The Prince, the Evil Dragon, and the Princess

"Hiruzen! You've been tricked! They've already escaped!" Shimura Danzo was furious. He was having his subordinates transplant Sharingan eyes for him and had just dug a hole in his arm when he received a message from Hiruzen Sarutobi ordering him to come to the Hokage Building immediately.

He didn't want to go at all, but the Anbu told him that the Hokage had issued a death order: if he didn't come, he would be treated as a rogue ninja. After clarifying the reason, he was so angry he cursed them out.

He hadn't even finished dealing with the Uchiha's legacy yet. So many Sharingan eyes were still soaking in bottles, so much Ninjutsu hadn't been learned, and there were many classified documents piled up in the corner of the Root warehouse. Where would he find the time to play games with the Hyuga?

After hastily wrapping his arm in bandages, he arrived before Hiruzen Sarutobi and learned that the Hyuga's eldest daughter had been taken away. His old teammate, however, was still in the dark, actually believing that he was responsible for everything.

"There are plenty of ways to leave the village!" Danzo shouted, frustrated. "As long as you can evade the ninja hounds and suppress the chakra within your body, disguising yourself as an ordinary person, you can walk out of the village gates in broad daylight!"

"But it's not a simple matter to fool both the ninja hounds and the Hyuga ninja simultaneously," Hiruzen Sarutobi said in a low voice, frowning.

"The ninja hounds have excellent noses! If you mask your scent with a strong odor, they won't want to come near!" Shimura Danzo slammed his fist on the Hokage's office desk.

"As for the Hyuga Clan, the commoners may not know, but you know their situation, don't you? Whether it's Hyuga Hiashi or the ninja from the Branch Family, they'd be more than happy to see Hyuga Hinata in trouble!"

"I'm sorry, Elder Danzo, but Hanabi and I don't want to see our eldest miss in trouble," Hyuga Yue said softly, still sitting on the sofa, holding Hanabi.

Hyuga Hanabi had just woken up from her slumber. Seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, she wasn't panicked at all and was instead very interested in everything. However, when she learned that her sister had been taken, she started to cry.

Hyuga Yue tried to comfort her for a long time, but she couldn't stop the little girl's crying. In the end, the Third Hokage himself leaned forward and used his wrinkled face to playfully tease Hanabi, finally calming the little girl down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi might care, but Danzo certainly didn't. He merely glanced at Hyuga Yue and little Hanabi before refocusing his attention on the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen! We need to act quickly. The person who escaped likely has a deep connection with the Uchiha Clan. The materials he used to break through the barrier were purchased by the Uchiha Clan from outside the village, and the Ninjutsu used to impersonate Hyuga Hinata also came from the Uchiha!"

As Shimura Danzo spoke, he laid out several scrolls on the Hokage's office desk, then turned to Hyuga Yue and little Hanabi. "The Hokage and I need to discuss some classified information. You two should leave now!"

"Ah!"

The carriage carrying Uchiha Jie continued to sway forward. The sleeping pills he had given Hyuga Hinata wouldn't last long. The lovely girl sitting opposite him, her long eyelashes trembling, suddenly opened her Byakugan eyes.

"What is this?"

Hinata's voice was pitiable. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw an environment she had never seen before. Looking up, she saw a man she had never seen before. They were sitting so close.

"Who are you?" she asked softly, shrinking back into the carriage.

"I'm here to save you," Uchiha Jie said with a light laugh, gazing at the cute girl in front of him.

"Just like in fairy tales, where the prince will rescue the princess from the cruel dragon."

"But, Father..." Hyuga Hinata was confused. If someone were to save her, or if she really needed saving, wouldn't it be her father who would rescue her?

Why would it be this stranger?

Wait, a stranger?

"Ah! You're the dragon!" Hyuga Hinata suddenly realized.

"You were captured by the dragon, but I saved you. I'm the prince." It was truly amusing to tease a little ninja, and Uchiha Jie's mouth almost split to his ears. "We're on our way back to Konoha."

"Are you a ninja from the village?" Hinata asked doubtfully, continuing, "Then where's your forehead protector?"

"Here..." Uchiha Jie indeed took out a forehead protector and handed it to Hinata.

Although little Hinata wasn't a ninja yet, she had seen the style of Konoha's ninja forehead protectors countless times in various places. The pattern on it was indeed identical to the one on this protector.

However, there was one difference on the identical pattern. A deep scratch ran through the center of the metal forehead protector, crossing the entire symbol of Konoha Village.

She recognized this type of forehead protector. In class two days ago, Iruka-sensei had solemnly warned them that only ninjas who betrayed their village would do this.

And those rogue ninjas were all wicked villains.

"You're a rogue ninja!"

She exclaimed again, instinctively raising her hands and assuming a Gentle Fist stance. Although it was still immature and her hands were trembling slightly, it was still done with proper form.

Uchiha Jie raised an eyebrow. It seemed the Hyuga's eldest daughter wasn't as incompetent as he had imagined. How could this Hyuga Hinata lose to a child who hadn't even entered the ninja academy and was always asking Hyuga Yue for hugs?

But when Hyuga Hinata actually made her move, he realized how wrong he was. If the Eight Trigrams Palms she attacked with were just soft and weak, it would be one thing, after all, she was a child not yet ten years old.

But this was too gentle.

Uchiha Jie only needed to extend a finger and lightly tap Hinata's elbow.

Her entire arm immediately became numb and tingly, and she couldn't muster any strength.

"Bang!"

"This..." Seeing Hyuga Hinata fall into the carriage due to her forward momentum, Uchiha Jie had no choice but to reach out and help her up.

"Th-thank you..." Whether it was from hitting the carriage floor or from shame at her performance, Hyuga Hinata's entire face turned red.

"It seems that it's quite normal that you couldn't beat Hanabi," Uchiha Jie said with a chuckle, rubbing the girl's nose.

"Well, little Hanabi is very strong!"

Speaking of her sister, Hinata was very proud. But thinking of herself, she lowered her head again, her hands clasped tightly together.

The rogue ninja in front of her could defeat her with just a finger. Fortunately, he hadn't laid a hand on her sister.

The last time she was captured, her father had arrived in time and killed the culprit with a single blow. But this time, would he arrive in time?