Hyuga Setsuna harshly reprimanded Hyuga Hinata. Deep within his cold white eyes lay a trace of resentment and a trace of smugness.
The Main Family!?
So what if you were from the Main Family? Weren't you still being punished by someone from the Branch Family like him!?
Looking as useless as you did, inferior even to Hyuga Neji, what right did you have to become the clan head who led the Hyuga Clan?
With a cold snort, Hyuga Setsuna used a stick to strike Hinata's hands and mercilessly berated her:
"Not hard enough. Are you planning to hold back when you fight enemies too? With that performance, what right do you have to be part of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family?"
"And you keep getting tangled up with that Fox Demon Brat. I say we might as well make your younger sister part of the Main Family instead..."
Little Hinata's white eyes brimmed with tears, yet she still resolutely used her reddened little hands to strike the wooden post before her.
"I... will definitely see Naruto-kun..."
Bang, bang, bang...
"..."
Uzumaki Naruto gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, his eyes turning completely scarlet, so red they seemed ready to drip blood.
Little Hinata...
She had actually...
Been punished because of him...
He recalled the tears in Little Hinata's eyes, her reddened palms, and her body on the verge of collapsing...
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Uzumaki Naruto's chest rose and fell violently.
Little Hinata might have looked frail and spoken gently, but Uzumaki Naruto knew she was incredibly stubborn. Once she set her mind on something, nothing could make her change it.
For Little Hinata to reveal such an exhausted expression, she had probably... already been punished for an entire day and night.
A full day and night without rest...
"Naruto..."
Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails stared in shock beyond the cage.
Overwhelming orange-red chakra surged into Uzumaki Naruto's body like a tsunami, raising waves more than ten meters high.
This was not chakra that had leaked out from him.
"Naruto, you actually stole this lord's chakra..."
The Nine-Tails let out a low growl.
He found it hard to imagine what could have made Uzumaki Naruto, who had been so calm since childhood, this angry.
What Lord Hokage!?
What Danzo!?
What plan!?
Uzumaki Naruto no longer cared about any of it. His scarlet eyes saw only the gates of the Hyuga Clan. He lifted his foot, then brought it down heavily.
Crack!!!
Uzumaki Naruto crushed the bluestone paving beneath his foot.
He took several more steps.
Large stretches of bluestone were stamped full of countless spiderweb-like cracks.
"Naruto, y-you need to calm down..."
Second Pillar, Akimichi Choji, Inuzuka Kiba... and the other rookies panicked and awkwardly tried to persuade him.
But when they saw the cracks beneath Uzumaki Naruto's feet,
the rookies' scalps went numb. None of them dared approach Uzumaki Naruto at this moment.
Heavens!!!
Just how strong was Uzumaki Naruto!?
And Shikamaru, how much longer would it take you to bring your father here?
Amid the rookies' desperate prayers, Nara Shikamaru finally arrived before Uzumaki Naruto did.
"Huff, huff... Father, hurry and stop Uzumaki Naruto..."
Nara Shikamaru was panting from exhaustion, but he had no time to care about himself. He looked anxiously at his father.
Nara Shikaku looked at the bluestone path beneath Uzumaki Naruto's feet, a hint of gravity appearing in his eyes. Without another word, he formed hand seals.
Shadow Neck Binding Technique!
A black shadow spread out from beneath Nara Shikaku's feet. Rather than connecting to Uzumaki Naruto's shadow, it extended directly to Uzumaki Naruto's feet.
The shadow formed into the shape of hands and firmly pinned Uzumaki Naruto's feet to the ground.
Nara Shikamaru sighed in relief.
"As expected of Father. This should be enough to restrain him..."
"Get lost!!!"
A cold, bone-piercing voice rang out.
Uzumaki Naruto's scarlet eyes glanced back as he stomped down hard.
Boom!!!
A vast expanse of bluestone shattered into pieces, and terrifying cracks split through the ground. Nara Shikaku's face went pale, and he dropped to one knee with a thud.
"Father!!!"
Nara Shikamaru's eyes widened abruptly as he stared at his father in disbelief.
His father was an Elite Jonin of Konoha. Yet the Shadow Neck Binding Technique he had used had been forcibly shattered by Uzumaki Naruto's raw strength.
Nara Shikaku had no time to care about his son. He raised his pale face and stared in shock at the blond youth ahead.
"This power..."
"Nine-Tails, Nine-Tails Chakra..."
The blond youth ahead seemed to be burning with orange-red flames—dark, terrifying, violent, evil...
"There is no mistake. This is the Nine-Tails' Chakra... Uzumaki Naruto... has gone berserk..."
Cold sweat formed on Nara Shikaku's forehead. His heart pounded wildly as he spoke hoarsely, "Something terrible has happened. Uzumaki Naruto... he's going to turn the heavens upside down..."
The Nine-Tails!!!
This was definitely the Nine-Tails' Chakra!!!
Even such a sturdy seal had failed to contain the Nine-Tails' Chakra. Just how furious was that boy right now!?
Nara Shikamaru still did not know what had happened. He anxiously asked, "Father, even you can't restrain Uzumaki Naruto?"
Nara Shikaku shook his head bitterly.
He was utterly confused as well.
Uzumaki Naruto had merely taken one step, yet he had forcibly shattered his Shadow Neck Binding Technique.
How could his strength be so great!?
Nine-Tails Chakra... did it really provide such a terrifying boost?
Or was it that... Uzumaki Naruto had always been strong.
Not daring to think any further, Nara Shikaku staggered to his feet. "Don't get close to Uzumaki Naruto. I'll report to Lord Hokage right away. Something terrible is about to happen."
With that, Nara Shikaku desperately ran toward the Hokage Office.
Really.
Something terrible had happened.
"Hm!?"
"Isn't that the Fox Demon Brat!?"
When the Hyuga Clan's gatekeepers saw Uzumaki Naruto approaching, disgust flashed through their eyes. With a cold snort, they stepped forward to block him.
"Brat, the Hyuga Clan isn't a place for the likes of you. Leave immediately."
"Don't come looking for trouble, or don't blame us for taking action."
Uzumaki Naruto raised his head. Not a trace of emotion could be seen in his scarlet eyes as he stared at the two gatekeepers and asked, "Where is Little Hinata!?"
One of the Hyuga Clan gatekeepers sneered.
"The young lady is being punished. Because of a monster like you, now get lost..."
Boom!!!
The Hyuga Clan gatekeeper seemed to have been struck by lightning. His body flew backward like a cannonball and slammed heavily into the gate.
Rumble!!!
A human-shaped hole was blasted straight through the wooden gate. The Hyuga Clan gatekeeper collapsed on the ground, continuously coughing up blood.
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