The chamber sealed with a low, resonant hum as the ANBU barrier snapped into place.
The Third Hokage entered first, staff tapping lightly against the stone floor. Jiraiya and Kakashi followed behind.
The assembled council rose as one.
Clan heads of the major clans of Konoha stood in quiet respect while the barrier settled fully, chakra threading through the walls like an unseen lattice.
"Thank you for gathering on such short notice," the Third Hokage said evenly. "What we discuss today does not leave this room."
That alone sobered the atmosphere.
Tsume Inuzuka flashed a sharp grin. "Hokage sama, before we get into the doom and gloom, I've gotta say, Hatake brat," she glanced over Kakashi's shoulder, "your kid's been causing a hell of a stir lately."
A few chuckles rippled through the room.
Kakashi's visible eye curved into a lazy smile. "If only you knew, Lady Tsume."
Jiraiya snorted. "Oh, trust me. They don't know the half of it."
The humor died quickly as Shikaku Nara stood. The jōnin Commander's presence alone shifted the room. "I'll get straight to the point. This meeting is about Danzo Shimura."
Every spine straightened.
"The Hokage has authorized a joint investigation between my office and the ANBU command. We've spent weeks chasing shadows. Unfortunately, Danzo is exactly as paranoid and meticulous as we feared."
Inoichi Yamanaka frowned. "No paper trail?"
"None that leads anywhere useful," Shikaku replied. "Root doesn't exist on paper anymore."
"Then how is he still operating?" Hiashi Hyuga asked coldly.
"We don't know."
"How do you plan against an unknown enemy?" Choza Akamichi asked.
Shikaku smirked. "Because Root never survived on secrecy alone. It survived on infrastructure."
That clue was enough for the elite shinobi to understand the plan.
It was commonly said that it took a dozen civilians to support a single shinobi who specialized in fighting.
The ninja villages existed because that was true.
Shinobi liked to think of themselves as fighters. It gave shape to their training and meaning to the risks they took. In practice, shinobi were weapons, and weapons were never meant to exist in a vacuum.
Even the sharpest blade needed a forge, a hand to keep it honed, and a place to be set down when the fighting was done.
Chakra made extraordinary things possible. A single ninja could breach a fortress, cross borders unseen, or survive battles that would erase ordinary soldiers. Jutsu could clear a battlefield. Shadow clones could compress days of labor into minutes.
None of it fed anyone.
None of it tilled soil, smelted metal, stitched armor, or kept a home standing while its owner was gone for months or years. Shinobi vanished on missions that stretched across borders and seasons. While they were gone, life continued without them.
That was where civilians came in.
Fields were planted and harvested on schedule whether shinobi were home to eat from them or not. Roads were cleared so movement remained possible. Supplies were produced, preserved, counted, and stored long before anyone knew they would be needed. Civilians did not live at the edge of the village. They formed the structure that allowed the village to function at all.
The division formed naturally.
Shinobi trained to move, fight, and endure. Civilians built lives rooted to land, craft, and time. Each handled what the other could not afford to.
In Konoha, the balance was visible everywhere. Training grounds sat beside marketplaces. Mission halls shared walls with supply offices. Children learned to read and count alongside basic chakra theory, whether or not they would ever wield it themselves.
Shinobi were not brutes swinging power blindly. They were weapons given purpose, shape, and restraint by the world around them.
If Danzo was truly operating Root outside of Konoha's authority, then he couldn't be doing it alone. That kind of operation would require illegal suppliers, intermediaries, and hidden support networks willing to provide resources off the books. Root surviving without Konoha's backing meant someone, somewhere, was helping keep it alive.
"So what's the plan?"
Shikaku exhaled slowly. "We squeeze."
Several brows lifted.
"We make the Land of Fire hostile territory for any unsanctioned operations," he said. "We tighten regulations, audits, inspections, and patrols. We track unusual supply flows. We lean on merchants who suddenly start moving too much steel or medicine. We follow caravans that don't make sense."
"And when they resist?" Tsume asked.
"We apply pressure," Shikaku said flatly. "Economic first. Legal second. Force only when necessary."
Jiraiya nodded. "You're talking about collapsing his support network without ever touching him directly."
"Exactly," Shikaku replied. "Danzo's strength came from Konoha's protection. Take that away, and Root bleeds resources."
Hiashi frowned. "He'll retaliate."
"Of course he will," Shikaku said. "Which gives us something he's been denying us. Patterns."
Kakashi spoke up for the first time. "If Root operatives move to compensate, they expose themselves."
"Right," Shikaku said. "If they try to secure new suppliers, we follow the money. If they intimidate civilians, we intervene. If they relocate outside Fire Country, we track the crossings."
Hiruzen nodded slowly. "We don't hunt Danzo. We make his existence unsustainable in the Land of Fire."
"That's the idea," Shikaku said. "Every action he takes becomes a risk instead of a certainty."
Shibi Aburame asked, "What of the former Root shinobi?"
All eyes turned back to the Hokage.
"They're already under surveillance," Hiruzen said. "Any deviation from normal behavior is flagged. They will be detained and interrogated for clues."
Inoichi closed his eyes briefly. "Yamanaka will assist with mind reads, but knowing Danzo, he would've taken measures to protect the minds of his men, especially in enemy territory."
Tsume huffed. "You're really done playing nice this time, old man."
Hiruzen didn't smile. "Danzo stopped playing by the village's rules a long time ago."
"This'll take time to get any results."
"Yes," Shikaku agreed. "But time is something Danzo doesn't handle well when he's on the back foot."
The chamber settled into a tense quiet as additional reports were passed around the table.
Scrolls changed hands. ANBU summaries were skimmed, dismissed, then reread more carefully. No one relaxed. If anything, the air felt heavier than before.
Tsume Inuzuka broke the silence with a sharp exhale. "Alright. If we're done dissecting Danzo's chocolate starfish that hasn't quite died yet, what about the Chūnin Exams?"
That drew a few grim looks.
"That," Hiruzen said, fingers steepled as he reached for a separate stack of documents, "is our next major concern."
"When?" Choza Akamichi asked bluntly.
"After lengthy negotiations with the Daimyōs. Konoha has been granted two months to prepare."
A ripple of disbelief passed through the room.
"Two months?" Inoichi repeated. "That's barely enough time to finish infrastructure checks, let alone security planning."
"And that's assuming nothing goes wrong," Hiashi added coolly.
"Which it will," Tsume muttered.
"Two months also means we can't afford delays. If Danzo plans to interfere, the Exams are the perfect stage."
"They always are," Hiruzen said quietly.
Inoichi leaned forward. "We also can't ignore the possibility that he's already reached out beyond the village. An alliance with another village during the Exams would be catastrophic."
"We also have strong evidence that Orochimaru was the one who leaked Naruto Uzumaki's information to the outside world."
The room went dead silent.
"Orochimaru," Choza said slowly. "Working with Danzo."
"Not confirmed," Hiruzen said. "But likely."
Shikaku's expression darkened. "That makes too much sense to ignore. Danzo provides infrastructure and secrecy. Orochimaru provides muscle, ambition, and a willingness to burn everything down."
