5.5 Walking Home Hinata [New!]

I have no idea where she lives.

Hmm, it’s not the Hyuga clan compound, that’s for sure, but then what? When we come to a corner, I kind of slow my walk slightly to fall a bit behind and let her nudge us in one direction or another. Smooth as butter.

“Um, Shino-chan, h-have you never been to this part of the Village before?”

D’oh!

“No, I have,” I reply, not exactly lying. As a building comes into view, my Shino memories and recollection of the Anime merge and I take a leap in logic. “You live there.” I point at Naruto’s apartment building.

That place shows up a couple of times in the Anime, and it makes sense the two of them would live near each other considering they originally met by coincidence. The young protagonist saved her from bullies, and she’s looked up to him as a personal hero ever since.

“As expected of Shino-chan,” Hinata says with a small smile that melts my heart.

With skin pale as moonlight, dark blue hair framing her face, and lovely lavender eyes, her beauty is the subtle brilliance of an unpolished diamond. It’s there, but she doesn’t do anything to promote the fact, so it goes unnoticed. She’s a bit of a yamato nadeshiko, or ‘flower of Japanese womanhood.’ Demure and humble with a core of hidden inner strength.

I want to make her mine so bad!!!

Needing an excuse to hang out with her longer, my eyes land on a nearby restaurant. Oh, it’s Ichiraku Ramen! Of course, it would be the nearest noodle joint to Naruto’s apartment.

I grab Hinata by the hand, flood the air with Pheromones, and pull her along, “Come on, let’s reward ourselves for becoming Genin, my treat!”

The blue-haired beauty blushes brightly as a cocktail of embarrassment and arousal stirs her system. I don’t plan on going all the way this time; my seduction of Kiba satisfied my lust for the night. She’s a B-rank seduction, which will require me to lay some groundwork. The Pheromones I’m using are to make her heart race when we touch. I want Hinata to start questioning her sexuality—slowly, gradually, I’ll lure her into playing for the other team.

“I couldn’t possibly impose. I can pay for myself,” Hinata says while her other hand reaches for a pocket to produce some cash.

Some people seem to get the idea Naruto (and other wards of the Village like Hinata since she was disowned) grew up poor because he doesn’t stock anything in his apartment but cup noodles and expired milk, but that’s just bachelor syndrome. In the Anime, Naruto’s toad-shaped wallet is stuffed full when he first pulls it out. The Village gives out allowances to their wards until they’re old enough to take jobs.

“Nonsense. Please, allow me.” I’m a noble clan heiress; I’ve got some spare change.

“A-alright, Shino-chan, i-if you insist,” she stutters in her flustered state as she lets me lead her into the noodle bar and sit the shy kunoichi next to me. From the corner of my eye, I swear I catch Hinata checking me out, her eyes tracing my curves and lingering on my lower half. My strategy is already working!

“One bowl, please,” I say. Teuchi, the man behind the counter wearing a white robe and a blue apron, nods. He owns the place. Turning to Hinata, I give an excuse, “I’m not that hungry, so I’ll just nibble from yours. If you’re still hungry after, we can always order more.” If this comes off as strange, Hinata makes no sign or objection.

“Coming right up!” Ayame, the owner’s daughter, announces. Ayame is a slender girl with long, brown hair. She’s also got a white robe and a blue apron, but she wears a white bandanna in her hair. While not a priority to add to my (someday) harem, I sure wouldn’t kick the cute cook out of bed!

The food comes fast. Ayame sets a steaming hot bowl of noodle soup with tons of toppings between us with a friendly smile.

Hinata is slow to eat at first, but I think that has more to do with us sharing the meal than a lack of hunger. She’s careful not to let our elbows touch even though I’m practically sitting on the edge of my stool to get as close to her as possible with the pretext of hovering over the bowl. I’m far more interested in this ninja beauty than simple ramen!

If only I had one of the legendary dojutsu (eye-techniques) I’d be able to guarantee what I’m after. Instead, I go fishing for noodles with my chopsticks with the goal of getting lucky. There!

