158. Causing Trouble

"...She has been in a coma for a month."

As soon as Neji finished speaking, the sudden reality hit like a physical blow, freezing Naruto in his tracks.

"Although this news has been circulating in Konoha for quite some time," Neji continued, seemingly to himself, "it is, after all, a matter concerning the Hyuga, and it involves the heir to the Main House... so people generally don't discuss it in public. It's understandable that you didn't know."

"...What exactly happened?" Naruto suppressed the shock and doubt churning within him, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone.

"It started with nightmares." Neji's gaze followed a bird soaring across the sky. "On the eve of our graduation from the Ninja Academy, Hinata said she was having the same nightmare every night, and the dreams felt incredibly real...

But Hiashi believed it was a sign of her weak mentality and her fear of becoming a ninja. He was not only furious but also increased the intensity of her training."

"It wasn't until later, when Hinata's 'nightmares' lasted longer and longer—to the point where even stabbing her with a kunai couldn't wake her—that the Main House realized this was abnormal and began contacting the Medical Corps..."

"Wait." Naruto interrupted. "You Hyuga actually stabbed Hinata with a kunai?"

What does he mean by 'you Hyuga'...

Neji glanced at Naruto with a hint of surprise; it had been a long time since he'd heard anyone refer to the Hyuga with such blatant disrespect.

"It wasn't to the point of killing her." Neji gestured with his hand. "It was just a light prick with the tip of a kunai, barely a larger cut than one used for drawing blood...

The Great Elder was very angry at the time, thinking Hinata was just pretending to be asleep. He felt that an heir to the Main House shouldn't be so cowardly, so he wanted to scare her."

"..." Naruto's mouth twitched.

Despite Neji's explanation, a faint, churning sense of discomfort remained in the pit of his stomach.

"The aristocratic upbringing is truly," Naruto said, his tone flat, "...quite wild. If I ever have children in the future, I must ask you Hyuga for some pointers."

That's the second time he's said 'you Hyuga'...

Neji raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

"Because as long as I do the exact opposite of the Hyuga's educational methods, I think my child will grow up just fine."

"..." This time, Neji looked at Naruto with genuine focus.

He realized then that Naruto wasn't just being glib or making a slip of the tongue; he truly didn't care for the Hyuga—the family that prided itself on being the strongest in Konoha—or rather, he held them in low regard.

"...It is the Main House's educational method." Neji didn't expect to feel so little anger, but for the sake of accuracy, he corrected him.

"Right, the Main House." Naruto nodded and pressed on, "And then?"

"Then the Medical Corps arrived but couldn't find the cause. The Yamanaka and Nara clans also came; the former has deep research into the mind, and the latter is proficient in pharmacology... but both were fruitless. In the end, the time Hinata spent awake each day grew shorter and shorter.

By the time she fell into a complete coma, the Hokage even came, but he could only conclude that there was no interference from ninjutsu. He was equally helpless."

"And Hinata has been in a coma ever since?"

"Yes. The Medical Corps is using an IV drip to maintain her nutrition, so she can hold on for now... The Clan Head has already sent people to find Tsunade."

"..."

Naruto's brows were tightly locked, a sense of déjà vu growing stronger in his heart.

Why does it feel like... Hinata's situation is somewhat similar to when my own consciousness was trapped in that movie theater?

"Did Hinata ever say what the content of that recurring nightmare was?" Naruto asked.

"She said she would quickly forget it every time she woke up." Neji recalled. "She only remembered being trapped in a pitch-black space, needing to spend much longer than a normal sleep to wake up, and then her emotions would... alternate between happiness and anger?"

Naruto felt a jolt in his heart. It was even more similar.

"Oh, right."

Seeing Naruto's grave expression, Neji decided to share even the minor details: "After she fell into a coma, she would sometimes mumble in her sleep, though they were just unintelligible syllables—things like 'cut you,' 'outside the window,' or 'don't hurt Boruto'..."

Snap!

Neji's eyelid twitched. Before he could finish his sentence, Naruto had lunged forward and grabbed his shoulders!

"What are you..." Neji instinctively wanted to shake Naruto off, but when he met the gaze hidden beneath the shadow of Naruto's bangs, he froze instantly, feeling a chill run through his body.

Those blue eyes, usually so gentle and resilient, had never held such violence. The cold malice felt like claws raking across his heart, so intense it was nearly overflowing! It was as if some indescribable, colossal horror was staring at him through Naruto's eyes!

"Get back... Kurama."

[Hehehe... just a joke.]

Suddenly, Neji felt that terrifying malice recede like a tide, and Naruto's eyes returned to normal... his pupils were no longer so slit-like.

Neji shivered, a delayed reaction, as Naruto released his grip on his shoulders.

"Sorry..." Naruto let out a long breath. "I got a bit emotional... I am truly sorry."

He hadn't expected that his own experience wasn't unique... No, the very thought that he was the only one was arrogant in itself. Logically, if such a phenomenon existed, others besides himself should have encountered it as well.

But Naruto hadn't been mentally prepared for this.

So, when he heard the words "don't hurt Boruto," his emotions had peaked in an instant. He knew the name Boruto, of course—it was the child he and Hinata were destined to have in the original timeline!

Yet, he couldn't understand what "don't hurt" meant in that context. With his mind clouded by heavy doubts and deep shock, his loss of composure became the perfect moment for his own seal to loosen...

And unsurprisingly, that bastard Kurama had taken the opportunity to leak his chakra and stir up trouble.

Though, given the degree of the loosening, Kurama certainly couldn't escape, nor could even a Tailed Beast shroud manifest.

That said, it had nothing better to do anyway, and it lost nothing by doing so. Since an opportunity to annoy the brat had presented itself, would it even have the face to call itself a Tailed Beast if it didn't take it?

...And that was how the scene just now came to be.

The only victim was a bewildered Neji.

Shaken by the impact of the Nine-Tails chakra, he was torn between wanting to put some distance between himself and Uzumaki Naruto, and debating whether to strike him with an Eight Trigrams Palms. After a moment of internal struggle, he asked Naruto with unprecedented seriousness:

"Who... exactly are you?"

Only then did Neji realize that the junior he had always perceived as gentle, refined, and exceptionally gifted was not who he truly was. Beneath that seemingly harmless exterior, a terrifying monster appeared to be lurking.

Furthermore, the moment Naruto had grabbed his shoulder, he hadn't reacted at all before the contact was made... For a Hyuga, this was simply inconceivable!

"Naruto," Naruto replied, his tone sharp and resolute. "Uzumaki Naruto."

He had made up his mind: tonight, he would enter the seal space and manifest three hundred Shadow Clone to berate the beast until they naturally dissipated—even if it meant the Nine-Tails would start corroding the seal again, he wouldn't care.

Looking into eyes that had become familiar once more, Neji confirmed it repeatedly before slowly nodding.

He did not press for an explanation regarding what had just happened... because he could tell that Naruto did not want to talk about it, and he himself had things he didn't want touched upon. Thus, it was best for them both to remain standing outside each other's boundaries.

"Neji, I want to ask you for a favor."

Naruto pondered for a moment before speaking to Neji earnestly once more: "I'd like to visit Hinata later; would you mind introducing me?"