"Izayoi-kun, it's time to get up. The team assignments are about to start."
The next day, Izayoi woke up once again to Hinata's voice.
At some point, the usually disciplined Izayoi had developed a habit of oversleeping, and now he enjoyed the princess's wake-up service every day.
Hinata had also grown accustomed to waking up early, bringing breakfast and rousing Izayoi, and both of them found joy in this routine.
"You guys drained all my Chakra yesterday. I can't get up," Izayoi said, stretching out his hands toward Hinata and playfully whining, "Hinata, pull me up."
"Liar. The Chakra we absorbed couldn't possibly outpace your recovery speed," Hinata retorted with a pout, but she still reached out to help him up.
However, as soon as her small hand grasped the back of Izayoi's hand, he flipped his wrist, grabbed hers, and pulled hard.
Hinata's body tumbled directly onto Izayoi.
But her figure, which surpassed her peers, easily absorbed the impact, leaving her unharmed as she lay on top of Izayoi.
"Ah…"
Though she wasn't hurt, the suddenness of the attack still drew a surprised gasp from Hinata.
Izayoi felt the sensation of her body against his and quickly switched positions, turning to pin her beneath him. He propped himself up on his hands, one on either side of her head, and looked down at the girl who had turned into the Steam Princess.
"Izayoi… Izayoi-kun…"
Despite having built up a strong immunity over the years, Hinata's defenses seemed to reset to zero in that moment. Her gaze darted around, unable to meet Izayoi's eyes.
Seeing Hinata's adorable reaction, which he hadn't seen in a while, Izayoi felt an inexplicable urge.
However, considering her age and the fact that their relationship hadn't fully progressed yet, Izayoi suppressed the impulse.
Just as Izayoi was about to get out of bed, his eyes inadvertently swept over the black fishnet lining, and as if recalling something, he couldn't help but blurt out his desire in his native dialect: "Hinata, I want to squeeze those."
"Huh?"
Unable to understand what Izayoi had said, Hinata tilted her head cutely.
The next second, her face turned bright red, and her pale lavender Byakugan transformed into spiral-shaped "Rinnegan."
Her emotional meter was rapidly skyrocketing, on the verge of breaking through its limit.
Izayoi quickly got up from the bed and dashed into the private bathroom.
Meanwhile, Hinata, as if she had been holding her breath for a long time, gasped for air, trying to calm her pounding heart and the slight ache.
By the time Izayoi came out of the bathroom, Hinata was no longer in the room.
Izayoi didn't leave immediately. Instead, he opened the wardrobe and took out the combat uniform he had custom-made at the beginning of the year but had never worn.
This combat uniform was a white robe, similar to the one worn by Indra Otsutsuki.
The only difference was that Izayoi's robe didn't have a wide collar, nor were there black magatama patterns around the neckline.
After putting on the robe and tying the black belt, Izayoi took out the accessories he had bought the day before.
They were two white wristbands with storage functions.
Izayoi loaded shuriken and kunai into them and then strapped them to his wrists.
The sleeves of the robe were very wide, and without X-ray Vision, enemies wouldn't be able to see what Izayoi was doing with his hands inside.
Fully equipped, Izayoi stepped out of the room.
Hinata, who had already opened her lunchbox and was sitting at the dining table waiting for Izayoi as usual, suddenly felt her eyes light up. Her heart, which had just calmed down not long ago, began to race again.
There was no helping it—Izayoi was simply too captivating at this moment.
With his black hair, blue eyes, handsome features, and tall, upright figure, he now wore a white, full-length robe that added a touch of nobility to his appearance.
Just by looking at him, anyone would think Izayoi was a noble young master from a distinguished family, rather than an orphan who had grown up without parents and had never been taught proper etiquette.
At this moment, Hinata suddenly regretted wearing her ordinary white coat and trousers. She should have followed her sister's example and had a custom-made kimono tailored for herself. That way, she and Izayoi would have looked even more like a perfect match.
With this thought in mind, Hinata made up her mind to ask her sister for advice as soon as she got home.
