[In Naruto – Konoha]
It was a busy day at home, and Zaydas left before anyone could invade his room and went to Naruto's dimension.
When he arrived, he altered the flow of time. He appeared in the rented apartment.
By the way, when he arrived, he received feedback from the clones. It was crystal clear that the clones did not survive when he used [Dimensional Jump], but the feedback only reached him when he returned to this dimension.
Things in the 'DxD' dimension were more or less going in the direction he wanted. Although there were some things he needed to take care of, for now, he wanted to spend some time in this dimension.
Creating four clones, all of them teleported to different locations while concealing their presence.
There were some things he wanted to accomplish, one of which was acquiring another member for his Peerage. And the target was none other than Pakura.
He wouldn't choose random targets. She was someone he saw in a good light and knew that she wasn't too attached to this world. Maybe when she was revived, she would seek revenge. And, in that case, he could help her take revenge on those who betrayed her if that was what she wanted.
Of course, only if she decided to follow him willingly.
As for her loyalty, that was something to consider. If she was as described, her loyalty wouldn't be questionable. However, every weight has its measure; to be sure, he still needed to revive her and then assess for himself whether she was trustworthy or not.
Konoha wasn't large. The entire village was within his [Mana Perception] range. Zaydas easily found Hinata, who was training in an isolated area. This location did not belong to the Hyuga Clan but was instead a free training zone.
Stepping out the door, Zaydas walked slowly through the village unnoticed, and it wasn't long before he started hearing Hinata's shouts.
Her shouts consisted of a spirited "Haa." When he got close enough, he saw her striking a thick tree, leaving the imprint of her palm.
With each strike, the tree—despite being large and thick—shook under the impact of Hinata's palm.
Curiously, she barely used chakra around her hand, meaning each of her strikes was purely due to her physical strength.
Zaydas didn't want to interrupt and simply watched her train. Her movements became faster, and soon she was striking the tree at least four times per second, continuing to increase the pace.
'Not bad.'
Though he thought that, with the Byakugan, long-range attacks would be more productive, it was undeniable that her light fists were powerful.
When Hinata finally stopped, she seemed to sense his presence and turned around.
That beautiful surprised look of hers upon seeing him, followed by a smile and a wave, was enchanting.
Zaydas approached: "Sorry, did I interrupt you?"
"No, no." She shook her head. "I only noticed you after I finished."
She then asked, "Did you come to train too?"
"Yes." As if remembering something, he asked, "Ah, by the way, how about we do a sparring match?"
Hinata's eyes became determined. She wasn't the kind of girl to run from a fight. Although she didn't like unnecessary violence, she was still a ninja who trained regularly and saw no problem in training with someone.
Smiling gently, Hinata nodded in agreement. "Alright."
Once they took their positions, Zaydas was the first to move.
His feet slid across the ground, and in an instant, he attacked with a closed fist.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, dodged his attack, and countered with an open palm surrounded by chakra.
Zaydas pulled his hand back and defended himself with the other by throwing a punch. With a loud 'smack,' their hands recoiled, and Hinata attacked with the other, only to be countered again.
Their standoff continued for several rounds until Hinata jumped back and, with a spirited shout, created two blue lion heads made of chakra.
'Huh? This is imperfect.'
The oscillation of her technique was not good and was slightly distorted. Although it increased attack power, the chakra consumption was also apparent. This was by no means very useful.
Surrounding his hands with chakra, he imitated Hinata's attack.
When she saw this, the look of astonishment was evident.
"How?" She couldn't even complete a sentence.
"Don't ask, just focus," Zaydas said.
Even though she seemed confused, she nodded.
As they began exchanging blows, it became clear that Zaydas had not only copied her technique but also perfected it.
Well, if he couldn't do that, he might as well smash his head into a pudding and die.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh...!"
"Bang! Bang...!"
The sounds of missed strikes and their hands clashing echoed.
As they continued, instead of slowing down, the speed of their attacks increased.
At this point, Hinata was going all out as if her life depended on it. Her attacks were faster than a bullet, striking at Zaydas's chakra points, only to feel frustrated when she missed or was countered by an attack of his own.
However, she wasn't unhappy. In fact, she felt an indescribable sense of euphoria. The feeling of fighting like this for so long made her appreciate battle—something she normally didn't.
'Why is it so comfortable to fight against Zaydas-kun?' She didn't even know the answer to that question herself.
She only knew that she was enjoying it, and involuntarily, a thin smile formed on her lips as her eyes gleamed slightly.
...
...
Panting and sitting on the ground, Hinata still hadn't lost her fighting spirit.
In fact, it was even stronger than when she had started training earlier. With Zaydas, she felt a new sense of accomplishment. After all, thanks to this, she had managed to partially master the technique she had been refining.
However, she was curious—how was he able to use it even better than she could, when she was the one who had created the technique?
"I see you're still curious about how I can use this technique, right?" Zaydas suddenly said, surprising her. "The truth is, I can do something similar to the Uchiha. And, I don't know if you remember, but I've always had good grades, right? So, by using my intelligence to analyze your technique, I was able to find its flaws and fix them."
"That's incredible!" she exclaimed.
"Haha, maybe," he said. "If you want, we can train here every day, and I'll help you improve your technique. What do you think?"
"Is it really okay to do that?" she asked.
"Of course, it will be enjoyable for me too—not only will I have the company of my beautiful teammate," he said with a playful wink, adding, "but it will also be good training for me. After all, you're a great sparring partner."
Although she didn't blush at his words, it was inevitable that she felt a little shy—after all, she didn't hear that from other boys very often. And hearing what he said at the end, she felt happy. "I see, I appreciate it. It would be great if you became my training partner."
"Haha, no need to thank me. We're on the same team," Zaydas said. "Ah, by the way, it's almost lunchtime. Coincidentally, I already have something ready—how about we eat before we continue?"
Hinata, who had planned to return home for lunch, watched as he took out a scroll, opened it, and a tower-shaped lunchbox appeared. When she saw him spread out a cloth and open the compartments of the meal, she swallowed dryly.
It was basically a feast, and each dish looked more delicious than the last.
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