It was while I made my way throughout the village, at the beginning of December, disguised as an old man, slightly limping and coughing every few steps, while a well-hidden one Ryo coin danced on my back, that I had to confront the reality that no matter what I told myself, I was not truly a kind, nor a just person.
It wasn't necessarily a large surprise for me, but it was still a little sobering to realize I wasn't as pure as I thought myself to be.
While it was true that I had never had the opportunity to test my moral compass in my previous life, I had operated, just like everyone else did of themselves, under the assumption that I was, deep down, inherently good and my actions were always ruled by a sense of righteousness and for the greater good.
This line of thinking had gone out of the window the second I had realized how little remorse I felt upon deciding to let the Hyuuga affair take place exactly as it did in the original time line of this fictional world.
I knew I could have spoken with Hiruzen at any time I wanted under the guise of a warning message from Minato to shore up the village's defenses whilst the Kumo delegation was in the village, but in the end I had decided against it as I was not willing to risk changing things too early for me to impact this world, or even worse, incur the risk of the Hokage becoming suspicious of me and starting to doubt the veracity of my words.
The sacrifice of one man to stop a war that would result in thousands of deaths was a complete no-brainer as far as I was concerned, regardless of whether I could have prevented it or not.
In the end, I was more than willing to treat other people's deaths as statistics rather than deal with them in a humanitarian or emotional manner. Others might die to let me enjoy peace, and that was a sacrifice I was far too willing to let happen, regardless of the cost each death would have on the loved ones of the victims, as Hizashi's death would irrevocably change Neji's personality and outlook on life.
I was completely ready to sacrifice innocents for the furthering of my own goals, or even anything I deemed would improve my chances, or in this case, not risk lowering them unpredictably.
I had already had a mini panic attack when I had realized my being known as a blond Jinchuriki with blue eyes, as well as the possibility I could in the future learn to use my tenant's power to the fullest, could be enough of a catalyst and cause the reopening of hostilities with Iwa, but thankfully Hiruzen had assuaged my concerns and assured me they lacked the means to start any conflict, even though my security detail would be a permanent fixture of my life from now on, as I was the village's most prized military asset.
Apparently, his advisers and him did not even mind the additional cost of resources affording me a home and bodyguards would ensue, nor would they shrink away from further investments into me, after learning I was aware of my parentage and had received the Fourth's blessing, declaring it a worthwhile investment if there was even the slightest chance for me to gain my Bijuu's cooperation, as I would be the first Jinchuriki of the Leaf to do achieve such a feat, not really a big surprise considering how Mito and Kushina had treated Kurama inside their consciousness.
I knew it also helped make their mind to know that the possibility of declaring me the son of the fourth Hokage publicly sometime down the line would be an instantaneous morale boost for most shinobi of the Leaf and almost everyone would be more wary of entering open conflict with the land of Fire, if only in fear of the Yellow Flash's name, even a decade after his death.
It was somewhat insane to me that a single man carried such a frightening aura that even knowing he had relatives alive, years after his death was still considered a war deterrent, but I could understand where they were coming from, Minato Namikaze had been a different breed of monster while alive.
Back to what I had been doing, the reason I was intruding in the village, even at this late hour, was because today would be the day I would, for the first time, change this world for the better and subside my guilt for taking over the life of the real Naruto.
Today was the funeral of Hizashi, but more importantly, this chilly wintery night would be the very first time Naruto would ever speak with Hinata, bringing her back home and inspiring her for the first time.
I might not be able to make amends with the Seventh Hokage directly, but I could use his charms to bolster his future wife's confidence and try to mitigate the hardships she would face later in life.
The girl had potential, but being born as a pacifist to a clan as militarily inclined as the Hyuuga without the sense of duty or understanding of how this world worked, as Itachi had been lucky to be born with as a child, meant she had been woefully prepared to being constantly compared to a genius like her cousin or the regular put downs for her weakness after the death of her mother.
