Brat

Narak stood on a small hill outside Konoha, gazing at the evening glow on the horizon.

Half a month had passed since the Cloud Ninja kidnapping incident.

Over these two weeks, undercurrents had surged between Konoha and Kumogakure, with bloodshed frequently breaking out along the border between the two nations.

The Cloud Ninja who had come to sign the treaty had died in Konoha, and this became their excuse to hold the village accountable.

It was the Cloud Ninja who had tried to abduct the young heir of the Hyuga Clan and steal their Byakugan, yet in the end, they twisted black into white, claiming Konoha had maliciously murdered their envoys.

That night, the Cloud Ninja who stayed behind to cover the retreat were blocked by the enraged Hyuga Clan members and the ANBU who arrived shortly after. They had intended to take them alive, but the Cloud Ninja cleanly killed themselves!

Of the two Cloud Ninja who escaped with Narak, one was killed by Narak in the end, and the other, gravely wounded by White Lightning, died of his injuries when Konoha reinforcements arrived on the scene.

Kumogakure dared to act so recklessly precisely because Konoha had no prisoners to testify against them.

As for the involved party, Narak, Kumogakure claimed, "He's your man from Konoha—who knows if you staged this whole thing yourselves?"

Then, Kumogakure gave Konoha two choices: either hand over the head of the Hyuga Clan, or face war between the two great ninja villages.

Ridiculous, right? Narak thought it was pretty ridiculous.

But what was even more ridiculous was that the Third Hokage had actually caved to Kumogakure!

He chose to sacrifice the Hyuga Clan in exchange for peace between the two great villages.

Though he hadn't directly ordered the Hyuga Clan to hand over a man, his silence on the matter had already made his stance clear.

Thinking of this, Narak couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.

The final outcome played out just like in the original story: in the end, Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, died in his place, and his corpse was handed over to Kumogakure.

Every time Narak thought of this uncle, his heart couldn't find peace. Over these three years, Narak had gotten along extremely well with him.

Unlike in the original story, where he resented Hinata, perhaps Hizashi saw hope for the Hyuga Clan in Narak, or maybe it was because Narak had inadvertently revealed his dissatisfaction with the Caged Bird Seal to Hizashi.

In any case, Hizashi took good care of his nephew. Sometimes, when Hyuga Hiashi was busy with official matters, Hizashi would take Narak and Neji to train together, and when they got tired, they'd wander the streets together.

But now... from this day forward, he would never see this uncle again. Neji, a year younger than him, had become an orphan and had been branded with the Caged Bird Seal...

All of this... was because he wasn't strong enough.

If he had enough strength, maybe none of this would have happened. At that moment, a thirst for power began to burn in Narak's heart. He craved enough strength to protect everything he held dear.

Narak walked through the streets of Konoha, taking in his surroundings. The villagers went about their daily lives as usual—people coming and going on the streets, the chatter of residents, the shouts of vendors, the laughter of children playing. Everything was still so peaceful. The ordinary folk had no idea what had been happening.

Narak shook his head, pushing aside his thoughts, and headed toward the Hyuga Clan compound.

"Hahaha, look, look, it's the young lady of the Hyuga Clan—what a shy little thing."

"Aren't Hyuga Clan ladies supposed to be high and mighty, with servants and guards when they go out? Why is she out here alone..."

"Hmph, you knocked my ice cream to the ground. How are you going to pay me back?"

"Get lost, you jerks. I'll beat you up, I swear."

As Narak walked, he suddenly heard the noise of children arguing from a nearby alley. He initially planned to ignore it—kids squabbling was normal, after all.

But then he caught the words "Hyuga Clan" and "young lady." His heart jolted. Could it be...?

He walked toward the alley where the noise came from. Turning the corner, what he saw made his blood boil.

In the corner of the alley, three brats around seven or eight years old had two small figures cornered, mocking them mercilessly. One of the kids even threw a stone at the two.

Facing the flying pebble, the yellow-haired boy shielded the little girl tightly behind him.

"That's enough! Get lost! Picking on a girl—what kind of skill is that?"

"Hahaha, idiot, we'll pick on whoever we want."

"Yeah! One of you's a crybaby shy-girl, and the other's a fox demon. We're great heroes, and we're gonna beat you!"

"Ah... damn it!"

Enraged by the taunts, the yellow-haired boy swung his fist at them, but outnumbered, he was pinned to the ground in no time.

The brats kept laughing.

"Hey, you little punks. Had enough yet?"

Suddenly, a voice barely containing its fury rang out behind them.

The kids turned around and saw someone standing there, head lowered, face dark.

"Big brother... waaah..." Hinata, in the corner, couldn't hold back her tears when she saw who it was.

Narak looked at Hinata's state—messy hair, dirty clothes, a few cuts on her delicate little face—and felt a pang of pain.

"What's the big deal? Thought it was someone important. It's just the young master of the Hyuga Clan. Hey, your sister knocked my ice cream off. How are you gonna pay me back?"

Seeing that the newcomer was just a kid younger than them, the brats regained their confidence and started charging at Narak with shouts.

"A bunch of spoiled brats, never been taught a lesson by life. No one at home to discipline you?" Narak shook his head and said.

"Bakudo #1: Sai."

In an instant, the hands of the charging kids were bound behind their backs. They lost their balance, their forward momentum sending them crashing to the ground, tumbling into a heap.

"Boom... smack..."

"What's going on? Why won't my hands listen to me?"

"Wah... there's a monster..."

"I want to go home, Mom, save me..."

The few brats who had fallen to the ground instantly panicked, starting to cry and wail.

"Big brother..." Hinata sobbed as she threw herself into Narak's arms.

"Hey... Hinata, why aren't you at home? What are you doing out here alone?" Narak asked little Hinata.

"You weren't home all day, big brother. I wanted you to play with me, so I came out to find you, and then... then I ran into them. They were bullying me, boohoo..." Hinata said, her face full of grievance.

"Honestly, running out alone like this—Mom will worry if she can't find you. Don't let it happen again, got it?"

"Mm..." Hinata nodded in reply.

"So cool..." At that moment, the yellow-haired kid who had been on the ground got up. He looked at the few brats Narak had taken down with a single move, marveling inwardly.

Narak looked at the kid in front of him, about the same age as Hinata, with a head of yellow hair and six long whisker-like marks on his face. He understood at once.

So this must be Uzumaki Naruto!

"Hello, I remember you're called Naruto, right? Thanks for protecting my little sister." Narak said with a smile to Naruto.

"Huh? Big brother, you know me?? Ah... that... no need to thank me, it's only right to protect the weak, ha... haha..." Naruto scratched his hair and gave Narak an awkward grin.