The Price and the Thunderclap, Hidden Leaf Before the Storm

The icy divinity in Naruto's silver-white eyes slowly faded, restoring them to their azure blue.

As that terrifying pressure capable of freezing souls dissipated, the air in the entire corridor began to flow again.

"Pant... pant..."

The Hyuga Clan members kneeling all over the floor gasped for breath as though they had just been dragged from deep water, their bodies already drenched in cold sweat.

They stared at the blond boy with his hands in his pockets and his calm expression in terror, feeling as if they had just taken a walk through the gates of hell.

Hyuga Hiashi's body swayed. Only his willpower as the clan head kept him from collapsing on the spot.

Nothing remained on his dignified face now but ashen defeat and bitterness.

He had lost.

Lost completely and utterly.

Bloodline, strength, presence... he had been crushed in every respect.

Everything he had taken pride in was as fragile as paper before this mere twelve-year-old boy.

Resistance?

What could he possibly use to resist?

Even that absurd thought buried deep in his heart became clearer than ever—if Hinata truly could become this man's wife, then the future of the Hyuga Clan...

Hyuga Hiashi let out a long, long sigh. It was filled with endless exhaustion and compromise, as though he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Naruto... as long as you can protect Hinata in this cruel Shinobi World..." he forced the words out of his throat, each one draining away the last of his dignity. "I... the Hyuga Clan will no longer interfere."

This was no longer consent. It was a plea.

A plea for a god to protect the daughter he cherished most.

"Good. At least you know your place."

Naruto curled his lip and withdrew that focused aura.

Hyuga Hiashi did not even dare look at Naruto again. He hoarsely waved at the few clansmen behind him who could barely stand. "We... leave."

He was the first to turn away, his back desolate and bedraggled.

Supported by two branch-family members, Neji was still trembling violently all over. His once-proud Byakugan eyes were now hollow and vacant as he unconsciously muttered, "Monster... he's a monster..."

Everything that had happened today had utterly shattered every shred of pride he possessed as a genius.

More than a dozen of Hidden Leaf's most elite dojutsu ninja had arrived aggressively, only to retreat from this rundown apartment building with their tails between their legs like a pack of defeated roosters.

Only after the last Hyuga Clan member vanished around the stairwell corner did the entire apartment building return to the silence of night.

Then a soft, fragrant body silently pressed against him from behind.

It was Haku.

She pressed her cheek tightly against Naruto's broad, sturdy back. Her skin was as delicate as congealed cream, though its temperature was slightly cooler than that of an ordinary woman—an eternal mark left upon her by her Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, like unmelted snow at the start of spring: cold to the touch, yet strangely hard to let go of.

Her arms wrapped around Naruto's waist, slender yet firm, her fingers interlocked as if she feared that the moment she loosened her hold, the man before her would vanish into some corner of this cruel world.

Naruto lowered his gaze and caught sight, from the corner of his eye, of two strands of waterfall-like black hair hanging against his waist. Their ends curled slightly, carrying her unique cool fragrance.

"Lord Naruto... you were so handsome just now!"

Her voice was so soft, as though she feared shattering the tenderness of this moment, yet every word clearly slipped into Naruto's ear, carrying a restrained tremble and an unhidden fervor.

It was pure admiration, without the slightest impurity.

He turned around and pulled her into his arms.

Caught off guard by the movement, Haku crashed into that warm, broad chest.

She instinctively looked up—the stars seemed to fill her almond-shaped eyes, shimmering and rippling as worship and infatuation entwined within them, breathtakingly beautiful.

A thin blush spread across her face from the surge of emotion, like a camellia suddenly blooming amid snow. Red and white complemented each other, making it impossible to look away.

Naruto reached out and pinched her flawless cheek.

The moment his fingertips touched it, it felt soft boneless and so smooth that he almost worried he would leave finger marks behind.

"This is nothing yet."

