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You can now get early access to Chapter 76 of Re: Naruto Uzumaki on my . You can also read up to Chapter 20 of Naruto: Satoru Senju.
Hinata had decided to sit next to her father and sister that day, leaving Kiba and Akamaru behind to avoid awkward moments. What she never imagined was that her relationship with Naruto would be revealed in front of her father.
She glanced timidly at her father, Hiashi, uncomfortable under his stern gaze.
Even more so after what Naruto had said.
What had Naruto been thinking when he told her father that she also calls him "daddy"...?
Hinata brought a hand to her face in shame. "It was just once!"
How could he say that in front of the whole village? In front of her father?
Beside her, Hanabi was shaking with laughter. She clung to Hinata's arm as if it were the only thing keeping her from rolling down the stairs.
"Big sis! Help! I'm going to die laughing!" Hanabi gasped. "I can't believe he said that in front of everyone! Your boyfriend is insane!"
Hinata tried to smile, but the heat in her face was unbearable. She wished the ground would swallow her up.
"Naruto... you're such an idiot..." Hinata murmured with a mix of affection and resignation.
At least Hanabi didn't seem to disapprove of her relationship with Naruto. That gave her a bit of relief.
She noticed in him the same cold and calculating gaze that had weighed on her shoulders all her life. That silent judgment that always made her feel like she wasn't enough.
Hinata clenched her fists tightly and looked down, biting her lip.
"Are you in love with that boy?" Hiashi suddenly asked, not taking his eyes off her.
Hinata looked up, surprised by the question. Hanabi also froze and stared at their father as if he had just grown a third head.
"Yes," Hinata replied firmly. She didn't hesitate for a second.
Hanabi gave her a mischievous grin.
"You have to tell me everything, sis. How did you fall for him?" Then she turned her gaze toward Naruto, who at that moment was yawning and stretching in the arena, completely unaware of the chaos he had caused. "At least he's not bad-looking."
Hiashi shot Hanabi a glare, but she simply shrugged.
"Hanabi..." Hinata murmured, blushing, trying to ignore her sister. Her heart was pounding.
Her sister giggled and shrugged again. "Don't worry. I just want you to tell me everything. How your relationship started. What you like about him. Have you kissed yet?"
"HANABI!" Hinata shrieked, horrified.
"Oh please, it's not a crime," Hanabi replied playfully, resting her head on her hand.
Hinata blushed even more.
At first, she had been drawn to Naruto because he represented everything she wished she could be.
Since she was little, she'd been a shy, insecure girl, constantly looked down on by her own clan for not meeting their expectations.
In contrast, Naruto was someone who, despite being rejected, humiliated, and excluded by everyone, never gave up. He shouted that he would achieve his dreams, even when no one listened.
That spirit was the first thing that caught Hinata's attention.
And then, when they were children, he defended her from bullies for no reason at all. Even though he had nothing to gain, he stepped in without hesitation. That moment marked her deeply.
Since then, she watched him in silence.
While she hid from the world, he faced it with clenched fists and an open heart.
Hinata didn't fall in love with Naruto overnight. She admired him for years. Quietly. From the shadows. Maybe that sounded strange, but that's how it was. She simply watched him.
Not for how strong he was. But because of how he refused to let the world crush him.
To her, Naruto was someone brave. Someone who faced his fears while she was still doubting herself.
She couldn't tell all of that to her sister. Much less in front of her father. That would be too embarrassing.
But Hinata was wrong in her assumptions. Hiashi wasn't against the relationship.
He might not fully approve of it, but he had no plans to break it apart either.
He just needed to make sure that the brat who had stolen his daughter's heart was worthy of her.
Hiashi already knew everything. He had been investigating Naruto for weeks. He had even sent secret escorts to spy on each of their dates.
He clicked his tongue, begrudgingly admitting that, damn it, they made a good couple.
But that wasn't enough.
"That brat better prove he's worthy," Hiashi muttered, not thinking his daughters would hear him.