"And if a foreign village gets involved?" Hiashi asked.
"Then the Exams stop being a political event," Shikaku replied. "And start becoming a spark of a shinobi war."
The future felt suddenly narrow, boxed in by unseen hands.
"If only the Fourth were still here."
The words hung in the air, heavy and undeniable.
Minato Namikaze's absence was felt more than his presence ever had been. He had been a constant, an unspoken certainty. When he lived, there were lines no one crossed and plans that died before they were ever formed.
Kakashi broke the quiet introspection of the others. "Even if Minato sensei isn't here," he said evenly, "his son is."
A few heads turned.
"He's not his father," Tsume said, though there was no bite in it.
"No," Kakashi agreed. "He's not. But he's here. And he's growing faster than anyone realizes."
Jiraiya snorted. "I'll agree the brat's strong," he said, earning startled looks from the clan heads. "Stronger than most shinobi his age has any right to be."
That alone caused murmurs.
"But that doesn't mean we shove the village's survival onto the next generation."
The room stilled again.
"Let the kids grow while the adults protect them. That's the Will of Fire. Not the other way around."
Hiruzen closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. "That's precisely why we need a deterrent."
The word carried weight.
"A name that makes every hostile actor pause. A presence that discourages action before it begins."
"And who would that be?" Shikaku asked, though something in his eyes suggested he already knew.
"You're going to find Tsunade," Hiruzen said without hesitation.
Jiraiya stiffened. "You're serious."
"Indeed."
"You know forcing her back could backfire," Jiraiya said. "She's stubborn enough to dig her heels in out of spite."
"The goal is to bring her back willingly," Hiruzen replied. "Force is a last resort. But the authorization stands."
"And what exactly do you expect me to dangle in front of her? Tsunade doesn't come running just because Konoha whistles."
"Team Seven recently acquired the Second Hokage's sword."
Kakashi nodded slowly. "Naruto planning to write you a strongly worded letter to give the sword to Sasuke."
Understanding dawned.
Tsume's lips curled into a grin. "Oh. That's dirty."
"Effective," Inoichi corrected.
"You're planning a gambling challenge," Shikaku said. "Money versus legacy."
"Precisely," Hiruzen said. "Fifty million ryō. If Tsunade wins, she keeps the money. If she loses, Sasuke retains the blade."
"And while she's here," Jiraiya added, "we keep her."
"With you and Tsunade present, alongside our elite jōnin, Konoha becomes an unattractive target."
Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Naruto gambling against the Legendary Sucker… something tells me this won't go according to plan."
"Nothing involving Naruto ever does."
"Regardless," Hiruzen said, standing, "this is our best move. We strengthen our position without escalating openly. We prepare for the Exams, isolate Danzō's influence, and bring Tsunade home."
The barrier began to hum again.
The council's discussions carried on for another hour, voices rising and falling as plans were finalized. Each major clan was given its role, resources and contingencies stacked upon contingencies. When Hiruzen finally dismissed them, the tension simply followed everyone out.
Hiashi Hyūga exited the chamber with measured steps. He barely made it down the corridor before a member of the branch family approached, kneeling immediately.
"Hiashi sama."
"Speak."
"Lady Hinata has brought Uzumaki Naruto into the clan compound."
Hiashi head jerked back. "…She has?"
"Yes, Hiashi sama."
"And she did this of her own initiative?"
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
"I see."
Outwardly, the man remained composed. Inwardly, his thoughts raced. So soon? he wondered. That child has barely begun to find her footing, and yet she brings the jinchūriki into our home without consultation?
"Is there anything else?"
The branch member hesitated. "Lady Hinata requested your presence. She said it was… important."
Important.
That single word carried far too many implications.
"Did she specify the nature of this importance?"
"No, Hiashi sama."
Of course she didn't.
Hiashi resumed walking, his pace unhurried, his face a mask of dignity. "You may rise. Return to your duties."
"Yes, Hiashi sama."
As the branch member departed, Hiashi allowed himself a single, private thought.
Has my daughter truly grown this bold
As the head of the Hyūga, Hiashi found himself impressed by his daughter's boldness and initiative. As a father… he was quietly horrified.
The very notion that Hinata might already be maneuvering toward something as weighty as a political marriage made his chest tighten in a way no battlefield ever had.
Enough, Hiashi. You are overthinking this.
He drew in a slow, steadying breath, schooling his expression back into calm composure. Whatever Hinata had deemed "important," he would face it as both clan head and father.
Returning to the Hyūga compound, Hiashi was informed almost immediately where his daughter had gone.
"She is in the guest room, Hiashi sama," a servant said quietly. "With Uzumaki Naruto… and Lady Hanabi."
The doors to the guest room slid open at his approach. What greeted him was… unexpected.
Hanabi was in the middle of the room, in a textbook Gentle Fist stance. Her expression was focused, yet it had a childlike innocence to it. The ground suddenly split as a small lizard creature burst upward, the giant crystal embedded in its body glinting faintly. Hanabi redirected the creature's momentum, sending it skidding harmlessly to the side.
"Well done," Naruto said from nearby, relaxed and approving.
Hanabi straightened with a bright smile on her face, then froze as she noticed the figure standing in the doorway. The childlike ease vanished, replaced by composure drilled into her from birth.
"…Father."
The two older kids turned at the same time.
Hinata stood and bowed deeply. "Father."
Naruto raised a hand instead. "Yo."
There were many things Hiashi had expected from Uzumaki Naruto.
The boy's height was not one of them.
Naruto was tall. Uncomfortably tall for a twelve year old. At five and a half feet already, he was closing in on Hiashi's own height. And the long, vivid red hair. Untamed and worn without a hint of concern for decorum. Coupled with the utterly unapologetic lack of reverence in his posture…
Hiashi felt a strange sense of familiarity. So that's where it comes from, he thought dryly. Kushina's spirit, plain as day.
"A pleasure to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki. I am Hiashi Hyūga."
"Nice to meet you, Hiashi ojisan!"
Hanabi hissed under her breath. "Naruto san!"
At the same time, Oscar lunged playfully at her ankle, forcing her to dodge with an annoyed yelp.
"Hanabi."
"Yes!"
"You may continue your… practice," Hiashi said after a moment.
Her eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Yes."
Hanabi nodded enthusiastically and returned to sparring with Oscar, who chirped happily and dove back into the ground.
The adults moved to sit.
Hinata poured tea with careful hands, the atmosphere settling into something almost domestic.
"You know," Naruto said casually, glancing toward Hanabi, "it took some convincing to get her to relax and play with Oscar."
Hiashi accepted his cup. "The academy will teach her restraint and balance in time."
Naruto shot him a pointed look but did not argue.
Hinata spoke up softly. "We met Konohamaru and his friends some time back. I hope they and Hanabi get along."
"Oh yeah? What's that brat been up to?"
"He's been practicing the Sexy Jutsu. He says it's to impress you."
Naruto burst out laughing. "That's awesome!"
Hiashi watched quietly.
His daughter was relaxed. Laughing in a way she rarely allowed herself to do in the Hyūga.
It was… comforting.
