Missing Hyuga Natsu

That night.

Branch Family residence, dining hall.

"Where's A-Natsu?"

Even after dinner was over, Hyuga Sho had not seen Hyuga Natsu, which struck him as somewhat strange.

"I remember... A-Natsu went mushroom picking at dusk..."

"She should be back by now, even if she was picking mushrooms!"

The Branch Family members all began talking about it at once.

"So... why was she picking mushrooms? Who was she picking them for?"

The one who raised that question was none other than—

Pure Love Warrior Hyuga Suetsuchi.

After saying that, he thought for a second before abruptly turning his head to Look Towards Hyuga Sho.

It was not just him. The other Branch Family Members all turned their gazes as well.

The elderly, the middle-aged, teenagers, children...

Men, women.

Uncles, aunties...

In short.

Every Branch Family Member in the dining hall stared at Hyuga Sho with a very... particular look.

"You bastard...!!"

Hyuga Suetsuchi rushed over and glared viciously at Hyuga Sho.

"A-Natsu must have gone mushroom picking to make you a Heart Bento~~! She still hasn't come back at this hour—what if she's gone missing..."

Hyuga Suetsuchi shouted at the top of his lungs.

Who knew how much strength it took, how much his heart bled, or how much resolve he needed... just to say the words, "Hyuga Natsu is making Hyuga Sho a Heart Bento."

He even had the expression of a wronged husband now~~!

"Should we go look for her?"

Someone asked.

"We all have the Caged Bird Seal on our foreheads. It's not like anyone would covet our Byakugan..."

Someone else said indifferently.

"Which direction did A-Natsu go?" Hyuga Sho ignored Suetsuchi's spectacular Facial Art and asked.

"The back mountain. Konoha's Back Mountain."

A clan member working as a cook pointed toward Kage Rock with the spoon in his hand.

Hyuga Sho stood up, walked out of the dining hall, and vanished into the night.

Hyuga Sho arrived on the street outside.

By then, night had fallen, and the sky was full of stars.

Konoha remained brightly lit at night, displaying the unique prosperity of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Hyuga Sho did not head directly to the back mountain.

Instead, he quickly made his way to a ninja tool shop that was about to close.

"Boss, I'd like to buy some ninja tools."

Hyuga Sho used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself with his own build, then took out the money he had earned over the past two months since enrolling by beating up his peers.

It was neither too much nor too little—just enough to buy several Kunai and a number of Shuriken.

The owner kindly threw in a Ninja Tool Pouch.

Hyuga Sho hung it around his waist.

After leaving the ninja tool shop, he dispelled the Transformation Technique and sprinted toward the back mountain.

Using the methods taught at the Ninja Academy, Hyuga Sho slowly expended his Chakra.

If a person ran normally, especially at full sprint, they would exhaust their stamina in a very short time.

However.

If Chakra was incorporated into the act of running,

then, much like inner energy in martial arts novels, it could be used for long-distance travel.

A few minutes later...

Hyuga Sho, running at high speed, arrived behind Kage Rock.

This was what people called "Konoha's Back Mountain."

The natural environment here was lush.

There were vast forests, hills, mountains, and flowing streams.

Although Hyuga Sho had never been here before,

he had learned Konoha's map layout in Ninja Academy classes.

Following what he remembered, Hyuga Sho activated his Byakugan and began searching for Hyuga Natsu.

The darkness could not obstruct the Byakugan's vision.

As long as they were human, their Chakra would shine as brightly as a torch.

Hyuga Sho looked around from side to side, racing back and forth without pause.

Morino Ibiki, the woman in red, Hyuga Natsu...

Those names and words seemed to connect together.

A moment later, he found something.

"Hyuga Natsu..."

Within his black-and-white field of vision,

Hyuga Natsu's Chakra was burning slowly yet steadily.

However.

She was not alone. Someone had tucked her under an arm and was rapidly moving away.

In addition.

There was a child beneath their feet.

It was Morino Ibiki!

"She took down Morino Ibiki, then kidnapped Hyuga Natsu."

Hyuga Sho frowned slightly as a guess formed in his mind.

Hyuga Natsu, like him, was from the Branch Family.

But Hyuga Sho was not naive enough to believe that, just because they bore the Caged Bird Seal, enemies would not covet the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai.

The Caged Bird could indeed destroy the brain and seal the Byakugan.

But what if someone obtained cells and used Cloning Technology?

Or used them for some cruel experiments.

They might even keep a loli until she grew up...

Of course.

All of that was merely Hyuga Sho's own imagination.

Whether this world even possessed Cloning Technology was still beyond Hyuga Sho's current knowledge and intelligence network.

But since someone wanted to abduct Hyuga Natsu, then without a doubt... she was an enemy.

The question he needed to consider now was...

"How strong is she? Could her combat power far exceed mine?"

After thinking for a moment, Hyuga Sho had already arrived beside the fallen Morino Ibiki.

He reached out and lightly checked his neck.

Unfortunately, he was still alive.

It seemed that his absence from school lately had truly been because he had devoted himself entirely to tracking them down.

But his strength had been insufficient, and the enemy had knocked him unconscious.

Hyuga Sho formed Hand Seals with both hands.

"Clone Technique!"

Following the Ninjutsu taught at the Ninja Academy, Hyuga Sho used the E-Rank Clone Technique.

Immediately, an identical Hyuga Sho appeared nearby.

This clone was an illusion without substance and possessed no offensive power.

The enemy could destroy it with a light punch.

But the advantage was that it was night.

In the pitch-black darkness, it would be difficult for the enemy to distinguish the clone from the real thing.

With that in mind, Hyuga Sho immediately accelerated, charging forward alongside his clone.

"Hehe, another little rat."

Detected someone rapidly approaching from behind,

the masked woman glanced back with a smile.

"!"

The instant she turned around,

Hyuga Sho clearly saw the style of her clothing.

A ninja outfit primarily red with brown accents—it was clearly the attire of an Iwagakure ninja.

Iwagakure belonged to the Land of Earth.

Together with Konohagakure of the Land of Fire, as well as Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure, it was known as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

They could be called the strongest villages in the Shinobi World.

It made sense, then, for a ninja from such a hostile village to come plunder their Kekkei Genkai.

"So it's just a little brat..."

The instant the masked female ninja's teasing voice rang out...

the clone pounced at her.

The masked female ninja raised her arm,

and a flash of cold light shot out from beneath her long sleeve.

A weapon commonly used by Iwagakure ninja... the Sleeve Sword!

The clone instantly burst into a cloud of white smoke and vanished.

"Clone Technique?!"

At the moment the masked woman cried out in surprise,

behind her.

A Killing Intent powerful enough to freeze her blood had already surged into the sky.

The next moment.

The masked woman screamed and pitched forward.

Hyuga Sho caught Hyuga Natsu and landed safely.

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