Naruto: All depends on the Nine-tails Fox

In Naruto's room, Hinata obediently knelt before him, tightly gripping a thick wooden stick in her hands, her white eyes fixed intently on Naruto's face.

However, after staring at him for a little longer, her thoughts began to drift.

"Naruto-kun looks so handsome when he's this quiet..."

At the Hyuga family estate.

"What!"

Hyuga Hiashi, who had been casually sipping tea and meditating, suddenly lost his composure. His eyes flared in anger as he instinctively crushed the teacup in his hand.

Yet, even as hot tea splashed onto his hand, it failed to grab his attention. He fought the urge to rush straight to Naruto's house. His gaze lingered on the Hyuga branch family member before him, his expression darkening with uncertainty.

"Calm down, Hiashi, calm down... didn't you already prepare yourself for this? After all, he is the offspring of that person. Although he came earlier than expected, as they say, 'the student surpasses the master'..."

The branch family member, half-kneeling, watched as Hiashi muttered to himself, veins bulging in his temples, unable to stop himself from complaining.

"Master, your hand... it's bleeding..."

"What? There's blood? These kids are too reckless!" Hiashi exclaimed.

"No, Master! I mean, your hand is bleeding!"

Only then did Hiashi look at his hand, which still gripped the shattered pieces of the teacup. The cut from the ceramic was oozing blood.

"Ah!" Hiashi cried in pain, quickly covering the wound with his other hand to hide it from view.

As his subordinate prepared to tend to his injury with a medical kit, Hiashi muttered, "This was my favorite... cup. Does it really have to leave me so soon?"

"The clan leader isn't grieving over the cup, is he? He must be using it as a metaphor... and that attitude... he must have already accepted it."

The subordinate, wrapping his hand with bandages, silently rolled his eyes in his mind.

"Papa, is sister still not home?"

At that moment, little Hinata Hanabi wandered into the room, her big, cute eyes looking up at her father.

The subordinate, having finished wrapping Hiashi's hand, quickly excused himself. Looking at his beloved daughter, Hiashi waved his hand for her to come closer, and Hanabi obediently climbed into his arms.

With his daughter in his arms, Hiashi's expression softened slightly. He patted her head and said, "Hmm, Hanabi, why are you still awake so late? Tomorrow, I'll have to check if you've been slacking off with your homework~"

"Heehee, Papa, I finished practicing after dinner~" Hanabi smiled proudly.

"Wow, Hanabi, you're amazing! You're so good, unlike your sister... Hey, when we see your sister tomorrow, don't ask her about today, okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Papa?" Hanabi asked, confused, not understanding her father's seemingly unrelated words.

Hiashi said no more, simply sighing inwardly, with a hint of frustration. How has that man raised his son? So mature at such a young age? Even if he really is that impatient, he should have at least given me an explanation!

The misunderstanding in Hiashi's heart only deepened as time passed.

Later...

"...Naruto-kun, I'm sorry!"

With a sudden crack, the wooden stick slammed into Naruto's head, the sharp pain snapping him awake. He clutched his head, wincing in agony. "Ow, that hurts!"

"Naruto-kun, are you okay?" Hinata, panic-stricken, quickly dropped the stick and helped him up. "I'm so sorry! Did I hit you too hard?"

"No, no, it's fine. Ah, thanks, Hinata!" Naruto waved her off, still shaken by the experience. His mind had been like stone for a while—unable to move, unable to think, but still aware of the passage of time. It had been a kind of torturous sensation he could hardly describe.

"Naruto-kun, were you really training? I... I couldn't see any change in your chakra..." Hinata's concern was obvious. During the period when Naruto had been motionless, she had activated her Byakugan multiple times to observe the changes in his chakra, but it seemed as if nothing had happened. To her, his chakra was like a calm lake, as steady as ever.

"Yeah, I was training... but..." Naruto was about to explain when his stomach growled loudly, and he awkwardly scratched his head. "I'm so hungry. Let's eat first."

Just as he was about to stand up and get the instant noodles he had prepared, he realized he couldn't move. His legs were completely unresponsive, like they were still in the stone-like state.

"Huh? Huh? I can't move?" Naruto tapped his legs with his hands. His muscles still had some elasticity, unlike stone, but they felt stiff as if they were still petrified.

"You might have just sat too long. Let me get it for you," Hinata said, sensing his discomfort.

"Ah, no, it's fine, Hinata. Sorry to trouble you..." Naruto gestured to the cupboard.

Hinata, ever thoughtful, found the cup noodles and made them for him, gazing at the stock of noodles thoughtfully.

After eating, Naruto patted his legs again, as if testing them, and felt the sensation return. He was finally able to stand.

Seeing that Naruto seemed fine, Hinata sighed in relief.

Naruto glanced out the window at the sky before turning back to Hinata with a smile. "There's still some time. Let me try again, then I'll take you home."

"Okay." Despite the curfew at home, Hinata didn't turn him down, firmly gripping the wooden stick once more.

As Naruto's consciousness returned to his inner world, he opened his eyes and looked at the Nine-Tails. "Was that method really the right one for training my trump card?"

"Of course, do you still not trust me?" Kurama, who had been waiting in the inner world, responded with an air of calm confidence.

"Oh, no, no, as long as it's normal. Ouch, Hinata-chan, that really hurt!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, grinning through the pain.

"After all, only enough pain can wake up the mind through the body. And the reason your legs didn't move was because your mental state was petrified for a while. Your body was affected, but once you rest, you'll be able to move freely again."

"But here, in this inner world, it's just mental petrification, so there's no danger to your life. If you were practicing in reality, you might actually turn into stone. This training method was devised by me, and I expected it. That's why I had you call someone over to help."

Kurama spoke confidently, giving Naruto a great sense of reassurance.

"Alright, then let's continue!"

With determination, Kurama conjured a ball of natural energy, only slightly smaller than the one before, and waved it toward Naruto.

Bang!

As expected, as the massive energy enveloped Naruto's body, his stone-like form returned.

Meanwhile, on the border of the Land of Water, a figure with two swords on his back appeared from the trees.

"Stop! Who are you?"

Kakashi, a Konoha Jōnin, raised his head and looked at the hidden mist ninjas moving in the trees. Scratching his white hair, he said more seriously, "I'm Hatake Kakashi from Konoha. I have a mission to visit the former Mist Village master."

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Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 159+ at patreon.com/Esei01.