A motivated Hinata

In the original story, Hyuga Hiashi had killed that Kumogakure ninja on the spot, leading Kumogakure to hold Konoha accountable afterward.

Konoha had been too weak at the time. Having genuinely killed a "diplomat," and lacking sufficient evidence to expose Kumogakure's despicable actions, it had found itself forced to "hand over the killer."

To resolve the matter, Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother, Hizashi Hyuga, had become the scapegoat. This was also why Neji Hyuga had hated the Hyuga main family later in the original story.

Stay calm. Whatever you do, stay calm.

Of course, if Chinatsu was honest with herself, she knew that if she had been in Hyuga Hiashi's shoes, she would never have been civilized enough to settle for slapping him. She would have kicked him outright.

Chinatsu: "You fucking think you can touch my daughter? You're twenty thousand years too early!!!"

Fortunately, Chinatsu was wearing a mask, so the goofy grin beneath it was hard to see. Kakashi, who had been watching nearby, stopped hiding as well. In a flash, he appeared beside the trembling Kumogakure ninja sitting on the ground and casually knocked him unconscious with a chop of his hand.

"Lord Hyuga."

"I never thought much of the Anbu before... but you did well this time!"

How could we not? We saved your own daughter.

After giving them his approval, Hyuga Hiashi prepared to take Hinata from Chinatsu's arms. But Chinatsu wanted to hold her a little longer, so she opened her mouth and added a few more words.

"Lord Hyuga, a mere Kumogakure ninja managed to abduct the princess of the Hyuga main family from your own compound. Is your clan's security that poor, or do you simply not care about this little girl?"

Under normal circumstances, only a handful of people, including the Naruto, could talk back to the head of the Hyuga Clan. A mere Anbu member challenging him was something the other Anbu would never even dream of doing.

But Chinatsu wasn't worried at all. First, she wasn't afraid of causing trouble. Second... So you're the head of the Hyuga Clan, huh? If I had the nerve, I could call myself the head of the Uchiha too, even if there are only two of us left!

Faced with Chinatsu's challenge, Hyuga Hiashi pressed his lips together, wanting to argue. But when he saw the young Hinata in her arms, he wrestled with his guilt for a moment before abandoning his rebuttal.

She's right. I haven't been paying enough attention to my daughter...

Seeing that Hyuga Hiashi was reflecting on his mistakes, Chinatsu finally handed Hinata over to him, though she was reluctant to let her go.

Winning her affection?

That little heroic rescue just now was enough. My face was hidden by the mask, but Hinata should have heard my voice. I just need to find a natural opportunity for her to recognize me in the future.

A delighted smile spread across Chinatsu's face beneath her mask. Everything was heading in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Kakashi hoisted the Kumogakure ninja onto his back and prepared to leave. If they didn't retreat now, people would soon start gathering.

"Lord Hyuga, we'll take our leave."

After speaking, Kakashi turned and gestured for Chinatsu to hurry up. She shrugged and quickly followed him, and the two soon vanished back into the darkness.

Hinata stared blankly in the direction Chinatsu had disappeared, her adorably dopey eyes wide. She couldn't help murmuring, "So cool..."

Hyuga Hiashi froze with her in his arms, his expression practically saying, "Daughter, that's not a good idea!"

The Anbu... is hardly a good place...

Not long after Chinatsu and Kakashi left, the Hyuga Clan's patrol guards rushed out and hurried over to Hyuga Hiashi in a panic.

"The... young miss is miss... huh? Young miss?"

The guards had been about to say that the young miss was missing, but before they could finish, they spotted Hinata in Hyuga Hiashi's arms.

"Huh? Did the young miss come to play with Grandpa? Phew! Thank goodness. You really gave us a fright. What a mischievous little girl..."

One of the guards chuckled and scratched the back of his head. Hyuga Hiashi's brows knitted together. He raised his hand, and the guard who had just been laughing was sent flying to the ground by a slap.

"What are those smiles on your faces for? Are you smiling because you successfully protected the bloodline of the Hyuga main family?! Every last one of you, get out of the Hyuga Clan!"

Hyuga Hiashi roared in fury, and everyone within his sight trembled so badly their legs shook.

Get out of the Hyuga Clan!

The Hyuga Clan was divided into the "main family" and the "branch family." The main family carried the pure bloodline, while the branch family's duty was to protect them with their lives.

Nor could every member awaken the clan's Kekkei Genkai. It required not only sufficient bloodline purity, but also outside stimulation and the appropriate training methods. Expelling a few branch family members would therefore barely affect the Hyuga Clan.

Besides, if the main family wished, they could kill members of the branch family in an instant. That was the relationship between the two families, and the devilish "curse" in Naruto.

The Caged Bird Seal...

After dealing with those utterly useless patrol guards, Hyuga Hiashi carried little Hinata back into the residence.

Hyuga Hiashi was already considering moving his daughter to a different room and stationing more guards around it. Meanwhile, Hinata's face was bright red in his arms. She opened her mouth to say something, only to shyly close it again, repeating this over and over.

Hinata: Daddy... hasn't held me in so long...

Hinata reached out with her little hand and shyly tugged at Hyuga Hiashi's clothes. Only then did he realize he was still holding his daughter.

He carefully set Hinata down. The atmosphere was a little stiff. Their relationship as father and daughter wasn't bad, but they weren't particularly close either.

Hinata lowered her head, while Hyuga Hiashi turned to look elsewhere. For a moment, neither knew what to say to break the awkward silence.

"Um... Daddy?"

"Yes?!"

At Hinata's cautious, quiet murmur, Hyuga Hiashi immediately turned his head back toward her.

"Daddy... I'll work hard. I'll work hard to become an excellent ninja and become your successor..."

Listening to Hinata, Hyuga Hiashi felt an unexpected swell of emotion. As both the clan head and her father, those were the very words he most wanted to hear.

He had always felt that Hinata lacked the drive to follow in his footsteps, so he had also been keeping an eye on her younger sister, Hanabi.

But if Hinata had that drive, then naturally, that was best of all!

A smile appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's face for the first time in ages, and he even threw his head back and laughed. Hinata lowered her head again. There had actually been more she wanted to say, but she had been too shy to voice it.

I'll become stronger... I'll work hard to become like that masked big sister from earlier...