But he was still a busy man. He took a deliberate sip of tea, signaling time was short. Hinata noticed immediately. "Father, the reason I asked you to come is because Naruto kun can heal Mother."
Hiashi's cup paused halfway to the table.
"…That is not a claim to be made lightly," he said, his voice sharp now, controlled but dangerous. "You are speaking of a condition no medic nin in the village has been able to reverse."
Hinata met his gaze.
Then, without hesitation, she drew a kunai and brought it toward her own throat.
Hiashi's palm struck the weapon away with a crack of displaced air. "What are you doing?" he snapped. "Have you lost your mind?"
"I'm serious," Hinata said. "Even if I stabbed myself, Naruto could heal me."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Hinata!"
She did not look away from her father.
Hiashi stared at her.
At the certainty in her eyes. At the desperation barely held in check.
After a long moment, he exhaled.
"…If you trust his abilities to that extent," he said quietly, standing, "then I will allow it."
Naruto blinked. "You okay?" he asked Hinata softly.
She nodded, tears threatening. "I am. I just… I can't wait anymore."
Naruto placed a hand on her back. The Hyūga princess had waited nearly a decade for her mother to wake. She was not going to let her father's doubt stop her now.
The walk through the Hyūga compound was awkward, though no one knew why. Hinata and Hanabi trailed just behind, unsure if it was the tension between them or the weight of what was about to happen.
Oscar, unconcerned, hopped from Hanabi's arms and trotted off to munch on a dandelion by the path.
From time to time, Hiashi's eyes flicked toward the boy at his side. He was well aware that Hinata's newfound confidence, strength and even that strange ring she wore all traced back to Naruto's. And yet…
Could this child truly succeed where elite medical nin had failed? More than once, he had been told that anything short of Tsunade Senju herself would never be enough to rouse his wife from her vegetative state.
"How, precisely, do you intend to heal my wife?"
"I'm just going to perform a healing miracle."
Hiashi did not take it as evasion, but as something else entirely. A quiet acknowledgment that the explanation would cross boundaries Naruto had no obligation to breach.
Very well, then.
"…Thank you!"
"I haven't healed her yet."
"That is not what I was referring to. I meant… thank you for what you have done for my daughter."
Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Honestly, I didn't do that much. She already had the strength in her. She just needed someone to believe in her. If anything, she helped me more than I helped her. I wouldn't have figured out half the things I did during the Wave mission without her."
"The ring she carries. That was your doing?"
"Tools only matter if the one wielding them has the skill to make them count," Naruto said, then paused, his expression turning more serious. "But… why are you talking like her growth only happened because of me? Like she's just riding my coattails?"
Hiashi did not bristle. If anything, he seemed faintly pleased. "I am not diminishing her," he said calmly. "I wished to understand you. Your character. And, more importantly, your intentions toward my daughter."
"So this was a test? A trap to see if I'd say the wrong thing?"
"Yes," Hiashi answered without hesitation or shame. "A necessary one. I needed to know whether you saw her as a companion… or as something to be used."
"You could've just asked instead of playing mind games."
Hiashi inclined his head slightly. "Deception is the language of shinobi. Truth, however, must be earned. Still, I will speak plainly now."
His gaze fixed on Naruto.
"What do you think of my daughter?"
Hinata froze.
Hanabi stopped mid step.
Naruto didn't hesitate. "She's my friend."
"Only a friend?"
"Father," Hinata whispered, her face burning red.
"Yes," Naruto said firmly, meeting Hiashi's gaze without flinching.
Hiashi regarded him for a long moment, then gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "Perhaps it is still early. You are both young, still finding your paths. Even so… for the care you have shown my daughter, for the respect you have afforded her strength and will, I extend an offer."
"An offer?"
"Ask of the Hyūga what you will," Hiashi said, "If it lies within our power, it shall be granted."
"Well, I'll tell you when i need something."
The group stopped in front of a secluded home surrounded by a blooming garden.
Hiashi stared at the house, then said quietly, "I've made many mistakes. But regardless of your wish, I've already decided that I will be someone Hinata and Hanabi can rely on. No matter what."
"Okay. My respect for you just went way up, dattebayo!"
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Hiashi chuckled for the first time in what felt like years. Naruto Uzumaki was unlike any boy he had ever met.
Hiashi dismissed the medical nin who had tended to his wife's body for years with a quiet gesture.
Tsubaki Hyūga lay unmoving upon the bed.
Her eyes were open, unfocused, staring at nothing in particular, reflecting light without recognition. Her skin was pale, almost waxen beneath the soft glow of the lights. Long, dark hair was fanned neatly across the pillow, carefully brushed each morning by servants who had never once seen her react to their touch or their voices. Her face was calm in the way a statue's was calm and utterly absent of awareness.
A slow rise and fall of her chest marked the passage of breath, kept steady by unseen aids.
Hiashi turned away from the sight before it could hollow him out again.
Naruto pulled the Thorolund talisman from his inventory. With his other hand, he rubbed Oscar's head.
"Wish me luck."
The crystal lizard made noises of encouragement.
Hinata had her hands clasped so tightly, her knuckles had gone white. She didn't let herself tremble. Not when Hanabi was with her.
"Are you ready to meet Mom, Hanabi chan?"
Hanabi swallowed. Her eyes were fixed on the woman in the bed. This woman she had been told was her mother. This stranger who had shaped her life by absence alone.
"I… I don't know, I don't really remember her."
Hinata smiled, soft and aching, and kissed the top of her sister's head. "That's okay. I remember enough for both of us. And I know… I know she's going to love you."
Hiashi turned at that.
For a moment, he forgot he was clan head. He was just a man standing at the edge of something terrifying and precious.
He stepped forward and bowed.
Deeply.
"Please," he began, voice tight. "I"
"You don't have to say anything, old man," Naruto said gently, stopping him from bowing any further. "Let me do what I came to do."
Hiashi straightened slowly, swallowing hard. He nodded once and stepped back.
Naruto took Tsubaki's hand.
The air changed.
A faint array began to form beneath the bed, golden lines etching themselves into the floor as if drawn by unseen hands. White light bloomed, soft at first, then brighter, spilling across the room like dawn breaking through a window.
Hinata gasped and covered Hanabi's eyes instinctively. Hiashi raised an arm to shield his face.
"Wh… what?"
The sound was hoarse and confused.
Tsubaki Hyūga was breathing.
No.
She was moving.
Her fingers twitched. Her chest rose with a deeper breath. Color rushed back into her skin, muscle tightening, strength returning in a way no medical jutsu should have allowed.
It was truly a miracle.
Hiashi's knees nearly buckled. "Tsubaki," he whispered, voice breaking.
She turned her head, eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. Panic flared instantly. "Hiashi?" she said. "What... what happened to Hinata? There was a shinobi... he broke in... he was trying to take her"
Her voice shook with remembered fear. The healing miracle had healed her back to the time of the Hyūga incident.
Hiashi's heart shattered all over again.
"Tsubaki," he said carefully, stepping closer. "My love… I need you to listen to me."
She looked at him properly then, really looked, and her breath hitched. "You… you look older," she whispered.
