Takayama reached out for Naruto with unwavering determination.
Seeing this, Naruto took off running.
But in the next instant, Takayama grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
Lifting Naruto like a little chick, Takayama grinned. "Stealing you, you little genius, is going to break Konoha's heart."
That was right—Takayama thought Naruto was a genius.
A three-year-old brat who, when faced with a powerful enemy, hadn't wet himself in fear. Instead, he'd kept his cool and done everything he could to stall for time...
He hadn't succeeded, but he'd done more than enough. There was no need to be harsh on him. Calling him a genius wasn't an exaggeration.
"The king cannot be humiliated!"
Naruto squirmed and struggled, unleashing the Nine Heavens Thunder Double Kick.
Takayama impatiently raised his hand like a blade and was about to knock Naruto out when a furious shout rang out in the distance.
"You're asking for death! How dare you kidnap my daughter!"
—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
The air compressed sharply, surging toward Takayama in an instant.
"Damn it, I've been spotted!"
With Naruto in his left hand and Hinata in his right, Takayama had no time to defend himself.
In the blink of an eye, Takayama threw Naruto—the one he considered less valuable—in front of him as a shield, then fled with Hinata.
Bang!
The palm strike skimmed past Naruto's scalp and snapped a great tree in half.
"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... Why is this kid here too?"
Looking at the little blond boy in his arms, Hyuga Hiashi frowned...
Fortunately, he'd redirected his attack just in time. If he'd killed the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hyuga Clan might have faced annihilation.
"Hizashi, keep him safe. Don't let anything happen to him. I'll keep chasing the enemy."
Hiashi pursued Takayama, his figure soon disappearing into the distance.
After narrowly escaping death, Naruto wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to look.
A Byakugan-wielding man stood beside him.
He looked almost exactly like Hyuga Hiashi.
That's right, you're Hizashi Hyuga, a tragic character.
After a moment's thought, Naruto said, "The enemy is from the Cloud Village."
Hizashi froze at his words, wondering why Naruto had suddenly brought that up. So what if the enemy was from the Cloud Village? Did he think Hizashi would be intimidated? What a joke. Anyone who bullied the Hyuga would pay for it, even the Cloud Village...
Wait, what were Cloud Village ninja doing in Konoha?
As if he'd remembered something, Hizashi's pupils contracted, and he looked at Naruto as though he were a monster.
How could you think that far ahead?
"Are you really only three?"
"What do you mean?"
Naruto looked confused on the surface, but his heart was pounding... Damn it, I should've kept my mouth shut.
"I mean... No, I must be overthinking it."
Even so, Hizashi didn't dare take the chance. He handed Naruto over to the Anbu who had rushed over, then went after Hiashi.
I hope I'm not too late.
Hizashi prayed with all his heart.
"Brother! Stop!"
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
Hiashi attacked in a fury, every blow aimed to kill. His Gentle Fist technique flowed like water, carrying the grace of a Tai Chi master.
By the time Hizashi reached them, Takayama had been reduced to a bloody lump, thoroughly dead.
Hizashi sighed. "Brother, you've caused a huge disaster."
Hiashi was comforting Hinata, who had just woken up and was looking adorably dazed in his arms. Hearing his younger brother's words, he replied unhappily, "Hizashi, don't say such depressing things. We're the greatest clan in Konoha..."
He couldn't finish, because Hizashi had pulled Takayama's mask down, revealing his face.
"A Cloud Village envoy?!"
The Third Hokage lifted Naruto's clothes like some kind of pervert. Seeing that the Nine-Tails seal was unharmed, he breathed a long sigh of relief and smiled kindly. "Little Naruto, you weren't too scared, were you?"
Naruto folded his arms over his chest, took a step back, and eyed him warily. "You scared me."
The Third Hokage gave an awkward laugh. "Looks like little Naruto's very brave. The enemy didn't scare you."
Naruto retorted, "But my own people did."
The Third Hokage fell silent.
Naruto didn't press the point. Instead, he asked, "Those two Anbu who were protecting me earlier... Are they still alive?"
The Third Hokage was taken aback, then said with relief, "Little Naruto's grown up. He knows to care about his comrades."
Naruto's face remained blank, and he said nothing.
The Third Hokage didn't mind. He explained, "The two Anbu are still alive. The enemy may have been in a hurry to capture you and didn't have time to finish them off. They were badly injured, but they received treatment in time and are out of danger."
An Anbu came to report. "Lord Hokage, the enemy was Takayama, an envoy from the Cloud Village. He has now been killed by Hyuga Hiashi..."
Hiashi arrived as well. He had none of the imposing air of the head of Konoha's greatest clan now, and anxiously apologized to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage waved a hand. "Hiashi, what are you talking about? You did nothing wrong. I know what happened. This is all the Cloud Village's fault. Unless the Cloud Village gives Konoha an explanation, Konoha will never let this go."
Seeing that the Third Hokage had no intention of making the Hyuga Clan take the blame, Hiashi was overcome with gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. The Hyuga will always be part of Konoha."
—Three days later—
The Hyuga Clan handed over Hizashi's body. Konoha and the Cloud Village then reached an understanding and signed a peace treaty.
Heavy snow had fallen for three days straight, blanketing the entire village of Konoha in white.
Hinata ran out of the Hyuga Clan compound, weighed down by sorrow.
She couldn't stand staying at home. The oppressive atmosphere and the strange looks everyone gave her nearly suffocated her.
Hinata didn't understand. She couldn't understand why home had suddenly become so strange.
She didn't know anything. All she knew was that... ever since that day,
she hadn't seen Uncle Hizashi again. Her father never smiled anymore and had become much stricter about her training. He often looked at her and sighed. Neji no longer played with her; instead, he coldly pushed her away...
Why...? What had happened? Had I done something wrong?
No one answered Hinata's questions. Her mother only held her and comforted her. "No, Hinata, you did nothing wrong. It's those other bad people who made your father and the clan angry. Be good for a little while longer, and things will get better."
Following her mother's instructions, Hinata had been very obedient and well-behaved, careful with every little thing she did. It had left her feeling stifled, so now she had come outside to catch her breath.
Hinata ran aimlessly along the snow-covered streets. When she finally stopped, she looked at the unfamiliar surroundings and froze.
Where... am I?
How do I get home?
When Naruto stepped outside, a bone-chilling wind blew over him, and he shivered.
"It's a bit cold. I wish I could stay home..."
But that was only wishful thinking. Now that he'd resolved to train hard, he couldn't slack off.
Naruto patted his cheeks to wake himself up, then started running to work out.
This hadn't been part of his routine before. Now it was, because Naruto wanted the strength to protect himself.
In theory, he was perfectly safe in Konoha. Even Danzo, the greatest source of danger, was held in check by the Third Hokage. Naruto didn't have to worry about him.
All he had to do was live in peace.
But after his run-in with the Cloud Village ninja, Naruto understood that nowhere in the Ninja World was completely safe—not even Konoha. No one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.
Before you continue