The Hour of the Boar Approaches

The night was ink-black, so dense it seemed impossible to dissolve.

The Hour of the Boar was approaching. In the woods outside the Hyuga Main House Estate, three figures seemed to meld into the shadows.

Hyuga Xiao crouched behind the thickest tree trunk, his Byakugan remaining active as his vision pierced layer after layer of walls, taking in every movement inside and outside the estate. His breathing was so steady it was nearly nonexistent. Only the faint sweat beading on his forehead glimmered ever so slightly beneath the moonlight.

Five meters to his left, Tokuma Hyuga pressed himself against another tree, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the handle of his kunai. The Branch House Elite Ninja had changed into dark-gray nightwear, his face covered by black cloth, leaving only his vein-bulging Byakugan exposed. His heartbeat was a third faster than usual, each thump echoing dully within his chest.

"They're here."

Xiao's voice was low, like leaves rustling in the wind.

Tokuma's entire body tensed.

At the edge of his vision, three dark figures sped in from the direction of the Leaf Village wall, their movements as swift as ghosts. They wore Hidden Cloud's distinctive dark-blue skintight combat suits, bird-beak masks covering their faces, while their bulging ninja tool pouches swayed faintly at their waists as they ran.

The three stopped twenty meters beyond the eastern wall of the Main House Estate. The leader gave a hand signal.

Xiao's Byakugan clearly caught the man's chakra flow—lightning-natured, pure and violent, at least at the level of a Special Elite Ninja. The other two were weaker, but they were still the finest among the Chunin.

"Only three, just as expected." Tokuma's voice squeezed through clenched teeth. "The intelligence was accurate."

Xiao did not respond.

His gaze passed over the Hidden Cloud spies and turned toward the estate's interior. Hiashi Hyuga was leading six guards as they escorted a petite figure out through the main gate. The figure wore the pale-purple kimono Hinata often wore, head lowered, steps slightly stiff.

The convoy slowly headed toward the Hokage Tower.

Only four Branch House guards remained in the estate—two patrolled the front courtyard, while the other two stood watch over the western corridor where Hinata's bedroom was located.

"Hiashi took everyone capable with him." Tokuma sneered. "The ones left behind are all young men who just became Chunin."

"The bait has to look convincing enough for the fish to bite." Xiao said blandly. "But the bait itself cannot be too tough."

Before his words had even faded, Hidden Cloud made its move.

The leader formed hand seals, his figure suddenly blurring as he transformed into a streak of lightning that charged straight toward the eastern wall. The other two split apart left and right. One hurled three shuriken, accurately targeting the blind spots in the two patrolling guards' vision.

"Enemy att—"

The guard's cry was cut off halfway as a Hidden Cloud Chunin lunged out of the shadows and covered his mouth. A kunai sliced across his throat, and blood sprayed over the bluestone pavement, dark beneath the moonlight.

The other guard had just reached for his blade when the lightning arrived.

Crack!

The sound of a neck bone snapping was chillingly crisp.

When the two guards stationed at the corridor heard the disturbance and rushed out, they were met head-on by the third Hidden Cloud ninja. Kunai and ninja blades collided, scattering sparks. Fighting one against two, the Hidden Cloud Chunin nevertheless drove them into a desperate corner within five moves through fiercer combat techniques.

"Too smooth." Tokuma tightened his grip on his kunai. "Something's wrong with how smooth this is."

Xiao's Byakugan remained fixed on the depths of the estate.

Inside Hinata's bedroom, the figure curled beneath the blanket had weak but steady chakra flow—she was pretending to sleep.

And in the shadows of the courtyard outside the bedroom, two more chakra signatures were concealed. One was cold and viscous, carrying Root's distinctive aura. The other was blazing and violent, clearly belonging to a Hyuga Clan Gentle Fist expert.

"Hiashi left contingencies behind." A faint curve appeared on Xiao's lips. "But he miscalculated two things."

"What?"

"First, he assumed Hidden Cloud would only send three people." Xiao slowly rose. "Second, he assumed the Branch House would only follow his script."

Tokuma looked at Xiao. "Do we move now?"

"Wait a little longer."