Speaking of, there she was, running as fast as her little legs could carry her, cheeks flushed and tears spilling out of her eyes even as she struggled with her breathing, not used to running long distances, let alone in the cold.
Dropping the Transformation Technique, I followed her slowly from a distance, knowing full well she was being followed by guards, as there was no way her father would ever allow her outside unsupervised days after a kidnapping attempt on her person had cost Hizashi's life and almost kick-started a new war.
Just as I expected, it barely took another minute of her jogging speed sprint for the girl to tire out and collapse on her knees to breathe and cry at the same time, the perfect time for me to interject.
"Hello there." I said, approaching the girl from the front in order to not startle her, which seemed to be in vain as she jumped back a little, but did not stand back up.
"Is everything alright?" I asked the girl, glancing over her shoulder to see if her guardians, or mine for the matter, would intervene and prevent me from meeting the daughter of the Hyuuga clan head.
Not seeing anyone, I returned my attention to the girl who was wiping her eyes.
"Do you need help going back home?" I asked her, offering her a hand to stand, but she declined my help, leaning away from me, probably a wise decision when meeting a stranger for the first time after having been a kidnapping victim not so long ago.
"You're a Hyuuga, right?" I asked her as if I hadn't realized her reticence to speak with me, and this time her eyes widened a little, making me smile internally before adding a "You look like one", to reassure her I was not here to abduct her.
The girl had now started eyeing me suspiciously, but that was also something I approved of, so I gave her another offer without being pushy.
"Follow me and I will take you to your clan compound, alright" I said with a smile, taking a step back and turning around, walking away in order to let her have her space to take the decision without additional pressure from my presence in her personal space.
I couldn't help the smile that graced me when I heard her footsteps just behind mine after only a few meters of walking.
My approach was much different than how the real Naruto had simply taken her hands in his and pulled her behind him, but as my objectives were different, I judged the change to be necessary.
I wanted her to gain confidence and act of her own volition for her own betterment. I wanted her to leap, to no longer require anyone to push or pull her along.
"Do you have any siblings?" I asked out loud, not turning turning my head in her direction, but making sure to tilt just enough to have her in my field of vision, in order to not miss her silent nod.
"You're lucky to be a Hyuuga, then." I told her and just as I wanted, the comment intrigued her, but she still remained silent, unfortunately.
"There's almost no better clan to train in fighting." I explained anyways, having long decided how to flow the conversation before approaching this shy child.
"I do not like to fight." Hinata interrupted me for the first time, something I had almost given up hope of happening, but for which I was still grateful for, especially when her voice did not have any stutters in it.
This was great. She might be undeniably shy, but at least it seemed her confidence hadn't been broken yet.
"I don't like to fight either." I told the girl, and we walked for a bit in silence, knowing my answer had surprised her but still determined to let her think about it a little before speaking more.
I hadn't prepared a speech for nothing, after all.
"This world is cruel." I said turning towards the little Hyuuga, happy to see she had started walking much closer and next to me, rather than a few steps behind like we had started on this trip back towards her neighbourhood.
"Since this village was founded, there has been a Shinobi World War every twenty years." I said, hoping she had a bit of education on the history of the village, though not knowing for sure what level of academic education her family provided their heirs before allowing them into the academy.
"Whether we want it or not, it is inevitable that we will have to fight at some point." I explained grimly, but sternly. "Not even children are spared." I said, hinting at her recent traumatic experience, but this was a necessary evil. There would be no happiness for a Hyuuga heiress so long as she was weak.
She flinched at the callous words, but I kept speaking, knowing she would probably interrupt unless I kept going.
"When that day comes, I want to make sure all the people I love are strong enough to survive." I explained with a sardonic smile, taking some amusement in her expression.
"Many think we train to fight and spar to become stronger, but I don't think so." This was complete bullshit of course, but the girl was much too trusting and selfless for any other way to convince her. "I think we train and spar to make sure our friends and family are strong enough to survive."
