In Naruto, the System Asks Me to Entrust Pokémon

Upon hearing Hinata's words, Hiashi Hyuga's eyes filled with surprise.

He had never expected his obedient daughter, who had always followed his commands despite her lack of talent, to suddenly defy him.

His expression turned to anger. "Give it to me!"

Hinata's eyes turned red, and she bit her lip, shaking her head firmly.

Seeing her refusal, Hiashi grew even more furious and strode toward her, intending to take the Pokéball by force.

At that moment, the Pokéball in Hinata's hand glowed, and Squirtle emerged, positioning itself protectively in front of her.

"Squirtle!"

It stood its ground, eyes locked on Hiashi, prepared to defend Hinata at all costs.

"Squirtle," Hinata called softly, covering her mouth in worry. Her heart filled with guilt.

She knew her father never accepted many of her choices, and she had feared that he would take away her newfound partner.

Hiashi, now surprised by the sudden appearance of the strange creature, looked at it intently before turning his gaze back to Hinata. "What is this?"

Hinata glanced at Squirtle, standing protectively before her, and a surge of courage welled up within her. She met her father's gaze directly.

"Father, this is my partner. I won't hand it over to you," she declared firmly.

"Squirtle!"

Squirtle nodded, glaring at Hiashi, its stance indicating it wouldn't let him hurt Hinata.

Hiashi's eyes flickered, his brow furrowing. "As the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, you shouldn't rely on such a creature. Your focus should be on perfecting the Eight Trigrams Palm. Hand it over."

Hinata shook her head resolutely. "I won't. Father, you can take anything else, but not Squirtle."

She looked at Squirtle again, her heart steadying. Despite its timid and shy nature, Squirtle had stepped up to protect her without hesitation. There was no way she could agree to her father's demand.

"Squirtle!"

Squirtle's face grew serious, and it charged at Hiashi. While it might be timid, it wasn't a coward. If someone tried to take it away from its trainer, it wouldn't back down.

"Squirtle, no!" Hinata cried out in panic.

"Hmph."

Hiashi smirked coldly, raising his palm to block Squirtle's attack effortlessly. With a slight push, Squirtle was sent flying back.

"Squirtle!"

However, Hiashi hadn't used much force, and Squirtle quickly got back on its feet, wagging its tail before launching another charge.

"Hm?" Hiashi narrowed his eyes, surprised to find his emotions stirred by the little creature.

He watched Squirtle closely, almost in disbelief.

As Squirtle charged again, aiming its head at his stomach, Hiashi raised his hand and swatted it away. Smack! Squirtle flew back once more.

"No! Father, please don't hurt Squirtle!" Hinata quickly stepped in front of Squirtle, her eyes pleading.

Hiashi was stunned.

In his mind, Hinata would never have done something like this. She had never shown such determination before.

He glanced at Squirtle, then remained silent for a moment before saying, "You may keep it, but you must not neglect your training."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, her expression frozen for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Thank you, Father! I promise!"

Hiashi gave Squirtle one last glance before turning and walking away.

He was quite impressed with Squirtle. It had the resolve to protect Hinata and even managed to bring out her stronger side—a rare and valuable partner indeed.

"Phew..."

Hinata let out a sigh of relief and picked up Squirtle, hugging it tightly. "Thank you, Squirtle. You're such a good partner."

Squirtle's confusion faded, and it smiled, waving its tiny hand. "Squirtle, Squirtle!"

"Big sister, are you okay?" A little girl peeked out from the doorway, her eyes filled with concern.

Hinata turned to the girl and gently patted her head. "I'm fine, Hanabi."

Hanabi nodded, then looked curiously at Squirtle. "Big sister, what is that?"

"This is my partner," Hinata replied.

"Is it really strong?"

"Of course! Squirtle is the strongest!"

"Awesome! I want a partner like that too!"

"You will, Hanabi. You'll have a partner like this one day," Hinata reassured her with a warm smile.

The two sisters chatted happily as they walked back inside. Squirtle, feeling safe again, shyly nestled into Hinata's arms.

Meanwhile, similar incidents occurred within several prominent clans in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Although the details varied, one thing was clear—these clans were quite satisfied with the Pokémon.

Unaware of the developments in the village, Ryo was busy feeding his Pokémon energy cubes.

"Alright, slow down, everyone. There's more where that came from. You're acting like I've been starving you or something," Ryo joked as he handed out the treats.

Watching the Pokémon eagerly devouring the energy cubes, Ryo couldn't help but be speechless.

He picked up his dinner and sat next to them, enjoying the lively atmosphere.

Eating in a lively setting was always better than dining alone. Even though their meals were different, sitting together made the experience much more enjoyable.

"Roar~"

Suddenly, Dragonite raised its head mid-meal, its eyes turning serious as it gazed at Ryo.

Ryo immediately understood the signal. His spiritual power spread outward, scanning the surrounding area.

Since consuming a Spiritual Power Fruit earlier, his mental strength had grown significantly.

Right now, he could easily handle a jōnin-level opponent with just his spiritual power.

As his senses extended further, he detected a group of people rapidly approaching his location.

His brow furrowed deeply. "They're definitely not coming with good intentions."

It was already nighttime, and the sun had long set. The chances of having visitors at this hour were slim. Even if it were a guest, they wouldn't rush over in such a hurry.

Another thing that raised suspicion—these individuals were clearly not taking the main road.

Standing up, Ryo set aside his dinner and glanced at Dragonite and Espeon. "Let's go. It's time to properly greet our 'guests.'"

Dragonite nodded, fully aware of the unusual situation.

Espeon, on the other hand, looked a bit puzzled. It still hadn't figured out what was going on.

However, it didn't hesitate for long, standing up and following Ryo and Dragonite into the cabin.

…