In the dream theater.

On the street, Naruto wiped his mouth with satisfaction and was just about to ask Hinata where they should go next.

Suddenly, he noticed Hinata had stopped in front of a small stall that sold accessories not far ahead.

It turned out that her attention had been drawn to an exquisite and elegant hair ornament displayed there.

She crouched down, happily picking through the little trinkets.

Seeing this, Naruto ran over with a grin, eager to see what treasure Hinata had discovered.

At that moment, a loud, excited voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Naruto!!"

"Who's that?" Naruto turned instinctively at the sound of his name.

He saw a young man with a Konoha forehead protector sprinting toward him, waving excitedly as he came.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

Who is this guy?

He studied the young man closely. The newcomer had long black hair, sharp eyebrows, and a bright, confident smile.

But what stood out most were his eyes pure white, without a trace of color.

Huh?

White eyes too?

Could he be one of Hinata's relatives?

Naruto scratched the back of his head, racking his brain but unable to remember ever meeting him before.

In the blink of an eye, the young man arrived.

He noticed Hinata nearby, gave her a casual wave, and greeted her with a friendly smile. "Hey, Hinata."

Then he walked straight up to Naruto with a mischievous grin. He clapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and in the next moment boldly hooked an arm around his neck, teasing in a playful, almost wicked tone: "So, brother-in-law! How are things going with my sister?"

"B-brother-in-law?!"

Naruto froze as if struck by lightning. His mind went completely blank, and he wondered if he'd misheard.

[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +1000!]

In the audience.

"Brother-in-law... brother-in-law..."

Hinata's head buzzed and went blank.

Her delicate face instantly turned crimson, almost steaming. The words "brother-in-law" echoed in her ears, making her dizzy. She quickly raised her hands to cover her burning cheeks.

"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, brother-in-law..."

She unconsciously repeated the word in a whisper. Her whole body trembled like a boiling kettle, steam practically rising from her head as she went straight into "steam-girl" mode!

[Ding! Hinata Hyuga's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +1000!]

"W-What?! Who is this person?"

Sakura was dumbfounded, staring at the dream screen in disbelief. Then she turned toward Hinata, who was fuming with embarrassment beside her. "Hinata, do you know this guy? His smile is so gross!"

Hinata was so overwhelmed with shame that she stammered, unable to form a proper answer. All she could do was shake her head frantically.

Her mind had gone completely blank, leaving her unable to respond to Sakura's question at all.

Even Sasuke, who rarely agreed with Sakura, nodded this time. He frowned, glaring at Neji in the picture, and said coldly, "Hmph, that smile really is disgusting."

Kakashi widened his one visible eye in disbelief. "Wait a second... isn't that Hyuga Neji?"

Of course he recognized him.

After all, Neji was one of the Genin under his good friend Might Guy's leadership, a genius well-known throughout the village.

But if memory served, wasn't Neji in real life a calm, disciplined, and reliable type?

How did he turn out like this in the dream world?

In the picture.

Hinata, usually gentle and reserved, could no longer hold back.

Her lovely face burned so red it seemed blood might drip out. She leapt up from the stall, stamping her feet in a panic. "Brother Neji, stop talking nonsense!"

Naruto was still dazed.

He stared in shock at the long-haired guy who had suddenly shown up, muttering, "Who the heck is this guy? He just runs up and calls me brother-in-law?!"

[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +200!]

"Why so shy?" Neji waved dismissively at Hinata, grinning mischievously. "Am I wrong? It's only a matter of time, nothing to be embarrassed about~"

"You..." Naruto finally snapped out of it. He forcefully shrugged off Neji's arm from around his neck and took a step back. Seeing how upset Hinata looked, he shouted angrily, "Who are you! And what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"

"That's right." Neji winked and replied as if it were obvious. "I'm your brother-in-law!"

A rush of heat surged to Naruto's forehead. Even with all his toughness, he couldn't hold it back any longer.

[Ding! Uzumaki Naruto's emotional fluctuations have been captured! Emotional value +400!]

Hinata grew so anxious she hurriedly wedged herself between Naruto and Neji, shoving Neji aside with both hands. She waved frantically, her words tumbling out in panic. "Naruto-kun, no, it's not what you think! Neji... everything he said is nonsense! Don't listen to him!"

Neji only smirked. He folded his arms with an expression that screamed "I know exactly what's going on," his grin deepening. "You two have such a good relationship. Naruto saved you, the Fourth Hokage saved the Hyuga clan, and even Uncle Hiashi wants the two of you together. Hinata, you might as well just go with Naruto already!"

"Neji-nii!"

Hinata's face turned bright crimson as she stamped her foot in frustration. "Don't cause trouble here!!"

It was supposed to be a rare date, yet he had to show up and ruin it. Brother Neji was completely unreasonable!

Still flushed, she turned to Naruto and waved her hands desperately, stammering. "Naruto-kun, p-please don't misunderstand! Neji-kun is just a fanatic admirer of the Fourth Hokage! Everything he says is nonsense he only wants to feel connected to the Fourth Hokage somehow!"

"Hey, who wouldn't admire a hero like the Fourth Hokage?" Neji waved it off matter-of-factly, his face full of conviction. "Besides, the Fourth Hokage is way too handsome!"

As soon as he said this, Neji's expression shifted to something deadly serious. He whipped out a kunai from his hip, lowered his stance, and struck a pose he clearly thought looked heroic.

Deepening his voice, he tried to mimic Minato Namikaze's tone. "Konoha will never sell out its villagers for peace! If you want war, then Konoha will meet you head-on! I want to see if the AB brothers of the Hidden Cloud have improved after all these years!"

Neji's sudden roar startled everyone passing by.

A few shinobi browsing the stalls nearby turned to look in shock, whispering among themselves. "What's with this guy...?"

The stall owners glanced at one another in total confusion.

After holding the pose, Neji froze for two seconds, then put on an intoxicated, starry-eyed expression. He let out a long sigh. "Ahh, the Fourth Hokage is just too cool..."

Naruto and Hinata were left speechless by Neji's sudden, painfully embarrassing performance.

The air itself seemed to freeze.

....

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