"Close enough. In any case, just remember—don't tell anyone we saw her today!"
After issuing a stern warning to Sakura, Ino quickly dragged the trembling girl out of Hinata's room. Whatever had occurred, they both decided to turn a blind eye.
As they fled from the Uchiha estate, the Byakugan girl activated her kekkei genkai. Locating Naruto on the training field was a simple task.
Recently, Naruto had been rigorously training to catch up to Sasuke and Hinata—today was no exception.
Despite being slower to develop both in talent and training, Naruto had begun cultivating a unique advantage. As the only character capable of using the Shadow Clone Technique without adverse effects, he adopted a brute-force method: creating numerous clones to perform identical training routines, thereby accelerating his progress exponentially.
A side effect of this method was his rapidly increasing consumption of apples. Adhering to his principle of not wasting food, Naruto insisted on eating every damaged apple peeled by his clones. As such, his primary challenge was no longer physical training, but the capacity of his stomach.
From a hidden position in nearby shrubbery, the Byakugan girl quietly observed. Though Naruto's overstuffed clones appeared comical, her gaze reflected not ridicule, but sincere concern and support.
"Ugh... I can't eat anymore..."
As the final clone disappeared, the bloated Naruto collapsed onto the training ground, completely spent. It was likely he wouldn't want to eat another apple for the rest of his life.
Seeing him lying there, unmoving, the white-eyed girl became visibly worried. After confirming no one was nearby, she cautiously stepped out to approach him.
Just as she leaned down to help, Naruto—previously feigning exhaustion—suddenly sprang up and, catching her by surprise, pinned her to the ground.
He had been testing for potential threats, and the concerned Hinata had inadvertently triggered his trap.
With a hint of triumph in his voice, he exclaimed, "Ha! Thought I passed out, didn't you? No way I'd let my guard down—huh?"
Halfway through his gloating, Naruto froze as he realized who he was restraining. Shocked, he jumped back and began apologizing profusely.
This time, however, no reprimand came. Instead, after a moment, a soft, hesitant voice replied:
"...I'm sorry, Naruto-kun... I should be the one apologizing..."
Naruto looked up to see Hinata lowering her head, avoiding eye contact. Her demeanor reminded him of the shy girl who had once been bullied at school.
"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun... I..."
Gazing into his eyes, Hinata's own began to tear up. Even when she had all but given up on herself, he still remembered her.
"You... really now... Well! I'm totally fine~ So no need to apologize~ Ahahaha~"
Naruto, originally about to question her, decided instead to simply reassure her with laughter—recognizing that comfort sometimes matters more than answers.
"Thank you... Naruto-kun."
Wiping her eyes, Hinata presented a damaged scroll fragment from her chest and handed it over with both hands. "Sorry... This is all I could find."
"Oh? Got it—thanks, Hinata!"
Trusting her completely, Naruto accepted it and gave a thumbs-up. "OK~! I'll master it for sure! And when I do, be sure to come watch—I'll show you."
"Mm~ I believe you will, Naruto-kun."
Hinata placed her hands over her heart and smiled sincerely. But suddenly, a wave of dread struck her. Eyes widening, she stood up abruptly.
"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I have to go!"
"Huh? So soon?"
Seeing her rush toward the woods, Naruto instinctively wanted to follow, but she stopped him with a firm warning: "Don't come after me! Please—stay back!"
There was no time to return to her room in the Uchiha estate. Reaching the pond near the training ground, Hinata clenched her teeth and leapt into the water.
——————
What the—?!
That was Hinata's first thought upon regaining consciousness. Few things are more startling than waking up to a school of fish swimming around you.
Every sensation—the water in her lungs, the feel of her body—confirmed it wasn't a dream. Somehow, while her soul was away, her physical body had wandered off and jumped into a pond.
Shocked and angry, she regained her composure and surfaced, coughing up water. A quick scan confirmed this was the Uchiha training ground pond.
"Hmph... I knew it. When things go too well, trouble is sure to follow."
Dripping wet, she climbed out. Although Ino had once claimed her sleepwalking episodes were just fatigue, this was clearly something more.
Well, since she was borrowing someone else's body, she had little room to complain.
After removing her soaked cloak, Hinata felt her mental energy swiftly recovering. Back in the Wind Demon girl's body, her mind had been quickly depleted. But now, in her original form, it felt like being recharged.
Still, she couldn't afford to be this careless again. This time, she had returned in time. What if next time her body ended up somewhere worse?
Before venturing out again, she would need to safeguard her physical form.
As she wrung out her clothes, a rustling from behind alerted her. A blond head poked out from the bushes, and Naruto froze when he saw her.
"Oh—Hinata?"
"It's you."
Without turning, Hinata recognized him by voice alone... Wait—
If her body had ended up here, had it come seeking Naruto?
Could it be—
That unsettling thought made her eyes narrow. Calmly, she asked.
"Naruto-kun, what were we talking about just now?"
A subtle test. If her body had interacted with him, his response might give it away.
"Huh?"
Naruto blinked, then casually replied, "What do you mean, Hinata? I just heard some noise and came to check it out~"
"...Is that so?"
Though suspicious, Hinata couldn't press further—it concerned her deepest secret.
"Then it's fine. Keep training."
With a shake of her head and a cold expression, she left the training field. But inside, she was piecing together a vague hypothesis. If true, someone would slip up eventually. No need to rush.
Meanwhile, Sai, ever the dutiful maid, had moved Hinata's spare body back to the Uchiha estate bedroom. As she was mentally exhausted, Hinata had released the Soul Possession Technique early at the village gate to let her soul return first.
However, Sai was puzzled to find the body absent from the room upon his return.
"How is she? I mean her pulse, heartbeat—are they stable?"
Just then, a cold voice startled him from behind. Spinning around, he bowed: "She's stable, but... there's no sign of waking."
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(TL: I am using a new language and paragraph reviewer for the next few chapters to see if it's better than the previous ones. Tell me you feedback)