hiashi in a louder voice.

"If you like boys so much, I'll have children with Hinata and give them all to you! You dumb, jerk, stupid loser!"

"...Brat, you're drunk."

Hiashi Hyuga became slightly sober and looked at the rambling Naruto with a speechless expression.

"I'm not drunk. I'll have ten or twenty children with Hinata. If you like boys so much, you can raise them all. Are you satisfied now? Ugh!"

Under the influence of alcohol, Naruto no longer knew what he was saying. After uttering those words, he fell to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

"To be scolded by a brat like this, it's really a humiliation. I've been useless as the head of this family."

Looking at the fallen Naruto, Hiashi Hyuga no longer had any intention of drinking. He casually used his chakra to clear the effects of alcohol. As the head of the family, no one dared to point fingers at him. Even if it was Hiashi Huyga's cousin, they could only offer subtle suggestions. Being directly scolded like this was a first.

"He's really a good kid."

Getting so angry for someone else's sake, he was a fool. But he was a fool that one couldn't hate. Afterward, it took a long time for Hiromi to ask why her husband's attitude suddenly changed. When Hiashi reluctantly explained the reason, he became even more fond of Naruto, his prospective son-in-law.