Uchiha Izumi, holding a bouquet of flowers, approached Naruto Uzumaki's hospital bed.
She'd been startled to hear Naruto was suddenly hospitalized.
After all, Naruto wasn't yet a ninja.
He couldn't have been injured on a mission, so it was likely an illness.
"Izumi-nee, I'm fine, don't worry."
Naruto chuckled as Izumi repeatedly checked his forehead for a fever.
Feeling cared for warmed his heart.
Other hospital rooms occasionally echoed with families' concern for their loved ones.
But for Naruto, since waking, it had been only cold IV drips and an empty room.
"That's a relief. But why were you hospitalized, Naruto?"
"Did you hurt yourself training? Or get into a fight?"
Izumi sighed in relief, pulling snacks from her small bag.
They were mostly sweets, not ideal for a hospital patient.
Naruto scratched his cheek, picking up a sticky rice dumpling to nibble.
"It's no big deal. Just got careless and hurt myself training."
"Izumi-nee, I'll be more careful from now on."
Naruto nodded with a smile, but whether from lack of appetite or something else, he stopped after one dumpling.
Izumi didn't mind, launching into stories about her recent mission.
As a ninja, she couldn't divulge mission details.
But she described the scenery along the way, quirky tales from other villages, and delicious foods.
Her vivid descriptions sparked a sense of longing in Naruto.
"Um…"
As the two chatted happily, a timid voice came from the door.
They turned to see a small girl, head bowed, clutching a cloth bundle.
"Hinata-chan?"
Naruto instantly recognized his classmate, Hinata Hyuga.
Like his "sister" Izumi, she was from one of the Hidden Leaf's two noble clans.
"Naruto's friend?"
"That's great, Naruto! A friend's come to visit."
Izumi's eyes lit up, a smile spreading across her face.
She stepped forward, taking Hinata's hand, but froze when Hinata looked up.
"The Hyuga clan's little princess?"
Izumi's heart skipped a beat.
The Hyuga clan was rigidly traditional, unlike the Uchiha.
The Uchiha enjoyed relative freedom, with fewer restrictions on their members.
But the Hyuga were divided into Main and Branch families.
The Branch family was bound to protect the Main, marked with a cursed seal to ensure their obedience.
Though the clans had no direct conflict, they were often compared, straining their relations.
"I'm sorry…"
Hinata, noticing Izumi's odd gaze, instinctively apologized.
From childhood, her innate Byakugan had made her a target of peers' disdain, labeled a monster.
"Why apologize?"
"I should be the one saying sorry. I didn't realize you were from the Hyuga clan."
"I'm from the Uchiha, but I don't dislike you, Hinata."
Izumi shook her head, her warm smile easing Hinata's shyness.
She gently pulled Hinata to Naruto's bedside.
"How did you know I was in the hospital, Hinata?"
Naruto, sitting on the bed, looked at her curiously.
Logically, few should know about his hospitalization.
"I… overheard my father talking about it…"
"Um… this…"
Hinata glanced at Naruto, her cheeks flushing crimson.
Flustered, she raised the cloth bundle.
Naruto, puzzled, took it and carefully unwrapped it.
Inside was an exquisite bento, its contents fully revealed.
Compared to Izumi's sticky rice dumplings, this was far more appetizing for a patient.
"Is this for me?"
"Did you make it yourself, Hinata? It's so lavish!"
Naruto had never seen such a luxurious bento.
He was used to eating discounted convenience store bentos from street vendors.
This one had meatballs, shrimp, fish, and perfectly balanced vegetables.
The glistening rice alone whetted his appetite.
"Mm."
Hinata gave a shy nod, tugging at her clothes' hem, her voice soft.
Naruto's praise filled her with quiet joy.
With her confirmation, Naruto dug in eagerly.
Unlike his reluctant nibbling of the dumplings, he ate like a starving man, manners forgotten.
Izumi pouted at the sight.
"Naruto, are my sticky rice dumplings not good enough?"
Her eyes narrowed as she watched him eat so happily.
A twinge of displeasure stirred in her.
"You bought those because you wanted to eat them, right, Nee-san?"
Naruto mumbled through a mouthful, teasing Izumi.
That quip made her huff.
"Really, you don't give your sister any face!"
Izumi clutched her head, feigning hurt.
"Hinata, do you like sticky rice dumplings?"
"There's some left."
"They're sweet and delicious."
Seeing Naruto dismiss her dumplings, Izumi turned to Hinata.
"Thank you."
Hinata bowed politely, taking a dumpling and nibbling daintily.
As the Hyuga clan's heiress, her etiquette was impeccable.
Her naturally activated Byakugan confirmed her identity to Izumi.
But Izumi worried—the Hyuga were even stricter than the Uchiha.
"My little brother's friends aren't ordinary."
"Itachi's brother, and the Hyuga clan's heiress…"
Izumi propped her chin on her hand, watching the two children.
She sighed inwardly, hoping Naruto wouldn't be hurt by the complexities of the Leaf's noble clans.
(End of Chapter)