He grinned mischievously and casually raised an eyebrow. "A mere Hyuga Clan isn't even enough to warm me up."

Haku widened her eyes and gazed up at him with admiration bordering on reverence—the man who had emerged from blood and dense mist, yet stood before more than a dozen elite jonin as immovable as an abyss and a mountain.

Her world was simple.

Whoever could give her an absolute sense of security was her god.

And Naruto was her god.

She was willing to stake a snow mountain frozen for a thousand years on him alone, without regret.

Naruto lowered his head. An indescribable heat filled his azure eyes, light and shadow mingling beneath the dim yellow lamplight as undercurrents surged.

He looked down at her devastatingly beautiful face, now flushed an alluring red, and his breathing gradually grew heavier.

Mm.

This "camellia in the snow" before him was something he had personally warmed little by little from the icy wilderness with the nearly scorching Yang Release aura of his Uzumaki Sage Body.

She was his.

"Tonight," his voice dropped several notes, carrying a lazy certainty, while the mischievous curve of his lips grew more suggestive, "the two of us should celebrate properly."

"Celebrate..."

Haku murmured the word, and then certain strange, fantastical images began surfacing uncontrollably in her mind one after another. The blush immediately spread from her ears down to her neck, growing ever more intense.

Too embarrassed to face him, she buried her face tightly in his chest. Her ears rang, her heart pounded so quickly she could barely hear it herself, and she only let out a tiny, mosquito-like "Mm."

Yet the instant that sound left her lips, her body completely softened, as if all her bones had vanished—like spring snow beginning to melt, silently and willingly sinking into a warm embrace.

Naruto held her close with one arm. His palm felt the delicate touch born of Ice Release yet slightly warmed by him, and the innate perception of his Sage Body told him that the heart of the person in his arms was pounding like a war drum.

The curve of his lips deepened quietly where no one could see it.

This night was destined to be long and far from peaceful.

[Ding! Detected that the host has officially begun the deep-bond progression with Snow-Style Kekkei Genkai target "Haku"...]

[This system has automatically disabled notification sounds. May the host achieve victory tonight and ensure that the Uzumaki Clan has successors.]

(Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office—)

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, held that scorching top-secret report in his hand, unconsciously tapping his fingers against the desk as his thoughts churned.

He silently did the math.

Zabuza had fled in defeat, Haku had been taken in, the Hyuga Clan had bowed their heads... with every step that boy took, he overturned the entire board and rearranged it anew.

And now, the stage that had given countless top-tier ninja headaches—the Chunin Exams—was about to begin.

He slowly exhaled a stale breath. Amid the complexity in his eyes, a trace of indescribable... anticipation appeared for the first time.

"Naruto, Naruto..."

He gave a hoarse chuckle. "This old man wants to see just what kind of mess you brat intend to make of this Shinobi World..."

Then he looked at another top-secret report in his hand, sent back by Jiraiya through the highest-level encrypted channel.

After last night's thunderclap, this report looked entirely different.

"Orochimaru has established 'Otogakure,' with the Chunin Exams as his target... a girl suspected to be from the Uzumaki Clan is on Kusagakure's roster... Sunagakure has sent its jinchuriki, 'Gaara'..."

The Third Hokage muttered to himself, dangerous light flickering in his eyes.

Every faction, every demon and monster, seemed to have caught the scent of blood and had all fixed their greedy eyes on Hidden Leaf without prior arrangement.

This was absolutely no ordinary exam. It was a carefully planned trap!

The Third Hokage's gaze involuntarily drifted toward some inconspicuous corner of the village, where the "variable" that gave him the greatest headaches—and inspired the deepest fear—lived.

"Orochimaru... threats from other villages..." He heavily knocked his pipe against the ashtray, producing a dull thud. A ruthless resolve flashed through his eyes. "Perfect... I'll use this battlefield of carnage to weigh just how heavy a 'god' like you truly is, Naruto!"