Of course, Izayoi was completely unaware of Hinata's thoughts.
After finishing breakfast, the two of them left the house and headed for the ninja academy.
"Yo... Izayoi, Hinata, good morning," greeted a few classmates who were also on their way to the academy. "You two are still inseparable, huh? I hope you get placed in the same team."
The two, who were always seen together, naturally couldn't avoid some teasing.
Izayoi simply smiled without saying a word, while Hinata shyly lowered her head, recalling the ambiguous scene from not too long ago.
When they arrived at the classroom, most of their classmates were already there.
Originally, Uzumaki Naruto was the only one in the class who hadn't graduated, but after he passed the graduation exam, the entire sixth-grade class had successfully completed their exams.
Of course, it was still unknown how many teams would earn the recognition of a Jonin Instructor.
Since they had already graduated, the students weren't sitting in their assigned seats but were instead chatting with their closest friends.
Izayoi and Hinata also found a random spot to sit down.
Before they could start whispering to each other, a figure that everyone was watching with great interest sat down next to Izayoi.
Glancing at the figure, Izayoi smiled and greeted him, "Good morning, Sasuke."
"Morning," Uchiha Sasuke nodded, his tone slightly expectant. "I hope we get placed in the same team during the team assignments."
Aside from Uzumaki Naruto, who occasionally resonated with him, the only people in the entire grade that Sasuke paid attention to were Izayoi and Hinata.
If he could be placed in the same team as them, he would have the opportunity to challenge them frequently and improve his strength.
In response, Izayoi shook his head with a smile. "I'd love to be in the same team as you and Hinata, but you know as well as I do that the top three students in the grade can't be placed in the same team. Otherwise, during the Chunin Exams, the other teams wouldn't stand a chance."
"That's true," Sasuke said, feeling a bit disappointed but acknowledging that Izayoi had a point.
As he propped his chin on his hands, waiting for the team assignments to begin, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him, crouching down.
Looking at the golden-haired, fox-faced boy with eyes the same color as Izayoi's but narrowed into slits, Sasuke felt an inexplicable sense of irritation. His expressionless face couldn't help but show a hint of disdain.
Witnessing this scene, Izayoi couldn't help but let a smile creep onto his face, as if he had just remembered something.
As expected...
"That Naruto guy is so rude."
"Exactly! Sasuke-kun, teach him a lesson!"
"..."
Watching Uzumaki Naruto provoke Uchiha Sasuke, the group of girls nearby were practically itching to rush over and knock Naruto to the ground.
However, seeing Izayoi and Hinata standing beside Sasuke, they hesitated, seemingly intimidated by this combination.
Just then, a male classmate in front of Sasuke, apparently engrossed in conversation, suddenly elbowed backward without noticing that Naruto was squatting on the table behind him.
Naruto, whose butt was hit by the elbow, involuntarily leaned forward. As the face in front of him grew larger in his vision, his squinted eyes suddenly widened like bells.
The same happened to Sasuke.
Mu~~a!
Under the stunned, petrified gazes of the girls, Naruto and Sasuke pressed together, creating the legendary scene of the century—the kiss of the ages.
Wow...
At that moment, Izayoi almost couldn't resist whistling, deeply regretting not having brought a camera.
Hinata covered her mouth with both hands, her face flushed as she watched Naruto and Sasuke.
Such a scene was just too... too shocking! "Ugh..."
A few seconds later, Naruto and Sasuke seemed to finally realize what had happened. They quickly pulled away, turning their heads to gag.
While gagging, Sasuke growled with murderous intent, "Dead last, I'm going to kill you!"
But before he could act, a shadow loomed over them.
The Support Group, having witnessed their idol's first kiss being stolen, led by Haruno Sakura, completely ignored the intimidating presence of Izayoi and Hinata. They pushed aside the male classmate in front of Sasuke, dragged Naruto off the table, and proceeded to beat him up under the podium.
"Ahhh... have mercy!"
From within the dust, Naruto's screams and pleas for mercy echoed.
(End of chapter)