Chapter 384

"Hyuuga-san, get up and clean yourself up. I lost control earlier," Yoichi said calmly as he glanced at Hinata, who remained motionless. Her pale, white eyes stared blankly into the distance as though silently questioning why this had happened.

"If you don't get up soon, Director Wada might come in and see this," Yoichi added, his tone firm but measured.

"You…"

The words snapped Hinata out of her daze. She quickly pulled the blanket around herself, glaring at Yoichi with a mixture of anger and disbelief. "How could you? How could you do something so awful? Yoichi-san, this is too much!"

"I'm sorry, Hyuuga-san. I'm just a normal man. Things had already progressed to that point, and I couldn't hold back," Yoichi replied, handing her a damp towel and some fresh clothes. He continued, "Let's consider what happened today a misunderstanding. Pretend it never occurred."

Hinata's face burned with shame and anger. "How could I pretend this never happened? Yoichi-san, this is unforgivable!"

Yoichi maintained a calm demeanor. "Hyuuga-san, if that's the case, why didn't you resist or stop me?"

He walked over to the camera and retrieved the footage, playing it back for her. "Here's the recording of the scene. It doesn't look like you were resisting at all."

"That's because it was acting! It was part of the script, Yoichi-san. You know that!" Hinata's voice trembled with desperation as she tried to explain. She wasn't someone who would casually accept such advances—her heart belonged to Naruto. But now, faced with this situation, she felt utterly powerless.

Tears began to form in her pale eyes as she whispered, "How could this happen? It was supposed to be just acting…"

"This isn't your fault, Hyuuga-san. Blame me instead. I acted impulsively and made a mistake. This has nothing to do with you," Yoichi said, his voice soft but calculated. Though the entire situation had been orchestrated by him, he feigned guilt to manipulate Hinata further.

"I don't want to ruin your family, Hyuuga-san. Let's keep this between us. If this comes out, it'll only cause trouble for everyone. I'll make it up to you somehow," he said, trying to coax her into acceptance.

Hinata's traditional and deeply loyal nature made this betrayal feel like her world was crumbling. However, after nearly an hour of Yoichi's persistent persuasion, she reluctantly acknowledged that hiding the incident was the best course of action.

"Turn around," Hinata said quietly.

Yoichi complied as she used the towel to clean herself and changed into her wrinkled clothes. Though she tried to steady her emotions, the turmoil in her heart was evident.

...

Knock, knock!

The sound of knocking startled Hinata.

"Yoichi-san? Hyuuga-san? How's the filming going?" Director Wada's voice called from outside.

Panic flashed across Hinata's face as she looked at the disheveled bed and the camera that still held the incriminating footage.

Yoichi gestured for her to remain quiet and whispered, "Leave it to me."

He had anticipated this moment, using subtle mental suggestions on Wada to push Hinata into accepting the situation more quickly.

Directing Hinata to tidy up the bed, Yoichi called out, "Just a moment, Director!"

He then erased the footage from the furthest and poorest-quality camera in front of Hinata, ensuring she saw it being deleted.

Seeing the evidence destroyed, Hinata finally felt a sliver of relief. Though the events had still occurred, she clung to the thought that no physical proof remained.

After ensuring everything looked presentable, Yoichi handed Hinata the damaged camera and instructed her to use her taijutsu to destroy its internal components further, providing a plausible excuse for why the footage was unavailable.

"It's done. You can rest easy now, Hyuuga-san," Yoichi said reassuringly.

Hinata forced a faint smile, though the weight of the incident lingered in her heart. Even without evidence, she couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

...

When Wada finally entered, Yoichi explained, "The camera malfunctioned, so we didn't get any usable footage."

Under Yoichi's mental influence, Wada readily accepted the explanation. "That's unfortunate, but the shooting schedule is tight. We'll have to reschedule that scene."

Hinata hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Director, I… I'm not feeling well. Can someone else take over my role?"

Wada's face paled. "Hyuuga-san, that's impossible! You're the heart of this drama. Without you, we can't continue!"

Yoichi added in a low voice, "Hyuuga-san, you have tens of thousands, maybe more, fans across the ninja world. If you suddenly quit, they might swarm Konoha demanding answers. That would create even more problems for everyone, including Naruto-san."

The thought of causing trouble for Naruto filled Hinata with guilt. She sighed deeply, her earlier resolve wavering.

"I… I understand," she said quietly.

(End of Chapter)

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