Encounter

As evening drew near, Konoha was bathed in the crimson glow of the setting sun, as though soaked in red dye.

Naruto's expression stiffened as he considered how he should answer that question.

"What a hassle. I won't ask, then." Shikamaru was a smart person. The moment Naruto's face froze, he lazily said this and lay back down on the grass.

Since Naruto did not want to answer, he would not press him.

Naruto looked at Shikamaru gratefully, a warm smile spreading across his face.

He could roughly guess what Shikamaru was thinking. Being able to make these three friends was truly worthwhile.

"What a useless crybaby!"

"Look at her eyes! They're terrifying!"

"Ha ha, those eyes are disgusting."

A somewhat noisy commotion rose not far from Naruto and the others.

It was accompanied by faint sobbing.

"Those guys are probably bullying someone again."

As Naruto spoke, he patted his backside and got to his feet.

"Need help?" Ino asked lazily.

Choji, beside her, also stopped eating his chips and looked at Naruto.

The three of them had long grown used to Naruto sticking his nose into other people's business. Although Naruto had often been bullied in the past, after gaining strength, he instead chose to protect the weak and uphold the justice in his heart.

All three of them greatly admired him for that.

Naruto smiled and responded, "No need. I'll go take a look and be right back."

As he spoke, his figure had already vanished from the three's sight.

With light steps, Naruto arrived at the source of the noise.

Through the dense trees, Naruto clearly saw the three bastards who had often bullied him in the past surrounding a girl.

The girl's appearance could not be seen. Her tiny body was crouched on the ground, her face buried between her arms as she did not dare look around. The quiet sobbing came from her.

"Her eyes are so scary."

"Yeah, they're disgusting."

"Hey, stop crying. Lift your head so we can look again."

The three brats hurled cruel insults at Hinata.

Yet this scene inexplicably filled Naruto with pity.

He felt that the girl before him was much like his former self.

Mocked, cowardly, and afraid to face others.

The more pity he felt, the angrier Naruto became. In a single leap, he landed beside them and roared, "You three are bullying someone again!"

His voice startled the three, who had been laughing moments ago. Once they saw Naruto's face clearly, they instinctively turned and ran.

Things were no longer the same.

The monster they had once been able to bully at will was now a ninja trainee. They were no match for Naruto at all.

Naruto did not intend to chase after the three as he watched their fleeing backs.

He could understand that children liked playing pranks, but he could not change them.

This was not the first time Naruto had rescued someone bullied by those three. He had once tried to change their childish obsession with cruel pranks.

But he had never succeeded even once, and eventually, he gave up.

It was not as if he could kill them all and bury them on the spot.

"Are you all right?" Naruto crouched beside the girl and asked softly.

The girl froze for a moment, and her sobbing stopped.

She cautiously raised her head from between her arms and looked at Naruto in a daze before quickly lowering it again.

The girl's actions made Naruto smile. He could roughly understand why those people had bullied her.

"They're very beautiful eyes." Naruto praised her sincerely. In the instant the girl had raised her head, he had clearly seen her face.

On her round, adorable face were a pair of flawless white eyes.

Both the whites and pupils of those eyes were white, making them difficult to distinguish without close inspection.

The girl's body trembled lightly. She raised her head and looked at Naruto again. This time, she did not bury her head, instead staring directly at him.

Noticing the girl's courage, Naruto held out a hand and said with a gentle smile, "What's your name? I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Uzumaki Naruto.

Hinata repeated the name silently in her heart, then softly answered, "M-My name is Hinata."

As she spoke, she also extended her fair little hand and grasped Naruto's palm.

"Lord Danzo."

The first thing Fugaku did after returning to camp with his clansmen was enter Danzo's tent.

Danzo glanced at the somewhat restrained Fugaku and asked, "Have you finished discussing it?"

"I have made things clear to the clansmen. They do not wish to become enemies of the village either. I ask Lord Danzo to help mediate for us. I will also deal with the radical voices within the clan as soon as possible," Fugaku said with a nod.

"Of course." Danzo gestured for him to sit beside him.

Fugaku sat down beside Danzo somewhat nervously. Ever since childhood, he had often heard his father speak of Danzo's formidable reputation. Compared to Sarutobi Sasuke, a senior he respected—

Danzo had been the shadow of his childhood fears.

That shadow had followed him as he became a ninja, became the Clan Head, and continued to follow him even now.

Especially recently, Danzo's shadow over him had only grown deeper. At times, Fugaku even had the illusion that Danzo understood him better than he understood himself.

Danzo asked calmly, "You have already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, haven't you?"

His tone was certain and calm, as though he were merely stating something ordinary.

Yet those words made Fugaku's heart pound wildly. So it had not been an illusion. Danzo truly understood him better than he understood himself.

"Yes." Fugaku answered nervously and cautiously glanced at Danzo.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was an eye possessed only by Madara Uchiha. It could grant its wielder power capable of destroying heaven and earth. With such eyes, Lord Danzo should be deeply wary of him, shouldn't he?

"Good."

Yet Danzo's reaction was completely unlike what he had expected. With an even expression, he said, "Since you have awakened the Mangekyō, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki will be left to you."

"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"

Fugaku's eyes widened. "Kumogakure has deployed a Jinchuriki?"

Danzo nodded. "Only the Two-Tails."

Fugaku: .

What did he mean, only the Two-Tails?

Any tailed beast was incredibly troublesome, all right?

With a grave expression, Fugaku asked, "Does anyone else know this information?"

Perhaps because of Danzo's words, the Aura throughout the tent seemed to congeal. This was undoubtedly bad news.

Tailed beasts were humanoid weapons. Whenever one was deployed, it meant widespread casualties.

If the others in camp learned of this, it would definitely cause a small-scale panic.

Deploying a tailed beast right at the start of the war—Kumogakure truly lived up to its reputation.

Danzo shook his head. "They do not know. I did not tell them. Only Root and I know about this."

"Why not tell the other commanders?" Fugaku was somewhat puzzled. He understood why the information could not be made public, but why not tell the other commanders?

"The others do not know the Mangekyō's abilities. Telling them would only increase their pressure. Besides the Jinchuriki, there are other opponents even more troublesome than Dodai," Danzo explained.