The cold divinity in Naruto's silver-white eyes slowly faded, restoring their azure color.
As that terrifying pressure capable of freezing souls dissipated, the air in the corridor finally began to flow again.
"Gasp... gasp..."
The Hyuga Clan members kneeling all over the floor gasped for air as though they had been dragged out of deep water, their bodies already drenched in cold sweat.
They stared in terror at the blond boy standing calmly with his hands in his pockets, feeling as if they had just taken a trip through the gates of hell.
Hyuga Hiashi's body swayed, and only the willpower of a clan head kept him from collapsing on the spot.
All that remained on his dignified face was ashen defeat and bitterness.
He had lost.
Lost completely.
Bloodline, strength, bearing... he had been crushed in every respect.
Everything he had once been proud of was as fragile as paper before this twelve-year-old boy.
Resist?
What could he use to resist?
Even that absurd thought deep within him became clearer at that moment—if Hinata could truly become this man's wife, then the future of the Hyuga Clan...
Hyuga Hiashi let out a long, long sigh, his voice filled with endless exhaustion and compromise, as if 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 his most precious daughter.
"At least you know what's good for you."
Naruto curled his lip and withdrew the targeted pressure.
Hyuga Hiashi did not even dare look at Naruto again. He hoarsely waved at the few clan members behind him who could barely stand. "We... leave."
He was the first to turn away, his back bleak and miserable.
Neji was supported by two branch family members, his entire body still trembling uncontrollably. His once-proud Byakugan eyes were now vacant and lifeless as he unconsciously muttered, "Monster... he's a monster..."
Everything that had happened today had utterly shattered all his pride as a genius.
More than a dozen of Hidden Leaf's most elite dōjutsu ninja had arrived aggressively, only to retreat from the shabby apartment building like defeated roosters, tails tucked between their legs.
Only after the last Hyuga Clan member vanished around the stairwell corner did the entire apartment building return to the silence of the night.
Then a soft, fragrant body silently pressed against him from behind.
It was Haku.
She pressed her cheek tightly to Naruto's broad, solid back. Her skin was as delicate as congealed cream, yet its temperature was slightly cooler than that of an ordinary woman—an eternal mark left upon her by her Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, like lingering snow from early spring. It chilled at a touch, yet was 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 grip, the man before her would vanish into some corner of this cruel world.
Naruto lowered his head and caught sight of two strands of her waterfall-like black hair hanging beside his waist from the corner of his eye. The tips curled slightly, carrying her distinctive cool fragrance.
"Lord Naruto... you were so amazing just now!"
Her voice was so soft, as if afraid to shatter the tenderness of the moment, yet every word clearly slipped into Naruto's ear, carrying a restrained tremble and an unconcealable intensity.
It was pure admiration, without a trace of impurity.
He turned around and pulled her into his arms with one hand.
Caught off guard by the motion, Haku crashed into his warm, broad chest.
She instinctively looked up—the almond-shaped eyes held what seemed like a sky full of shattered stars, rippling with light as worship and infatuation intertwined within them, breathtakingly beautiful.
Her face had been tinged with a thin blush by the surge of emotion, like a camellia suddenly blooming amid snow. The contrast of red and white made it impossible to look away.
Naruto reached out and pinched her flawless cheek.
The instant his fingertips touched her, her skin felt bonelessly soft and so smooth that he almost worried he might leave a mark.
"This is nothing."
He grinned mischievously and casually raised a brow. "One measly Hyuga Clan wasn't even enough to warm me up."
Haku's eyes widened as she gazed up at him with admiration bordering on reverence—the man who had emerged from blood and dense mist, who stood alone before more than a dozen elite jonin like an abyssal mountain.
Her world was very simple.
Whoever could give her absolute security was her god.
And Naruto was her god.
She was willing to stake the snow mountains frozen for a thousand years on him alone, without regret.
Naruto lowered his head. His azure eyes brimmed with an indescribable heat, shadows and light interweaving beneath the dim yellow lamp as undercurrents surged.
He looked down at her exquisitely beautiful face, now flushed so enticingly red, and his breathing gradually grew heavier.
Mm.
This "camellia in the snow" before him had been warmed little by little by his own nearly scorching Yang Release aura from the Uzumaki Sage Body, straight from the icy wilderness.
She was his.
"Tonight," his voice dropped lower, carrying a lazy certainty, while the mischievous smile at the corner of his lips became increasingly suggestive, "the two of us should celebrate properly."
"Celebrate..."
Haku murmured the word. Then certain bizarre images rose uncontrollably in her mind one by one, and the blush immediately spread from her ears all the way down her neck, growing deeper and deeper.
Embarrassed, she buried her face firmly in his chest. Her ears rang, and her heart beat so fast she could barely hear herself. She only let out a faint "Mm."
Yet the instant that word fell, her body went completely limp, as though all her bones had melted away—like spring snow beginning to thaw, silently and willingly sinking into a warm embrace.
Naruto held her close with one arm, his palm feeling the delicate touch that came from Ice Release yet had warmed slightly because of him. The Sage Body's innate sensory ability 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 process with Snow-Style Kekkei Genkai target "Haku"...] [This system has automatically disabled notification sounds. May the host achieve victory tonight, and may the Uzumaki Clan have successors.]
(Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office—)
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, held the still-warm top-secret intelligence report, his fingers unconsciously tapping on 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 this boy took, the layout of the chessboard was overturned and remade.
And now, the stage that had given countless top-tier ninja headaches—the Chunin Ninja Exams—was about to begin.
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. For the first time, amid the complexity in his eyes, there was a hint of indescribable... anticipation.
"Naruto, Naruto..."
He gave a hoarse chuckle. "This old man truly wants to see just what kind of mess you little brat plan to stir this Shinobi World into."
Then he looked at another top-secret intelligence report in his hand, sent back by Jiraiya through the highest-level encrypted channel.
After last night's thunderclap, everything about this report looked different.
"Orochimaru has established Otogakure, with his sights set directly on the Chunin Ninja Exams... a girl suspected to be from the Uzumaki Clan is on Kusagakure's roster... Sunagakure has sent the Jinchūriki, Gaara..."
The Third Hokage muttered to himself, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
Forces from every side, all manner of monsters and demons, seemed to have caught the scent of blood and turned their greedy eyes toward Hidden Leaf without prior agreement.
This was absolutely no ordinary exam, but a carefully planned trap!
The Third Hokage's gaze involuntarily shifted toward an inconspicuous corner of the village, where the "variable" who gave him the greatest headache—and inspired the greatest fear—lived.
"Orochimaru... threats from other villages..." He heavily knocked his pipe against the ashtray, producing a dull thud, as a cold resolve flashed in his eyes. "Perfect... I'll use this battlefield of carnage to weigh just how heavy this 'god' of yours truly is, Naruto!"
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