"You've been asleep for seven years."
Silence.
Seven years.
Her gaze snapped to the girls.
Hinata stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. Hanabi clung to her sleeve, wide eyed and trembling.
Tsubaki stared.
"No," she whispered. "No… Hinata was small. She was... she used to hide behind me when thunder"
Her voice broke.
She pushed herself upright, hands shaking, eyes locked on the two girls. "A Are those…?" Her breath came shallow, frantic. "They can't be... Hiashi, what is happening?"
Hiashi stepped aside so she could see them clearly. "This is Hanabi. You argued with me for hours over her name, remember?"
Tsubaki's lips trembled.
Hanabi took a hesitant step forward, Hinata beside her.
"M-Mom," Hinata whispered.
The word shattered what little composure Tsubaki had left.
She surged forward, pulling both girls into her arms, clutching them as if afraid they might disappear if she let go.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry. I wasn't there. I should've been there."
Hinata buried her face in her mother's shoulder, years of silent longing breaking loose all at once. Hanabi hesitated only a second before wrapping her arms around her mother's waist, crying openly.
Hiashi did his utmost to maintain his composure, but even a man of his discipline could not keep it intact forever.
The soft sound of the door opening drew his attention. He turned just in time to see Naruto offer him a small, knowing thumbs up. Oscar gave the family a lizard smile. Then, without another word, Naruto slipped out, gently closing the door behind him and granting the Hyūga family the privacy they needed to embrace the miracle they had waited seven long years for.
Tsubaki woke up knowing she had lost seven years.
As the unbearable realization that the little warmth she remembered holding against her chest had grown without her.
Tsubaki Hyūga sat upright in the bed, breathing slowly, as if afraid that if she moved too fast the world would shatter again. Her body felt wrong in the way only something miraculously restored could feel. Strong, responsive, obedient to her will, and yet unfamiliar. As though it belonged to someone who had continued living while her mind had been left behind.
"I'm here," Hinata whispered again, voice raw. "I'm right here, Mom. I didn't go anywhere."
Tsubaki's arms tightened around her instinctively, fingers threading into hair that was longer than she remembered.
"You're… so tall," Tsubaki murmured, voice breaking. "When did you get so tall?"
Hinata let out a shaky laugh that dissolved into a sob. "I—I had to grow up eventually, I guess."
Hanabi didn't say anything, torn between wanting to be heard and feeling like she didn't quite belong in this moment yet.
The moment Tsubaki's hand cupped Hanabi's cheek, she froze.
"So this is you," Tsubaki whispered, studying her face as though trying to carve every detail into memory. "My little fire flower. You know… I named you after the fireworks festival. The one that lit up the sky on the night you were born."
"I'm see," the little girl said quietly, eyes shining. "I'm… I'm sorry I don't remember you."
"That's not something you ever need to apologize for."
The woman pulled Hanabi into the embrace as well, arms encircling both girls, forehead resting against theirs.
"I missed everything," she said hoarsely. "Your first words. Your first days at the Academy. Your birthdays. I wasn't there when you cried. I wasn't there when you were scared."
"You were," Hinata said immediately, lifting her head. "We thought about you every day."
Hanabi nodded fiercely. "Hinata-nee always told me stories. And how you always smelled like jasmine."
Tsubaki laughed softly through her tears. "I still do," she said. "At least… I hope I do."
From a few steps away, Hiashi watched.
He stood perfectly still, hands folded behind his back, posture immaculate. Anyone else might have thought him composed.
He wasn't.
His vision blurred, jaw clenched tight enough to ache as he watched his family reassemble itself without him knowing how to step back into the picture.
Tsubaki looked up and met his eyes.
"Hiashi," she said softly.
That was all it took.
He crossed the room in three long strides and dropped to one knee beside the bed, something he hadn't done in years. His voice failed him the first time he tried to speak.
"I failed you," he said finally, quietly. "I should have protected you. I should have been there."
Tsubaki reached out and took his hand, warm and alive.
"You stayed," she said. "That matters."
He shook his head. "Even if I stayed, I made so many mistakes when raising our daughters."
After a while, Tsubaki spoke again.
"Seven years," she murmured. "Tell me everything. Even the parts that hurt."
Hinata glanced at Hanabi, then back to her mother. "It's… a lot."
"I have time now," Tsubaki said with a faint smile. "All the time I lost."
Hanabi shifted closer. "I'll start," she said. "You should hear about Hinata-nee's first mission. She was really cool."
Hinata flushed. "Hanabi—"
Tsubaki smiled, eyes shining. "I'd like that very much."
Hiashi allowed himself a visible smile as Hanabi enthusiastically tried to embarrass Hinata, exaggerating stories and grinning far too proudly at her own commentary. Hinata sputtered, flustered, while Tsubaki laughed softly, one hand covering her mouth.
For a brief moment, the Hyūga estate felt whole.
Then the air shuddered.
A violent surge of chakra rolled through the air, followed by the unmistakable sound of wood splintering outside.
"That chakra… Naruto's outside," Hinata said, already moving toward the door.
Hiashi was faster. "Stay with your mother," he ordered. "I will handle this."
As he turned and strode for the exit, the calm, reserved mask of the Hyūga clan head slipped fully into place. Whatever warmth had been on his face vanished, replaced by cold authority.
A few minutes earlier.
Naruto sat on the veranda, humming under his breath as the evening sun dipped low, painting the garden in warm gold. Oscar bounded clumsily through the flowers, snapping playfully at a butterfly that seemed far too agile for him.
"…Man," Naruto muttered, resting his chin in his palm. "I really haven't even gone home yet."
He glanced toward the skyline. "Hope Ayame's actually watering my plants."
Suddenly many footsteps approached.
Naruto looked to see a small procession of Hyūga men approaching. At their front walked an elderly man, long brown hair tied neatly behind his head, despite his age. His robes were immaculate, embroidered with traditional Hyūga patterns, and his pale eyes carried an unmistakable sense of entitlement.
The old man stopped several paces away.
"What is an outsider doing within the Hyūga compound?" he asked, voice sharp and disdainful, every word dripping with superiority.
"What's it to you, you old fart?"
A murmur rippled through the Hyūga behind him.
"Mind your tongue. You stand before Elder Haruhiko, former clan head and current head of Hyūga elder council."
Naruto picked at his ear with his pinky. "Ah. So… some old guy with one foot already in the grave."
A vein pulsed at Haruhiko's temple.
"Did your parents teach you nothing of respect?" Haruhiko snapped, stepping forward and raising a hand to strike.
Naruto caught his wrist mid-slap without even standing. "Old man, I'll let that go once. But don't test your luck, dattebayo!"
Haruhiko yanked his arm back, sneering. "You presume far too much. I am Hyūga Haruhiko. My authority in this clan predates your very existence."
"So?" Naruto replied flatly. "I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki."
The Hyūga behind Haruhiko froze.
Color drained from several faces as realization hit. That might've offended the hyuga princess's guest. Haruhiko paused for half a breath… then scoffed.
"I was under the impression the Hokage's whelp was blond," he said coldly. "Not bearing the crimson curse of that clan."