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. For a moment, she wasn't sure she'd heard correctly.
But yes. Those words... for the first time in a long while, she felt her father wasn't judging her. He was just worried about her.
A warm smile spread across her face.
The moment was broken by a shout that echoed across the stadium.
"NEJI! BEAT THAT BRAT TO A PULP, SON! STOMP HIS FACE IN! SHOW THEM THE STRENGTH OF THE HYŪGA CLAN!"
Hinata jumped and looked at her father, confused. But she quickly realized it hadn't been him.
Hiashi also turned his gaze, irritated, to find the real culprit.
Not far from them, Hizashi was shouting enthusiastically from the stands, cheering for his son. Next to him, Sakumo Hatake and Might Duy were laughing hysterically at the scene he was making.
Hiashi froze. For a few seconds, he couldn't even breathe.
"I-impossible..." he muttered, eyes fixed.
In front of him was his younger brother. His twin.
He rose slowly, stunned. One step, then another... until he started running toward him, feeling pressure in his chest.
Hizashi saw him coming, turned with a calm smile, and said a single word:
Soon after, others began to notice what was happening.
Naruto, still waiting for Hayate to start the match, sighed in resignation. He had hoped they'd notice later, maybe in the middle of his fight against Neji. But no... everything was happening ahead of schedule.
From his place in the stands, Kakashi moved discreetly. His face remained impassive, but his steps were urgent. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, noticed immediately and tilted his head slightly in curiosity, just in time to see Kakashi lean in and whisper in his ear.
Hiruzen listened carefully, his eyes wandering over the crowd in the stands.
Hiruzen blinked. For a moment, his expression froze, unable to process what he was seeing. The woman —the same one who had given her life years ago for the village, the one he himself had buried— was there, alive, smiling... surrounded by many others who shouldn't be there.
His own grandson, Konohamaru, was sitting next to her.
What the hell was going on?
Hiruzen's gaze fell on many other figures that should not be there.
Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha.
Hizashi Hyūga, a man he couldn't even look in the eye.
Might Duy, the Eternal Genin.
Fugaku Uchiha, the Patriarch of the Uchiha Clan.
Shisui of the Body Flicker
Hiruzen said nothing. He simply brought a hand to his forehead, as if trying to dispel the weight settling in his temples. The headache was coming fast.
"Is this an illusion?" he asked in a low voice.
Kakashi shook his head.
"It's not. I've verified their Chakras. They're not clones or Genjutsu. They're... alive. Physically present."
A chill ran down Hiruzen's spine. This was not the time or the place. Not with the Daimyō of the Land of Fire watching, with foreign ambassadors seated beside him, and the Kazekage of Sunagakure just a few meters away.
Hiruzen straightened immediately. As if nothing was wrong.
"Go," he ordered in a low but firm voice. "Gather all the information you can. I suspect someone has used the Edo Tensei, the forbidden technique developed by Tobirama-sensei. We cannot afford a scandal here. Not in front of all these eyes."
Kakashi nodded and vanished into the crowd.
As he moved to carry out his mission, Kakashi stopped when his eyes landed on his father, Sakumo.
Not far from him, sitting beside another woman wearing the Uchiha crest on her back, was Rin Nohara.
Kakashi's hands trembled at the sight of them.
Back with Hiruzen, he furrowed his brow. If this was Edo Tensei...
Could this be Orochimaru's doing?
Beside him, without Hiruzen even noticing, stood Orochimaru, who smiled with amusement.
Hiruzen couldn't stop the exam. Not without sparking a diplomatic incident that could escalate in minutes. Not with the Daimyōs watching. Not with Suna observing.
So his master did the only thing he could.
Wait. Observe. Gather information.
From his seat, Orochimaru kept his eyes fixed on the blonde-haired boy —the Leaf's Jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki.
He hadn't imagined Naruto would also think of using Edo Tensei.
"What exactly are you planning, brat...?" Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder.