Hinata's New Outfit

For the time being, Ito Makoto poured all his energy into establishing a secure base. He built a small wooden cabin atop a cliff, lining the floor with planks and smoothing them out as best he could. He stocked it with bedding, clothes, and daily necessities like instant noodles and salt.

This way, should he ever encounter danger, he could sustain himself here for several days.

He had originally intended to set up a tent, but tents in Konoha were not cheap, and he had no money; even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Furthermore, the winds on the cliff were fierce, and an ordinary tent would never withstand such gusts. Thus, he changed his mind and built the cabin instead.

If Konoha lacked anything else, it certainly had plenty of trees. Moreover, this world had no environmental protection laws, so trees could be felled at will. In terms of cost, a wooden cabin was cheap and practical.

Just as Ito Makoto was burying himself in his work, oblivious to the world outside, he forgot that an ugly political incident was unfolding in Konoha.

That evening, his mother Mika's words shattered his tranquility.

"Xiao Cheng, we are going to attend Neji Hyuga's father's funeral tomorrow. You need to get to sleep early tonight."

What? Ito Makoto was stunned. It had only been less than half a month since he stayed at the Hyuga residence—had Hizashi Hyuga already died?

"How? Was he injured while performing a mission outside the village?"

He wanted to clarify the specific reason. After all, there were many transmigrators in this world. The plot of the original manga could easily be altered by the butterfly effect.

"I'm not entirely sure. It's said that when the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main branch was kidnapped, Neji Hyuga's father was present and was injured while fighting the perpetrators."

Mika spoke with hesitation; she didn't know the specifics either, and the whole affair was shrouded in mystery. As an outsider, she couldn't see the truth at all. Hyuga Yuko had also been evasive, as if she had some unspeakable secret.

Hearing his mother's words, Ito Makoto understood. Despite his interference as a transmigrator, the plot was still proceeding along its original trajectory.

Hizashi Hyuga was still acting as the scapegoat for Hyuga Hiashi, forced by the high-ranking officials of Konoha, including the Third Hokage, to become the sacrificial lamb.

"Xiao Cheng, Neji Hyuga's father has passed away. Your Aunt Yuko and Neji must be devastated. You must comfort Neji properly at the funeral tomorrow."

As a native who didn't know the plot of Naruto, Mika didn't think too deeply; she simply urged Ito Makoto to fulfill his duty as a friend and look after Neji Hyuga.

Ito Makoto nodded.

Hizashi Hyuga's funeral was grand. The high-ranking officials of Konoha, including the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō, were all in attendance. The head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi, and all the elders of the Hyuga family were also present.

Hizashi Hyuga's name was carved onto the Memorial Stone.

The Konoha Memorial Stone recorded the names of all ninjas who had died for Konoha. In Konoha, having one's name inscribed on the Memorial Stone signified heroism, and all names on the stone were respected by the people of the village.

The funeral was presided over by the Third Hokage himself, while Neji Hyuga and Hyuga Yuko, the deceased's family, could only stand to the side.

Because there were so many important figures, Ito Makoto and Mika lacked the status to get close to Hyuga Yuko's family and could only watch from afar.

Everyone was dressed in black, standing in silent mourning for the deceased.

Hyuga Yuko had tears in her eyes, yet she remained eerily calm, standing quietly while holding Neji Hyuga's hand. Neji Hyuga, however, was weeping uncontrollably; even as he wiped his face, it was of no use, and the sleeves of his clothes were soaked through.

Standing in the back row, Ito Makoto found the scene incredibly ironic.

To him, this Hizashi Hyuga—whom he had never met—was merely the father of Neji Hyuga, and thus, he felt no emotion regarding his death.

In reality, although Hizashi Hyuga was quite capable, he was still just a minor character. Within the Hyuga Clan, he was merely a branch family ninja with a lowly status. In Konoha, while he was a Jonin, he held little influence; he was neither a top-tier combatant nor a special ninja of pivotal importance.

