Chapter 189 The Snow Princess

Eating with girls is a mystery. Some people have seaside BBQs at night, while others, after three rounds of eating, pass out in a girl's arms from overeating.

Luckily, the protagonist's halo offers protection, and he barely escapes with his life.

"Naruto-kun, let's go back." Hinata said, her voice almost in tears. She was genuinely worried that Naruto might die in front of her, from something as silly as overeating.

"No way! I can still eat. You must not be full yet, right?" The yellow-haired boy said stubbornly, "Come on! Let's go to another place… and eat."

"Don't push yourself." Hinata was truly scared now, tears welling up in her eyes. She was nearly begging him not to die, "Can we please go back?"

"No!" Naruto replied firmly.

Hearing this, Hinata was on the verge of crying, tears glistening in her eyes. She was just impulsive today and wanted to talk to Naruto about her troubles, not to mourn him!

"Well, we can't stop… unless..." Naruto suddenly turned around and said to Hinata, "If you tell me what's been bothering you, I'll stop eating."

Well, what a great way to hold someone hostage with a simple ultimatum.

"Okay." Hinata had no choice but to agree.

Despite her concern, she couldn't help but want to laugh, though she also felt like crying. It seemed that no one but Naruto could truly understand her feelings. Hinata was timid, but it wasn't that she disliked talking.

In reality, it wasn't anything too serious, and Naruto always had a way to get Hinata to open up.

Seeing her finally agree, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

Konoha Street.

The two of them walked along a dim alleyway on the backside of Konoha's main street. There was a faint streetlamp every few dozen meters, some of which were broken.

Fortunately, this road only leads to a dead end, and the only direction left is the Hyuga Clan's compound.

Byakugan could see through any darkness, and skilled users could even spot the tiniest stones on the road. Hinata could do that too, but she wouldn't activate her Byakugan at a moment like this.

The two walked side by side, moving slowly. Hinata's voice was soft, intermittently sharing bits of her worries. Naruto just listened quietly, occasionally interrupting to ask a question or two.

Hinata's performance has always been lukewarm since she was a child. She has not made any name for herself despite holding the title of Hyuga Clan's eldest princess. While she's not bad, she was certainly not outstanding either.

She was somewhere between mediocre and above average, but her peers were none other than the Konoha 12.

They are the elite among the elites of the new generation. Although they are still at the level of Genin, they are growing very quickly and just temporarily lack experience.

Time would bridge all gaps, and many among the Sandaime Hokage's faction believed that they would one day become the pillars of Konoha… Well, except for Sasuke.

The defection of Sasuke was an irreversible fact, and there was no point dwelling on it.

Naruto didn't know whether the Bikochu that the higher-ups had asked him and Team 8 to catch was ever put to use, but he didn't care. That sort of thing would never escape Orochimaru's eyes anyway.

In fact, among the Konoha 12, even though Naruto was lazy and didn't take on many missions, his combat strength was still recognized as being in the top tier.

Everyone was aware of his status as Kyubi's Jinchuriki. And since that mission in the Land of Rivers, even Neji had stopped comparing himself to Naruto.

Neji considered himself a genius, but fate had him encounter a monster.

Who else could be so sharp, seizing the opportunity to take down Kurosuki Raiga and the person on his back without a moment's hesitation? It was as if Naruto were a ruthless mission machine.

Hinata didn't know the specifics of the missions Naruto had carried out, and she only knew that whenever others spoke of Naruto's strength, they fell silent. It was as if Naruto was a mountain beyond mountains, standing alone in his own league.

For someone whose strength towered over her like several mountains, Hinata trusted Naruto's words. She didn't know if the path she was currently on was correct, but maybe, just as Naruto suggested, being flexible would be better. And there was no need to rigidly follow the path Neji had taken.

The troubles of people are never the same, and it is extremely difficult to empathize with others.

Just like for Jiraiya, the most beautiful sound in the world was the laughter of women. But for Might Guy, the most beautiful sound in the world is undoubtedly the crisp sound of his body cracking as he ascended another level in strength.

But for a certain blonde-haired ninja, the most pleasant sound in the world was a crisp, mundane 'Ding!'.

Just like now.

[Ding!]

[Option 1: Protect Princess Fūn, Kazahana Koyuki, as she returns to the Land of Snow to overthrow the tyranny there. Reward: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.]

[Option 2: Threaten Kazahana Koyuki to hand over the geothermal generator, forcing the people of the Land of Snow to pay taxes. Reward: Max-level Flying Thunder God Technique (Gift: x6 Flying Thunder God Kunai that only the host can see).]

The panel had popped up, but Naruto remained expressionless.

He was still listening to Hinata's sporadic account of her new troubles, and he casually closed the panel.

'The timeline for the 'Princess Fuun' mission should have occurred before Sasuke's defection, but it was shifted because Sasuke defected early?'

'Spring is indeed approaching. If Kazahana Koyuki were to come to the Land of Fire to film a movie, she would probably choose this time period.'

The Land of Fire's winter is brief. A few rains will melt the snow, and spring will soon arrive. Temperatures will gradually rise, and soon it will be another long, hot summer.

Choosing an option could wait. First, Naruto wanted to see what was happening on Tsunade's end.

Anyway, he had refused the suggestion of training alone, so he would probably still have to complete the mission. But based on Naruto's understanding of Tsunade, she would still delay the reorganization of Team 7.

This time, he might be in another temporary team. But whether he would be added as a temporary member or whether it would be an ad-hoc team formed for a specific mission remained unclear.

However, for a mission of this level, at least one Jonin would accompany them. Given the uncertainty, Naruto decided to hold back for now.

"You don't need to worry too much about what others think, just do what feels right for you." Naruto said to Hinata at the right moment, "I've always thought you're already excellent, Hinata, there is no need to be so anxious."

"Time is on your side, so just take it slow."

Hinata looked slightly dazed. The night wind picked up just then, lifting Naruto's tousled blonde hair. She realized that in the past year, Naruto seemed to have developed faster than she had, now standing a full head taller than her.

His face now bore the chiseled features of a young man, and his voice had become deeper.

"Okay." Hinata nodded, feeling her cheeks warm up. She exhaled a puff of white breath and finally smiled.

…

About ten days later.

Tsunade summoned Naruto to the Hokage Tower again, and Sakura was already waiting there. She greeted him with a lively wave.

Tsunade, who was sitting in the Hokage's chair, cleared her throat and said, "A new mission has come up. Mitarashi Anko will lead the team, with Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki forming a three-man team to carry out this special mission."

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