Xiao's gaze locked onto the three Hidden Cloud ninja. They had already dealt with every guard and were rapidly closing in on Hinata's bedroom. The leader kicked open the sliding door, moonlight spilling into the room and illuminating the faintly trembling figure beneath the blanket.

"The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main House." The Hidden Cloud Special Elite Ninja's voice carried restrained excitement. "That was easier than expected."

He reached for the blanket.

At that instant—

"Now." Xiao barked.

Tokuma shot out like an arrow released from its bow. After several swift bounds through the woods, he had already reached the outer wall of the estate. His hands formed seals, the veins around his Byakugan bulging as chakra condensed into pale-blue spheres in his palms.

"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"

Boom!

The force tore through the air and blasted directly toward the Hidden Cloud Special Elite Ninja reaching for the blanket.

The man reacted swiftly. The instant Tokuma attacked, he twisted aside and rolled away. The Air Palm grazed his shoulder and blasted a massive hole through the bedroom wall. Rubble scattered, and dust filled the air.

"An ambush!" the Hidden Cloud Special Elite Ninja shouted. "Retreat according to plan!"

The three did not hesitate. They turned and fled in separate directions.

Tokuma was about to pursue when he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye—Xiao had not followed.

The youth was still standing behind the same tree trunk, utterly motionless.

"Xiao?!" Tokuma's heart tightened.

Xiao gestured for him to continue, then turned toward the direction completely opposite the estate—toward the depths of the Hyuga Main House Estate, the Forbidden Zone that even the Branch House was prohibited from entering.

Tokuma gritted his teeth, suppressing the doubts in his heart as he pursued the nearest Hidden Cloud Chunin.

His task was clear: create enough commotion to make this "rescue" seem genuine, while delaying Hidden Cloud as much as possible to buy Xiao time.

As for what Xiao intended to do—

Tokuma did not dare think too deeply about it.

He only knew that from the moment that youth had found him at the training grounds, the Branch House's fate had already begun to stray from the path laid out by the Main House.

Xiao slipped through the shadows, fast as a phantom.

His Byakugan operated at full force. In his vision, the chakra distribution map of the entire Main House Estate appeared with perfect clarity. The guards in plain sight, the ambushes lurking in secret, and that vast, ancient source of chakra deep within the Forbidden Zone—the Hyuga Clan Shrine.

Hiashi had left with the fake Hinata, Hidden Cloud had been drawn away by Tokuma, and the Root ninja and Main House expert hiding in the darkness had their attention drawn to the fighting in the front courtyard.

Now was the best opportunity to infiltrate.

Xiao avoided every patrol route and crawled in through a long-neglected drainage outlet on the western side of the estate. The passage was narrow and damp, filled with the smell of moss and rotten wood. Holding his breath, he crawled forward on all fours, his elbows and knees scraping against the rough stone walls with a burning pain.

Thirty meters later, light appeared ahead.

Xiao cautiously poked his head out.

Before him lay an empty courtyard. At its center stood an ancient stone shrine. The shrine doors were shut tight, and carved above them was the Hyuga Clan crest—that eternally open Byakugan.

And seated upon the stone steps before the shrine was a petite figure.

Hinata Hyuga.

She wore simple white sleepwear, hugging her knees as she buried her face in the crook of her arms. Moonlight fell over her, outlining her thin, trembling form. Her chakra fluctuated violently with fear, confusion, and a trace of aggrieved abandonment.

Xiao stepped out from the shadows, his footsteps light.

Hinata abruptly raised her head, her Byakugan activating instantly. When she saw that it was Xiao, her tense body suddenly relaxed, but her eyes reddened.

"X-Xiao?" Her voice carried a sob. "Father said... said I had to wait here, and no matter what sounds I heard, I wasn't supposed to go outside... But there's fighting outside. I-I'm scared..."

Xiao walked over to her and crouched down, meeting her eyes at the same level.

"Your father told you to stay here alone?" His voice was calm.

Hinata nodded hard, and tears finally fell. "He said it was for the clan... but why did he hide me here? Why are so many people getting hurt outside? I heard screaming..."

Xiao reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face.

The gesture stunned Hinata. Since childhood, aside from her mother, no one had ever treated her with such intimacy.

