"I'm looking forward to it more and more!"
...…
"Brother, hurry up! Teacher Guy has already arrived at the training ground!"
With her hands on her hips, Tenten urged loudly, a bright smile on her face as she spoke into Kazuki's ear.
"Don't get too full of yourself just because you had the best score in the last physical test! Lee and I will catch up to you soon!"
"Got it."
Kazuki placed the kunai he had crafted into his storage ring before changing into his training clothes. Then, he followed Tenten out the door, heading toward the Konoha training ground.
On the index finger of his right hand, a silver-white ring gleamed. This was the primary storage ring he had successfully forged a month ago. After dripping his own blood onto it, Kazuki had formed a contract with the ring, making him its sole owner—no one else could access its contents. To the eyes of others, it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary accessory.
Once the contract was sealed, Kazuki stored three kunai he had previously crafted, along with essential ninja tools such as shuriken and explosive tags, inside the ring for emergencies.
However, there were two main reasons why he had only managed to create this one primary storage ring. The first was that this type of ring was a two-star weapon, and his forging skills were still at a beginner level. He had only succeeded in crafting it by chance.
The second reason was the material—moonstone. While not particularly expensive, it was also not a commonly used forging component. The supply at his house was limited, and after several failed forging attempts, he had run out. If he wanted to make more, he would have to wait for his parents to return from the Land of Iron with new materials.
On their way to the training ground, Tenten suddenly stopped and turned to Kazuki.
"Brother, did you hear that? A strange noise?"
Kazuki nodded. "Yeah. It's coming from over there."
"Let's go check it out!"
Without hesitation, Tenten grabbed Kazuki's wrist and hurried toward the source of the noise.
Soon, they stumbled upon a troubling sight.
A young girl with short dark hair and pale lavender eyes—Hyūga Hinata—was backed into a corner by a group of children, around eight or nine years old. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked down, hugging herself, too afraid to resist.
"Look! Her eyes are so weird!"
"She must be a monster!"
"If we beat the monster, we'll be heroes of Konoha! Let's get her!"
One of the boys raised his fist, ready to strike.
"STOP!"
Tenten dashed forward, jumping in between Hinata and the bullies. She spread her arms wide, shielding the frightened girl as she glared at them.
"You're not allowed to bully people!" she shouted, voice firm with righteous anger. "Unless you all want to be in serious trouble!"
The kids froze, startled by Tenten's fierce reaction.
Tenten immediately reacted, stepping forward to confront them.
But she was just a little girl, much smaller than them.
The rowdy children around her burst into laughter, their gazes toward her filled with mockery, as if they were looking at a fool.
"It's over? No, it's you who's done for!"
"Where did this wild girl come from, daring to stick her nose where it doesn't belong?"
"I'm not done with you yet!"
Tenten snorted coldly, her eyes showing not a trace of fear. She stretched out her hand and pointed directly at Kazuki, who stood behind the group of troublemaking children.
"If you want to fight me, you'll have to beat my brother first!"
Kazuki: "???"
Sister… is this what you call standing up for justice?
The troublemakers' eyes followed Tenten's finger, landing on Kazuki.
"Brothers, get him!"
Several boys rushed at Kazuki, fists clenched.
"Tch. How boring. You think I'd bother fighting a bunch of kids?"
Kazuki sneered, and in an instant, a dark glint flashed in his hands.
His fingers were already loaded with shuriken.
With a swift flick of his wrist, the projectiles shot out.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sharp sound of air being sliced filled the alley.
The kunai and shuriken in his hands barely grazed the troublemakers—brushing past their cheeks, slicing through sleeves, and skimming their trousers—leaving behind only a few shallow scratches.
Kazuki had controlled his strength perfectly, just enough to tear their clothes and leave minor scrapes, a clear warning without truly harming them.
As expected—
The moment the shuriken flew, the troublemakers froze, eyes wide with terror.
One of them felt a sting on his cheek. When he wiped it with his hand, he saw bright red blood staining his fingers.
"A-Ah! Blood! I'm bleeding!!"
His voice trembled with fear, and soon, the other boys checked themselves and panicked.
"M-My arm! I'm bleeding too!"
"Oh no! He's gonna kill us!"
"Mom! Save me!"
Screams and wails erupted as the boys looked at Kazuki as if he were a demon, then turned and ran for their lives.
At that moment, Tenten pulled up a timid figure who had been crouching nearby.
She beamed. "Don't be scared! Those bullies won't bother you anymore. My name's Tenten! What's yours?"
"M-My name is Hyuga… Hinata," the girl whispered, her gaze drifting to Kazuki.
Tenten grinned. "That's my brother, Kazuki! He's really strong!"
Hinata blushed and lowered her head, her fingers fidgeting. "T-Thank you, Kazuki-kun…"
She hesitated, her heart racing.
Kazuki stood there, his presence almost dazzling.
Strong… composed… He looked like a prince who had descended from the heavens.
Even sneaking a glance at him made her heartbeat quicken!
"Why are you here alone?" Kazuki asked, his voice calm.
Hinata flinched slightly at the gentle tone, her blush deepening as she nervously murmured, "I… I got lost…"
Kazuki thought for a moment. "The Hyuga compound isn't far from here. I'll take you back."
Tenten blinked in surprise.
Huh?
Her brother usually avoided trouble like the plague.
And yet, today, he was offering to escort a girl home?
Could it be… her brother had a soft spot for this little Hyuga girl?