Hiashi

"Minato... Minato??"

Hiruzen Sarutobi dropped his pipe, stammering.

Minato nodded slightly, then said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "The young lady from the Hyuga Clan has been kidnapped. Naruto is tracking them. Lord Third, please dispatch Anbu to the Forest of Death immediately. The specific location is..."

He spoke extremely quickly.

It was obvious.

Minato's chakra was almost depleted.

After hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill run down his spine.

He knew the Kumogakure envoys coming here wouldn't bring good news.

But he never expected them to dare target a Kekkei Genkai.

They were too audacious.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately shouted, "Someone!"

An Anbu member appeared in the Hokage's office. "Lord Third."

Upon seeing Minato, he broke out in a cold sweat.

The dead coming back to life, who wouldn't be scared?

Hiruzen Sarutobi said to the Anbu, "Have the currently on-standby Anbu depart simultaneously for the Forest of Death to find Naruto Uzumaki!"

The Anbu member heard Hiruzen Sarutobi's command and quickly bowed his head. "Yes!"

With that, he used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.

Afterward.

The Anbu member responsible for monitoring Naruto ran over. "Lord Third, something's wrong, the Fourth Hokage... he's reviv..."

He burst into the room and saw Minato there as well.

But Minato's condition was weak.

His figure flickered, like the last few seconds before a light bulb burns out.

Minato said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Don't worry. Naruto is my son, he'll be fine."

"Then I'll be counting on you in the future, Lord Third."

At this moment, Minato...

...did not yet know how Naruto's childhood had been spent.

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a look of shame upon hearing this.

The Anbu member, however, was utterly shocked.

What had he heard?

Naruto Uzumaki.

That monster ostracized by the entire village!

Was actually the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze???

What in the world was going on????

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Anbu member monitoring Naruto fell silent.

Minato didn't notice anything unusual.

His chakra was completely depleted, and he vanished into thin air.

After a long while.

The Anbu member stared intently at Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked him, "Lord Hokage, what exactly have you been hiding?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi began to explain, "Minato had too many enemies. This was done for Naruto's safety."

This explanation...

Was a bit flimsy.

But who was he to argue with the Hokage?

The Anbu member felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

If he put himself in that position...

He was a Konoha Hero, and his newborn son became a Jinchuriki for Konoha.

And the result?

Naruto 'enjoyed' that kind of treatment.

In an instant, the Will of Fire within the Anbu member wavered slightly.

The village is home, the villagers are family.

But...

Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted his thoughts and said to him, "Don't overthink it, some things are beyond our control."

The Anbu member's heart grew cold upon hearing this. He asked Hiruzen Sarutobi, "Lord Hokage, what about the envoy from Kumogakure...?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi: "Don't alert them for now. First, find Naruto."

In reality.

In Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

Naruto was the priority.

Hinata, who was risked to be saved by Naruto, was secondary.

Who knew that these words, when heard by the Anbu member, would be interpreted as Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoning Hinata...

Moreover.

Kumogakure had committed such an act.

Why wasn't Hiruzen Sarutobi, a Shinobi Hero, immediately killing the Kumogakure envoy instead of waiting?

When did Konoha become so easily bullied?

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The Anbu member's mind was in turmoil.

The moment he thought about his previous actions of monitoring Naruto, he felt ashamed.

"Lord Hokage, perhaps we shouldn't have been monitoring Naruto..."

"What if the seal on the Nine-Tails has a problem?"

"Alright, stop discussing these issues with me."

"You're tired too. Go back and rest for a few days."

The Anbu member knew that this so-called "rest for a few days" likely meant he was being fired.

Sigh...

Inside the Forest of Death.

Naruto, carrying Hinata, was heading towards the Hyuga Clan's compound.

Hinata, due to extreme mental tension and exhaustion, had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Naruto looked at the adorable little girl in his arms and a faint smile appeared.

But it vanished in an instant.

Why.

Were people from Kumogakure at the Hyuga Clan's compound kidnapping Hinata?

It didn't make sense.

Naruto would sooner believe they could assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Than believe they could successfully kidnap Hinata under the watch of the Byakugan.

It was no different than bullshit!

But fortunately, the outcome wasn't bad.

He could only find out the reason for this after hearing the Cloud Ninja's explanation later.

Kurama: "Hey! Naruto, don't forget your promise."

Hearing Kurama's words, Naruto said gratefully, "Of course, I won't forget. But not now. I'm not confident I can survive after being separated from the Tailed Beast."

Kurama's voice instantly became furious: "You're lying to me?"

Naruto shook his head and said with utter certainty, "Kurama, I'm sorry. I cherish my life. I need to find a way to separate us without dying."

Kurama's voice fell silent.

But it didn't cause trouble for Naruto.

Perhaps Kurama knew that Naruto wasn't lying to it.

Naruto also didn't apply a stronger seal on Kurama.

This was trust.

Naruto arrived at the Hyuga Clan's compound.

He was carrying Hinata, and before he even got close, he was discovered.

"Who are you?! Why are you holding our young lady?! Speak quickly!!"

Three to five members of the Hyuga Clan quickly surrounded Naruto.

Naruto chuckled, "Heh, that's more like it~ They found me even from hundreds of meters away."

"Then I'd like to ask you, why was Hinata kidnapped by a Cloud Ninja?"

The Hyuga Clan members immediately looked at each other, at a loss for words.

Naruto's expression turned cold, "Let's go back to the compound first. I need to see Hiashi."

The Hyuga Clan members initially wanted to argue.

But seeing Naruto's terrifying expression and the heavy pressure emanating from him, They didn't dare to retort...

After all, if it were true, Naruto would have saved Hinata.

He would be a benefactor to the Hyuga Clan.

One of the Hyuga Clan members softened his tone and said to Naruto, "This... Naruto Uzumaki, please follow us."

Soon, everyone entered the Hyuga Clan compound and quickly met Hiashi.

Upon seeing his daughter in Naruto's arms, Hiashi's expression stiffened slightly.

The Hyuga Clan never married out.

It was tradition!

Looking at Hinata and Naruto, it was clear things had progressed to a certain extent.

However...

Why did Hinata look a little off?

Hiashi asked with a stiff face, "Naruto Uzumaki, what is going on?"

Just then.

Hinata woke up.

She opened her eyes and saw Hiashi's terrifying expression.

Hinata flinched in fright, broke free from Naruto's embrace, and stood obediently to the side.

Naruto asked Hiashi, "Didn't you guys even realize Hinata was kidnapped?"

Hiashi frowned upon hearing this and asked Hinata, "Hinata, weren't you resting in your room?"

Hinata then recounted her experience