"What about Hirohiko? What happened to Hirohiko?"
With his eyes closed, Chiba took a deep, deep breath. His body trembled slightly. When he opened his eyes again, they held a complex mix of restrained indignation and guilt. Still, he managed to speak in a voice that was barely calm.
Too much had happened recently. Minato Namikaze's account had only gone as far as the internal rebellion within the Hyuga Clan. As for Hirohiko, who had been mentioned in passing, Minato had not gone into detail.
But Chiba understood somewhat now. The change mentioned regarding Hirohiko was probably that he had learned of Nao's death. Nao's ocular power might have already failed, and Hirohiko had remembered killing Nao with his own hands.
This was what Chiba had feared most. Hirohiko was, after all, a ninja of the Uchiha Clan. Nao had been so important and special to him that perhaps, in his heart, neither Chiba, Yukina, nor Kushina mattered as much as she did. The two had depended on each other for so long; their bond was surely far deeper than what he shared with the rest of them.
Chiba truly feared that what had happened to Nao would twist Hirohiko's mind into something he could never pull back from, something dark.
He was afraid Hirohiko would become a second Obito.
After all, still not good at dealing with people, he truly could not think of any way to untie the knot in Hirohiko's heart.
"Hirohiko, that child..."
Hearing Chiba's question, Minato Namikaze, already weighed down by his previous account, could not help but sigh. After a pause, he said, "He went mad."
"Went mad?"
Chiba's eyes widened at once. A flash of shock crossed his face, and he cried out, his voice rising in urgency.
"Yes. About four months ago,