"I haven't seen Hinata in ages. I'll go play with her today."
Ever since little Naruto had walked little Hinata home a few days ago, he hadn't seen his only friend outside again.
As for why little Hinata was his only friend?
Weren't our handsome Kurama and the human-looking Hashirama his good friends too?
Kurama had asked that question, because he was also curious about what he was to Naruto.
"You're my family."
Little Naruto simply blinked his big eyes, giving the curious Hashirama and Kurama a puzzled look.
Then Hashirama pulled him into a tight hug.
"Yahaha! That's my student! Exactly, we're your family."
Hashirama wiped away his tears, then took little Naruto riding on Majestic Attire: Susanoo (rocking horse edition), happily galloping through the remodeled Sealing Space.
Kurama turned his head aside with a haughty air, before a little Nine-Tails joined the galloping.
"Well, I suppose I could play with you."
That sparked Hashirama's competitive streak, and just like that, a horse race began.
Hashirama won in the end, because the outside of their mounts was made from his Wood Release. The little Nine-Tails had been about to overtake him, but Hashirama made the wooden shell on his mount painfully prickly against his bottom.
And so, amid the little Nine-Tails' piercing shrieks, Hashirama won the race, Naruto came second, and Kurama came third.
In the end, little Kurama tenderly rubbed his sore bottom, shot Hashirama a vicious glare, then retreated into his cage.
Do you think I don't want to beat up that shameless bastard?
If only I could beat him...
After that, though, the two humans and one fox grew even closer.
Remembering how little Kurama's whole art style had changed when the wooden spikes stabbed him, his eyeballs popping right out, little Naruto couldn't help chuckling.
It wasn't as though little Naruto hadn't tried looking for Hinata before, but those people had stopped him every time.
They said something about the young lady not being allowed out for a month.
Please go home at once.
In any case, they weren't very friendly toward him, but at least they were much better than the villagers who secretly cursed him on the street.
Today, little Naruto decided to try another approach and sneak out at night to find little Hinata.
The moon quietly rose over the horizon, spilling silver light over the ground.
Little Naruto quietly got out of bed, climbed through the window, and left his apartment.
He didn't alert the ANBU nearby.
Perhaps because little Naruto normally fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed and never woke during the night, sleeping ridiculously well, they were much less vigilant at night.
"Don't worry. Those people haven't noticed you moving."
Kurama's voice reached little Naruto's mind.
"Okay! Thanks, Kurama."
Little Naruto smiled happily. Just as planned!
He had begged Kurama for ages before getting him to agree to keep watch for him.
After all, the Nine-Tails had extremely powerful sensory abilities. Combined with Naruto's innate Uzumaki Clan talent, surveying everything within a ten-kilometer radius was a piece of cake.
The Nine-Tails swished his tails, one of which had extended out of the cage with Hashirama's help.
"As expected. As the strongest tailed beast, I'm more useful than a certain plant man."
"Hey, hey, hey! Kuramala! Without me, could you get this much of yourself out without damaging the Sealing Technique?"
Hashirama indignantly started shouting at the Nine-Tails.
"Shut up. I still have to watch the people around him."
Kurama rolled his eyes speechlessly at the plant man who had gotten his name wrong yet again, then focused on sensing anyone who might appear around little Naruto.
It was dark outside. The village's newly installed streetlights were dim, barely illuminating the paths.
The lights in the houses along the road, on the other hand, were bright.
Little Naruto followed the route he had memorized and reached the Hyuga residence again.
Almost there.
Little Naruto crouched down, found a cardboard box to cover himself with, and poked two holes in it with his fingers to watch his surroundings.
Okay, stealth mode, activate!
He slowly made his way forward like this, until Naruto finally slipped into the Hyuga Clan Compound.
"Hey, Hashirama, this person doesn't seem to be from your Konoha."
The Nine-Tails had sensed someone whose emotional fluctuations were completely different from everyone around him.
He kept his presence suppressed, but his emotions were fluctuating wildly.
Nervousness, excitement, impatience, a readiness to face death...
"Hmm? Let me take a look."
Black lines appeared around Hashirama's eyes, and his sensory abilities shot up.
"Holy crap, little Naruto!"
"Your gi... friend has been kidnapped!"
Hashirama's shocked and furious voice reached Naruto's ears.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Little Naruto didn't know what had happened.
Hinata's been kidnapped?
What do I do?!
No, I have to save her!
"Don't panic. Listen to me. They're just east of you. Hurry and chase them!"
"I'll guide you!"
Hashirama, too, acted on a rush of impulse, directing little Naruto to chase after the Cloud Ninja.
"Okay!"
Little Naruto threw off his disguise and took off running in the direction Hashirama had given him.
For a moment, his speed actually matched that of the Cloud Ninja advancing under cover.
"Mmph, mmph."
Little Hinata opened her eyes, but what she saw wasn't the familiar ceiling.
I'm tied up!
Little Hinata realized she must have been kidnapped.
She was utterly panicked now. Her father had never taught her what to do if she was kidnapped.
Then again, as the Hyuga Clan's young lady, she had countless guards with the Byakugan around her. How could anyone possibly come into the Hyuga Clan Compound to kidnap her?
Yet someone really had come today.
Little Hinata wanted to break free, so she tried with all her strength to undo the rope.
Unfortunately, not every three-year-old was as strong as Naruto.
"Hey! Keep quiet, or I'll kill you!"
The Cloud Ninja spoke in a hushed voice to Hinata, who had woken up.
In truth, he would only choose to kill his hostage if he really had no way out. After all, this was the Byakugan. He had to do everything he could to bring her back to the village.
Little Hinata struggled even harder. If this man took her away, she would never see her father and mother again, never see Big Brother Neji, Hanabi, or Naruto-kun again.
Just then, Hiashi pushed open the door to Hinata's bedroom.
"Little Hinata..."
"Oh no!"
Seeing the broken-open window, Hiashi immediately realized something was wrong.
He immediately leaped out of the bedroom and activated his Byakugan.
As veins bulged around his eyes, a gray-white world unfolded before him.
There!
So far away!
Hiashi spotted his daughter's chakra. She was already outside the Hyuga Clan Compound.
Beside her was an unfamiliar chakra signature. No, wait. I think I've encountered it before.
That's right. Someone from Kumogakure!
Hiashi thought as he ran. The thought that the Cloud Ninja might harm his daughter made the fury in his heart burn even hotter.
Wait, a familiar chakra is approaching that bastard.
That's... the jinchūriki?!
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