Aoki Sora thought for a moment, then stood up and walked toward Hinata.
Before long, he was standing by her side.
"Hinata, are you okay?" he asked gently.
"Ah... S-Sora-kun…"
Hinata had only just recovered from fainting, and her face instantly flushed red again.
"I saw you suddenly pass out earlier. I'm guessing it was because of the projection, right?" Sora asked.
"I…"
Just hearing him mention the video made Hinata recall her future self's bold public confession, and her face turned even redder.
"There's no need to overthink that video," Sora said casually. "No one really knows what that was, anyway."
He chuckled lightly. "And if it really was a glimpse of the future, well, that'd be kind of weird too."
"Weird?" Hinata tilted her head in confusion. "What... what part of it is weird?"
"Well," Sora said, spreading his hands, "if that future version of you is real, then you're seriously gorgeous by then. It just feels more likely that I'd be the one confessing to you, not the other way around."
"I mean, look at me. Just a regular guy with no family, no background, no nothing. There's no way someone as stunning as you would take the initiative like that."
"N-no! Sora-kun, you're... you're definitely trying really hard!"
Hinata suddenly spoke up, serious and sincere.
After all, in that "future" she'd seen, he had risked his life again and again to protect her.
"And... and I'm not strong at all. When I was a kid, I even dragged my uncle into trouble because of me…"
"Well, you were still a child then," Sora replied. "Anyone in that situation would've ended up the same. You can't blame yourself for that."
"..."
Hinata's heart fluttered at his gentle reassurance.
He really did care about her.
"Yo! Is Sora over there checking on his future wife?"
Back in the classroom, several students started whispering as they noticed Sora talking to Hinata.
"Of course he is! Everyone saw the video. Those two totally end up together!"
"Man, he's got it good. That future Hinata looked seriously pretty!"
"Think there's still time for me to try?"
"You wish!"
"Ugh, that Sora guy really lucked out…"
"I mean, come on! I'm way better-looking than him!"
"What are you talking about? I'm clearly the best-looking one here."
"..."
The chatter floated over, and both Sora and Hinata heard every word.
When someone referred to her as his "future wife," Hinata's face turned even redder than before.
"See? Even everyone else thinks future-you is beautiful," Sora said, giving a laid-back shrug. "And me? I'm just some nobody."
"But Hinata, you're always so serious and hardworking. I'm sure you'll become an amazing ninja one day."
"I-I'll do my best," Hinata said earnestly, face still flushed.
She had already made up her mind earlier. This time, she would give it her all. She wouldn't let Sora-kun keep risking his life for her over and over like in that so-called "future."
"And also…" she began.
Then stopped herself mid-sentence.
"And also what?" Sora asked.
"N-nothing…" Hinata mumbled, her face glowing.
Sora-kun… you're already amazing. And… you're kind, and gentle, and… and handsome too.
Sure, if she judged just by looks, he'd probably only get a score of 85 to 90. But the more she thought about how hard he'd fought, how much he'd cared for her, and how gentle he had been...
In her heart, she gave Sora an automatic +20 bonus points.
Not that she'd ever admit that out loud.
"Well, that's all I wanted to say," Sora said, giving her a little smile. "Let's both do our best, okay?"
"...Mm!" Hinata nodded seriously, still blushing.
Sora didn't press the conversation further. He looked around the room and headed over to where his two new teammates were waiting.
There were more important things to deal with than romance right now.
Because even though the projection videos so far hadn't shown too much of him, and he obviously didn't have the power to cast genjutsu across the entire world, he probably wasn't under serious suspicion... yet.
But if the video clips kept playing...
And if his so-called "perfect harem route" kept unfolding, with nearly every top-tier heroine in the Naruto world tied to him...
It was only a matter of time before things started to add up.
Once that happened, no one would be able to ignore him.
And if someone decided to target him because of it...
He needed enough strength to protect himself from what was coming.
In fact, it was starting to feel like a race against time.
He needed to become powerful before the rest of those videos played.
And speaking of power...
It was time to take a good look at his skill tree.
************************
Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 450,800,1200 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!