As the two of us slurp soup, we randomly latch onto either end of a long noodle. This is what I’ve been aiming for. I quickly suck on my half of the strand, following the line all the way to the far end before Hinata can react. Our lips lock in a brief kiss of salty, savory sweetness. So soft! So delicious! I don’t push my luck, pulling away like it was an accident.

“Oops,” I apologize, “Sorry, Hinata-chan, I got carried away for a sec. Welp, I’m satisfied, now.” Yes, I sure am!

“N-n-no p-p-problem, Shino-chan,” Hinata says before picking up the bowl to down the remainder in one go, hiding her fiery blush and heavy flustered breathing by chugging hot soup.

“Another bowl, please. My friend still looks hungry.” I’m not quite ready to leave yet.

“Sure thing,” Ayame says with a wink. Eh??? Is she just really accepting, or does she swing that way herself? Huh. The Leaf Village may be more progressive than I thought.

“Ahem,” I start to get Hinata’s attention, “So, what do you think of Kurenai-sensei?” I’m angling for intel.

The Jonin kunoichi won’t easily fall for rudimentary genjutsu like my Pheromones. She’ll instantly recognize the manipulation and likely turn the tables on me. I’m not eager to be dommed again after last time, no matter how hot Kurenai may be.

“She’s amazing.” There’s awe in the blue-haired beauty’s voice. She must really look up to the Jonin.

Ayame sets a second bowl of ramen in front of Hinata, who absently begins to dig in.

“Is she like a big sister to you?”

*Cough* “E-eh? N-no, no, I couldn’t say we’re as close as that. Kurenai-sensei is Kurenai-sensei, and I’m… me. She’s the Village’s number one genjutsu user. I, on the other hand…”

Hinata is the disinherited former heiress of the Hyuga clan. She can’t imagine herself in the circle of someone special and talented.

I’ve got no doubt there’s a strong emotional connection between the two, but it’s buried beneath a tough layer of unfortunate circumstances. Kurenai can’t show Hinata much open affection because it could be seen as favoritism or even as pandering to the Hyuga clan. The Jonin has to keep an air of professionalism at all times. I bet that feels incredibly restrictive when she probably wants nothing more than to spoil the girl.

Meanwhile, Hinata has been rejected by everyone important in her life to the point it’s affecting her self-esteem. A judgmental dad, a distant mother (she didn’t appear in the Anime, so she’s either dead or too minor a figure in Hinata’s life to show onscreen), fierce competition with her sister, and an austere sensei have taken deep root in her psyche.

I’ve seen in Anime flashbacks how her father tried to prepare her to be the clan’s heiress but, in his haste to make her an elite ninja, he overdid things. Endless drilling, harsh training, and cruelly pitting her against her younger sister at a very young age before deciding she wasn’t suitable for the role. So, she was disinherited.

As heartless as it is what Hiashi (her father) did, I think that was his way of showing mercy on his daughter. He saw she was too kindhearted for the mantle of leadership and stopped trying to shove a square peg into a round hole (good so far) but he also kicked her out of the house (that’s where you lost me). He probably also meant to protect his daughter by getting her as far away from clan politics as possible.

I get that simply possessing the Byakugan makes you a target for other Villages to come steal your eyes, so having kids grow up strong is the best way to protect them, but child abuse isn’t the way to go about it. The execution of Hiashi’s brother to stop a war (more dumb politics) probably affected his view of the world, making him never want to lose another family member to political machinations again.

It’s all a damn shame.

“Come on, Hinata-chan, I’ve seen your Byakugan in action. It’s amazing! Your ocular prowess and Gentle Fist are an asset to any team. I’m proud to work with you, and I know Kiba-kun feels the same.”

“I-I-I-I,” Hinata stutters as steam practically comes out her ears from the compliments. “I’m nothing compared to Neji-kun and Hanabi-chan.” Then she downs the rest of her bowl of ramen to hide her face.

Poor girl can’t stop comparing herself to her cousin and sister.

“All-you-can-eat! All-you-can-eat!”

Before I can say anything else to offer reassurance, Naruto and Iruka-sensei, one of our Academy teachers, walk into Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto is easy to recognize with his spiky yellow hair, striking blue eyes, the whisker markings on his cheeks, and the iconic orange jacket and pants he always wears. I guess he’s passably handsome, but we all know he wins over people (or pisses them off) with his personality.