Yet, at the funeral of such a low-ranking ninja, almost all the big shots of Konoha were gathered: the Hokage, the Hokage's advisors, the heads of the major clans, and the leaders and elders of the Hyuga Clan.

This was only because Hizashi Hyuga's death had solved their immediate problems.

Because of his death, the Hyuga Clan head, Hyuga Hiashi, could save his own life, the Hyuga Clan prevented their Kekkei Genkai from leaking, and the Third Hokage gained room to maneuver with Kumogakure. Konoha would not have to go to war with Kumogakure.

At this funeral, all the high-ranking officials of Konoha were beneficiaries of Hizashi Hyuga's death, and all were participants in it.

The Third Hokage had pressured the Hyuga Clan to hand over the culprit. To save Hyuga Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan used the Caged Bird Seal to force Hizashi Hyuga to die in his place. The Third Hokage turned a blind eye, tacitly approving the method of using Hizashi Hyuga to replace Hyuga Hiashi. In the end, everyone's troubles were resolved, and only Hizashi Hyuga lost his life.

Due to the pressure from Kumogakure, it was likely that Hizashi Hyuga's body wasn't even present; Kumogakure had kidnapped Hinata Hyuga and demanded the culprit specifically to obtain the Byakugan, that bloodline limit.

And although Hizashi Hyuga was from the branch family, meaning his Byakugan would automatically be destroyed upon death, he was still a member of the Hyuga Clan, and his body held significant research value—something Kumogakure would naturally not overlook.

The funeral before him was a gathering of the culprits, held for a corpse that wasn't even there.

The entire funeral proceeded smoothly. Once the proceedings concluded, Ito Makoto and Mika finally had the chance to step forward to comfort Hyuga Yuko and Neji Hyuga.

However, looking at Neji Hyuga's grief-stricken expression, Ito Makoto could not utter a single word.

His biological father had been murdered—what could possibly alleviate such pain?

At this moment, Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga Clan and Hizashi Hyuga's own brother, approached with the elders to offer condolences to the family.

"Yuko, do not be sad. Hizashi died for the future of the Hyuga Clan; his death has meaning and value," one of the main branch elders said.

"That's right. Hizashi's sacrifice protected the bloodline of our Hyuga Clan and prevented the Byakugan from leaking. This is a good thing. It was his duty as a branch member; what is there to be sad about?"

Another main branch elder added.

These bastards—having profited, they were now wielding the club of "so-called righteousness" to rub salt into the victim's wounds. Watching the actions of these "virtuous and respected" elders, Ito Makoto felt a wave of nausea.

Hyuga Yuko did not speak. Within the Hyuga Clan, these main branch elders held immense power and could cause the brain tissue of any branch member to die at will, just like slave owners. They were merely slaves; where was there any room for them to speak?

She could only pull Neji Hyuga close and weep silently.

Even though this matter had nothing to do with her husband, even though her husband wasn't even in the village at the time, and even though many clansmen could have testified to his absence, none of it mattered in the face of power.

"Yuko, I will take care of you and Neji."

The Hyuga Clan head, who had remained silent until now—the protagonist of the kidnapping incident, Hyuga Hiashi—suddenly spoke. His expression held a hint of sorrow; clearly, as biological brothers, there had been affection between him and Hizashi Hyuga. Unfortunately, that affection was insignificant compared to his own survival.

At this time, the Third Hokage walked over with the high-ranking officials of Konoha and said to Yuko:

"Hizashi Hyuga is a hero of Konoha. It was his sacrifice that maintained peace between Konoha and Kumogakure. As his family, Konoha will not treat you poorly. If you have any needs, you can come to the Hokage Office to find me."

Hyuga Yuko nodded, still remaining silent.

Watching the number of high-ranking officials gathering around Yuko, Ito Makoto suddenly felt like playing a dangerous game.

