Hinata's Trust

Leaf Village mornings always carried the dampness of dew.

Hyuga Xiao stood beside the only path leading around the Hyuga Main House Estate, his back against an old cherry tree. He wore the plain gray training clothes of the Branch House, his forehead protector completely concealing the Caged Bird Seal. In his hand, he held a freshly picked wild chrysanthemum—morning dew still clung to its pale purple petals.

Footsteps sounded in the distance.

They were light and hesitant.

Hyuga Xiao adjusted his breathing, making himself look as though he were merely resting here. He counted the steps. Three, two, one—

"Ah..."

As Hinata turned the corner, just as she had for the past three days, she nearly tripped over a pebble by the roadside. Today, she wore a light pink kimono, her hair neatly combed, but her pale eyes were lowered, fixed on the tips of her shoes.

Xiao shifted aside at just the right moment, and the wild chrysanthemum in his hand "accidentally" fell to the ground, rolling right to Hinata's feet.

"Young Lady." He bowed slightly, his voice warm in precisely the right way—not fawning, yet not distant.

Hinata stopped and looked at the flower. After hesitating for two seconds, she crouched to pick it up. The dew on the petals dampened her fingertips.

"Th-thank you..." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"You're welcome." Xiao straightened, showing the slightly reserved smile expected of a Branch House boy. "This flower... suits your clothes quite well."

Hinata's cheeks instantly flushed red. Holding the stem, her fingers unconsciously rubbed against its rough surface.

This was the fourth day.

On the first day, when they had "run into each other," he had merely bowed and greeted her.

On the second day, he had "happened" to be practicing Gentle Fist, and Hinata had watched from afar for a few moments.

On the third day, he had folded a paper crane and placed it on a stone by the roadside. When Hinata passed by, the wind had blown it to her feet.

Every interaction had been kept to no more than three sentences. Every departure had been perfectly timed—before Hinata could gather the courage to speak, he had already bowed and taken his leave, leaving behind the image of a gentle, well-mannered boy.

A sense of boundaries was the finest sugar coating for poison.

"You..." Hinata suddenly raised her head. For the first time, those pale eyes looked directly at Xiao's face. "Do you come here every day?"

"I'm just passing through after morning training," Xiao said naturally. "The Branch House training grounds are to the east. This route is the shortest."

It was a lie. The Branch House did not need to detour around the Hyuga Main House Estate to reach the training grounds, but Hinata did not know that. Since childhood, the extent of her movements had been limited to the Main House courtyard and a few fixed routes.

"Oh..." Hinata lowered her head and looked again at the flower in her hand.

A system panel appeared at the edge of Xiao's vision:

[Target: Hinata Hyuga]

[Current Trust: 23%]

[Bond Status: Initial Curiosity → Faint Favorability]

[Recommendation: Maintain low-intensity positive contact and avoid excessive stimulation]

Xiao sneered inwardly. Trust? Bonds? Behind those cold numbers was the noose around his neck, ready to tighten at any time. But it did not matter. He would turn every scrap of "favorability" into a lever to pry fate itself loose.

"I should be going." Xiao bowed again. "Young Lady, please be careful as well. There are many stones on the road."

He turned and took three steps.

"W-wait!"

Hinata's voice came from behind him, trembling with the resolve of someone who had finally made up her mind.

Xiao stopped, but did not turn around immediately—this detail mattered. A Branch House member had to respond at once when summoned by the Main House, but if the "young lady had personally stopped him," he could appear slightly slow to react as a sign of respect.

"Is there... something else?" He turned only half his face toward her.

Hinata jogged two steps after him, clutching her kimono hem so tightly that it had wrinkled into a mess. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice almost to a whisper.

"Will you... come again tomorrow?"

Asking that question seemed to have exhausted all her courage. The tips of her ears were burning red, and she stared fixedly at the ground as if it held some peerless ninjutsu scroll.

Xiao remained silent for three seconds.

During those three seconds, Hinata's shoulders trembled slightly, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

"If the young lady wishes it." Xiao's voice softened further. "Tomorrow, I'll bring a white flower—it should suit your hair better."

Hinata abruptly lifted her head, and something flickered brightly in her eyes.

[Ding!]

