Nichihashira's Inquiry

"Brother Dongyi, you've come out! Let's hurry home."

Watching Hyuga Gen emerge, Hyuga Natsu happily hooked her arm through his.

Hyuga Hiashi watched their retreating backs, his mind replaying their recent conversation, and a complex, inexplicable emotion stirred within him.

"So, you're saying that based solely on your own intuition—believing the Cloud Village might make a move against our Hyuga clan—you staked out the area for three days?"

Hyuga Hiashi looked at Hyuga Gen with a strange expression; he found it truly difficult to comprehend such behavior. Would a normal person actually do that?

His heart was in turmoil at that moment. To stake out a location for three days based on nothing but a wishful guess was absurd enough, but even more outrageous was the fact that the Cloud Village operatives had actually shown up.

"Yes, that is exactly how it happened."

Hyuga Gen said earnestly. He certainly couldn't tell him that he was from another world and possessed the gift of foresight.

"Then, in the middle of the night, why was Xia with you?"

"I was a bit tired after staking out the place for the first two days. Xia noticed, and on the third night, she snuck out to follow me."

"And why did you want to transport the corpses away from Konoha?"

Hyuga Hiashi asked the question that weighed most heavily on his mind.

"My reasoning was this: if we took the kidnappers' bodies to the Cloud Village to demand accountability, what if they bit back and denied everything? What if they claimed we murdered their envoys and demanded a life for a life? After all, their people were dead, and what if they used that as a pretext for war? Since they dared to attempt this, they likely prepared for every contingency."

"So, I felt it was better to remove them from Konoha. That way, no matter what happened, it would have nothing to do with the Hyuga clan. After all, the situation is delicate right now, and it wouldn't be wise to burn bridges."

Hyuga Gen laid out all his thoughts.

Hearing Hyuga Gen speak like this, Hyuga Hiashi was stunned, finding it hard to believe these words came from a boy of only ten. He stared at Hyuga Gen in a daze.

Watching the two disappear from his sight, Hyuga Hiashi had the fleeting illusion that he was already growing old. If not for the thought of his daughter, who was barely four, and the child soon to be born, he might have truly believed his youth had passed.

Recalling the events of last night, he still felt a lingering sense of dread. If his wife hadn't suddenly felt uneasy and wanted to check on Hinata, he didn't know how things would have ended. Would that kid have saved her? Hyuga Hiashi shook his head.

He stopped dwelling on it. Fortunately, there were no losses this time, but he would need to strengthen the mansion's security measures in the future. With that thought, Hyuga Hiashi turned and headed inside.

The sun set behind the western mountains, and night descended.

Hyuga Gen lay on his bed, lost in thought. Since arriving in this world, this was the first time he had taken action to alter its original trajectory. It seemed successful, and Hyuga Hizashi's fate had been changed as a result.

His mood was complex—half joy, half anxiety. He was happy that through his efforts, he had truly changed the course of events and saved Hyuga Hizashi from death.

Yet, he worried whether changing the world's path would trigger a series of negative consequences.

For instance, if Hyuga Hizashi didn't die, would Hyuga Neji still harbor such deep hatred for the main branch? Would he fail to become the "genius" he was destined to be? In Hyuga Gen's view, that hatred for the main branch was a driving force behind Neji's growth.

Furthermore, Neji had liked Hinata since they were children, thinking she was beautiful. If he didn't hate the main branch, would he end up with Hinata, leaving Naruto with nothing?

Of course, he might be overthinking it, but one thing was certain: his actions had indeed impacted the trajectory of this world.

Is what I'm doing right? Will it cause unpredictable changes that lead to a total collapse of this world?

Hyuga Gen fell into deep contemplation.

"Forget it, why think so much? If it changes, it changes. Otherwise, why would I have transmigrated here?" Suddenly, Hyuga Gen took a deep breath and whispered to himself.

"Starting from here, following my heart, acting on my own terms—that is my ninja way, haha."

Recalling the protagonist Naruto's speeches about his ninja way, this thought suddenly surfaced from the depths of his heart.

In that moment, the anxiety that had been lingering in his mind dissipated, and Hyuga Gen felt as if his entire being had become clear and transparent.

He slept exceptionally well that night; it felt like the most beautiful sleep he had ever had.

Early the next morning, the sun rose as usual, but Hyuga Gen felt the air was particularly fresh.

After finishing his meal, Hyuga Gen didn't leave, waiting quietly for Hyuga Kamen to finish eating. He ate quite quickly—a habit he had brought from his previous world, which he realized was perhaps not the best of manners.

"Speak up. What is it?"

Hyuga Kamen finished his meal, looked at Hyuga Gen, and asked.

"Old man, I want to move back home."

Hyuga Gen looked at Hyuga Kamen earnestly. He had already decided; he couldn't keep living here. Although it was quite nice—having someone to help with cooking and laundry—he still wanted to return.

"Have you thought it through?"

Seeing the serious expression on Hyuga Gen's face, Hyuga Kamen knew he wasn't joking.

"Yes, I have."

"Alright then. I'll have Aunt Hui go over and help you clean up."

"No need. I'm grown up now; I can clean and tidy up myself. No need to trouble Aunt Hui."

"You child, why be so formal? Isn't it good living here? Why do you want to move back?" Hyuga Hui seemed somewhat reluctant.

"That is my home, and it's time I moved back."

"Isn't this your home too?"

"This place... I suppose it is."

Hyuga Hui wanted to say more, but Hyuga Kamen gave her a look, and she fell silent.

"Since you want to go back, I won't stop you. I'll give you the keys when you get back from school this afternoon."

Hyuga Gen nodded and stood up, preparing to head to the academy.

"Dongyi, he's grown up."

Watching Hyuga Gen's retreating figure, Hyuga Hui felt a wave of emotion.

"Indeed!"

Hyuga Kamen nodded in agreement.

"Actually, no. Hmph, hasn't this kid always been like an adult? He's even sharper than most grown-ups."

Seemingly recalling something, Hyuga Kamen added another remark.

"The child hasn't even moved out yet, but for some reason, I'm already starting to miss him."

"You, really."

Hyuga Kamen pulled Hyuga Hui close, letting her lean against his shoulder.

"Children always grow up. Besides, it's not like he's moving far away; I'll make sure to tell him to come back and visit you often."

On the other side, Hyuga Gen informed Hyuga Natsu and Yu Zhihui that he was planning to move back. Hyuga Natsu felt a bit dejected at first, but after some comfort and explanation from Hyuga Gen, her mood improved.

They agreed to go over together on the weekend to help Hyuga Gen clean and tidy up his room.

Meanwhile, the group from the Cloud Village traveled day and night, finally crossing the borders of the Land of Fire. Relying on the special sensory mark left on Saiji (the one who had abducted Hinata), Tutai soon sensed his location.

However, when Tutai saw Saiji, his face turned deathly pale. Although the body was unrecognizable and a gruesome sight, Tutai still recognized him, for his sensory perception could not be wrong.

After burying him with an Earth Style technique, Tutai took one last deep look in the direction of Konoha and said, with neither sorrow nor joy, "Let's go."

He knew that this mission had failed, and that they had lost completely.