Naruto: The new beginning

---

Naruto and Hinata walked together on their way back to the Hyuga household.

Naruto had his hands in his pockets, recalling the ambiguous expression on his mother's face when he left home. He couldn't help but feel a bit speechless.

By now, Naruto should have understood what Kushina was implying, no matter how dense he might be.

It was challenging for someone like her—who usually acted on her thoughts without hesitation—to start using more subtle tactics.

Naruto was also aware that Hinata had a crush on him.

As for whether he liked Hinata—a girl with a gentle personality, strong heart, and good looks—it was obvious that he did.

Who wouldn't like such a girl?

Considering the customs of the ninja world, Naruto had been an official ninja since graduating from the academy, so there wasn't any concern about puppy love.

After all, back then, a bunch of five- or six-year-old girls were madly in love with Sasuke, which was puppy love.

As Naruto realized this, he suddenly thought of his mother setting him up on a blind date.

Even though he and Hinata had known each other since childhood and could be considered childhood sweethearts, Naruto felt a bit uncertain and didn't know what to say.

Hinata walked just half a step behind Naruto, her head lowered as she played with her fingers.

Hinata was caught off guard when Kushina suggested that Naruto walk her home Her mind is in a whirl, and she agreed before she knew it.

Now, as they walked together through the streets, it felt like they were on a date.

Hinata was so shy that she wondered if she should say something but worried that it might make Naruto uncomfortable.

So, one was too embarrassed to speak, and the other was too shy, leading to a silent walk to the Hyuga household.

As they reached the door, Hinata finally gathered the courage to turn around and say, "Naruto-kun, thank you for walking me home today."

"It's nothing, Hinata. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Naruto waved his hand and turned to leave, thinking to himself that his social awkwardness was the reason he had only one girlfriend for 20 years in his past life.

Behind him, the door that had just closed opened slightly, and a small head peeked out, watching Naruto's back until he disappeared around the corner.

****

After returning home, Naruto was interrogated by Kushina.

After he truthfully revealed what happened, Kushina poked him in the forehead with her finger (Sasuke would be familiar with this gesture).

Then she grumbled before returning to the kitchen to continue cooking.

The next day followed a similar routine—simple tasks in the morning and training in the afternoon.

However, the training ground had been changed to a different location.

In the evening, Kushina found another excuse to keep Hinata around a bit longer, giving her extra training before instructing Naruto to walk her home again.

After leaving the training ground, Naruto realized that this particular training ground was the farthest from the Hyuga household... His mom was being deliberate.

The atmosphere today wasn't as awkward as the day before.

Naruto tried to initiate conversation. After all, they were both ninjas and could talk about ninjutsu and missions.

Although Hinata's voice was as quiet as a mosquito when they talked, Naruto could sense the excitement in her tone.

On the third day, Kushina arranged for Hinata and Naruto to practice Taijutsu together.

The reason was that Hinata wasn't decisive enough in combat.

She wanted someone tough who wouldn't mind getting hit to help her train.

Naruto was instructed to only dodge and defend, not fight back.

As for Naruto's other techniques like the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Summoning Jutsu, and Flying Thunder God, they were left to his clones to practice on their own.

Naruto thought to himself, 'Mom, you know how to push me.'

At first, Hinata couldn't bring herself to attack Naruto. Worried about hurting him, she didn't act decisively until she noticed how easily Naruto could dodge or counter her attacks.

This made Sakura, who was secretly watching from the sidelines, feel annoyed.

She muttered to herself, "Hinata wasn't this hesitant when she hit me the other day. She had me sore all over!"

Yes, Sakura had been secretly observing Naruto and Hinata.

She had felt something was off the day before and was convinced that Kushina was trying to create opportunities for Naruto and Hinata to spend time alone together.

Today, seeing Naruto and Hinata exchanging glances, Sakura was certain something was going on.

She felt a pang of envy. If only Sasuke's mother would help create opportunities for her...

But then Sakura reminded herself that she was in the same class as Sasuke now, which gave her an advantage.

She just needed to improve herself, and Sasuke would surely notice her! Sakura clenched her fists in determination and resumed her training with renewed vigour.

That evening, under Sakura's watchful eyes, Kushina once again found an excuse to keep Hinata behind.

For the third time, Naruto walked Hinata home. Along the way, they discussed the morning's mission and what they had learned during their training.

Naruto often caught Hinata giving him admiring looks, which made him feel good about himself.

In response, Naruto, a self-proclaimed "dense guy," began trying to show concern for Hinata, asking if the training was too hard and such.

Naruto's clumsy attempts at small talk made Hinata's heart flutter with happiness.

****

About 20 days passed this way. Naruto's skills with his mini-map technique became more refined, and he could now use his summoning techniques effortlessly.

However, he had never tried summoning a large toad yet—especially not the toad that once helped Jiraiya boast about his strength.

Currently, Naruto's Shadow Clones are still focusing on mastering the Flying Thunder God jutsu, while Naruto continued his Taijutsu training with Hinata.

At this point, even the dogs could see that something was going on between the two.

Akamaru: "Woof!"

In recent days, Naruto noticed more people in the village wearing different forehead protectors, signalling that the Chunin Exams were approaching.

On the morning of June 24th, no team went to pick up a mission. The six students and one dog waited at the training ground.

Soon, Kakashi and Kushina arrived, each holding three application forms, which they handed to their students.

Kushina spoke, "As you can see, Kakashi and I have recommended you for the Chunin Exams. Let me warn you, the Chunin Exams are dangerous, so think carefully before deciding whether to participate."

Kushina continued speaking, "If you choose to participate, bring your application form to classroom 301 at the academy by 3:00 PM, seven days from now. Of course, we're not forcing you to take the exam; we're just giving you the qualification. If you feel unprepared, you can opt out at any time."

Kiba was the first to jump up, shouting, "Of course I'm participating!"

Shino adjusted his sunglasses and said, "Since we have this qualification, we should give it a shot. If you want to know why..."

There was silence in the air.

Three seconds later, everyone looked at Shino with an expression that asked, "Why?"

Shino felt a bit frustrated. Usually, they would interrupt him by now, but this time they didn't. Now he felt awkward.

So Shino had no choice but to continue, "Because..."

****

Read upto 20 chapters ahead on P@treon.

https://[email protected]/Iamxeno

Thank you for reading.