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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +18 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions!
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Higurashi Home
Tenten jumped as her mother's hand landed on her shoulder. She had been spacing out as she polished a kunai and so hadn't heard her approach. "Okaa-san!"
"Sorry dear." The shopkeeper smiled. She was starting to feel a bit concerned for her daughter. The girl had been absently polishing the same kunai for the past hour while staring out into space. "Is there something wrong, Tenten?"
The bun-haired girl blinked before looking away, a blush on her face. "Um…you could tell?"
"Considering how you've been polishing the same kunai for the past hour, I think even your father could tell." Kanae said dryly, making her daughter flush deeper in embarrassment.
"It's…I went to deliver the last part of the Storm Suit to Naruto yesterday." Tenten put the kunai, which had been polished to the point that the metal had been worn thin and nearly broken, down and picked up another one as she spoke, her eyes not leaving the metal.
"Yes, Tatsuhiko said he'd sent you to act as a delivery girl." The older woman nodded. "Did something happen?"
"He…Naruto called me 'Ten-chan' by accident…and he blushed." The aspiring Weapons Mistress admitted. "I…kinda blushed too. It was…nice."
Kanae had to suppress a smile at that. It was obvious that Tenten was growing fond of the Kyūbi Jinchūriki and that he was growing fond of her as well. She hadn't been happy with Neji being the focus of her daughter's affections. From her own interactions with the young Hyūga prodigy, the boy had seemed quite…self-absorbed, which was never good in a relationship.
"Ah, to be young again…" she sighed.
"Okaa-san!" Tenten whined.
"Now Ten-chan, it isn't the first time someone's called you that." Kanae said with a small smile. "Is all this embarrassment from you getting called it by a boy or is it because he called you it without your permission?"
The genin kunoichi blushed again. "…kinda sorta both? He's the first boy in my age range to treat me like a serious shinobi and as a friend without looking down on me. Even Lee does it in a weird way when I can't keep up with his and Gai's training sessions. Naruto just…doesn't."
She was honest enough with herself to admit that she was, without question, the weakest member of Team Gai. While capable enough with melee weapons her specialty had always been ranged combat, which left her vulnerable to the two taijutsu specialists that she had as teammates. Both Neji and Lee were at least Jonin-level when it came to their particular taijutsu styles, but at her best she'd only put herself as mid-Chunin-level with her own fighting style, and even then the Sōkō-Ken was relatively weak compared to the Gōken and Jūken.
Granted, when it came to Shurikenjutsu, her own specialty, she was almost Jonin-level herself, while Neji and Lee both barely being Chunin-level. Unfortunately she could never fully bring that skill to bear against her teammates for one simple reason: speed. Lee and Neji were both insanely fast, easily closing in on Jonin-levels, while she was Chūnin-level at best. That meant the two could close the distance between them faster than she could move to keep it open.
Even worse, a lot of the shinobi she interacted with regarded Shurikenjutsu as a distraction, or a way to kill those who weren't versed in the use of chakra, like bandits and low-level samurai. That it was her forte made people look down on her.
But Naruto didn't. He respected her and liked her. It was…flattering, if she were being honest. Yes, he was only an Academy student, but he had an arsenal of ninjutsu that most chunin would envy and was a chakra powerhouse. Just being nearby when he was using jutsu made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end simply because of the sheer amount of chakra she could feel pouring out of him. He had been completely unafraid when those…Nuke-nin scumbags had attacked them and had even taken a life during the whole mess. He had born it like a champ, which had made her admire him a bit. She certainly hadn't adjusted well to her first kill.
It had been a bandit operating out of a forest on the coast of Hi no Kuni. She had thrown a brace of kunai and pierced through his right eye and heart at the same time. He had dropped head with almost no sound and his sightless eyes had bored into her own. She had snapped out of it, forcing the urge to vomit down until after the mission was complete.
"I would suggest that you take it slow, Tenten." Kanae said gently, drawing the kunoichi from her thoughts. "You're both still very young, so just try to be friends with him…although that is likely already the case. Just see how things pan out with Naruto-kun. He is a boy though, so you might have to spell things out for him if you decide that you want to take things further with him."
Those words made the blush on her oh-so young, oh-so sweet daughter's cheeks redouble in strength. "Okaa-san!"
The Next Day
Naruto's Classroom, Konohagakure Ninja Academy
The blond boy who went by the name of Naruto was lost in thought as he contemplated a multitude of things. The least of which was the grapefruit-sized rapidly beating pink heart next to the name of one Hyūga Hinata. This, his frantic research told him, indicated that the person who bore it was madly in love with him.
He had pulled up her status page using his [Observe] skill and was stunned at what it showed.
Name: Hyūga Hinata
Class: Hyūga Taijutsu Generalist
Level: 15 |Next Level: 00.00% (Level Cap, Class Up for further level progression)
(Main) Title: Academy Student (+25% EXP to LV10)
(Sub) Title: Shy Maiden (+25% Embarrassment when around non-related males)
Age: 12
HP: 4500/4500
CP: 5500/5500
STR: 30
STA: 32
DEX: 60
INT: 55
WIS: 58
LUK: 33
Special Status: Modest Byakugan (+2 DEX, + 1 INT, WIS Every Level), Hyūga Clan Heiress (+25% EXP to all Jūken Jutsu).
Perks: - Chakra Control Adept
- Kind-hearted
- Determined
Flaws: - Shy
- Downtrodden
- Dislikes Violence
Hyūga Hinata is the Clan Heiress of the Hyūga Clan, one of the oldest and most respected Clans in the Elemental Nations. In her short life, she has come close to being kidnapped, lost her mother during the birth of her younger sister Hanabi and been blamed by her cousin Neji for the sacrifice of his father after her near kidnapping. Looked down upon by most of her family, her confidence crushed and downtrodden, this shy girl takes confidence from watching the one she loves stand strong despite the burdens upon him.
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