"You're not someone I owe an answer to."
"Why would I care? Whether your barbaric blood awakened or not is of no consequence."
Naruto's smile vanished. "…What?"
Haruhiko leaned forward slightly, "The Uzumaki were a clan of mongrel savages. Loud, unruly, and obsessed with forbidden arts. Their destruction was inevitable and frankly, deserved."
The courtyard went deathly silent.
Several Hyūga went pale. They'd heard Haruhiko's supremacist rhetoric before, his belief that the Byakugan made them closer to divinity than other clans, but saying something like that to Naruto Uzumaki was madness.
Naruto smiled, eyes crinkling in a way that put everyone at ease, as if he'd decided not to take the insult seriously. For a split second, it looked like he knew better than to react. Unfortunately for them, none of them truly understood the bastard that was Naruto Uzumaki.
The headbutt landed with a sharp crack echoed as Haruhiko's nose shattered, blood spraying as the elder collapsed to his knees with a choked gasp.
The other Hyūga surged forward in outrage.
They never reached him.
A crystal paw slammed into the group from the side, Oscar erupting into his ravenous crystal lizard form as he smashed four men straight into the wall, wood fracturing on impact.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
The chakra blast struck Naruto head-on, colliding with his stance and sending a shockwave rippling across the courtyard. Naruto slid back a step, feet digging in, then straightened.
Haruhiko dropped into a Gentle Fist stance. Naruto rolled his shoulders settling into a boxer's stance.
"Congratulations," Naruto said calmly. "You've officially become my least favorite Hyūga."
The air between them tightened.
"Stop."
The command wasn't loud, but it carried enough authority to root both side in place mid-step.
Haruhiko's face twisted into a deep snarl as he pointed an accusing finger. "Hiashi! Have this boy arrested immediately for attacking a Hyūga elder!"
Hiashi's gaze swept over his father. Blood trailed down from a clearly broken nose. Bruises darkened both palms. The signs were obvious that Naruto had made certain the old man would remember this encounter.
"Oh, so the great Hyūga clan is going to arrest me for defending myself from a crazy old man who swung at me first? That's rich."
Haruhiko's nostrils flared. "Defending yourself? You broke my nose."
Naruto widened his eyes in mock surprise. "Oh, my bad. I thought I was just living up to my reputation as a barbaric Uzumaki. But I guess the refined Hyūga can't handle a little wind." He gave an exaggerated crying gesture. "Guess not. Boo hoo."
"Insolent brat—"
"Touchy, touchy," Naruto interrupted, grin widening.
Hiashi exhaled slowly and pinched the bridge of his nose. The truth was obvious enough. His father had insulted the Uzumaki clan, and Naruto had responded exactly as anyone with pride and blood in their veins would.
What unsettled him was the why.
Haruhiko was many things. Arrogant, rigid and a relic of an older, harsher Hyūga mindset. But he was not prone to pointless theatrics or reckless provocation, especially not toward someone with Naruto Uzumaki's name and backing.
Which meant this had not been random.
And that realization troubled Hiashi far more than the broken stones or spilled blood.
"Clan leader, deliver justice! Restore the honor of the Hyūga name before the entire household witnesses this farce!"
"What justice? Oscar saw the old man threw the first hit."
Everyone's gaze shifted to the lizard as the ravenous Oscar gave a decisive nod, as if testifying.
Hiashi raised an eyebrow.
"You should be grateful I didn't grab one of my swords and end this fast."
From behind everyone came an unexpected voice. "He's right."
It was Hinata.
"You insulted my guest's honour and acted unbecoming of both a Hyūga elder."
"You ingrate child," Haruhiko snapped, his tone like a whip.
"Enough." Hiashi's voice was calm, but every syllable held the weight of command. "Father, not only did you insult my guest, you insulted the son of Minato Namikaze."
The man turned to Naruto. "And you, Naruto kun… took this far beyond where it needed to go. If you had come to me first, I would have ensured you received justice."
"Maybe. But I figured handling it myself would be faster."
"So neither of you is willing to back down, I see. Then tell me, how do you propose we settle this?"
"Why don't we just finish what we started? One on one."
Haruhiko smirked. "Gladly. I will demonstrate the superiority of the Byakugan to this loud mouthed child."
Hiashi watched in silence as his father departed with the remaining hyuga. He got what he wanted. That realization sat poorly in Hiashi's chest. The question was why.
Hiashi turned back as Naruto finished healing the injured Hyūga, withdrawing his hand with a casual stretch like he'd just patched up a scraped knee.
"Naruto-san," Hiashi said. "I am forever in your debt for what you have done for my family. Say the word, and I will ensure this incident… and that spar… are nothing more than a distant memory."
"Nah," Naruto said lazily. "I've been itching to cut loose for weeks. Couldn't even go to Lordran because of this walk back from uzushio, so honestly? Kinda feels good to stretch a bit."
Hiashi frowned slightly. "My father is not acting without reason. I suspect he is planning something. I advise you not to rush headlong into an obvious trap. Haruhiko Hyuga was once an elite jōnin of konoha."
"Couldn't care less plus he is old and out of his prime."
That much was true, but Haruhiko was still a dangerous shinobi.
"Hiashi-ojisan, you said I could ask for anything." Naruto grinned. "Let me beat up your old man."
Hiashi's shoulders sagged ever so slightly.
He had hoped to return to his wife Instead, he now stood caught between the schemes of his father and the relentless stubborness of Naruto Uzumaki.
"My lord," a Hyūga guard murmured as he leaned in beside Hiashi, voice carefully low. "The elder has issued permission for the Byakugan to be used to observe the match."
That, more than anything, confirmed Hiashi's suspicion.
Within the Hyūga compound, the Byakugan was not treated casually. Its range and clarity made privacy almost impossible without strict rules. By long-standing custom, clan members were forbidden from activating it within residential spaces unless explicitly authorized. Even then, certain halls and chambers were layered with barrier seals designed to distort chakra perception entirely, creating blind zones where even the Byakugan could not intrude.
Granting permission meant the entire clan was watching.
This was not a spar.
It was a trap for whatever Haruhiko was scheming.
Hiashi exhaled quietly as they approached the massive dojo at the heart of the compound, its wide wooden floor ringed by raised terraces designed for formal observation.
Behind him, Hinata spoke up, voice soft but very clearly amused. "Can I pay you twenty bucks to punch my grandfather's teeth out?"
"Oh, you don't have to pay me for what I already going to do."
Hanabi and Oscar sweatdropped. While Tsubaki shot Hiashi a look that was equal parts fond, baffled, and deeply tired.
"I'm also trying to figure out our daughter."
A low growl rippled through the air as Oscar fixed his glare on Haruhiko, who stood with the other elders near the head of the dojo.
"Lady Tsubaki?"
Deveral elders stiffened visibly as the woman stepped forward, posture composed despite the weight of attention pressing down on her.
"Elders," Tsubaki said, bowing with flawless courtesy. "I hope my presence today isn't too much of a distraction."
Haruhiko stared at her as though she were a ghost.
"How," he demanded coldly, "are you alive?"