"Lady Hinata." Xiao's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable force. "Did your father tell you what would happen tonight?"

Hinata shook her head.

"Then I'll tell you." Xiao looked directly into her eyes. "Hidden Cloud spies came to abduct you. Your father knew about it, but instead of reinforcing security, he moved most of the guards away. He left you here because this is the safest place—but also the easiest place to forget."

Hinata's pupils contracted.

"He... Father, he..."

"He wanted to use Hidden Cloud's hands to eliminate some disobedient Branch House members." Xiao spoke each word distinctly. "At the same time, he wanted to show the Hokage the Hyuga Clan's 'losses' in exchange for political leverage. And you are the most important part of his plan—a frightened Main House young lady who needs protection, someone who can win him the greatest sympathy and benefit."

Hinata's face went pale.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute him, wanting to say it could not be true. But her father's strange behavior over the past few days surfaced in her mind: his frequent contact with the Hokage Tower, his deliberate adjustments to the guards' shifts, and that complicated look in his eyes before leaving tonight...

"Why..." Her voice trembled. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to know the truth." Xiao stood and extended his hand toward her. "And because I don't want you to become a piece on his chessboard."

Hinata looked at that hand.

Under the moonlight, the outline of the youth's palm was clear and steady. There was no pity in his eyes, no attempt to please her—only an almost cruel honesty.

"Come with me," Xiao said. "I'll take you to see clearly what your clan and your father are really doing."

Hinata bit her lip.

Then she reached out and took Xiao's hand.

Her hand was cold, but her grip was tight.

In the courtyard outside the shrine, the battle was nearing its end.

Tokuma had successfully "repelled" two Hidden Cloud Chunin and was currently entangled with the Special Elite Ninja. Their Gentle Fist and Lightning Release collided, chakra shockwaves making the cherry trees in the courtyard shed leaves in flurries.

In the shadows, the Root ninja and Main House expert remained still.

They were waiting—waiting for Hiashi to return with "Hinata," waiting for this performance to reach its climax.

But what they received was another figure.

Hyuga Xiao led the real Hinata out from the shrine's shadows and into the center of the moonlit courtyard.

At that moment, everyone hidden in the darkness stopped breathing for an instant.

Tokuma and the Hidden Cloud Special Elite Ninja stopped fighting at the same time, retreating several steps as they stared at the center of the courtyard in shock.

Hinata's face was pale as paper, but she tightly held Xiao's hand without letting go. Her Byakugan swept over the guards' corpses strewn across the courtyard, over Tokuma's masked figure, and over those "guards" she had never seen before as they slowly emerged from the shadows.

Then she saw Hiashi Hyuga hurrying back from the estate's main gate.

Six guards followed behind Hiashi, along with the substitute wearing Hinata's kimono. When he saw Hinata and Xiao in the center of the courtyard, a crack appeared on that always dignified face for the first time.

Shock, rage, and a trace of embarrassment at having his scheme exposed.

"Hinata!" Hiashi shouted. "Who told you to come out?! Come here!"

Hinata's body trembled, but she did not move.

Xiao stepped half a pace forward, shielding Hinata behind him. He raised his head to meet Hiashi's nearly flaming gaze, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"Clan Head, the Hidden Cloud spies have been repelled. The young lady is safe and unharmed."

He paused, then added:

"Thanks to the timely rescue by this unknown Branch House ninja."

He pointed at Tokuma.

Hiashi's face darkened completely.

The courtyard fell deathly silent.

Cold moonlight spilled over everyone, stretching their shadows long, long.

Xiao held Hinata's hand and could feel her trembling. But he did not let go.

His gaze passed beyond Hiashi and toward the deeper darkness.

There, the system notification silently appeared:

[Detected fundamental deviation in Fate Node: 'Hinata Kidnapping Incident']

[Interception Progress: 47%]

[Byakugan Purity increased to 58%]

[Caged Bird Seal Removal Progress: 19%]

[Warning: Hiashi Hyuga's killing intent toward the host has risen to 87%]

An unnoticed curve lifted at Xiao's lips.

The Hour of the Boar had passed.

It was time to reset the chessboard.