Kumogakure Visit

"Yo, Narak, back so late again?"

"Narak, you're only five years old, yet you're always running outside the village. You're the young master of the Hyuga Clan, with such a noble status. What if some human traffickers kidnapped you?"

"Exactly, exactly. The entire shinobi world is rather unsafe. It's only a little safer here in Konoha, but you still need to be careful. What if ninja from another country came here to cause trouble? It'd be dangerous if you ran into them."

At the entrance to Konoha, two gate guards greeted Narak.

"Ah... Haha, I know, I know. Thank you for the reminder, uncles. I was just walking around the outskirts of the village. I won't go far."

"Besides, isn't the village protected by all of Konoha's elite ninja? I doubt anyone would dare come here and cause trouble."

Narak reached out and scratched his hair, speaking to the two gate guards with a smile.

"What... U-Uncle?! You little brat, I'm only twenty-five! How dare you call me uncle..."

"Exactly! We're still young. How can you call us uncles? Remember, you're supposed to call us big brothers."

"You little brat, how many times have we told you to call us big brothers instead of uncles? You're making us sound old!"

Clearly, the two ninja were quite dissatisfied with Narak calling them uncles, so they complained loudly at him.

"Mhm, sure, uncle. I understand, uncle."

"Then I'll be heading back, uncles. See you."

With that, Narak waved at the two ninja and walked into the village.

"That little brat..."

The two ninja watched Narak's back and shook their heads with helpless smiles.

Over the past six months, Narak had occasionally sneaked outside the village to cultivate. After doing so time and again, he had become quite familiar with the guards at the village entrance.

Narak would also make some harmless jokes with them.

"I'm back."

After entering the Hyuga Clan compound, Narak called into the house. A moment later, the sound of light footsteps came from inside.

"Whoosh..."

The wooden door opened, and a tiny figure ran toward Narak before throwing herself into his arms.

"Onii-chan, you're back!"

Looking at the little girl in his arms, Narak affectionately rubbed her head.

She was his little sister, Hinata.

Hinata was only three years old at the time. She had short hair and a small, delicate face that made her especially lovable.

"Yo, Hinata. Look what I brought you."

Narak pulled a lollipop from his clothes and waved it in front of Hinata.

"Ah, a lollipop! Thank you, big brother!"

Hinata happily accepted the lollipop.

"Narak, you're giving your sister snacks again. Children should eat fewer snacks, or they'll get cavities."

Another person walked out of the house and stood there with a smile as she watched the siblings. She was their mother, the wife of the Hyuga Clan head.

"Haha, it's fine, Mom. It's good for children to have some snacks once in a while."

"You call Hinata a child, but you're only two years older than her. You weren't nearly as fond of food as she is when you were little."

"You spoil her so much. Be careful that she doesn't become spoiled."

"Ah... Girls are meant to be spoiled. If I spoil her a little while she's young, she won't be so easily deceived and taken away by some boy when she grows up, right?"

Narak looked up at his mother and smiled.

"You always have so many twisted arguments. By the way, where did you run off to today?"

"Nowhere in particular. I just walked around Konoha. I have to say, the scenery here is pretty nice."

In response to his mother's question, Narak began his usual lying again.

"You're always running outside the village every few days. Whenever I ask, you say Konoha has beautiful scenery. I really wonder if it's that beautiful."

"All right, go wash your hands. It's time to eat. Hinata, wait until after dinner to eat that lollipop."

"Oh, oh."

Little Hinata looked at the lollipop in her hand and reluctantly put it into her pocket.

At the dinner table, Narak glanced around in confusion before asking,

"Huh? Mom, isn't Dad eating at home today?"

"Oh, your father has something to do today. He'll be back later, so we won't wait for him for dinner."

"What? Did something happen in the village? He couldn't even make time to eat?"

"It's nothing major. Some people from Kumogakure arrived today to sign an alliance agreement between the shinobi villages and Konoha. The Hokage and the village's higher-ups are discussing matters with them, so he'll be back late."

"Oh, I see. In that case, forget it. We won't wait for Dad. Let's eat first."

Narak had asked casually and didn't take the matter to heart. After all, there hadn't been any large-scale wars between the major shinobi villages in a long time. For now, relations between the villages were peaceful on the surface, so an alliance agreement like this was perfectly normal.

After dinner, Narak played with Hinata for a while. Only after coaxing her to sleep did he return to his room.

When he returned to his room, Narak flopped onto the bed. He had cultivated all day and was already exhausted. Once he lay down, he no longer wanted to get up, and he gradually fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Narak suddenly awoke from his deep sleep because he heard movement on the roof.

The sound was very faint and easy to miss if one wasn't listening carefully, but Narak still noticed it. He had his relentless cultivation over the past six months to thank for that.

"Who could it be? They actually came to the Hyuga Clan compound in the middle of the night. It doesn't seem like the Hyuga Clan has any treasures worth coveting, though."

"Could it be a ninja from an enemy country? That can't be right. Konoha's defenses are so tight—how could an enemy sneak in so easily? And they even managed to evade the Hyuga Clan patrols. Whoever came here must be quite strong."

Narak lay on the bed without acting rashly, continuing to pretend to be asleep while he thought rapidly.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him.

"Wait. Mom said someone from Kumogakure came to visit today. I remember that, in the original story, there was an incident where three-year-old Hinata was kidnapped. It happened because people from Kumogakure used their visit to Konoha to sign an alliance as an excuse to kidnap Hinata in the middle of the night, hoping to seize the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan."

"So it's today. Except that the target was originally Hinata, and now it's been switched to me?"

At that moment, Narak's thoughts raced. After figuring out the cause and effect, he also realized the intruder's identity: a ninja from Kumogakure.

"What should I do? If I call for help now, what if the intruder is too strong and kills me before Father arrives? Then I'm finished!"

Narak was burning with anxiety, but he could only force himself to remain calm and continue pretending to sleep!

In all the years since he had transmigrated into the world of the Hokage, this was the first time Narak had encountered an assassination attempt. He was completely at a loss!

Although Narak's combat strength had risen steadily over the years, he was ultimately only a Genin. When Hyuga Hiashi sparred with him, he kept his strength at the Genin level.

Besides, when Hyuga Hiashi fought him, it was mostly just a friendly sparring match where they stopped at the appropriate point. Narak had never truly fought anyone else.

If the intruder was a ruthless ninja, Narak could genuinely be in mortal danger!

Just as Narak was at a loss over what to do, the system's voice suddenly rang out!

"A new day has arrived. Since the host hasn't gone to sleep yet, my dear host, would you like to sign in?"

Hearing this, Narak was overjoyed. The incident involving Hinata's kidnapping was at least somewhat major, wasn't it?

Then the reward from today's sign-in surely wouldn't be too bad.

"System, I want to sign in," Narak said to the system inwardly.

"Very well, host. The sign-in is beginning."