Tsubaki smiled gently. There was no warmth in it.
"It seems that even after seven years," Tsubaki said calmly, "some things truly do not change. For your information, Father, my recovery was not sudden."
"My wife's condition was never truly static," Hiashi said. "For years, her chakra network showed faint but consistent signs of responsiveness. The Hyūga have long maintained internal techniques for sustaining damaged tenketsu and preventing further degradation."
He met the elders' gazes without flinching.
"Recently, those efforts reached a threshold. A combination of accumulated treatment, proper timing, and a final corrective procedure allowed her body to resume normal function. What you are seeing now is the result of years of preparation finally bearing fruit."
It was a lie built on truth.
Tsubaki had been maintained. The Hyūga did have internal methods outsiders never saw. And chakra pathways could, in theory, recover given enough time. Naruto understood this lie was necessary so his miracle heals didn't attract the wrong attention.
"In that case," Haruhiko said, folding his hands behind his back, voice dripping with condescension, "this calls for a celebration. I'm certain Tsubaki-chan would enjoy witnessing the strength of the Hyūga after so many years."
"Don't worry, old fart. She'll mostly see you getting your ass handed to you by a genin." He crouched briefly, pressing a quick kiss to Oscar. "Sorry, buddy, you are going to miss out on this on. If you jump in too, it stops being a fight and turns into elder abuse."
Oscar chirped indignantly, as if to say he absolutely did not care.
Naruto laughed, gave him a final pat, then handed him off to Hinata before stepping onto the dojo floor.
The observer's terrace rose in smooth tiers around the arena, cushioned seats reserved for the main family and elders beneath carved lattice screens that allowed clear sightlines without obstructing the combat zone.
Naruto tapped a smoke pellet against his chest.
Puff.
A cloud of gray laced with dense chakra rolled outward, briefly obscuring the center of the dojo. When it cleared, Naruto stood bare of armor, dressed only in a simple loincloth, gear neatly sealed away.
The reaction was immediate.
Murmurs rippled through the Hyūga elders, voices low but sharp with confusion and offense.
"What is the boy doing…?"
"Has he no shame?"
"Does he think this is some kind of spectacle?"
Hanabi's face turned bright red as she stared at the floor. Tsubaki covered her mouth with her hand as Hiashi didn't need to open his Byakugan to know that many of the Hyūga women were reacting despite themselves.
The Hyūga were a conservative clan, disciplined to the point of rigidity. Modesty, restraint, and emotional control were drilled into them from childhood. Displays of the body were frowned upon, attraction something to be mastered rather than indulged. And yet, discipline did not erase instinct. It only taught one how to hide it.
Naruto Uzumaki, despite his age, did not look like a child.
His build was nothing like the lean, wiry frames most shinobi favored. His physique was solid, broad-shouldered, muscle layered thick and functional. There was weight to him.
Hinata forced her expression neutral, eyes fixed forward, though she had already seen him like this back in Wave. Still, knowing he was about to fight dressed like that made her throat dry. She caught herself and quickly wiped at her mouth, mortified.
Naruto remained blissfully unaware that he had, entirely by accident, captured the attention of more than a few Hyūga women, both main and branch family alike.
Haruhiko's face darkened, a flush creeping up his neck.
"What an undignified display," the elder snapped. "You think flexing your body will save you in the shinobi world? Muscles are meaningless without lineage and refinement."
Naruto stretched his arms lazily. "Just say you're jealous."
He even struck a pose, purely to irritate the old man.
In truth, the choice was tactical.
His heavy Armor slowed him down, and against the Gentle Fist, speed mattered more than protection. His crest shield remained strapped to his back, reducing chakra-based damage. Even if a strike slipped through, it wouldn't cripple him.
Haruhiko's jaw tightened.
"So confident you'll win without your armor? Or are you simply reckless?"
"Pretty much," Naruto replied easily. "Want me to add another handicap to make this fair?"
A muscle twitched in Haruhiko's face. For a moment, it looked like he might abandon decorum entirely. Instead, he straightened, hands clasped behind his back, voice dropping into something smoother. Colder.
"How about we make this interesting."
"Go on."
"A wager," Haruhiko said. "The loser grants the winner a wish. No refusal."
The hall fell still.
"I'm listening. What's your wish?"
Haruhiko did not hesitate. "When I win, you will be betrothed to Hanabi Hyūga."
Silence crashed down like a physical weight.
Hanabi froze. Hinata's breath hitched. Tsubaki exhaled sharply. "Father-in-law," she murmured, voice edged with disbelief, "you truly haven't changed."
Hiashi closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
Now he understood.
Haruhiko had never approved of Hinata. Even now, even after her growth, he saw her as lacking the temperament to lead. Hanabi, on the other hand, had been molded under his direct hand. Binding Naruto to Hanabi would secure the Hyūga's future under his vision.
A political fox to the very end.
Hinata clenched her fists, chest tight, then suddenly shouted, voice cracking with emotion.
"Naruto—BEAT his ass!"
Every head snapped toward her.
Naruto gave a thumbs up as he stepped forward, posture relaxed. "Alright," he said casually. "I'll accept your bet."
A wave of murmurs surged through the dojo.
Hinata's eyes widened, but she forced herself still. She trusted him. She had to.
Naruto raised one finger. "Under one condition."
Haruhiko smiled thinly. "Name it."
"When I win," Naruto said evenly, "I claim your Byakugan as my prize."
Haruhiko's smile vanished. To a Hyūga, the Byakugan was more than an ability. It was the embodiment of their bloodline, their pride, and their superiority.
"You…" Haruhiko's voice caught for a moment, as if the words were lodged between fury and disbelief. "You dare?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it's fine for you to gamble with my autonomy, but I can't put something equally valuable on the table? Seems fair."
The murmurs in the hall grew sharper. Some elders exchanged wary looks.
"Start this battle!" Hiashi barked, cutting off the escalating tension before it spiraled beyond repair.
Haruhiko activated his Byakugan and froze.
For the briefest moment, the arrogance drained from his expression as his vision pierced Naruto's body. In the boy's right chest sat a dense, stone-heart. Even stranger, the blood flowing through Naruto's veins shimmered unnaturally, catching the light like liquid mercury rather than something living.
That hesitation was all Naruto needed.
He finally unleashed Shisui's technique without the help of his armor.
Chakra points across Naruto's body flared open at once, blasting chakra outward in a continuous flow.
He twisted that chakra, converting it mid-release into Wind.
The chakra surged upward in twin currents, spiraling from the floor like colossal wings being unfurled. Pressure alone carved them into shape, the air screaming as it was forced aside. Wind coiled around Naruto's arms and waist, then burst outward behind him in vast sweeping plumes that looked like feathers one moment and blades the next, depending on how the light caught them.
Hiashi recognized that jutsu as Shisui Uchiha's creation.
But the difference was staggering.
Shisui's version had always been tight, restrained, almost invisible. A cloak designed purely for movement, optimized for the Body Flicker and short, explosive bursts of speed. Minimal waste. Maximum efficiency. It existed to get him from point A to point B before anyone realized he had moved at all.
Naruto's was something else entirely.
