The river murmured, tumbling over rocks. The sun stood at its zenith.
Naruto sat in the lotus position on a large boulder. A picturesque purple bruise was blossoming under his left eye—a "gift" from the morning sparring session with Jiraiya-sensei. The old man, deciding to check the progress of his training, had arranged a match, apparently without holding back much.
Twenty days of training... Naruto noted mentally, concentrating on the sensation of his Chakra. Rasengan with a clone is now created half a second faster. Progress in Fūinjutsu is much more modest, still creating basic seals. But I... I am getting stronger.
He analyzed the fight. Jiraiya-sensei, for his size and the heaviness of his blows, was extremely fast; even the Tempered Body didn't help much. He was the strongest opponent the blonde had faced so far. Naruto looked for gaps in the Sannin's style, replaying the movements in his head.
"Naruto-kun?"
He opened his eyes, breaking concentration. Hinata stood on the grass, a few meters from him. She was dressed in her training outfit—a loose jacket and pants, comfortable for Gentle Fist.
The Qi cultivation he had passed on to her was already bearing fruit. She had reached the Middle Stage of Body Tempering. Her skin, usually pale to the point of sickness, now had a healthy, peach hue. Her posture was straighter, her breathing deeper. An inner radiance had appeared in her.
"Hi, Hinata," he smiled, jumping off the rock and involuntarily wincing from pain in his ribs.
Hinata noticed the bruise. Her eyes widened. "A-are you hurt?"
"Ah, this?" Naruto touched his cheekbone. "Nonsense. One Old Man went wild during sparring. It was a useful experience."
"You... train very hard," she clutched the edge of her jacket. "I didn't mean to intrude."
"You're not intruding. I was just finishing meditation. Came to train?"
"Y-yes..." she was a little embarrassed but didn't look away. "I... I need advice."
She sat on the grass, and Naruto sat down next to her.
"Something wrong with the Dantian?"
"No, it... it's working," she placed a hand on her lower abdomen. "I feel warmth, and it's become easier to breathe. But... when I try to use clan techniques, Gentle Fist... the energies conflict. My thoughts get confused. Chakra for Hyuga techniques requires sharpness, but Qi... it's different."
"Show me," Naruto asked. "Hit that tree. Use Gentle Fist while maintaining Qi circulation."
Hinata nodded. Stance. Byakugan.
"Ha!"
A fluid lunge. Her palm touched the bark.
The sound was dull. The leaves on the tree trembled, but the bark didn't even crack. The effect was weaker than a normal Gentle Fist strike.
Hinata exhaled in disappointment, looking at her palm. "See?" she said quietly. "I pour in more power, but the strike dissipates. Hyuga chakra is sharp, and Qi... they seem unwilling to cooperate."
Uzumaki walked over and examined the tree. He saw the traces of energies with his sensory perception. They hadn't mixed; they had canceled each other out. Although in his case, this usually caused an explosion.
"Conflict of energy nature," he stated. "You're trying to force them to do the same thing, but the properties of the energies are different."
"Look," Naruto began, his voice becoming instructive, calm. "Although both styles are soft and fluid, there are differences. Gentle Fist, in its essence, is a needle. At the end of the movement follows a pinpoint, hard jab designed to close a tenketsu. It requires an instant release."
He made a fluid motion with his hand, mimicking a wave. "Qi, in its essence, is a smoothly flowing river. It flows continuously. When you try to use Qi to amplify Gentle Fist, you create a blockage. The flow stops."
Hinata listened attentively; her Byakugan was deactivated, but she caught every word.
"Don't stop circulation during strikes," he continued. "Let the river flow during the attack. Don't try to put the whole stream in at once. Imagine separating a thin thread, adding it to the attack. Let's try. Slowly. Attack me."
Hinata assumed the Gentle Fist stance. She moved forward—palm aimed at his shoulder. Naruto didn't block hard. He took her strike on his forearm but didn't stop it, instead allowing her hand to slide further, gently redirecting the inertia.
"Feel it?" he asked when they were so close they could almost feel each other's breath. "Don't hit at me. Hit through me. Let the Qi flow."
They moved in the rhythm of a strange dance. Deceptively slow, fluid movements. Hinata, following his guidance, stopped tensing with every strike. Her movements became more fluid, and suddenly she felt a particle of Qi from her Dantian easily flow into her palm, creating a dense, stable needle.
"It worked..." she exhaled, looking at her hands.
When the sun began to dip toward sunset, they were tired. But instead of parting ways, Naruto gestured for her to sit on the grass.
"Feel discomfort in your meridians?" he asked.
"A little..." Hinata admitted.
"Let's soothe them. Together."
It was... unexpectedly intimate. Hinata felt the warmth of his back through the fabric of his jacket. She felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing.
"Close your eyes," Naruto said quietly. "Breathe in my rhythm. Inhale... Exhale..."
He began Qi circulation. Hinata, feeling his calm, powerful rhythm with her back, adjusted. Their Dantians seemed to enter resonance. Energy flowed in a circle, soothing aching muscles and washing away fatigue.
In this silence, under the sound of the river, they were closer than during any conversation.
A few cycles later, Hinata felt better. After a short pause, she spoke. Her voice became quieter.
"Naruto-kun... Brother Neji... he is very strong."
"I know," Naruto nodded.
"He believes fate is immutable," she continued, clutching the fabric on her knees. "That the Main Branch of the Clan will always be above, and the Branch House will suffer and serve. He... he hates me. For being born in the 'Main' branch but turning out weak. He thinks my weakness insults his strength."
"And you?" asked Naruto, looking at the slowly flowing water. "What do you think about that?"
Hinata raised her head. In her eyes, usually timid, steel suddenly flashed. That same core Naruto had felt in her. "I want to prove him wrong. Not to humiliate him or defeat him as an enemy. But to... save him."
Naruto looked at her in surprise. "Save?"
"Yes," Hinata continued firmly. "His hatred is a cage. A cage of fate he built for himself. If I, a 'weakling' and 'failure,' can change... If I can become strong... It proves—fate can be changed. It means he can stop being a slave to his mark too. I want to free my brother."
Naruto looked at her and felt a warm wave of pride rise inside him. She probably didn't notice it herself, but she had already changed a lot. That timid, insecure girl had disappeared, becoming a worthy heiress of a great clan.
"You'll handle it, Hinata," he smiled his most sincere smile at her. "You have the will. And as long as there is a firm goal and loved ones you want to protect—any task is possible. I will help you."
Hinata blushed, but smiled back—brightly and confidently.