Don't Come Any Closer!

"Don't come any closer!"

Their voices rang out in terror, piercing the night!

But the next moment, thunder raged, and their voices abruptly fell silent, vanishing into the darkness.

"I still underestimated my own strength."

Hyuga Kagami looked at the five- or six-meter-wide crater he'd casually smashed into the ground. "And I was holding back, using only thirty percent of my strength. Even so, it's still comparable to Lady Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred."

"By checking in with the system, I gained more than just powerful abilities like the Sage Body and the Azure Dragon Fruit."

"I've also accumulated strength, speed, and stamina over time!"

He clenched his powerful fist and murmured, "At this point, my strength is probably enough to put me at the pinnacle of Kage Level!"

"As for whether I'm stronger than Beyond Kage-level, I have no way of knowing."

Just then,

a soft, timid voice suddenly sounded beside him. Hyuga Hinata looked up nervously at the towering Hyuga Kagami, noticing the Hyuga Clan crest on his clothes. "Are you an older brother from the clan? Were you going to hurt Hinata just now?"

At once,

Hyuga Kagami's face stiffened as he looked into Hyuga Hinata's watery White Eyes.

Hyuga Hinata had woken up at some point.

And she'd heard what he'd just said!

"Of course not!"

Hyuga Kagami nodded with a confident smile and crouched down. "It was just a strategy."

"By saying that, I made those two Kumogakure ninja think you weren't important, so they wouldn't hurt you. Do you understand?"

When it came to children in the Shinobi World,

they weren't just clever—they had amazing memories!

So there was no need to worry they wouldn't understand.

Hyuga Hinata nodded, seeming to understand. Suddenly, her little face filled with panic, and she stubbornly tried to get up.

"Oh no, Hinata was kidnapped. Father will be so worried. Hinata has to hurry home!"

She struggled to stand.

But unfortunately, to stop her from escaping, they'd given her sleeping medicine right at the start.

Now she could barely control her body!

"Good grief!"

Watching the swaying, adorable Hyuga Hinata, Hyuga Kagami clicked his tongue in wonder.

"How did that old schemer, Hyuga Hiashi, end up with such a sweet, adorable daughter?"

He bent down and picked Hyuga Hinata up. In his arms, she felt as soft as a ball of cotton.

Hyuga Hinata's little face flushed bright red.

"I'll take you home!"

"Thank you for saving me, big brother. How would you like Hinata to thank you?"

Hyuga Hinata's expression was earnest,

and she looked so sweet and obedient.

Hyuga Kagami couldn't help laughing.

No wonder so many men wanted daughters. Who wouldn't love such a sweet little girl?

She was cute, soft, and obedient!

Soon, he brought Hinata to a spot not far from the Hyuga Clan's entrance. All the while, Hyuga Kagami used the power of Wood Release to help restore Hinata's body.

"Since you want to thank me, Hinata, then promise me one thing!"

Hyuga Kagami stopped and stroked Hinata's little head, looking at her dazed face. "Don't tell anyone that I was the one who saved you. If you do, it might get me killed."

There was no need to keep secrets from children in the ninja world.

A promise, on the other hand, was more likely to keep them quiet.

Hinata nodded firmly, her little face red as she said sweetly, "I understand, big brother!"

Her White Eyes sparkled. "Will Hinata get to see you again?"

"Of course. I'm a member of the Hyuga Clan too, so we'll see each other again."

Looking at Hinata's flushed little face, Hyuga Kagami wore a strange expression.

In an instant, he vanished.

He watched as Hyuga Hinata skipped happily back into the clan compound.

"Could Hinata have fallen for me?"

He stroked his chin, then sat cross-legged on a huge tree branch, looking carefree and arrogant.

"According to the story, because of her lack of talent, Hinata wasn't favored by that old creep Hiashi as a child. She grew up without much affection from her father, and became timid and introverted."

"That's why she developed a special fondness for Uzumaki Naruto, who saved her."

"Especially since blushing is one of her tells."

He put a hand to his forehead, looking helpless. "I never planned on trying to win Hinata over!"

"She's only three years old. That'd be illegal!"

Just then,

a furious roar rang out nearby, the voice pulsing with chakra as it echoed into the distance!

Hyuga Hiashi's eyes blazed with fury!

"Who kidnapped my daughter, Hyuga Hiashi's daughter? I'll kill him! All Hyuga Clan members, search the entire village at once! No one is to harm my daughter!"

"I'll make him pay dearly!"

He shot forward.

The Hyuga Clan alone wouldn't be enough to handle this. He had to inform Lord Hokage too.

They needed to mobilize all of Konoha!

He rushed out the door, then suddenly froze at the sight of the adorable girl skipping around outside. He felt as if he were dreaming.

The tension had reached its peak—

only for everything to come to an abrupt stop?

And the image of him as a stern, dignified father—

it was completely ruined!

"Hinata? What are you doing here?"

Hyuga Hiashi's mouth twitched.

Hyuga Hinata looked up sweetly and said, "Father, I was kidnapped by ninja from Kumogakure, but a ninja I didn't know saved me."

"Kumogakure?!"

Hyuga Hiashi's face darkened like ink!

"So Kumogakure really is a pack of wolves! They claim they've come to sign a peace treaty, but they're actually here to steal the Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan!"

Only the Byakugan of the Hyuga Main Family had any practical value.

If someone stole the Byakugan of a branch family member, someone from the Main Family could still make the eye self-destruct from a thousand miles away!

They'd come to Konoha to steal the Byakugan.

That was Kumogakure's real goal!

Hyuga Hiashi's White Eyes turned icy. "You brutes of Kumogakure! I'll make you pay!"

"Get to the Hokage's office at once!"

Just then,

Hyuga Hizashi, who looked remarkably like Hyuga Hiashi, hurried to catch up. The two headed to the Hokage's office together.

In the distance,

Hyuga Kagami shook his head from atop the canopy, unwilling to get involved.

"What a shame, Hiashi. In the end, not only did you fail to make Kumogakure pay or protect anyone, you backed down and pushed your own younger brother forward as a scapegoat."

Was Hyuga Hiashi at fault?

In Hyuga Kagami's eyes, he wasn't.

The real problem was that the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, no longer had the same resolve he once did.

So there was no way he'd stand up for the Hyuga Clan. All Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted was... a false sense of peace!

"That's why being weak is the real sin. If you're as powerful as Uchiha Madara, who could hold you back?"

Hyuga Kagami turned and left.

He vanished into the darkness!