Where Shisui had been precise, Naruto was overwhelming. His chakra reserves allowed him to sustain the cloak around his entire body at all times. It was easy to see now why Shisui had never pursued this path; the cost would have been impossible for anyone without Naruto's absurd reserves.
Haruhiko moved first, surging forward with the sudden speed of a seasoned Hyūga, intent on closing the distance before Naruto could set the pace.
He ran straight into a wall of motion.
Shadow clones burst into existence around him, fists and feet snapping out in coordinated strikes, forcing him to twist and weave as Gentle Fist deflections met solid impacts.
In the same breath, Naruto jumped slid several meters to the side in a blur of movement, as a compact shortbow appeared in his hands. The string was drawn and released in one smooth motion.
Twang.
The arrow tore through the air, aimed straight for Haruhiko's center mass. The elder caught the arrow with a snap of his wrist and, without breaking stride, flung it back at Naruto like a javelin.
Naruto's eyes tracked it instantly. He calculated the path and saw the trap. If he dodged, Haruhiko would already be angling to strike from his blind spot. Instead, Naruto fired another arrow, intercepting the one that had been thrown at him. The collision bent the returning arrow's trajectory midair, sending it curving sharply toward Haruhiko's flank.
The elder pivoted, leaping back with controlled precision to avoid it, just in time for Naruto's next arrow to come screaming toward his chest.
Haruhiko caught this one too. But as his fingers closed around the shaft, the storage seal etched along the wood flared. The arrow popped open with a burst of chakra, revealing a flashbang.
The detonation of light flooded the hall in a blinding burst. Haruhiko was forced to close his Byakugan against the searing white.
When his vision cleared, his eyes widened.
He was surrounded.
A dozen Naruto shadow clones stood in a ring around him. The strings sang as they released in perfect unison.
Haruhiko's body shifted into instinctive defense. Chakra poured from every tenketsu, forming a shimmering field before his entire frame spun into motion.
Eight Trigram: Palm Rotation!
Chakra surged outward, forming a dense, whirling barrier that shredded the incoming barrage into harmless fragments. The instant the rotation ended, Haruhiko lunged.
But Naruto wasn't there.
Haruhiko twisted sharply, Byakugan flaring as he tracked for Naruto and Naruto was already behind him. Then to the left. Then above. Each reappearance came with a strike. A back-and-forth rhythm so fast it forced Haruhiko to turn again and again, palms snapping up on instinct, Gentle Fist forming just in time to defend.
Too late.
Naruto twisted mid-flicker, body already coiling into motion, and brought a downward kick crashing into the side of Haruhiko's head. The impact snapped the elder's face sideways, chakra rippling violently from the point of contact.
Haruhiko retaliated on reflex, palm thrusting out. The figure he struck burst into smoke.
A clone.
That's strange… Naruto thought, even as his body flowed into the next motion. Why did it feel like the Byakugan couldn't see that kick coming from the side?
The answer hovered just out of reach. Naruto didn't slow down to think about it as he already had a plan. He formed two distinct hand seals at the same time, each hand weaving its own jutsu.
Several of the Hyūga elders stiffened in open shock as they realized two jutsu had been formed at the exact same time.
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!
At the same instant, his shadow clones formed and inhaled.
Wind Style: Wind Bullet!
The compressed gusts punched straight through the fireball. The moment they passed through, they ignited, turning into roaring fire-laced projectiles that detonated on contact, blasting the air apart in staggered explosions.
Haruhiko surged through the chaos, robes snapping, palms flashing as he slipped between bursts. Then his foot stopped.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Invisible force of telekinesis seized his ankle. His eyes widened as the firestorm closed in.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
A thunderous palm strike detonated the fireball midair, the explosion tearing the flames apart in a concussive blast that rattled the dojo walls. Smoke and heat washed outward and when it cleared, Haruhiko found himself surrounded. Two perfect rings of shadow clones had formed around him, evenly spaced, bows already raised.
Naruto's voice rang out, sharp and loud, carrying the cadence of a drill instructor. "Firing squad! Ready?!"
Haruhiko snarled, veins standing out along his temple. The sheer disrespect burned hotter than the flames had. This boy wasn't just fighting him.
He was mocking him.
"Fire!"
Arrows launched in unison.
Haruhiko moved instantly, Gentle Fist flowing as his palms struck, deflected, shattered shafts midair. But something was wrong.
The moment he turned to deflect one volley, another came from behind. When he pivoted again, arrows came from his flank. The firing never stopped, but it never came from the same direction twice.
The clones were coordinating.
From the observation seats, Hiashi's breath caught.
"…Hinata," he said quietly. "Did you tell Naruto about the Byakugan's weakness?"
"No, I didn't." Hinata's fingers tightened in her sleeves as realization dawned. He's testing it. He's forcing Grandfather to turn. To rotate. To rely on the Byakugan's coverage instead of positioning. He's mapping the blind spot in real time.
Haruhiko roared, chakra flaring violently.
Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!
He burst forward.
The clones vanished under the storm of strikes. Two palms. Four. Eight. Sixteen. Thirty-two. The final barrage tore through the rings, smoke and dissipating chakra filling the air as the last clones collapsed.
When the motion ended, only two figures remained.
One stood to the north. One to the south. Both identical, calm but holding different tools.
Haruhiko's Byakugan blazed as he stared between them, but the chakra signatures were so perfectly balanced that even his eyes couldn't tell which one was the original.
The northern Naruto lifted a sorcerer's catalyst.
"Pick carefully," he said lightly.
The southern Naruto raised a Thorolund talisman. "The wrong choice might come back to bite your ass."
The wind shifted.
In the next second, all three moved.
Eight Trigrams: Dual Vacuum Palm!
Haruhiko palms snapped forward in perfect symmetry. Chakra compressed at the tenketsu in his hands, forming twin vacuum shells shaped by Gentle Fist principles. They tore through the air with shrill force, aimed precisely at the Narutos' vital points.
Both figures reacted at the same time.
The moment the vacuum palms hit, both Narutos burst into smoke but not before unleashing their attacks.
Lightning Spear Miracle!
Soul Arrow!
A lance of lightning erupted forward, moving so fast it blurred into a golden streak. Haruhiko barely had think before it struck him square in the chest.
The impact was brutal.
Lightning tore through muscle and chakra alike, ripping through his defensive flow. His arm went numb instantly, robes blackening and splitting as electricity carved a burning path across his torso. The force twisted him sideways, boots skidding as the stone beneath his feet cracked.
Before he could breathe, the Soul Arrow hit.
Pure force slammed into his face like a siege hammer. The elder was lifted clean off the ground as he was hurled backward before slamming down hard, bouncing once before skidding to a halt.
Silence followed.
Haruhiko coughed, blood splattering the floor as he struggled to push himself up. His arms trembled. His breath came in ragged gasps. Every movement sent pain screaming through his body.
Then the air shimmered.
Distorted light peeled away, and Naruto stepped forward as the Hidden Body Invisibility spell faded from around him.
"So," Naruto said casually, tilting his head, "you wanna give up and hand over the Byakugan?"
