Nightfall, Konoha Village, Hyuga Clan Compound, Hinata's Room
In the depths of her slumber, Hinata suddenly felt a suffocating pressure on her chest, as though something heavy was weighing down on her.
Groggily opening her eyes, she was startled to see a white, semi-transparent figure emerging from her blanket. It had an innocent-looking face, yet it grinned at her with a sinister expression.
"Kekeke..."
"Ahhh!" Hinata let out a sharp scream, but before she could react further, the figure's pale arm extended and covered her mouth.
"Shhh..."
The half-formed figure moved across the blanket, its face drawing closer to hers. It raised a finger to its lips in a gesture of silence.
"Daddy sent me to protect Mommy~."
"Daddy? Mommy?" Hinata's mind reeled.
"Daddy is Naruto, Mommy is Hinata, and I'm Ajūan, Daddy and Mommy's daughter~."
"W-What??" Hinata's large, expressive eyes were filled with shock.
Footsteps in the Hallway
Thump, thump, thump! The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor.
"Just now, was that from Lady Hinata's room?"
Click. The door slid open, revealing Hinata's attendant, Hyuga Natsu, peering inside. "Lady Hinata, what happened just now?"
Hinata, clad in a white nightgown, leaned against the headboard of her bed. Her expression was calm as she replied, "It's nothing. I just... had a nightmare."
Natsu sighed in relief. "Perhaps you've been feeling too confined lately, Lady Hinata. You haven't been outside much. I'll report this to Lord Hiashi tomorrow and see if arrangements can be made for you to go out and unwind."
Hinata nodded gently. "Thank you, Natsu."
Natsu bowed and stepped out of the room. "Please rest well, Lady Hinata."
As Natsu left, Hinata's gaze shifted to the water tank in the corner of her room.
The lid of the tank was ajar, and a white liquid substance began to flow out, enveloping the tank entirely. The liquid writhed and shifted until it morphed into the form of Ajūan.
Ajūan bent down, picked up the tank lid, and placed it on her head like a straw hat.
Watching this bizarre scene unfold, Hinata felt her thoughts spiral into chaos. What is going on? She claims to be Naruto-kun and my daughter? But... Naruto-kun and I haven't even... done that. How could we have a daughter?
Yet, as the thought lingered, a strange mix of shyness and disbelief crept into Hinata's heart. But... she does carry Naruto-kun's scent. Could it be that Naruto-kun used some kind of method...? Maybe... it's possible...
Midnight Conversation on the Tatami
Later that night, Hinata and Ajūan sat facing each other on tatami mats. Ajūan explained everything in detail.
When Hinata learned that Ajūan was created by Naruto using ocular powers, her wildly beating heart finally began to calm.
"Is Naruto-kun doing well?" she asked, her voice soft with concern.
"He's doing great~! There's a beautiful lady living next door to him~."
"Eh?" Hinata blinked in surprise.
"Hehe, and there's another empty room~. Daddy said it's reserved for Mommy in the future. But I think it's unnecessary—Daddy and Mommy can just share one room!"
Hinata's face instantly flushed red, the blush spreading all the way to her ears.
"Does the village know you're here?" Hinata asked, trying to change the subject.
"Daddy told me and Afēi to sneak in quietly without alerting anyone. He said there might be bad people watching."
Naruto's thoughtfulness warmed Hinata's heart.
"But... my clan members all have the Byakugan," Hinata said worriedly. "Ajūan, you'll be discovered easily."
Ajūan grinned mischievously. "Kekeke, can their Byakugan see through clothes?"
"If I protect you with the special chakra of the Tenseigan, they won't be able to see through," Hinata replied.
"Kekeke, then I'll just hide inside Mommy's clothes!"
"W-What? H-How would that work?"
"Like this~." Ajūan twisted a chunk of her own flesh from her left chest. Her body turned into a liquid state, revealing the water tank she had previously absorbed. She shrank into the tank, the lid falling back into place.
The chunk of flesh she had twisted off wriggled and transformed into a miniature version of Ajūan. The tiny figure leapt into Hinata's palm. "Kekeke~ My liquid parts don't emit chakra. Even if they're detected, they'll just think I'm ordinary white fluid. Mommy, just find a place to stash me~."
Blushing furiously, Hinata lifted her collar and placed the miniature Ajūan into the valley of her chest.
