Nara Shikaku: I Was Almost Beaten to Death Earlier

"Wha... what!?"

Hyuga Hiashi stared at the scene below in disbelief.

"The movements weren't standard enough!?"

"And he... he had to do it again!?"

Hyuga Hiashi let out a loud, choked whimper.

What kind of joke was this!?

Those first ten meters had shattered Hyuga Setsuna's bones with every meter. It had only been ten meters, yet it felt as though he had crawled for a lifetime.

And now he had to crawl another ten meters? Wasn't that going back on his word!?

Hyuga Setsuna looked at Uzumaki Naruto in despair.

At that moment.

He recalled what had happened in the courtyard earlier. Back then, he had stood there arrogantly and smugly said to Hyuga Hinata:

The movements weren't standard enough. Do it a hundred more times...

"Ha ha ha~~~"

Hyuga Setsuna laughed miserably in despair. He had never expected karma to come so quickly.

Earlier, he had been proudly berating Hyuga Hinata. Now, the tables had turned, and Uzumaki Naruto was berating him...

"Run."

Uzumaki Naruto spoke coldly. The Golden Chains shot out again, piercing Hyuga Setsuna's shoulder.

"Ahhhhh..."

Hyuga Setsuna screamed miserably in despair, dragging his nearly crippled body bit by bit toward the gate. Yet there was no trace of life left in him.

After only two meters.

Blood had already dyed the entire path red. With a thud, Hyuga Setsuna's head slammed heavily onto the path, and he lost consciousness.

Hyuga Hiashi's heart pounded as he watched Uzumaki Naruto below nervously.

He wouldn't...

He wouldn't kill him, would he...

Seeing Uzumaki Naruto's cruel methods, Hyuga Hiashi absolutely believed that Uzumaki Naruto had the courage to kill. With the slightest movement of his finger, the Golden Chains could pierce Hyuga Setsuna's heart.

However.

Unexpectedly, Uzumaki Naruto merely gave Hyuga Setsuna a cold glance before turning and walking into Hyuga Hinata's room.

Hyuga Hiashi was somewhat surprised, but when he saw Hyuga Setsuna covered in blood, he understood everything.

"Worse than killing him..."

"Hyuga Setsuna's limbs are all broken, with comminuted fractures. Even if he survives, he'll be a cripple for the rest of his life..."

"Every day from now on, he'll live with resentment and pain, yet he'll never have any chance of revenge..."

Hyuga Hiashi muttered to himself.

His face had already turned deathly pale, cold sweat dripping endlessly from it.

Heavens!!!

Heavens!!!

Heavens!!!

What kind of cruel method was this!?

Didn't everyone in the village say he had a gentle personality and a smile as brilliant as the sun? Was this really that Uzumaki Naruto?

Why was the Uzumaki Naruto before his eyes a demon!?

No!

These methods... were even more vicious than those of a demon...

"Little Hinata..."

Uzumaki Naruto sat down beside Little Hinata's bed. Looking at the sleeping Little Hinata, a helpless smile appeared on his face.

He poked Little Hinata's cheek with his index finger, and Little Hinata made an aggrieved expression in her sleep.

Uzumaki Naruto laughed helplessly. "Little Hinata, that's why I said before that I wanted you to choose me. Because... only you can make me lose control like this."

Scorch Release!

Adamantine Chains!

Nine-Tails Chakra!

Even combining his three strongest abilities only barely gave him strength close to that of an Elite Jonin. It was still too early for him to expose himself.

But whenever he thought of Little Hinata's pained expression, he simply could not suppress the rage in his heart.

"Naruto-kun..."

Little Hinata murmured in her sleep.

Uzumaki Naruto came back to himself and laughed softly, poking Little Hinata's cheek again.

"Well, whatever..."

Half an hour earlier.

Hokage Office.

Nara Shikamaru rushed to the Hokage Office in a panic. Without even bothering to knock, he shoved open the door to the Hokage's office.

But he did not see the Hokage. Only after carefully questioning the Anbu did he learn that the Hokage had gone to Root.

Cursing inwardly, Nara Shikaku rushed toward Root in a panic as well.

On the way, Nara Shikaku was startled by Root's appearance, as though it had suffered a fire, but he had no time to worry about that. He pushed open the door to Danzo's office.

"Lord Hokage, something terrible has happened!!!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were startled. They turned around, still shaken, and saw Nara Shikaku panting heavily.

"What happened? Have you forgotten how to knock?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Nara Shikaku with an ugly expression. That shout had nearly scared him into having a heart attack.

Nara Shikaku's mouth twitched. How could he care about that right now?

"Lord Hokage, something terrible has happened! Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails inside Uzumaki Naruto has gone berserk!!!"

"What!?"

"Impossible!!!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō abruptly rose to their feet.

"How could the Nine-Tails possibly go berserk?"

"Isn't the seal inside Uzumaki Naruto the strongest one!?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō both stared at Nara Shikaku with grim expressions.

Nara Shikaku smiled bitterly. "Lord Hokage, it seems the Hyuga Clan did something to Hyuga Hinata. Uzumaki Naruto became extremely enraged, and in his fury, Nine-Tails Chakra erupted."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened further.

"Hyuga!"

He knew it. He knew that Hyuga Hinata was Uzumaki Naruto's reverse scale.

Yet that bastard clan head had not only ignored his orders, but had directly placed Hyuga Hinata under house arrest.

"Huff!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with an ugly expression.

"I understand."

"..."

The air became somewhat silent.

Nara Shikaku stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen with a dark expression.

"Lord Hokage, and then!?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, somewhat displeased by Nara Shikaku's questioning tone, but he still explained, "I'm thinking about how to make the Hyuga Clan yield."

Nara Shikaku nearly spat out blood.

Given the strength and rage Uzumaki Naruto had displayed, the Hyuga Clan might already be littered with corpses.

And you're thinking about how to make the Hyuga Clan yield!???

Nara Shikaku forcibly suppressed the urge to vomit blood and said, "Lord Hokage, what I mean is that we should be figuring out how to save the Hyuga Clan right now."

"Hm!?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Nara Shikaku, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Shikaku, what nonsense are you talking about!?"

"It's only a small eruption of Nine-Tails Chakra. Could the Hyuga Clan really not handle that!?"

Nara Shikaku smiled bitterly and nodded.

"Yes. That's exactly what I mean."

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō's expressions gradually stiffened.

Nara Shikaku continued, "Earlier, Uzumaki Naruto almost beat me to death."

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō nearly popped their eyes out.