He feigned the persona of an ordinary child and said to Mika, "Mom, what was the real reason Uncle Hizashi passed away?"

"Didn't I tell you before? He died while struggling with an envoy from Kumogakure."

"Liar," Ito Makoto said in a childish tone. "We were at Aunt Yuko's house at the time. Uncle Hizashi wasn't even in Konoha; he had gone out on a mission."

Hearing Ito Makoto's words, the big shots present changed their expressions. There were things they knew in their hearts, but while some things could be done, they could never be spoken aloud.

"Perhaps your Aunt Yuko remembered it wrong." Mika realized something was amiss and tried to stop Ito Makoto from spouting such nonsense.

"It's clearly a lie. We stayed at Aunt Yuko's house for the night; how could she misremember an entire night? If Uncle Hizashi had been home, there wouldn't have been enough room for us to stay over, would there? It's obviously a lie. Uncle Hizashi wasn't even in the village that day."

Ito Makoto showed no mercy, continuing to expose the truth of the matter.

Although most of the big shots present were in the know, many ordinary people were completely unaware of the situation. In their minds, Hizashi Hyuga had truly died while fighting an envoy from Kumogakure.

Because of this, as Ito Makoto revealed parts of the truth, some of the uninformed began to whisper among themselves.

This caused the big shots present to lose face.

An elder of the Hyuga main branch, flushed with anger and embarrassment, snapped, "Where did this brat come from? Spouting lies and lacking upbringing—take him away at once!"

"Who are you calling uneducated?" Ito Makoto was completely unfazed. He had already completed the preparations for the Summoning Jutsu and could escape at any moment. In all of Konoha, who could possibly catch up to space-time ninjutsu? Who did he have to fear now?

Besides, he was currently just a three-year-old child. As the saying goes, children speak without taboos; if a political figure were to bicker with a three-year-old like him, would they even care about their political career anymore?

"My mom taught me to always tell the truth. Everything I said is the truth, not a single lie. What right do you have to say I lack upbringing?"

The big shots present turned pale, and the surrounding murmurs grew louder.

Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, Mika hurriedly covered Ito Makoto's mouth and offered a forced smile.

"This kid doesn't know any better. I'll take him home now and teach him a lesson."

With that, she forcibly dragged Ito Makoto away from the scene.

Neji Hyuga watched the departing Ito Makoto, his white eyes suddenly glowing with light.

Although Ito Makoto hadn't offered any words of comfort, his few sentences had directly exposed the truth behind his father Hizashi Hyuga's death, which meant more to him and his mother than a hundred words of consolation ever could.

The Third Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi, also felt extremely embarrassed at this moment. Once certain things were exposed, the blow to one's reputation was immense. For the sake of his image, he had even sacrificed some of his power to cultivate Shimura Danzō as a scapegoat, yet now, because of the idle chatter of a child, the reputation he had spent over twenty years weaving had been struck.

To maintain a facade of decency, the high-ranking officials of Konoha had no choice but to continue their hollow pleasantries with Hyuga Yuko after Mika and her son left, pretending to offer comfort. However, their words had become dry and empty. Everyone knew the truth, but the play had to go on.

It wasn't until they were far from the cemetery that Ito Makoto, still being dragged by Mika, revealed a smile.

This funeral was like the Emperor's New Clothes; everyone knew the Emperor was naked, but for the sake of face and decorum, they had to praise the magnificence of his new attire.

And Ito Makoto was that child who disrupted the scene. As a child, he didn't need to care about any decorum or face; he could speak the truth and express his thoughts directly.

Thus, in front of the crowd, he had directly exposed that the Emperor on the stage was wearing nothing at all.

A child's words are real, and with his voice, the truth was laid bare in the light of day.

Of course, people wouldn't change anything just because of a child's words. Just like the king who wore no clothes, even after the truth was revealed, he still strutted through the parade.

But the truth had already walked into everyone's heart.