Hyuga Tamamo

"Kill!"

A thief charged out with a long blade, but Shin casually swept a kunai across him. The man fell to the ground with a thud and didn't get back up.

Shin's Sharingan swept over the group of thieves. A simple fear genjutsu came naturally to him. His crimson eyes looked eerie and ghostly. Everyone they passed felt an inexplicable fear rise in their hearts, as if the man before them were a Shura returned from hell. Their bodies trembled violently, and looking into those blood-red eyes felt like being swallowed whole.

"Ah...!"

At last, the first person could no longer bear the fear welling up inside him. He screamed and turned to flee. Like a lit fuse, he set everyone else off. With a collective cry, the thieves scattered, wishing they had two more legs.

Shin stood motionless where he was. He neither chased them nor used a jutsu. The fleeing thieves were all ordinary people. The few who stayed behind were the ones he wanted.

Not everyone ran. Seven remained, eyeing Shin warily. They wore thieves' clothes, but their chakra was clearly visible to his Sharingan.

Seven Chunin!

Shin toyed with the kunai in his hand and sneered. "I'll give you a chance. Tell me who's behind this, and you might live."

The seven Chunin exchanged glances, took defensive stances, and slowly backed away. Shin watched them with a smile and made no move to stop them. Even if they tried to flee, how could they outrun his Flying Thunder God?

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A sudden burst of applause came from a nearby hill, where a girl in white slowly emerged, clapping as she walked.

Night had long since fallen. A full moon cast its pure light over the girl, lending her a hazy allure. Her silky hair fluttered in the wind, framing a beautiful face with a touch of bewitching charm. Her eyes were almost pure white, yet this did nothing to diminish her beauty. Instead, it made her seem all the gentler.

"Hyuga Hinata?" Shin blurted out. The girl who had appeared looked so much like a certain young lady of the Hyuga Clan from several decades in the future.

"Hyuga Hinata?" the girl murmured. With one hand on her hip, she tossed her hair with an imposing air. "Calling a girl by the wrong name the first time you meet her is a good way to make sure girls never like you. Though you might not have much of a future left anyway. This is our first meeting, and it will be our last. Hyuga Tamamo. Pleased to meet you."

"Ding! The mission to eliminate the thieves and draw out the mastermind is complete. Reward: 1,000 points. The second phase of the mission is now available: escape the Hyuga Clan's encirclement. Success: 3,000 points. Failure: deduct the corresponding number of points." The system's impassive voice rang in his ear.

"We greet Her Highness, the princess!"

The Chunin who had stayed behind all bowed to the girl as soon as she appeared.

"Hyuga Tamamo? A princess?" Shin studied her again, and only then noticed the considerable differences between her and the Hyuga Hinata he knew.

The biggest difference was her demeanor. Hyuga Hinata was the quintessential sheltered young lady, with a gentle nature. Say a few words to her, and she would blush. She gave people a springlike warmth.

This girl, however, seemed sharp and imposing. She held her head high and looked down at him, confidence filling her eyes. Her face was also a little different from Hinata's. She had the air of someone between a mature woman and a queen.

Realizing he had mistaken her for someone else, Shin regained his composure. "Hyuga Tamamo. They called you a princess, so I assume you're the daughter of Hyuga Tenin. May I ask why Her Highness the princess traveled all this way to our Uchiha Clan's mine and went to the trouble of having thieves block the trade routes?"

Hyuga Tamamo smiled, clearly enjoying herself. "Of course, I did it to lure you out and kill you."

Shin raised an eyebrow. He wasn't surprised she wanted him dead. If an opponent's clan had a prodigy of his caliber, he would probably do everything he could to kill him, too.

He did have one question, though. "You wanted to lure me out and kill me? How could you be sure the clan would send me?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Hyuga Tamamo said. "But since you're about to die, I suppose I can tell you. I have to say, your Uchiha Clan's current leader is an idiot. His thoughts are ridiculously easy to guess. Fujiwara Mine is right on the edge of the Uchiha Clan Compound, in what amounts to your clan's heartland. No one would think someone would dare scheme against the Uchiha Clan here, because that would be asking for death.

"So I had my people round up the thieves nearby and blockade the trade routes, making it look as if thieves had targeted the area. Then I had a few Chunin blend in with them. That way, the strength we revealed wouldn't seem too great, while the ninja stationed there wouldn't be able to deal with them. Naturally, they'd ask the clan for help.

"It's a simple deduction. For a mission close to the clan, with an enemy who isn't particularly strong, who would be the best person to send? Obviously, one of the clan's prodigies. It's practically a training mission delivered right to your doorstep. Where else would you find such a good opportunity? Don't you agree?

"Actually, it doesn't matter whether you came or not. If it wasn't you, it would likely have been Uchiha Madara, and killing him would have been just as good. If another Jonin from your clan had come, we wouldn't have shown ourselves. He would have seen nothing but thieves trying to steal ore. Are you satisfied with my answer, Uchiha prodigy?"

Shin gave a wry smile and grumbled inwardly, Has it really become common knowledge throughout the Ninja World that the clan leader is an idiot?

Uchiha Tajima wasn't nearly as incompetent as the two of them made him out to be. At the very least, he couldn't be called an idiot, or he wouldn't have led the Uchiha Clan for so long. At most, he was rather straightforward and not cautious enough about conspiracies.

"I'm satisfied enough. I didn't expect the Hyuga Clan to have a princess like you. You've suddenly made this Warring States Period seem rather interesting. But are you really so confident you can kill me? Just with those seven Chunin at your feet? Be careful you don't end up losing more than you bargained for and get yourself killed, too," Shin said calmly. As he weighed their relative strength, he quietly took a scroll from his pack. He knew his opponent couldn't have only brought these Chunin.

"Lose more than I bargained for? Ha, you're funny. Don't worry, they're not all I brought!" As Hyuga Tamamo spoke, three figures appeared on the three sides of the thieves' palisade. They seemed to materialize out of thin air. Even Shin's Sharingan hadn't caught their movements.

"Elite Jonin! Holy crap..."

The Three Tomoe in Shin's eyes contracted sharply as he stared at the three figures. This was one formidable lineup!