Bratty Kids

Narak stood on a small hill outside Konoha, looking up at the sunset on the horizon.

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

During that time, undercurrents had surged between Konoha and Kumogakure, with bloody clashes frequently breaking out along the border between the two countries.

The people from Kumogakure who had come to sign an alliance had all died in Konoha, giving them an excuse to demand an explanation from Konoha.

The people from Kumogakure had clearly tried to abduct the Hyuga Clan's heiress and seize the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, yet in the end, they had called black white, claiming that Konoha had sinister motives and had deliberately murdered Kumogakure's envoys.

That night, the Cloud ninja who had stayed behind to cover the retreat were blocked by enraged members of the Hyuga Clan and the ANBU who arrived afterward. They had originally intended to capture them alive, but the Cloud ninja had cleanly committed suicide instead!

Of the two Cloud ninja who had fled with Narak, one had ultimately been killed by Narak, while the other, who had been gravely wounded by White Lightning, had also died of his injuries when Konoha's reinforcements arrived.

Kumogakure was only acting so recklessly because Konoha had no captives and thus no one who could come forward to refute them.

As for Narak, the person involved, Kumogakure had said, "He's one of your people from Konoha. Who knows whether you staged this whole act yourselves?"

Then, Kumogakure gave Konoha two choices: either hand over the head of the Hyuga Clan, the person involved, or the two great ninja villages would go to war.

Ridiculous, right? Narak found it quite ridiculous!

But even more ridiculous was that the Third Hokage had actually compromised with Kumogakure!

He had chosen to sacrifice the Hyuga Clan in exchange for peace between the two great ninja villages.

Although he had not directly ordered the Hyuga Clan to hand someone over, he had chosen to remain silent on the matter. That alone had already made his attitude clear.

Thinking of this, Narak could not help clenching both fists tightly.

The matter ultimately proceeded just as it had in the original story. In the end, Hyuga Hiashi's younger twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga, had died in his place, and his body had been handed over to Kumogakure.

Whenever Narak thought of this uncle, he found it difficult to calm down. Over the past three years, Narak and his uncle had gotten along extremely well.

Unlike the original story, in which he had been dissatisfied with Hinata, perhaps Hizashi Hyuga had seen the hope of the Hyuga Clan in Narak. Or perhaps Narak had inadvertently revealed to Hizashi his dissatisfaction with the Caged Bird Seal.

In any case, Hizashi Hyuga had taken excellent care of his nephew. Sometimes, when Hyuga Hiashi was busy with official business, Hizashi Hyuga would take Narak and Neji to train together. When they grew tired from training, they would go out and wander the streets together.

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

All of this... was because his strength had not been enough.

If he had possessed sufficient strength, perhaps none of this would have happened. At that moment, Narak began to yearn intensely for power. He longed to have enough strength to protect everything he cherished!

Narak walked along Konoha's streets, looking at everything around him. The villagers still lived their lives as usual. People came and went along the streets, while the sounds of conversation, vendors' cries, and children's laughter filled the air. Everything remained so peaceful, and the ordinary civilians had no idea what had happened during this time.

Narak shook his head, dispelling the thoughts in his mind, and walked toward the Hyuga Clan compound.

"Hahaha, look, look! That's the young lady of the Hyuga Clan, a crybaby and a shy little coward."

"The young lady of the Hyuga Clan isn't supposed to be high and mighty, with servants and guards whenever she goes out? Why did she come out alone...?"

"Hmph, you knocked my ice cream onto the ground. Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

"Get lost, you bastards! Do you believe I'll beat you up?"

As Narak walked, he suddenly heard the noisy voices of children coming from a nearby alley. He had not intended to interfere; after all, it was normal for children to bicker and make noise.

But then he suddenly heard words like "Hyuga Clan" and "young lady," and his heart jolted. Could it be...?

Narak walked toward the alley where the voices had come from. When he turned the corner, the scene before him sent his anger surging.

In the corner of the alley, three seven- or eight-year-old brats had cornered two small figures and were mocking them mercilessly. One of the children even threw a stone in his hand at them.

Facing the flying stone, the blond-haired child tightly shielded the other little girl behind him.

"That's enough! Get lost, all of you! What kind of skill is it to bully a girl?"

"Hahaha, idiot! We're bullying you on purpose."

"That's right! One of you is a crybaby shy girl, and the other is a Fox Demon. We're great heroes, and we're going to defeat you!"

"Ah... damn it!"

Faced with their taunts, the blond-haired child swung his fist and struck at them fiercely. Unfortunately, there were too many of them, and he was pinned to the ground in just a few moves.

The brats continued to mock him.

"I say, you little brats, are you done making a racket?"

Suddenly, a voice filled with suppressed anger rang out behind them.

The children turned around and saw that, at some point, someone had appeared behind them. He stood there with his head lowered and his face dark.

"Big brother, boo-hoo..." Hinata saw him from the corner and could not help crying.

Seeing Hinata's state, Narak felt his heart ache. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were filthy, and several wounds marred her delicate little face.

"What? We thought you were someone important. You're just the young master of the Hyuga Clan. Hey, your sister knocked my ice cream onto the ground. Tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

Seeing that the newcomer was merely a child even younger than themselves, the brats felt reassured and began shouting as they charged at Narak.

"What a bunch of brats. They're seriously lacking a beating. Doesn't anyone at home discipline you?" Narak shook his head.

"Bakudō One: Sai."

At once, the hands of the children charging toward him were suddenly pulled behind their backs. Their bodies lost their balance, and they pitched forward, tumbling to the ground in a heap.

"Bang... smack..."

"What's happening? Why won't my hands obey me?"

"Waaah... there's a monster..."

"I want to go home! Mommy, save me!"

The brats who had fallen to the ground instantly panicked and began crying and screaming.

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

"Hey... Hinata, why weren't you staying at home? What were you doing coming outside 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, but... but then I ran into them. They bullied me. Boo-hoo-hoo..." Hinata complained with a look of grievance.

"Honestly, you came out alone. Mother would have been worried if she couldn't find you. Don't do it again, understand?"

"Mm..." Hinata nodded in response.

"That was amazing..." At that moment, the blond-haired child climbed to his feet. Looking at the brats Narak had knocked down with a single move, he cried out in amazement inside.

Narak looked at the little boy before him. He was about the same age as Hinata, with yellow hair and six long whisker-like marks on his face. Understanding dawned in Narak's heart.

So this was Uzumaki Naruto!

"Hello. I remember your name is Naruto, right? Thank you for protecting my sister." Narak smiled at Naruto.

"Huh? Big brother, you know me? Ah... um... no need to thank me! Protecting the weak is only natural, ha... haha..." Naruto scratched his hair and gave Narak an awkward smile.