Naruto: Wood-Wood Fruit

Walking down the bustling streets.

With Kiyoshi's striking appearance, he commanded a 98% turn rate.

A string of middle-aged ladies and young women almost bumped into walls, distracted by him.

Unfazed, Kiyoshi checked to see if Ino hadn't left for the ninja academy yet.

With an easy familiarity, he strolled towards the Yamanaka family home.

"Ah…sorry."

Suddenly, out of nowhere.

A small figure collided with Kiyoshi.

Not sensing any hostile intent and given his ability to turn into elements, which made ordinary physical attacks ineffective, Kiyoshi hadn't dodged.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry..."

A girl with short blue hair.

Blushing, she kept her head down, repeatedly murmuring apologies.

"Are you.... that girl from the Hyuga clan?" Kiyoshi looked at the shy, white-eyed girl who had hurriedly bumped into him, surprised.

He recognized her.

"Huh? No, I mean." Hinata instinctively apologized, but the moment she lifted her head—

She froze on the spot.

She stared blankly at that incredibly handsome face.

There was something familiar about him, yet she didn't dare believe it completely. "Are you.?"

"Don't you remember me?" Kiyoshi patted her head with a gentle smile. "You're still as timid as before, aren't you?"

"But, your eyes are still just as beautiful."

His smile, like a warm spring breeze, touched the girl's heart.

Awakening a distant memory.

It was a snowy winter day.

At six years old, she had been bullied by a group of rowdy kids.

Timid by nature, too afraid of hurting anyone, she hadn't fought back.

But a passing boy had kindly driven away those kids who were bullying her.

With a sunny smile, he'd patted her head, "Don't listen to them. You have a pair of very beautiful eyes."

She had only managed to thank him and hadn't even had the chance to ask for his name before the family servant finally arrived, leading her away.

"You're...that..?"

Hinata's white eyes widened.

Looking at the figure before her, Hinata was filled with excitement, surprise, and joy.

But, out of shyness, her face flushed red.

"Ishikawa Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi smiled. "You're the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, aren't you?"

Indeed, he had once encountered this Hyuga clan heiress.

And had managed to steal a scene originally meant for the Nine Tails Jinchuriki.

But, as luck would have it, the Hyuga family servant hadn't been perceptive enough to allow him a cool self-introduction. 

Instead, he had merely nodded politely at Kiyoshi before whisking away Hinata.

Later, he realized it wasn't the servant being "late."

It was the Hyuga clan deliberately trying to strengthen their timid young heiress.

Unfortunately, their intentions had missed the mark.

Because of her timid nature and worries, Hinata hadn't summoned the courage to fight back.

So, he hadn't purposely tried to interact with the Hyuga clan's young lady again.

Instead, he'd occasionally caught glimpses of her from afar at the ninja academy.

"Ishikawa Kiyoshi?"

With him affectionately patting her head, Hinata's face turned a deeper shade of red, her pupils slightly shrinking.

Whether at the ninja academy or at home, she had often heard others mention this name.

Supposedly he was a year ahead of her and two years ago he had caught the attention of the Sannin Tsunade and had been taken as her disciple due to his extraordinary talent.

At the time, it had caused quite a stir.

The entire academy had been abuzz with talk.

The teachers had frequently used his success to motivate students, urging them to learn from Kiyoshi.

"T-Thank you."

Hinata lowered her head, shy and nervous.

Her cute face blushed like an apple.

With her fingers fidgeting, she stammered her thanks.

If it had been anyone else, they might have been utterly baffled by what she was trying to convey.

"Heh, don't worry about it. You're so cute—who wouldn't stand up for you?" Kiyoshi gently ruffled her hair, smiling as he encouraged.

"But, being overly shy isn't great, you've got to be a bit more confident."

"Mm."

Her response was almost inaudible.

Her face was burning red.

Nearly steaming.

Seeing her like this, Kiyoshi felt a bit speechless.

Knowing when to stop, he refrained from teasing her further.

"Are you on your way to the academy?" Kiyoshi asked with a smile.

"Mm..." Hinata nodded shyly, her voice barely a whisper.

Her cheeks flushed, her pure white eyes wandered.

She didn't even dare look at Kiyoshi.

Making Kiyoshi shake his head with a hint of helplessness.

This girl was overly shy.

"Sorry, I'm almost late."

After a moment, something came to Hinata's mind, and she quickly overcame her embarrassment.

Blushing, she bowed to Kiyoshi and bid him farewell.

Before Kiyoshi could respond,

She had already hurriedly dashed towards the academy.

Without looking back, her face still red, she softly said, "Goodbye… Kiyoshi-nii."

"Goodbye."

Kiyoshi waved with a smile.

If his hearing hadn't been so sharp,

He might have missed her last words.

"Huh? Kiyoshi-nii."

At that moment.

A voice of surprise called out.

Ino had appeared on the other side without anyone noticing.

She stood there in shock, eyes wide, staring blankly at Kiyoshi.

It felt almost dreamlike, too good to believe. "Am I dreaming?"

Seeing the familiar yet taller figure, she instinctively rubbed her eyes, afraid it was all a dream.

"Good morning." Kiyoshi looked at Ino with a smile. "Long time no see, Ino."

After two years, the girl hadn't changed much.

She'd grown quite a bit taller.

Ino then leapt forward.

With a loud "boom," an overjoyed Ino threw herself at Kiyoshi, wrapping him in a tight hug.

Looking at his incredibly handsome face, her excitement was beyond words: "It really is you, Kiyoshi-nii."

Before she could finish speaking,

In a burst of boldness, ignoring the busy street,

She couldn't help but peck repeatedly on the face that had been etched in her memory.

The clear sounds of each peck were unmistakable.

Making all the middle-aged ladies and young women, captivated by the scene and watching from the street,

Feel their hearts shatter one by one.

"Alright, stop it now."

Kiyoshi wiped Ino's kisses off his face.

Gently patting her head, he smiled and said, "If you don't head to the academy now, you're going to be late."

lno hadn't just grown taller, she'd filled out a bit, too.

Not as bony as before.

"I'm not going. Worst case, Iruka-sensei will scold me a bit. Shikamaru and the others skip class all the time." Unlike the obedient Hinata, Ino was always a bit of a rebel.

To her, spending time with her dear Kiyoshi was far more important than the academy.

Besides, Shikamaru and the others skipped class regularly.

Iruka-sensei barely punished them.

At most, he'd make them stand.

She didn't care.

If Iruka-sensei questioned her, she could always brush it off by claiming she didn't feel well or had a stomachache.

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