[Hinata Hyuga's Initial Trust Established]

[Fate Bond +1]

[Current Bond Level: Sprout (1/10)]

[Reward: Minor Increase in Byakugan Purity (Total Increase: 2.1%)]

[Caged Bird Seal Loosening: 0.3%]

The cold system notification rang in his mind, but Xiao's smile was warm as spring. He nodded and prepared to leave.

"Um—"

Hinata suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

It was an extremely light touch. The instant her fingertips brushed the fabric, she pulled them back as though burned. Yet the act itself had already crossed a line—a Main House young lady taking the initiative to touch a Branch House member was practically an act of impropriety under Hyuga Clan rules.

Xiao stopped all movement, even lightening his breathing.

"My father said..." Hinata's voice shook badly. She looked around to ensure no one was nearby before speaking in a breathy whisper. "The night after tomorrow, he's taking me to meet the Hokage... at the Hokage Office... I-I'm scared..."

The moment she spoke those words, Xiao's pupils contracted slightly.

The Hokage Office. The night after tomorrow.

Every clue clicked into place at that instant—

The Hidden Cloud Spy Plan would move in three days. Hiashi Hyuga had deliberately withdrawn the defensive forces. And now, Hinata had been ordered to meet the Third Hokage on "the night after tomorrow."

A time gap.

A perfect time gap.

If Hinata were "coincidentally" kidnapped on her way to the Hokage Office, the blame could be pinned on the guards along the route—and those guards would most likely be Branch House members. If she were taken near the Hokage Office, even the Third Hokage's prestige would be damaged, and Hiashi could use the opportunity to demand more political bargaining chips.

As for Hinata's safety?

In the Main House's eyes, a timid young lady with mediocre talent might not be worth as much as one successful political maneuver.

Xiao felt his blood turn cold, but his expression only became gentler. He bent slightly, keeping his eyes level with Hinata's—this height would not make her feel pressured.

"The Hokage is a very kind elder," Xiao said, his voice carrying just the right amount of reassurance. "Young Lady, there's no need to be afraid."

"But..." Hinata bit her lower lip. "I heard there have been bad people in the village lately..."

"Leaf Village is very safe." Xiao smiled. "And there will certainly be many guards around the young lady."

That was a test.

Sure enough, Hinata shook her head, her voice dropping even lower. "Father said... we can't bring too many people. It would make the Hyuga Clan seem distrustful of the Hokage... O-only two Branch House uncles will come along..."

Two Branch House members.

The number of scapegoats had been confirmed.

Xiao went through the plan again in his head. Hidden Cloud spies, an inside accomplice, time, location, scapegoats—all the pieces had been placed on the board. Now, only one disruptor was missing.

And he was that disruptor.

"Young Lady," Xiao suddenly said, a trace of seriousness entering his voice, "if you're truly afraid... I can wait for you on the road to the Hokage Tower the evening after tomorrow."

Hinata froze.

"Of course, I'll only watch from afar," Xiao added, showing a somewhat embarrassed smile. "I just happen to need to deliver something there... If I see the young lady arrive safely, I'll feel more at ease too."

The words were exceptionally clever. They expressed concern while clearing him of any suspicion of "approaching the Main House without permission"; they gave Hinata a sense of security without making her feel pressured.

More importantly, they gave Xiao a reasonable excuse to appear at the scene.

Hinata's eyes lit up. It was the light of a drowning person grasping a piece of driftwood.

"R-really?"

"As long as the young lady doesn't tell anyone." Xiao raised one finger to his lips in a gesture of secrecy. "This is... a secret between us."

The word "secret" held a fatal appeal for a child like Hinata, who had long been bound by rules.

She nodded forcefully, the blush on her cheeks spreading all the way down her neck.

"I-I won't tell anyone!"

[Ding!]

[Hinata Hyuga's Trust Increased to 31%]

[Special Status Acquired: "Accomplice Mindset"]

[Effect: Target's tolerance for the host's secret actions greatly increased]

[Note: Once trust begins, shattering it requires a greater price]

Xiao noted the status inwardly. Good. Things were progressing faster than expected.

"Then, the evening after tomorrow." Xiao took a step back, returning to the respectful posture proper for the Branch House. "Young Lady, please be sure to be careful."

"Mm!" Hinata nodded vigorously, still clutching the wild chrysanthemum tightly in her hand.