Haruhiko stared at him, disbelief and fury twisting together.
All that effort. All that damage.
He'd been fighting shadow clones. And it had still been one of the hardest battles of his life. His fingers curled into the floor as he forced himself upright, teeth clenched hard enough to creak.
Slowly and painfully, Haruhiko drew himself back into a Gentle Fist stance.
"You know," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, "you'd almost be respectable if it weren't for the stick shoved up your ass."
His eyes sharpened.
"And the fact that you're an asshole."
Haruhiko exhaled deeply, blue chakra flared once more, this time shaping into massive, roaring lion heads that enveloped his fists.
Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!
The chakra shrouds radiated a suffocating presence, and every Hyūga in the room knew exactly what would happen if those lions touched Naruto's chakra network. They would drain it dry in seconds.
The elder advanced, the lions snapping as if eager to tear into their prey.
Naruto gave some shadow boxing as he approached.
The elder's Lion Fist snapped forward in a sharp probing strike.
Naruto knocked it aside with his forearm, feeling the drag of chakra scrape along his skin, and answered with a quick jab aimed at Haruhiko's jaw.
The elder didn't block.
Instead, his torso rolled with the punch, the second lion surging upward in a tight arc toward Naruto's sternum. Naruto shifted his shoulder just enough for the chakra fangs to skim past his chest, then fired back with a compact right hook toward Haruhiko's temple.
The lion caught it.
Its jaws clamped around Naruto's fist for a split second before Haruhiko twisted, shoving the blow aside and stepping in to crush the distance. Naruto rammed his left shoulder forward, knocking the elder off line, then snapped an uppercut from his hip toward Haruhiko's chin. The lions crossed in front of the elder's face, absorbing the strike before whipping outward in a spinning counter. One lion dove low for Naruto's ribs, the other snapped high for his temple.
Naruto dropped his elbow to block the low strike on bone and drove a straight right into Haruhiko's guard. The impact rippled through the chakra shell but didn't break it. Haruhiko rolled with the force and sent his rear lion stabbing toward Naruto's diaphragm.
Naruto's left hand shot down, catching the lion's jaws at the wrist. He twisted hard and buried a punch into the elder's liver. Haruhiko's breath hitched, but his feet never stopped moving. He pivoted around Naruto's flank, lions sweeping in looping arcs, attacking from angles that were brutal to track.
Naruto answered with aggression. A sharp triple jab forced the lions high, then he dipped low and drove a shovel hook toward the ribs. The elder intercepted it on a lion's elbow joint and spun, sweeping a foot across the floor.
Naruto hopped the sweep, pivoting to keep outside position. The lions flared instantly, jaws snapping in wide arcs, forcing him to constantly adjust his guard.
Each collision cracked the air. Several Hyūga elders gasped as even their Byakugan struggled to follow the speed.
Both fighters stepped back.
Naruto casually lifted the Estus Flask and took a single gulp. Golden light washed over his body, bruises evaporating as if it had never existed. In the span of a heartbeat, he looked completely untouched.
Haruhiko felt something inside him fracture.
Had the exchange before meant nothing? Had Naruto been humoring him this entire time?
"If you've got nothing left to show me," Naruto said flatly, wiping his mouth, "let's just end this."
"Remember this, boy. A single moment decides the fate of shinobi."
He slid into the stance.
Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!
Naruto rolled his shoulders. "And you should remember something too." His voice was calm, almost bored. "The next generation always surpasses the old."
Whether it was mockery, warning, or simple fact, no one could tell.
Naruto mirrored the stance of the Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!
"Without the Byakugan," Haruhiko snarled, "your mockery of the Gentle Fist will fail."
"Oh, hurry up," Naruto snapped. "I wanna go to sleep."
They moved.
Two strikes.
Naruto answered with two punches.
Four strikes.
Four punches landed faster and heavier.
Eight strikes.
Eight punches, each one landing before Haruhiko's palms could even reach their mark.
Sixteen.
Sixteen.
The Hyūga watched in stunned silence as the sacred cadence of their clan technique was reduced to raw violence. Naruto wasn't striking tenketsu.
He was just punching.
Thirty-two strikes came from Haruhiko and thirty-two punches slammed into his guard, cracking bone, disrupting balance, shattering posture.
Then sixty-four.
Naruto moved like a storm breaking loose.
"Uzumaki Combo!" he shouted, voice echoing through the dojo. "Sixty-Four Punches!"
Punches rained down in a brutal parody of the technique. The final blow was a haymaker.
It hit Haruhiko square in the face.
The impact shattered teeth, broke his jaw, fractured his skull, and drove him into the floor hard enough to crater the stone beneath him.
Silence.
Blood pooled around the elder's head as he lay broken, barely conscious.
"H… how…?"
Naruto looked down at him. "How what?"
He crouched slightly. "How I hid from the Byakugan? Easy. I split my chakra evenly between my clones and let one act as command. Once I figured out your blind spot, I just turned into invisible hummingbird and stayed there."
No one spoke.
Even explained, none of them could truly process what they'd just witnessed.
"…Were you holding back?"
Naruto scratched his cheek. "Kinda. I thought about going all out and using my swords." He smiled. "But crushing you like a bug was more fun. Dattebayo."
A shudder ran through the hyuga clan.
Monster.
Naruto extended his hand. The eye in his palm opened, space itself bending as invisible force of telekinesis reached for the Byakuga and stopped.
A hand closed around Naruto's wrist.
"That's enough," Hiashi said quietly. "Naruto-san."
Naruto glanced at Hiashi, then back at the broken elder. "…It will be after I get my prize."
Hiashi stiffened. "Naruto-san, I must implore you to reconsider." His tone was measured and authoritative. "The Byakugan is not something that can be given to outsiders. It is not a possession. It is the foundation of our clan."
"So you're stepping in because the eye can be stolen?"
Hiashi met his gaze without flinching. "Yes. But know this as well. Had you lost, I would have intervened before any forced betrothal took place." His voice carried the weight of command. "That much I would never allow."
Naruto snorted softly. "So what? Bygones be bygones?"
"No." Hiashi moved.
The shift was instant.
Haruhiko barely had time to gasp before Hiashi's palm struck. There was a wet, sickening sound. The Byakugan detonated in Haruhiko's skull like shattered glass. The old man screamed, animal pain as blood poured down his face and his body convulsed against the floor.
"AAAGH— MY EYES—!"
The scream echoed through the dojo, cutting through the Hyūga spectators like a blade. Several turned away. Others stood frozen anf pale.
Hiashi withdrew his hand, expression unmoved.
"A punishment befitting his actions," he said evenly. "He abused his authority, endangered the clan, and attempted to bind my children for political leverage. This ends here."
Naruto stared at the writhing elder for a moment. "…Not gonna lie," he said flatly, "that was disappointing."
"Disappointing?"
"I won the bet fair and square. That was just you cleaning house."
Silence followed.
Then Hiashi inclined his head slightly. "Then what do you consider adequate compensation?"
Naruto's grin returned. "Simple."
He raised two fingers, tapping beneath his eyes. "Give me two Hyūga jutsu. One for each eye I won't have."