The next day, Hinata Hyuga was back to normal. She trained with particular dedication and took the initiative more often during sparring.
Konoha High Command.
It seemed that everything was moving in a positive direction. But when Hyuga Homura came to report, Hyuga Hiashi's expression darkened further.
As soon as the Life Simulator's cooldown ended, Hinata Hyuga activated it at once.
[In Konoha Year 54, a delegation from Kumogakure arrived, and Father became increasingly busy. I found a chance to slip out of the estate again, intending to look for Neji.] [However, just outside the wall, I spotted a suspicious figure. The person had dark skin and looked very much like someone from the Land of Lightning.] [Now, I have three choices.] [1. Shout that there's a spy from an enemy village here.] [2. Ignore it and continue looking for Neji.] [3. Do nothing and return to my room at once.]
"I choose the third option."
[Before the person noticed me, I quietly slipped back inside the wall and ran to my room. I fell into a deep, anxious sleep. The intruder seemed to have left it at that, and the night passed without incident.] [At dawn the next day, a new choice lay before me.] [1. Find Kiyonari and Neji to discuss what to do.] [2. Tell Father about what I saw last night.]
Hinata had already made up her mind. She chose the first option and went to find the Kiyonari in the simulation.
[I decided to find Kiyonari and Neji and tell them what I had seen last night. I also explained tactfully that we absolutely couldn't let the Kumogakure envoy die in Konoha.] [Neji suggested that he could ask Uncle Hizashi to lead the clan members in setting an ambush ahead of time. If the intruder came again tonight, they could work together to capture him.] [I looked instinctively toward Kiyonari. He agreed with Neji's suggestion and added, "Our abilities are limited. In the end, we'll have to rely on the adults. We should prepare in advance and make sure everything is ready."] [Night fell. Acting as bait, I climbed over the courtyard wall again. As soon as the Kumogakure shinobi saw me, he reached out to grab me.] [The branch-family members hiding in the shadows appeared in an instant, surrounding the intruder. But when the Kumogakure shinobi realized his mission had been exposed, a look of grim resolve flashed in his eyes, and he killed himself without hesitation!] [He died.]
In that instant, a chill shot from the soles of Hinata's feet to the crown of her head, leaving her face as pale as paper.
Three simulations in a row... No matter whether she ignored the intruder, called for help, or set an ambush to capture him, the outcome always pointed to the same thing. That could only mean Kumogakure had never cared whether the envoy lived or died. All they wanted was an excuse to make trouble!
"The only reason they came to Konoha was for the Byakugan!" she murmured, her voice trembling slightly.
For Kumogakure, the best outcome would be for the intruder to kidnap her outright. If the plan was exposed, he would immediately kill himself, and then Kumogakure would put pressure on Konoha and turn its sights on Father.
This was a thoroughly deceitful plot!
"Haah—"
Hinata Hyuga drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out. With each breath, her slightly trembling body gradually calmed.
After everything she had been through, and with the help of the Life Simulator, shrinking back whenever she faced a problem again would be a betrayal of Kiyonari's trust.
She turned her attention to the final part of this simulation.
[This simulation has ended] [Evaluation: You still haven't figured out what killed the person you cherish.]
She couldn't understand why the simulator had said that.
She shook her head and set the heavy question aside for the time being.
Time passed quietly. Another day went by, and the arrival of the Kumogakure delegation in Konoha was fast approaching.
Hinata Hyuga opened her notebook. Her gaze gradually settled and grew resolute.
The Fourth Simulation, start!
[In Konoha Year 54, a delegation from Kumogakure arrived, and Father became increasingly busy. I found a chance to slip out of the estate again, intending to look for Neji.] [However, just outside the wall, I spotted a suspicious figure. The person had dark skin and looked very much like someone from the Land of Lightning.] [Now, I have three choices.] [1. Shout that there's a spy from an enemy village here.] [2. Ignore it and continue looking for Neji.] [3. Do nothing and return to my room at once.]
"I choose the third option."
[Before the person noticed me, I quietly slipped back inside the wall and ran to my room. I fell into a deep, anxious sleep. The intruder seemed to have left it at that, and the night passed without incident.] [At dawn the next day, a new choice lay before me.] [1. Find Kiyonari and Neji to discuss what to do.] [2. Tell Father about what I saw last night.]
This time, Hinata chose the second option.
[I told Father about what I had seen last night and laid out my suspicions about Kumogakure's plot. Father furrowed his brow, clearly doubtful, but in the end, he chose to believe me.] [That night, he acted personally, sneaking outside the courtyard wall. The Kumogakure shinobi was completely unprepared and was struck at a vital point, falling unconscious. He was then quietly hidden away in a secluded storeroom.] [The next day, the Kumogakure delegation indeed came to their door in a fury, claiming that their important envoy had mysteriously disappeared within the Hyuga Clan Grounds and demanding an explanation from the Hyuga Clan.] [Amid their angry shouts, Hyuga Hiashi said he would send people to help with the search. He then personally led the Konoha High Command and the Kumogakure delegation around the clan grounds to "search." In the end, in front of everyone, they "found" the "missing" envoy lying beside a wine vat, reeking of alcohol and snoring loudly.] [The Kumogakure delegation's faces turned livid. Their leader stared at their "dead-drunk" companion, shaking with rage, but couldn't utter a word. Under the watchful eyes of the people of Konoha, they could only swallow their anger, accept the "accident," and take the man away in disgrace.] [The crisis facing the Hyuga Clan seemed to have been resolved.]
Hinata's tense body went limp, and she nearly collapsed into her chair. "Finally... We're finally going to succeed!"
She had successfully protected the clan's Kekkei Genkai from falling into enemy hands, as well as protected Father, Neji, and Uncle Hizashi! An unprecedented sense of accomplishment and pride filled her small chest.
The words continued to appear in the notebook, each line seeming to affirm her victory.
[That day, the armistice agreement was signed without a hitch. The Kumogakure delegation set off in the evening and left Konoha.]
"Wonderful! Now, as long as I follow the simulator..."
But before she could finish, the situation in the Life Simulator took a sudden turn for the worse.
[Not long afterward, two cold corpses were delivered to the gates of Konoha.] [The Kumogakure delegation returned, overcome with grief and rage. They accused the Hokage, claiming that they had been attacked shortly after leaving.] [The Kumogakure envoy pointed to the dark purple internal injuries on the corpses, claiming they were irrefutable proof of the Gentle Fist Technique—and that Hyuga Hiashi had attacked them in retaliation!]
The smile froze on Hinata's face, and her pupils shrank.
[Faced with Kumogakure's transparently flimsy and utterly shameless accusation, the Konoha side fell into an eerie silence.] [The leader of the Kumogakure delegation said they didn't want to reignite the war, but Hyuga Hiashi had to pay for his "misdeeds." They demanded that Konoha hand over Hyuga Hiashi to stand trial in Kumogakure and appease the Raikage's anger.] [Faced with Kumogakure's transparently flimsy and utterly shameless accusation, the Konoha side fell into an eerie silence.]
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