Xiao turned and left. This time, Hinata did not call after him. She merely stood where she was, watching his back disappear at the end of the road.

After walking some distance, Xiao turned into an alley. The gentle smile vanished from his face in an instant, replaced by cold calculation.

He leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and brought up a map of Leaf Village in his mind.

There were three main routes from the Hyuga Main House Estate to the Hokage Tower. Given Hiashi's personality, he would definitely choose the most public route, the one easiest to be "witnessed"—the road through Central Street.

Shops lined both sides of that road, and it was crowded at dusk. A perfect place for the incident.

Xiao opened his eyes and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his clothes—a map marked with Hidden Cloud spy activity zones, which he had obtained yesterday from Hizou, the old man at the tea house.

His finger slid across the map before finally stopping at one point.

Central Street, Third Block, second floor of the old bookstore.

According to Hizou's information, it had recently been rented by a "merchant dealing in medicinal herbs," yet no herbs had ever been seen going in or out. Instead, unfamiliar faces frequently came and went around dusk.

The time, place, and people all matched.

Xiao folded the paper again and tucked it back into his clothes. His movements were slow, and he pressed every crease exceptionally flat.

There was much to prepare next: clothes for disguise, an escape route, Explosive Tags to create chaos, and—most importantly—a script that would let Hinata be "coincidentally" rescued by him amid the confusion.

Naturally, he also needed to leave enough evidence proving that Hidden Cloud was behind the kidnapping, while Hiashi's withdrawal of defensive forces had been "purely an oversight."

As for those two Branch House guards...

Xiao's gaze darkened.

If they lived, they would become tools for Hiashi to evade responsibility. If they died, it would solidify Hidden Cloud's reputation for brutality and stir the Branch House's resentment toward the Main House.

How he should choose was obvious.

Footsteps sounded outside the alley. Xiao immediately adjusted his expression, becoming once more the gentle, quiet Branch House boy. He walked out and ran into several Branch House children.

"Brother Xiao!" A little girl of seven or eight ran over, holding up a skewer of three-colored dango. "This is for you!"

Xiao crouched down, accepted the dango, and rubbed the girl's hair. "Thank you. Was training hard?"

"Not hard at all!" The girl smiled until her eyes curved like crescents. "Brother Xiao, does your forehead still hurt?"

She was referring to the injury Xiao had "accidentally" received a few days ago—that had been his excuse for investigating the hospital.

"It's already better." Xiao smiled and stood. "Hurry back to training. Don't keep the instructor waiting."

The children ran off. Xiao looked at the dango in his hand: white glutinous rice, red bean paste, and green matcha, all especially vivid beneath the morning sun.

He took a bite, and sweetness spread across his tongue.

Very sweet.

Sweet enough to make him want to vomit.

Yet he slowly finished the entire skewer anyway, snapped the bamboo stick in two, and tossed it into a trash bin by the roadside.

On his way back to the Branch House residential district, Xiao passed the training grounds. Dozens of Branch House members were practicing Gentle Fist. Sweat soaked their training clothes, and every forehead was bound with a protector hiding that humiliating mark.

A middle-aged instructor noticed him and nodded. "Xiao, if you're healed, come train."

"Yes." Xiao bowed in response.

He walked to the edge of the training grounds and began basic warm-ups. His movements were standard, his breathing steady. Every turn and every palm strike followed the textbook principles of Hyuga Gentle Fist.

No one knew that the boy training so earnestly was planning a conspiracy that would overturn the entire Hyuga Clan power structure.

Nor did anyone know that beneath his gentle exterior, his heart was beating coldly and steadily for the evening two days from now.

By the time training ended, the sun had already begun to set.

Wiping away his sweat as he left the training grounds, Xiao suddenly heard a system notification:

[Main Quest: Prevent the Hidden Cloud Kidnapping of Hinata]

[Time Remaining: 48 Hours]

[Quest Difficulty: B+]

[Warning: Failure will increase the probability of the Caged Bird Seal activating to 70%]

Xiao did not break stride.

He looked up at the sky. The evening glow had stained it blood-red.

The evening after tomorrow, the same bloody color would descend in a more tangible form.

And he would stand at the center of that crimson, personally tearing open the first wound in this rotten clan.

To survive.

To seize fate in his own hands.