Hinata's Happiness and Hyuga Hiashi's Growing Hatred for the Blondie

Mitarashi Zixiao and Hyuga Hiashi both froze at the sight:

What the hell was this?

According to Anbu (Kakashi) intel, wasn't the Hidden Cloud peace-talk ninja squad supposed to be trying to kidnap Hinata?

How come they all looked half-dead and critically wounded?

And the Forest of Death's landscape had been drastically altered?

Even the squad leader, that Jonin named Makai, had his head blown clean off?!

Mitarashi Zixiao: "Someone tell me—what the hell happened here? How did the Kumogakure envoys end up in such a miserable state?"

Hyuga Hiashi anxiously pressed the assembled Anbu ninja: "And my daughter, Hinata Hyuga? Where is she? How is she?"

Whoosh!

In an instant, a figure appeared—Uzuki Yanxi, wearing an Anbu mask, having used the Body Flicker Technique.

She reported everything on-site to the Anbu Commander, Mitarashi Zixiao, whose eyes flew wide in utter shock. Beside him, Hyuga Hiashi's Byakugan pupils contracted sharply:

Someone in the Forest of Death had used an unknown S-rank jutsu. With a single blow, they'd crippled the entire Hidden Cloud ninja squad and killed their captain.

Even more critically, they'd reshaped the entire Forest of Death's terrain!

Who was the caster?

A master from another hidden village who'd infiltrated Konoha? Or had some Konoha genius developed a new jutsu and tested it in the sparsely populated Forest of Death?

After his initial shock, Mitarashi Zixiao mulled this over seriously.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi snapped out of his daze, only to be gripped by deep dread:

Someone had used an S-rank jutsu in the Forest of Death, wiping out the entire Hidden Cloud peace-talk squad in one hit. That was undeniably a powerhouse.

Was their target also the Byakugan on Hinata's body?!

Had Hinata already been kidnapped by whoever unleashed that S-rank jutsu?!

Tap tap.

At that thought, Hyuga Hiashi moved to enter the now-devastated Forest of Death.

Mitarashi Zixiao quickly blocked him: "Wait... the Forest of Death is too dangerous right now. I've already used Anbu covert channels to contact more Anbu personnel and the Hokage-sama... they'll be here soon. We'll enter the Forest of Death together to investigate the specifics."

Hyuga Hiashi grew more frantic: "But my daughter is in that forest right now."

Mitarashi Zixiao shot him a deep look: "Wait. Wait for backup... Given the current state of the Forest of Death, even you, the Hyuga Clan head, could be in mortal danger entering it.

"You don't want the Hyuga Clan to lose two pairs of Byakugan, do you."

"... "

Hyuga Hiashi fell silent at those words. After a moment's hesitation, his foot stopped.

But the veins bulging at his temples grew more ferocious as he tried to locate Hinata's chakra in the Forest of Death... and then he actually saw his daughter Hinata's chakra signature.

And beside Hinata was another chakra mass—its chakra volume at least several times that of an average Jonin:

Damn it!

That bastard who unleashed the unknown S-rank jutsu, turned the Forest of Death into this mess, and killed the Hidden Cloud ninja—his target was indeed the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan!

Third Hokage-sama, hurry up and get here!

If you don't, my daughter will be taken away!

The Byakugan of the Hyuga Main Family will be lost from Konoha to the outside world again!!

Watching the two chakra masses slowly drawing closer in the Forest of Death, Hyuga Hiashi's anxiety and dread mounted.

He began pacing back and forth, sweat beading on his forehead.

Meanwhile, in the core area of the Forest of Death.

Roman slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, lowered his palm, and smiled at the massive man-made canyon carved by the Vacuum Attack before him:

"Derived from the Hyuga—more precisely, from the Sage of Six Paths and the Otsutsuki Clan's bloodline net, the simplified version of the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack. The power of the Vacuum Attack is truly formidable!

"Its display is already on par with a single Tailed Beast Bomb from Kurama in the Naruto anime!"

With that, Roman turned and walked over to Hinata, gazing at her tenderly:

"All of this is thanks to you, Hinata. Without you, I'd still be a civilian in Konoha selling sandals and handicrafts!

"Of course, selling sandals and handicrafts isn't a bad life.

"But for me, latching onto a rich little loli's thigh and becoming a ninja is a much wider world!"

The moment the words fell, Roman swept Hinata into his arms and burst out laughing.

And Hinata was beaming too—the reason was simple: through her observation just now, she had fully learned the Vacuum Attack. She just didn't have enough chakra... so she couldn't release it yet.

More crucially, with her Byakugan, she had seen that everyone closest to the Forest of Death had been blown to bits by Roman's single Vacuum Attack!

This naturally made Hinata feel delighted, and she couldn't help but plant a kiss on Roman's cheek.

Kiss me?!

Roman didn't hesitate and struck back immediately.

And just as both their cheeks turned wet and red, the corner of Roman's Byakugan caught sight of a familiar chakra presence approaching from outside the Forest of Death.

Old Man Hiashi!

Roman extended his index finger, wiped all the wetness off his face, and without changing expression, put the finger in his mouth to taste it. Only after finding it wasn't foul did he reveal a satisfied look, saying to Hinata Hyuga, whose face was flushed and wearing a reproachful expression:

"Looks like your father's here!

"According to the original Hokage plot, you were supposed to be kidnapped by Hidden Cloud ninjas, and then your father would come to save you... Then your uncle, the Hyuga Branch Family head Hizashi Hyuga, would take the blame and be forced to commit suicide!

"But that original plot won't happen now. My Vacuum Attack changed everything.

"I imagine your father, seeing the Hidden Cloud ninjas in their miserable state, is gloating and very grateful to me for wiping out that Hidden Cloud ninja squad and saving his daughter."

Hearing this, Hinata's expression remained reproachful, then she mimicked Roman's earlier move, swiping a finger across her own cheek and putting it in her mouth.

Good, no smell either.

Hinata thought this, then noticed Roman's gaze at her growing even more intense, and he gave her cheek another peck.

Hinata, never one to back down, puckered her lips and retaliated.

The two engaged in a battle of lips and tongues—a scene of exceptional beauty and happiness!

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Forest of Death, Hyuga Hiashi used his Byakugan to watch that massive chakra cluster drawing closer to his daughter, instantly jumping to conclusions:

Some ninja from another village with designs on the Byakugan was gouging out his daughter Hinata's eyes, or worse, harboring improper intentions toward the little girl and starting to lay hands on her...

So his heart grew more anxious by the second.

His footsteps quickened, and he kept shouting in his mind:

Third Hokage-sama!

Third Hokage Yuan Fei Rizhan-sama!

Yuan! Fei! Ri! Zhan!

Why the hell aren't you here yet?! If you don't come soon, my daughter will be ruined by some brat ninja from another village.

She'll live a life of darkness, tragedy, and misery forever!!!