"A-Natsu went missing?"
After Hyuga Sho saw the scroll spat out by a small snake...
He pondered it.
Just a little while earlier.
Not long after he had returned from Hyuga Mami's place.
A small snake had suddenly slithered into his room.
It had opened its mouth, spat out a scroll, and vanished.
In all of Konoha.
The only person who could use snakes to deliver intelligence.
Was Orochimaru...
"No... there's someone else..."
Hyuga Sho thought.
"Orochimaru's student... Mitaraishi Anko."
Mitaraishi Anko was twelve that year, two years apart from Hyuga Sho in age.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, she had become Orochimaru's student.
When it came to ferocity.
Anko truly stood alone.
Back then... she had been the beautiful girl at the Ninja Academy whom the boys considered... the last person they wanted to date.
Though Anko was pretty, her temper and personality kept all the boys at a respectful distance.
She had graduated from the Ninja Academy at ten and had already been Orochimaru's student for two years.
And that year, she had been promoted to "Chunin."
As for her strength... she might not have been top-tier.
But she could still take down ten Ebisus in an instant.
This scroll.
Said that Hyuga Natsu had left Konoha and disappeared. If he wanted to know where she had gone, he had to visit a certain place in the Land of Fire.
"A-Natsu's been kidnapped again?"
Hyuga Sho pondered.
Nine years had passed since Hyuga Natsu's last kidnapping.
Hyuga Sho's first reaction was that Hyuga Natsu would never go missing for no reason.
There was a plot behind this.
And considering how increasingly twisted Orochimaru had become...
"Let's test the waters!"
As Hyuga Sho spoke, his figure flickered, merged into the shadows, and vanished completely...
Outside.
Hyuga Hiashi entered