Slurp, slurp~! The tiny Ajūan squirmed into place.
"Ahh!" Hinata let out a soft gasp.
"Kekeke~ Drinking milk~!"
"Th-There's no milk yet!"
Hinata lay back on her bed, pulling the blanket over herself. "Naruto-kun said there are people who want to harm me... Is that true?"
She found it hard to believe that anyone in her village would do such a thing.
From her warm hiding spot, the miniature Ajūan peeked out. "Has anything unusual happened recently?"
"Unusual?" Hinata tilted her head. "No, not really."
"Then what about anything lively or festive?" Ajūan pressed.
"Well, yes. Tomorrow night, a high-ranking official from the Land of Fire is visiting Konoha. The retired advisors extended the invitation, and the villagers are planning a grand celebration. It's the first event of its kind since Konoha's founding, so all the major clans are sending members to maintain order. Even Father and Neji-nii-san will be there."
Ajūan's eyes gleamed with excitement, her grin widening. "Kekeke~, I smell a conspiracy brewing~. Tomorrow night is bound to be a grand feast~!"
Meanwhile, in the Land of Water
Kakashi and Rin were making their way to the port, aiming to catch a ship at dawn that would take them to the Land of Fire.
The journey was filled with conversation, with Rin displaying a warm and gentle demeanor.
Kakashi couldn't help but reflect, Aside from the lack of shared memories, her personality is exactly like Rin's.
This realization stirred a mix of sorrow and relief within him. Sorrow, because Rin hadn't truly returned to life. Relief, because perhaps this made it easier for him to face the Rin of his memories.
However, Kakashi failed to notice the flicker of complexity in Rin's eyes as she gazed at his back.
An Ambush in the Mountain Gorge
Just ten miles from the port, Kakashi suddenly halted, positioning Rin protectively behind him.
Clang, clang, clang! A flurry of kunai rained down, embedding themselves in the ground ahead.
"Show yourselves!" Kakashi demanded, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings.
Swish, swish, swish! Dozens of shinobi clad in Kirigakure ANBU attire appeared, surrounding them.
"Are you Hatake Kakashi?" the leader asked.
"I am," Kakashi replied calmly.
"You're a Konoha ninja, yet you're trespassing in the Land of Water. We suspect you of espionage. Please come with us. If you're innocent, we'll let you go," the leader said.
Kakashi reached into his cloak and retrieved a letter. "I'm here with permission from your Mizukage. Here's the proof."
"Oh?" The leader's eyes glinted. "We haven't received any such notice. Hand over the proof for verification."
"Of course." Kakashi placed the letter on the ground and raised his hands. "Go ahead."
The leader signaled to one of his subordinates, who approached the letter cautiously. However, as the subordinate bent down to pick it up, his hand subtly reached for his blade.
The instant he looked up, his gaze met a pair of blood-red Sharingan. His body froze. "S-Sharingan!"
Kakashi's eyes burned with intensity. "So, you're not Kirigakure ANBU after all. To track me so precisely, infiltrate foreign lands unnoticed, and disguise yourselves so convincingly... You're remnants of Root, aren't you? Even after Danzo's fall, you refuse to give up!"
Realizing their cover was blown, the leader wasted no time. "Attack!"
Swish, swish, swish! The Root operatives launched their assault, hurling kunai laced with explosive tags. They paid no mind to their comrade who had fallen under Kakashi's genjutsu.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Explosions erupted, obliterating the unfortunate Root member caught in the blast.
Amidst the chaos, Kakashi shielded Rin and retreated to a safe distance. "Rin, I'm sorry for this!"
Whoosh! His right eye activated a spiraling vortex, sending Rin into the safety of the Kamui dimension.
The Root operatives, unaware of what had just occurred, continued their relentless attack.
Overlooking the Battle
On a cliff above the gorge, two figures observed the skirmish below.
Kisame Hoshigaki, resting his massive Samehada on his shoulder, chuckled. "Oh? That ability... It seems Brother Obito has found his true resolve. Our target is down there too, Itachi. When should we make our move? If he summons the Ox-Headed King, our mission might fail."
Itachi Uchiha, his left hand emerging from his cloak while his empty sleeve swayed in the wind, gazed coldly into the abyss. "When the time comes, I will act."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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