Waiting by the Stump for a Rabbit

Moonlight like water spilled across the earth, draping it in a silver veil; a breathtaking ink wash painting unfolded before Hyuga Gen's eyes.

"The moonlight is truly beautiful tonight. With such lovely light, I doubt the people from Kumogakure will show up."

Hyuga Gen muttered to himself.

They say a dark, windy night is perfect for murder, but tonight's moon was far from dark—hardly suitable for killing or kidnapping. In truth, the darkness of the moon made little difference to the Hyuga clan; once the Byakugan was activated, nothing could remain hidden, regardless of the night.

At this moment, Hyuga Gen sat in a large tree with only his head exposed, while Xiaojin sat beside him, seemingly asleep. The reason only Hyuga Gen's head was visible was that his body was tucked inside Xiaojin's wings.

It was still a bit cold at night, and who wouldn't love a "feather quilt" that came with its own built-in heating? Hyuga Gen had naturally snuggled right in.

Xiaojin was nearly four years old now. He had changed quite a bit over the years, most notably in how quickly he had grown. Sitting together, he was now more than a head taller than Hyuga Gen.

His dream of being a "Condor Hero" had been fulfilled—well, perhaps it should be called a "Golden Eagle Hero"? Although it had only happened once, he had indeed sprawled across Xiaojin's back while the eagle took him for a flight.

He hadn't wanted to try a second time, not for any other reason than that he had lost his nerve. It had been fine at first, and the scenery was beautiful, but eventually, Xiaojin's playful nature took over. Even though Hyuga Gen knew Xiaojin wouldn't harm him, he had been scared half to death.

There are accidents in everything. If he had been careless and fallen, he would have been the most pathetic casualty in the ninja world. Ever since that day, Hyuga Gen hadn't let Xiaojin carry him again.

Gazing at the bright moon in the distance—though not quite full, it was brilliant—the large estate of Hyuga Hiashi was clearly visible nearby.

After finishing dinner and returning to his room yesterday, Hyuga Gen had confirmed there was no activity in the house before sneaking out to come here.

Unable to think of a better plan and unwilling to do nothing, he had brought Xiaojin along to stake out the area.

Upon arriving near Hyuga Hiashi's estate, Hyuga Gen suddenly had a realization: he had been overthinking things. Waiting for the rabbit to hit the tree stump was actually a decent strategy.

In the original Naruto timeline, after the Kumogakure envoy was killed by Hyuga Hiashi, Hiashi had gone to demand an explanation, only for Kumogakure to turn the tables, ultimately forcing Hyuga Hizashi to his death.

So, what if Hyuga Hiashi killed the Kumogakure kidnappers without making a scene? What if, to be safe, he ensured the kidnappers simply vanished from Konoha after being killed?

Thinking about it this way, Hyuga Gen felt it was feasible, which only strengthened his resolve to keep watch, leading him to stay until now.

The result was as previously mentioned: the Kumogakure kidnappers had not appeared, and Hyuga Gen was now considering leaving.

Then again, it made sense; before a peace treaty was signed, someone would surely be keeping an eye on them, making it difficult for them to commit a crime.

In Hyuga Gen's view, the most likely time for Kumogakure to attempt a kidnapping would be the day before they left Konoha. That would minimize the risk, and if they succeeded, they could simply take the target back to Kumogakure with them.

Still, it was better to be safe than sorry, so Hyuga Gen decided to continue the stakeout tomorrow. It was only for three days, after all.

With that thought, Hyuga Gen decided not to wait until dawn. He wanted to go back and catch up on sleep, especially since there wasn't much time left until daybreak anyway.

And so, Hyuga Gen and Xiaojin snuck back home.

"That child said he wants to sleep in and skip breakfast."

Hyuga Hui said to Hyuga Kamen with a helpless expression.

"It's fine, let him be. We'll eat our own."

Hyuga Kamen didn't seem the least bit surprised, speaking in a calm, composed tone.

Before long, Hyuga Natsu came looking for Hyuga Gen. They were to train together again today to learn the Rotation.

"Brother Dongyi, wake up! Brother Dongyi?"

Hyuga Natsu poked Hyuga Gen's face with her finger and called out to him.

She had already been waiting for a while, and seeing that Hyuga Gen was still fast asleep, she couldn't help herself.

"Xia... let me sleep a little longer."

Hyuga Gen mumbled, rolling over. He seemed to be in a half-awake, half-asleep state, aware that Hyuga Natsu was calling him.

However, because Hyuga Gen had rolled over, Hyuga Natsu caught sight of something standing tall and proud. She knew what it was, and her face flushed slightly.

She didn't pull back the covers like she used to; she knew her Brother Dongyi was a bit of a pervert who seemed to enjoy sleeping in the nude.

Hyuga Natsu recalled the last time Hyuga Gen had earnestly explained the benefits of sleeping naked while completely bare, and her face turned even redder.

"Brother Dongyi, get up! The sun is already hitting your butt. There's a part I don't understand, you need to get up and demonstrate it again."

Seeing that Hyuga Gen didn't show much reaction, Hyuga Natsu unleashed her ultimate move: she reached out and pinched Hyuga Gen's nose.

In an instant, Hyuga Gen reached out, grabbed Hyuga Natsu, and pulled her onto the bed. Looking at her flushed face just inches away, Hyuga Gen teased, "Xia, disturbing someone's dreams early in the morning—tell me, how are you going to compensate me?"

"The sun is already hitting your butt," Hyuga Natsu whispered, looking at Hyuga Gen with a lack of confidence.

"I don't care."

Hyuga Gen acted like a rogue, leaning his face in and giving her a look that said, You know what I want.

Hyuga Natsu's face turned bright red as she leaned in and kissed Hyuga Gen on the cheek.

"I want this side too."

Hyuga Gen said, turning his other cheek. Hyuga Natsu, face burning, kissed him again.

Hyuga Gen didn't suddenly turn his head to steal a kiss on her lips while she was kissing his cheek. Although he had done that before, he didn't dare to now.

It wasn't that he lacked the courage; it was just that as he grew older, his blood was running hotter, and Hyuga Natsu was becoming more and more beautiful—her attraction to him was immense. If he kissed her, he feared he wouldn't be able to control himself. After all, they were only ten years old.

After the kiss, Hyuga Gen prepared to get up, tossing the covers aside as if no one else were in the room.

"Ah, Brother Dongyi, you hooligan!"

With that, Hyuga Natsu fled the room as if escaping.

"It's not like I haven't seen it before."

Hyuga Gen muttered under his breath. Given how loudly Hyuga Natsu had shouted, he knew a lecture was inevitable.

Sure enough, the moment he stepped out, he was met with Aunt Hui's fierce glare, followed immediately by a sermon. It was fortunate that Hyuga Kamen wasn't around; if he had been, he might have dragged Hyuga Gen out for a fight.

Sometimes, Hyuga Gen even suspected that Hyuga Natsu was Kamen's real granddaughter, while he himself had clearly been picked up from somewhere.

Arriving at their usual spot, the day's training began. Hyuga Natsu asked Hyuga Gen about a few things she didn't understand before settling into earnest practice, as if the blushing incident from that morning had never occurred.

It was another unremarkable day of training, while on the other side, the group from the Cloud Village seemed to be wandering everywhere; it was clear they were very interested in Konoha.

Of course, in the shadows around the corners, a few sneaky figures always flickered by—it was obvious that someone was keeping a close watch on their group.