“N-N-N-Naruto-kun!” Her exclamation is more surprised outburst than greeting. Instantly, she lowers her head to hide her eyes, turtling up as if fearing rejection for speaking out of turn. Dang, she has it so bad for this guy who’s only got eyes for Sakura, and her self-esteem is so low she can’t even imagine putting herself out there. I’ve got my work cut out for me trying to temp her away from this infatuation.

“Oh, hey Hinata-chan, what’s up?” Naruto flashes his big, dopey grin at us.

I put my arm around my fellow kunoichi in a show of friendship and intimacy while simultaneously ‘marking my territory,’ and say, “Naruto-kun, good to see you! I’m celebrating our promotion to Genin by treating Hinata-chan to dinner. I expect you’re here for the same reason?” We’re rivals in love even if he doesn’t know it.

Hinata’s eyes go wide as she feels my arm around her shoulders, but she’s too shy to object.

“That’s right,” Iruka says with a smile. He’s obviously very proud of Naruto’s achievement. “I promised all-you-can-eat ramen if he passed Kakashi-sensei’s test.”

“And I did! Believe it! We almost failed, but it all worked out somehow.” He turns to Ayame, “A bowl of ramen, please.”

“Coming right up!” the waitress replies with a warm smile. Teuchi grins too. They do like Naruto here. He’s probably one of their best customers, besides Choji.

“Well, it’s nice to see you, Naruto-kun, but we’re headed ou—”

“—I-I’d l-like another bowl, please!”

We all stare at Hinata, who already has a stack of two empty bowls going. “Are you sure you can eat that much?” I ask as sweetly as I can.

“I c-could eat more. T-that is, I can pay for it myself. I don’t want to burden Shino-chan when she’s already been so nice.”

While I prefer to keep the two of them apart, Hinata clearly wants to spend time with her crush. But hell-no am I leaving the two of them alone now that I’ve altered the timeline by bringing Hinata here on this day. Who knows what romantic bullshit could happen with my back turned!

“I said it was my treat, and I meant it. A ninja must stick to her word, right Naruto-kun?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Naruto cheerfully agrees. “I didn’t know you were so cool, Shino-chan. You always seemed like a loner to me, sort of like Sasuke-kun, but creepier. No offense, dattebayo!”

Eye twitch. “None taken.”

“And Hinata-chan,” he continues, “I didn’t know you could eat like that.”

“U-uh, u-umm, t-t-that’s…” the kunoichi cutey fumbles for a response.

“Awesome!” he finishes for her. “Say, we’re both having all-you-can-eat ramen, let’s make it a contest to see who can finish the most bowls!”

“Hey,” Iruka starts to object.

“That’s…” I try to say, but before I can—

“Make that three bowls for me so I can catch up!” Naruto tells Ayame, who gives him a big thumbs up in return.

“You got it!”

When everything gets set out a few seconds later, three bowls for Naruto, and a third for Hinata, both Iruka and I know we’ve lost. A promise is a promise.

“I-I-I-I w-won’t lose.” Hinata’s expression suddenly turns grim.

Now’s not the time to show your inner strength, Hinata!

“That’s the spirit!” Naruto says between mouthfuls as he wolfs down bowl after bowl.

At least there’s no way Hinata has any more room for this little contest—

“A-another bowl!” the blue-haired beauty says when she finishes her third before the competition finishes his first.

I blink in shock. What is going on here? Is her desire to spend time with her crush fueling this, or…?

A memory of the Anime from far, far into the future surfaces. An eating contest where Hinata finishes forty-six bowls and wins the title, ‘Legendary Queen of Gluttony.’

I spare a put-upon glance for Iruka, who returns my gaze with dead eyes. I’m so fu—

In the end, the only mercy I’m given is that Hinata doesn’t want to show up her crush and surrenders soon after Naruto throws in the towel, making their contest a draw.

Shino’s Current Status

*D-Rank Seduction Clear!*

*Inuzuka Bloodline Acquired!*