Hinata was listening to my every word with her head tilted, and I praised myself for the idea of approaching her now and intercepting her personality before the harsh ways of her father had the time to settle after his brother's deaths.
Children were best indoctrinated very young or right on the cusp of adulthood, after all...
"Let's take the Hokage for example." I continued, unwilling to squander the opportunity or allow her time to think of flaws in my reasoning. "He is by far the strongest and smartest person in the village right?" I asked, keeping eye contact so she understood I wanted her to confirm or deny the assessment, which she did with a nod.
"If I trained and sparred with him everyday, I would always lose and he would spend all days using many techniques, strategies and exploiting all my weaknesses for easy victories, right?" I asked with a smile. "Well, when the time comes for me to fight someone in the war, they will be weaker than our village leader, so no matter what technique they use, how fast or strong they are, I would already have some experience with someone more powerful exploiting my weaknesses, so my chances of survival are much higher."
Hinata seemed intrigued at my idea, but nodded her ascent, which was to be expected as this part made perfect sense even to me.
"For the Hokage, on the other hand, things would be pretty bad." I said with a wince. "He would have helped me improve by pushing me to my limits every time, but every fight would be extremely easy for him and he runs the risk of becoming overconfident, complacent or that his skills dull as he doesn't need to exert himself as much."
Once again, she nodded, agreeing with my assessment.
"What do you think would happen to him if he then had to fight an enemy on the same level or slightly stronger than him if there was no-one to show him his weaknesses in training?" I asked and all levity left my features, hoping to impress into her the fear such a situation should evoke.
"He... he would die." Hinata whispered after a moment and I nodded.
"Yes. If there is no one to push a shinobi forward, to show them their weaknesses, to defeat them during spars, it will be an enemy that does it and they will die." I agreed, making her gasp in shock.
"This is why I want to train hard and become strong enough to defeat others. The more we love someone, the harsher and more ruthless we should be on them in training, so they always come back from war." I declared with a fervor I didn't really feel, but which I hoped would inspire the girl to come out of her shell much sooner than she had done in the original time line of the real Naruto.
Hinata didn't say anything to my words, but she seemed taken by my personal philosophy, her eyes glazing a little, as she went far away in thoughts, and I was happy to let her, walking the rest of the way in silence until we reached the entrance of the Hyuuga compound.
"This is where I have to say goodbye." I told the girl who quickly shook her head clear of thoughts, recognizing the buildings and quickly bowing in front of me to thank me for the part I played in bringing her back home safely.
"Thank you for your help." She said as she straightened up and I smiled. She was just so adorable.
"Here, you can have this." I told her, picking out a beige scarf from my bag, one I had made myself and planned exclusively for her with her academy jacket in mind.
The girl stared at me confusedly and unsure on what to do, but I picked a page out of Naruto's playbook and put it around her.
"I made it myself, so hopefully it can keep you warm." I said and smiled radiantly at her, making her break out in even more bows and thanks, which was honestly just too funny.
"We'll probably meet again at the Shinobi Academy." I let her know once she was finished. "And at that time, I will make sure to defeat you in spars as many times as I can."
For the second time in the day, Hinata gasped and her eyes narrowed, becoming icy as she eyed me with renewed intensity, her glare meeting my mischievous smile before burning a hole in my back even as I turned around and made to leave with a wave.
"No." The girl said simply and I looked at her in confusion, worried she would not even accept a spar even after all the effort I had gone to have a chance at befriending her later on.
"You will not defeat me once." She said and I almost burst out laughing in relief at how serious her expression was.
Who knew the little mouse had it in her, she hadn't even started training or changing herself yet. This agressiveness was purely down to her own personality, and for some reason, it made her reaction even better in my mind.
"We'll see." I said, leaving for real this time, almost jubilating all the way back home.
This had been the very first time I had meaningfully impacted the world around me, and I couldn't be any prouder of myself if I tried.
Hinata had always had the potential to be Jonin material through her genes alones, but an attitude improvement could only increase her chances to live.
Hopefully I would not grow to regret my actions later in life...