Hinata is Captured

"Brother Dongyi, so the reason you haven't slept for the past two days is just to stand here and catch the breeze?"

Hyuga Natsu yawned, looking at Hyuga Gen—who was tucked under the other wing—with a strange expression.

Although their bodies were tucked inside Xiaojin's wings, their heads remained outside. A gust of wind blew by from time to time; the night air carried a hint of chill, and it was certainly not a pleasant experience.

Having noticed for two consecutive days that Hyuga Gen was listless and had skipped his morning training, Hyuga Natsu had been curious about what he was doing at night.

One had to know that Hyuga Gen usually kept a very regular schedule; he would wake up early to go for a run and then head home for breakfast.

Over the last two days, not only had he been sleeping in, but he also lacked energy during their practice sessions and frequently yawned, which had piqued Hyuga Natsu's curiosity.

So, she kept a watch on him at night, discovered him sneaking out, and naturally, she followed.

That led to the soul-searching question at the beginning.

"Well, something like that. Why don't you go back to sleep, Xia?"

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

If he said that, a mountain of questions would follow: What Cloud Village kidnappers? Why are they here? Who are they trying to kidnap? Brother Dongyi, how did you know they were coming...

To avoid that avalanche of questions, Hyuga Gen had to be vague; he didn't want Hyuga Natsu to suffer the cold wind with him.

"Then I'll just stay here and keep Brother Dongyi company. It's quite warm inside Xiaojin's wings."

Going back was out of the question. In truth, she had already realized that Hyuga Gen seemed to be waiting for or investigating something.

"By the way, Xia, how did you find me?" Hyuga Gen thought he had been quite careful when he left.

Hyuga Natsu activated her Byakugan and looked at him, and Hyuga Gen understood. Right, with her Byakugan active, it was only natural that she would see him sneaking out.

No wonder he had felt a faint sensation of being watched over the past few days; so that was it. The feeling had been so weak that he wouldn't have thought of it if Hyuga Natsu hadn't mentioned it.

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

Hyuga Gen looked at her with a strange expression.

"What would there be to see? It's just a skeleton and chakra pathways," Hyuga Natsu said with complete, natural indifference.

"Xia, have you really peeked?"

Hyuga Gen looked at her, stunned. This was beyond his expectations; given her personality, she shouldn't have.

"I didn't! I was just stating a fact. Hmph, Brother Dongyi, you're just bullying me. I'm not talking to you anymore."

Unfortunately, it was too dark, and Hyuga Gen couldn't see the expression on her face.

Of course, with his own Byakugan currently active, what he saw was similar to an X-ray, only the Byakugan was far more intelligent and powerful.

Time drifted by slowly. Usually, time passed quickly, but when waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree stump, it felt agonizingly sluggish.

"Xia, why don't you go back to sleep? It's very late, and staying up late will make you less pretty."

Hyuga Gen was starting to doubt himself. Could it be that the Cloud Village ninjas weren't coming tonight? It was already around one in the morning.

Receiving no answer, Hyuga Gen turned his head to find that Hyuga Natsu had fallen asleep. Although he felt sleepy too, he knew he couldn't afford to doze off.

He continued to keep his Byakugan active, scanning everything like a radar; he knew he couldn't let his guard down now.

"They're here."

Seeing a figure approaching the Hyuga compound from the distance, Hyuga Gen knew the Cloud Village kidnappers had arrived.

"Xia, wake up, Xia."

Hyuga Gen hurriedly shook the sleeping girl awake.

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

"Xia, don't speak. Someone is here. Stay here and don't move; Xiaojin and I will go take a look."

With that, Hyuga Gen focused his full attention on the rapidly moving figure.

"Xiaojin, fly into the air and keep watch. Don't make a sound."

Xiaojin spread its wings and vanished into the night sky. Theoretically, it should have been able to speak after signing the summoning contract, but Hyuga Gen had never heard it utter a word. It didn't matter, though; he knew Xiaojin understood him.

Hyuga Natsu saw the moving figure as well. She wanted to say something, but remembering Dongyi's warning, she held her tongue.

The figure moved continuously, soon reaching the Main House courtyard. The shadow slipped inside, observed cautiously for a moment, and finding nothing amiss, bolted toward the direction of Hinata's room.

Seeing this, Hyuga Gen's eyes narrowed.

It seemed there really was a mole; otherwise, the shadow wouldn't have headed straight for Hinata's room without searching elsewhere first.

"Xia, quickly, help me check if there's anyone else around the compound," Hyuga Gen said urgently, while he carefully scanned the house for other anomalies.

He feared that others might be hiding nearby, or that the mole might be lurking close by, ready to stab him in the back at the critical moment.

Hyuga Natsu scanned the area thoroughly and found nothing unusual, so she whispered the news to Hyuga Gen.

Hyuga Gen had already checked the vicinity, but he wanted to be extra sure, which was why he had asked her to look again. Hearing her confirmation, he finally felt at ease.

At this moment, that figure had already arrived outside Hinata's room. He carefully scanned his surroundings, and finding nothing amiss, he quietly slipped inside.

To be honest, the defensive capabilities of the Hyuga Main House were extremely weak at this hour. After all, the night was deep and everyone was asleep; Hyuga Gen had to admire that the timing was chosen perfectly.

Of course, it was also because very few people dared to attempt a sneak attack on the Hyuga clan at night. It seemed it had been tried before, but all had failed; because of the advantage of the Byakugan, the Hyuga clan did not fear sneak attacks.

This had led to Hyuga Hiashi becoming somewhat lax regarding defense. Naturally, another reason was that Konoha's security was quite good, and it was not easy for outsiders to sneak into the village to do anything.

Watching the Cloud Village ninja enter the room, Hyuga Gen knew it was time for him to move as well. Just then, Hyuga Gen was very surprised; for some reason, there seemed to be movement in Hyuga Hiashi's room. The light flickered on, perhaps because Hyuga Hiashi had sensed something, and then he quickly extinguished it.

Following that, Hyuga Hiashi swiftly and quietly left his room, creeping toward the direction of Hinata's bedroom.

Seeing this, Hyuga Gen had to admire Hyuga Hiashi's composure; he didn't shout or raise an alarm, but instead crept up stealthily. At this moment, Hyuga Gen could understand why Hyuga Hiashi was able to kill the Cloud Village ninja in a single blow in Shippuden.

Practicing the Gentle Fist taijutsu was, in itself, defined by the word "gentle," which was of immense help in concealing one's tracks. To move without a sound, the Hyuga clan held an absolute advantage, and coupled with the Byakugan, the Hyuga clan could be said to be naturally gifted at concealment and intelligence gathering.

At this point, Hyuga Gen was no longer in a hurry. He knew the intruder could not escape death, and the story would continue to unfold as it did in Shippuden, though the events following the Cloud Village ninja's death might be slightly altered.

"Xia, let's go. We'll head over together to take a look."

With that, Hyuga Gen pulled Hyuga Natsu along and ran toward where Hyuga Hiashi was.

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

"Who's there?"

He was met with a fierce palm strike that landed directly on his heart.

The Cloud Village ninja's eyes bulged as he stared in terror at the person who had killed him. In an instant, all the strength drained from his body, and as he collapsed to the ground, Hyuga Hiashi caught Hyuga Hinata in his arms.

At this moment, Hyuga Hiashi frowned, noticing two people approaching him from behind. He turned around, drew a kunai, and became fully alert.