Chapter 401 Only a Caged Bird Imprisoned By Thoughts

Recently, Naruto had too many things on his mind. After a while, when he couldn't figure out what was wrong with that silly fox, he decided not to bother.

'Just let him go, he wouldn't cause much trouble anyway.'

Lately, Naruto felt like he was almost replacing Kabuto as the 'dream-fulfilling master', and has been moving around everywhere. It seemed like everyone around him had big dreams, while he was just idling around.

However, he wasn't bothered by it. Hinata wanting to rely on her own strength to become a Jonin was a result of the influence he had subtly been giving her bit by bit.

Geniuses may not be able to solve all problems. Even Neji had his shortcomings. That's what Naruto had told Hinata, encouraging her to be herself.

Under his influence, the destinies of the people around him had shifted ever so slightly, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, stirring up a storm many years later.

That night, Naruto didn't go to visit Sakura. After intentionally arguing with her yesterday, he wanted to give her time to reflect and not hide things from him in the future.

In his mind, Dark Sakura was someone he had saved, so she is half his private property. This was the downside of sharing a secret. She had concealed her illness from him, which made him furious.

Instead, he turned to hang out with some friends, drinking and eating meat. Kiba wasn't there, but Neji, Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee showed up.

A gathering of four Jonin and one Chunin! It was awkward, to say the least.

At Naruto's suggestion, none of the four put on their Jonin's green vests, and Naruto naturally would not take the initiative to wear the Chunin's green vest either.

The Chunin had only two distinguishing features compared to the Jonin's version: worse material and an even brighter shade of green, greener than the lushest grasslands.

"Yo, the Chunin has arrived?" Shikamaru, with his sharp eyes, spotted Naruto walking toward them from the entrance and lazily called out.

"If you can't say something nice, just rent your mouth to a mute. What's wrong with being a Chunin?" Naruto said, rolling his eyes, "Does being a Chunin mean I'm eating your rice? Huh?"

The five of them sat around the table, with two grills in the center. The table was covered with a wide variety of ingredients, and a few bottles of sake sat nearby.

Naruto looked triumphant, like a hero returning home, completely ignoring Shikamaru's remark. With a casual, streetwise flair, he opened a bottle of sake and raised it in a toast to the others.

"Long time no see."

"Can you drink your own booze?" Shikamaru sighed, thinking that Naruto's pettiness hadn't changed at all. If anything, he had only grown more cunning with age.

"What have you been up to lately?" As soon as Choji opened his mouth, he sounded like an old prostitute, but with his silly face, it sounded like he was fishing for gossip.

"I've been busy making babies, couldn't stay in Konoha, so I had to go out and spread my youth." Naruto replied with a grin, joking and bantering without giving a serious answer.

Among guys, no one really cared. Even if you were doing great things, the most anyone would do is sarcastically praise you, saying, "Oh, you sneaky dog, trying to outdo us when we weren't looking, huh?"

"How many millions do you have for spreading?" Shikamaru, who was always nonchalant about the topic, responded with a casual remark, instantly lighting up the atmosphere around the table.

Neji, on the other hand, remained serious, avoiding any dirty jokes. Lee, though, understood the banter and seemed a bit shy, while Shikamaru and Choji were happily chatting away, letting their wild stories fly.

What did 18-year-old boys like? Pretty girls.

Shikamaru, who once acted all philosophical and mature, seemed unable to contain himself now that he was an adult. Both he and Choji had girls they were interested in, though things hadn't reached the next level yet.

In all cases, the relationships were built on shared status, daughters of prominent or promising clans in Konoha. They were slowly getting to know each other, with everything moving forward step by step.

Shikamaru and Choji had been groomed from a young age to be the successors of their respective clans, so it was natural for them not to seek out relationships with civilian Kunoichi. The two did not think there was anything wrong with it, and they were not so opposed to their family's arrangement.

Every year during the New Year Festival, large clans of similar standing would interact. It was at such events that many arrangements were made clear as day.

After two or three hours of eating and drinking, the night grew late, and most of the group was drunk. Lee started acting rowdy after drinking, but Shikamaru quickly restrained him using his Shadow Imitation Technique.

Otherwise, by the time Lee finished one of his fighting routines, the BBQ restaurant might have been completely wrecked, and the poor young owner would have found himself unprepared for his store being demolished.

Later, Shikamaru and Choji also passed out.

The grills were turned off, and at the table, only Naruto and Neji remained sober. Naruto, though his face had turned slightly red like a splash of dye, hadn't actually gotten drunk. He unbuttoned his shirt and opened a window to air out the alcohol fumes.

Although he wasn't drunk, his neck had turned red. Neji, sitting across from him, looked completely unaffected, save for the lingering smell of alcohol. His face remained untouched by even a hint of redness.

"Should we wake them up?" Neji asked.

"No need, just let them wake up slowly." Naruto waved his hand and said, "They come to this store often, so it won't be a problem if we just leave them here."

"This…" Neji hesitated slightly.

"I'm just saying, I won't actually leave them here." Naruto quickly clarified.

"Alright." Neji nodded.

Their relationship was fairly good, and truth be told, Naruto had built solid connections with everyone from Team 3. They had even teamed up several times in the past.

Under Naruto's influence, Neji's personality had changed a little. He had become more decisive and ruthless when handling missions, without being so rigid in his approach.

The two exchanged a glance and, in silent agreement, clinked their glasses together with a light 'ding'. Under the influence of alcohol, Neji was obviously more relaxed.

"I've heard your thoughts from Hinata, regarding the Caged Bird." Neji said, " Hinata has taken them to heart and she's been dwelling on it for a while."

"She probably wants to become the Clan Head, huh?" Naruto asked with a smile after taking a sip of sake.

"Yeah, I guess so." Neji nodded, "I used to care a lot about my father's death and hated the main family, but I've come to understand things now."

"What have you figured?"

"There is no destiny that cannot be changed, only a caged bird imprisoned by thoughts." Neji's were resolute and bright, shining under the light.

"This is my own destiny, and I can change it myself."

"So, you think Hinata is working so hard because she feels guilty?" Naruto put down his cup.

"I can't say for sure, but as her relative, I want her to live for the things she truly loves." Neji said without any hesitation, "And being the Clan Head doesn't suit her."

"I'm not sure either." Naruto shrugged and said, "Let her decide for herself. Whether it's out of guilt or something else, if she wants to do it, then let her."

Neji pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

…

The next day.

Naruto had agreed to meet up with Hinata at the entrance of the Hyuga Clan's compound, but before he arrived, he saw a figure standing there in the distance, looking a little dazed.

"Why are you out so early? How long have you been waiting?" He asked.

"Not long, just a little while." Hinata mumbled, looking down and speaking softly, still unable to see her own toes.

At that moment, Naruto finally understood why Neji said Hinata wasn't suited to be the Clan Head. It was probably because he felt that Hinata's personality is entirely at odds with the Clan Head's position.

As for strength, Hanabi didn't seem quite up to par either, as her abilities were somewhat underwhelming.

Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to have developed her Byakugan further, though Naruto wasn't sure how much progress she'd made. He had asked her about it before and received an 'it's not bad' in response, which meant she had made some improvements.

"Alright then, let's head to Training Ground Five." Naruto said, scratching his head.

"Okay." Hinata replied softly, then obediently followed behind him.