Hinata Is Abducted

"Brother Dongyi, so the reason you haven't been sleeping these past two days is that you've been sitting here in the wind?"

Hyuga Natsu yawned and looked strangely at Hyuga Gen, who was tucked beneath Xiaojin's other wing.

Although they were both beneath Xiaojin's wings, their heads were still sticking out. A gust of wind came by now and then, and the night air carried a chill. It really wasn't very pleasant.

After noticing for two days that Hyuga Gen seemed listless and hadn't even gotten up to train in the morning, Hyuga Natsu grew curious about what he was doing at night.

Normally, Hyuga Gen kept a fairly regular schedule. He got up early to go running and train, then went home to eat afterward.

For the past two days, not only had he been sleeping in, but he'd also seemed low on energy during their practice. He even yawned often, which made Hyuga Natsu curious.

So she kept an eye on him that night and discovered Hyuga Gen sneaking out. Naturally, she followed him.

And that was how she'd ended up asking that soul-searching question.

"Well, more or less. Why don't you go back to bed, Natsu?"

Hyuga Gen didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to tell her he was here to catch Cloud Village kidnappers?

If he did, a whole pile of questions would follow. What were Cloud Village kidnappers? Why were they coming here? Who were they kidnapping? How did Brother Dongyi know they were coming?

To avoid all those questions, Hyuga Gen could only give her a vague answer. He didn't want Hyuga Natsu sitting out in the cold with him, either.

"Then I'll stay here with you, Brother Dongyi. It's pretty warm under Xiaojin's wings."

There was no way she was going back. Besides, she could tell that Hyuga Gen seemed to be waiting for or searching for something.

"By the way, Natsu, how did you find me?" Hyuga Gen thought he'd been pretty careful when he left.

Hyuga Natsu activated her Byakugan and looked at Hyuga Gen. He understood at once. Right—if she'd activated her Byakugan, it made sense that she'd seen him sneaking out.

No wonder he'd had a faint feeling these past few days that someone was watching him. So that was it. The sensation had been so subtle that he wouldn't have thought of it if Hyuga Natsu hadn't told him.

"Natsu, you didn't use your Byakugan to peek at me while I was bathing, did you?"

Hyuga Gen looked at Hyuga Natsu strangely.

"What would there be to see? Just bones and lines showing the chakra points."

Hyuga Natsu answered very matter-of-factly.

"Natsu, you really did peek?"

Hyuga Gen stared at her in surprise. That was unexpected. Given Natsu's personality, he wouldn't have thought she would.

"I didn't! I was just stating a fact, hmph. You're always picking on me, Brother Dongyi. I'm not talking to you anymore."

Unfortunately, it was too dark for Hyuga Gen to see Hyuga Natsu's expression.

Of course, with his Byakugan activated, what Hyuga Gen saw was much like an X-ray image, only the Byakugan was more intelligent and powerful.

Time slowly passed. It usually seemed to fly by, but when you were waiting for a rabbit to run into a stump, it crawled by painfully slowly.

"Natsu, why don't you go back to bed? It's very late. Staying up will make you less pretty."

Hyuga Gen was starting to wonder if Cloud Village wouldn't come tonight after all. It was already around one in the morning.

When Hyuga Natsu didn't answer, Hyuga Gen turned to look and found that she'd fallen asleep. He was feeling a little tired too, but he knew he couldn't sleep.

So he kept his Byakugan activated, sweeping the area like a radar. He knew he had to be even more vigilant now.

"They're here."

Seeing figures approaching the Hyuga Clan Compound from far away, Hyuga Gen knew the Cloud Village kidnappers had arrived.

"Natsu, wake up! Natsu!"

Hyuga Gen quickly woke Hyuga Natsu.

"Brother Dongyi, what is it?" Hyuga Natsu asked groggily.

"Natsu, don't say anything. Someone's coming. Stay here for now. Xiaojin and I will go take a look."

With that, Hyuga Gen continued staring intently at the rapidly moving figure.

"Xiaojin, fly up and keep watch. Make sure you don't make too much noise."

Xiaojin immediately spread its wings and disappeared into the night sky. Xiaojin should have been able to speak after signing a Summoning Contract, but Hyuga Gen had never heard it say a word. It didn't matter, though. He knew Xiaojin could understand him.

Hyuga Natsu also saw the rapidly moving figure. She wanted to say something, but remembering what Hyuga Gen had just told her, she held her tongue.

The figure kept moving, and soon reached the Main House estate. The shadow slipped inside and carefully observed the area. Seeing nothing unusual, it headed toward Hinata's room.

Hyuga Gen's eyes narrowed.

There really was a mole. Otherwise, the shadow couldn't have gone straight toward Hinata's room without searching around first.

"Natsu, quickly check whether there's anyone else around the compound."

Hyuga Gen hurriedly spoke. He kept a close eye on the estate, watching for anything unusual.

He was afraid someone else might be hiding nearby—or that the mole itself was concealed close at hand, ready to stab him in the back at a critical moment.

Hyuga Natsu carefully swept the area and found nothing unusual, so she quietly told Hyuga Gen.

Hyuga Gen had already checked the vicinity, but he wanted to be extra sure, which was why he'd asked Hyuga Natsu to check as well. Hearing her report, he relaxed.

By then, the figure had reached Hinata's room. It looked around carefully again and, finding nothing wrong, quietly slipped inside.

The Main House's defenses were extremely weak at that moment. It was late at night, and everyone was asleep. Hyuga Gen had to admit that the intruder had picked the perfect time.

Besides, few people dared to sneak in and attack the Hyuga clan at night. It seemed there had been attempts before, but all had failed. With the advantage of the Byakugan, the Hyuga Clan wasn't very vulnerable to surprise attacks.

As a result, Hyuga Hiashi had let his guard down somewhat when it came to defense. Another reason was that Konoha's security was quite good. It wasn't easy for outsiders to sneak into Konoha and do anything.

Seeing that the Cloud Village ninja had entered the house, Hyuga Gen knew it was time for him to move. Just then, to his surprise, something seemed to stir in Hyuga Hiashi's room. The light flickered on, perhaps because Hyuga Hiashi had sensed something, then was quickly turned off again.

Hyuga Hiashi quietly and swiftly slipped out, heading toward Hinata's bedroom.

Hyuga Gen couldn't help admiring Hyuga Hiashi's composure. He hadn't shouted or made a fuss; he'd quietly gone after the intruder. Hyuga Gen could now understand why Hyuga Hiashi had been able to kill the Cloud Village ninja with a single strike in Shippuden.

Practicing Gentle Fist Taijutsu meant mastering softness, which was extremely helpful for concealing one's movements. When it came to moving without a sound, the Hyuga Clan had an absolute advantage. Combined with the Byakugan, they were naturally gifted at stealth and gathering intelligence.

Hyuga Gen wasn't in a hurry anymore. He knew the intruder couldn't escape death, and the story would continue to unfold as it had in Shippuden—though the events after the Cloud Village ninja's death might be changed a little.

"Natsu, come on. Let's go take a look together."

As he spoke, Hyuga Gen took Hyuga Natsu by the hand and ran toward Hyuga Hiashi.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the Cloud Village ninja had just carried Hinata out of the estate when he seemed to notice something.

"Who's there?"

A vicious palm strike answered him, landing squarely on the Cloud Village ninja's heart.

The Cloud Village ninja's eyes bulged as he stared in terror at the person who'd killed him. His strength drained away in an instant, and he started to collapse. Hyuga Hiashi caught Hyuga Hinata in his arms.

Hyuga Hiashi frowned. He noticed two people approaching from behind. He turned, drew a Kunai, and became alert.