Never give up (probably?)

Takayama reached out his devilish claws toward Naruto with unwavering resolve.

Seeing this, Naruto took off running in a panic.

But the next moment, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck.

Lifting Naruto up like a little chick, Takayama grinned and said, "If I snatch away a genius like you, Konoha will surely be heartbroken."

That's right, Takayama considered Naruto a genius.

A three-year-old brat who, when faced with a powerful enemy, didn't wet his pants in fear but instead remained calm and tried every possible way to stall for time...

Although he didn't succeed, he had done well enough that one couldn't blame him; calling him a genius was no exaggeration.

"A king cannot be insulted!"

Naruto twisted his body incessantly, unleashing a flurry of kicks.

Takayama grew impatient, forming his hand into a blade, and just as he was about to knock Naruto unconscious, a thunderous roar echoed from afar.

"You're courting death! How dare you steal my daughter!"

--Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

The air compressed violently, rushing toward Takayama in an instant.

Oh no, I've been spotted!

With Naruto in his left hand and Hinata in his right, Takayama had no time to defend.

In the blink of an eye, Takayama tossed Naruto, whom he deemed of lower value, out as a human shield, then quickly fled with Hinata.

Bang!

The palm wind grazed Naruto's scalp, snapping a large tree in half.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... why is this brat here too?"

Looking at the little blond boy in his hands, Hyuga Hiashi frowned...

Fortunately, he had deflected the attack just in time; otherwise, if he had killed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hyuga clan would likely face a catastrophe.

"Hizashi, protect him well. Do not let any mistakes happen. I will continue to pursue the enemy."

Hiashi chased after Takayama, his figure fading into the distance.

Having narrowly escaped death, Naruto wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to look.

A man with Byakugan eyes stood beside him.

His appearance was almost identical to Hyuga Hiashi.

That's right, you must be Hizashi Hyuga, a tragic character.

Naruto pondered for a moment and said, "The enemy is a Cloud Ninja."

Hizashi was stunned upon hearing this, thinking, Why would he suddenly say that? So what if the enemy is a Cloud Ninja? Does he think I'd be afraid? Ridiculous. Whoever bullies our Hyuga clan must pay the price, Cloud Ninja or not...

Wait, where would a Cloud Ninja come from in Konoha?

Seeming to realize something, Hizashi's pupils constricted, and he looked at Naruto as if he were a monster.

How could you think so far ahead?

"Are you really only three years old?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto acted bewildered on the surface, but his heart was pounding... Damn it, I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"I mean... no, I must be overthinking it."

That was what he said, but Hizashi didn't dare to gamble. He handed Naruto over to the Anbu who had rushed to the scene and went to catch up with Hiashi.

I hope I'm not too late.

Hizashi prayed sincerely.

"Brother! Stop!"

"Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!"

Hiashi struck with fury, every move lethal, executing the secret techniques of the Gentle Fist with fluid grace, much like a grandmaster of Tai Chi.

By the time Hizashi arrived, Takayama had been reduced to a pile of mush, dead as a doornail.

Hizashi sighed, "Brother, you've caused a massive disaster."

Hiashi was busy comforting Hinata, who had just woken up in his arms with a dazed expression. Hearing his brother's words, he said displeased, "Hizashi, why are you spouting such defeatist nonsense? We are the Hyuga, the number one clan in Konoha..."

He couldn't continue his boast, because Hizashi had pulled down Takayama's mask, revealing his true face.

"A Cloud Village envoy?!"

The Third Hokage acted like a pervert, lifting Naruto Uzumaki's shirt to check that the Nine-Tails seal was intact, then let out a sigh of relief and smiled kindly, "Little Naruto, you weren't scared, were you?"

Naruto Uzumaki crossed his arms over his chest, took a step back, and said vigilantly, "I was scared by you."

The Third Hokage gave an awkward smile, "It seems little Naruto is very brave, not scared by the enemy at all."

Naruto Uzumaki retorted, "I was scared by my own people, though."

The Third Hokage fell silent.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't press the issue, instead asking, "The two Anbu who were protecting me... are they still alive?"

The Third Hokage was taken aback, then said with gratification, "Little Naruto has grown up; you know how to care for your comrades."

Naruto Uzumaki kept a wooden face, saying nothing.

The Third Hokage didn't mind, explaining, "The two Anbu are still alive. The enemy was likely in a hurry to capture you and didn't have time to finish them off. Although they were severely injured, they have received timely treatment and are no longer in life-threatening condition."

An Anbu arrived to report, "Lord Hokage, the enemy was the Cloud Village envoy Takayama, who has now been killed by Hyuga Hiashi..."

Hyuga Hiashi also arrived. At this moment, he lacked any of the arrogance of the head of Konoha's number one clan, looking uneasy as he asked for forgiveness from the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage waved his hand, "Hiashi, what are you saying? You did nothing wrong. I am already aware of this matter; this is entirely the fault of the Cloud Village. If the Cloud Village does not give Konoha an explanation, Konoha will never let this go."

Seeing that the Third Hokage had no intention of throwing the Hyuga clan out to take the blame, Hyuga Hiashi was moved to tears, "Thank you, Lord Hokage. The Hyuga will always be a part of Konoha."

--Three days later--

The Hyuga clan handed over the body of Hizashi, after which Konoha and the Cloud Village reached an understanding and signed a peace agreement.

The heavy snow had been falling for three consecutive days, leaving the entire Konoha covered in a silver shroud.

Hinata ran out of the Hyuga estate in distress.

She felt stifled staying at home; the heavy atmosphere and the strange looks she received made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

Hinata did not understand, nor could she comprehend, why her home had suddenly become so unfamiliar.

She understood nothing, only knowing that... ever since that day.

She had never seen Uncle Hizashi again, her father never showed a hint of a smile, he had become much stricter with her training and often sighed while looking at her, and Neji no longer played with her, instead pushing her away with cold indifference...

Why... what on earth happened? Did I do something wrong?

No one answered Hinata's questions; only her mother held her and comforted her, "No, Hinata, you did nothing wrong. It is the fault of other bad people that made your father and the clansmen angry. Just be a good girl for now, and things will get better after a while..."

Obeying her mother's instructions, Hinata acted very obediently and well-behaved, every move she made was cautious, and she couldn't help but feel stifled, so she had come out now to catch her breath.

On the snow-covered streets, Hinata ran aimlessly, and when she finally stopped, she looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and froze.

Where... is this?

How am I supposed to get back?

Stepping out of his house, Naruto Uzumaki couldn't help but shiver as a biting cold wind blew past.

"It's a bit cold; I really want to stay home and not go out..."

But that was just a thought; having made up his mind to train hard, he could not slack off.

Naruto Uzumaki patted his cheeks, gathered his spirits, and began to run to exercise his body.

This was a task that hadn't existed before, but now it appeared because Naruto Uzumaki longed to possess the strength to protect himself.

Although in theory, he was safe and sound in Konoha, and even the greatest source of danger, Danzo, was blocked by the Third Hokage, he didn't need to worry about it.

He could just live a peaceful life.

But after the incident with the Cloud Ninja, Naruto Uzumaki understood that there was no place in the ninja world that was absolutely safe, and Konoha was no exception; no one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would arrive first.