Wait... wait? No way, right?
Thinking of this, Yuki almost jumped in fright, a movement that startled the young maid who hadn't yet left his side.
"Master Yuki? What's wrong?"
"Nothing... where is Father now? I need to find him."
Taking a deep breath, Yuki spoke hurriedly to the maid. If he wasn't mistaken, trouble was already knocking on the Hyuga clan's door.
In the original story, when Hinata was about three, the Land of Lightning sent envoys to negotiate a treaty while simultaneously executing a kidnapping plot. Today, the Cloud envoys had indeed arrived. In other words, Yuki was currently on the exact day that incident occurred, and he was the intended protagonist!
In the original timeline, Hiashi quickly discovered the plot and killed the envoy to rescue Hinata. However, the Land of Lightning used the death of their envoy as a pretext to demand Hiashi's life, threatening to break the peace treaty otherwise. To protect the clan and his brother, Hizashi volunteered to die in Hiashi's place, leading to Neji's lifelong resentment...
I can't let this happen. If I'm right, one of the Cloud envoys is coming to kidnap me tonight, and then we're back on that tragic path.
Yuki wanted to seek his father's help immediately. The simplest way to break this stalemate was to stick to Hiashi like glue. Given that Hiashi had single-handedly taken down the envoy in the original story, the operative couldn't be that strong—likely an average Jōnin at best. With Hiashi as a shield, Yuki could survive the night unscathed.
However, the maid's next words made him frown.
"About that... since tonight is a major event, the Clan Head will likely be busy with social obligations until very late. If you go to him now, you'll definitely be scolded. It's better to just go to sleep."
The festival? Right, today was the day of the traditional Hyuga ritual. Hiashi, as the head of the clan, would be swamped with various ceremonies and hosting duties.
Wait, did the Cloud Village plan this specifically knowing the date? But they only arrived in Konoha today. Usually, they shouldn't be able to map out the Hyuga's internal situation so quickly. Unless... there's a mole in the clan?
The more Yuki thought about it, the more he smelled a rat.
According to the original story, a single Cloud envoy infiltrated the Hyuga estate and abducted Hinata. While it sounds simple, it's actually quite ridiculous when you think about it. First, the envoy wasn't even elite enough to survive a confrontation with Hiashi while holding a hostage. How could such a mediocre ninja easily infiltrate the headquarters of one of Konoha's two greatest clans and snatch the heir? Is the Hyuga compound made of paper? It was all very suspicious.
"I have something important to discuss with Father. I have to go, no matter what!"
Yuki stood up, threw on a jacket, and spoke firmly to his personal maid.
"Eh? That's not really—Wait! Master Yuki!"
Before the maid could react, the small boy had already sprinted to the door and slid it open.
Because Yuki lived in a quiet side courtyard, the hallway was empty, looking somewhat desolate under the bright moonlight. However, since it was a "Full Moon Night," visibility was excellent. Yuki ignored the bewildered gaze of the maid chasing after him and ran toward the other end of the corridor.
If he was right, Hiashi was still drinking with the clan elders in the main hall. If he could just get there...
Thump!
As Yuki rounded a corner, his small body collided with something solid, sending him tumbling to the floor.
"Ah? Master Yuki? Why are you out here?"
Yuki looked up to see a young man in a white kimono extending his right hand to help him up. The man had the signature white eyes of the Hyuga, a spotless kimono, and clean hair flowing behind him.
However, the moment Yuki looked at him, his skin crawled.
This guy... isn't a Hyuga.
Within seconds, Yuki reached this conclusion. Though the man's appearance and clothing were standard Hyuga fare, there was a glaring inconsistency: he was too clean.
Today was a rare, major ritual day for the Hyuga. Everyone, from high-ranking elders to servants, had been celebrating all night. The men, in particular, had consumed vast amounts of sake. Yet, this man didn't smell of alcohol at all, and his clothes were too tidy to have come from a rowdy banquet.
Furthermore, Yuki knew that only the secret guards were exempt from the festivities, and a secret guard would never reveal themselves to the young master like this. This person was almost certainly a Cloud operative.
"Ahem, I'm fine. Just out for some fresh air," Yuki said, putting on a naive act as he took the man's hand to stand up.
"Is that so? Then... you should have a good, long sleep."
Before Yuki could find his footing, the young man smirked. He pressed his palm against the boy's forehead!
Instantly, the world seemed to swirl like a vortex before Yuki's eyes, and his consciousness began to slip into darkness...
Phew, that was easier than I thought.
The Cloud Jōnin, a man named Darby, let out a sigh of relief. Having successfully captured the mission target, he slung Yuki over his shoulder and sprinted toward the end of the corridor before the maid could catch up.
Yuki's suspicions were spot on. Darby wasn't a Hyuga; he was a spy the Cloud had planted in Konoha years ago. He had left the village briefly to join the envoy delegation and returned under the guise of a Cloud ninja leader, while the actual head of the delegation was someone else.
Because he had already mapped out the Hyuga clan's daily routines and architecture, and thanks to his skills as an intelligence-gathering Jōnin, infiltrating during a festival using a disguise was easy. Even his "Byakugan" was fake—just a pair of specialized contact lenses.
Plus, since the Cloud envoys were currently negotiating a peace treaty, almost no one expected them to strike at the Hyuga at such a critical moment...
However, that was only "almost." As Darby carried Yuki toward the corner of the compound to make his escape, a small mind was racing, calculating a counter-strategy.
This is bad. If I don't do something, history will repeat itself. But what can I do? Yuki thought, playing dead on the man's shoulder.
Darby was certain the three-year-old was under the influence of genjutsu and fast asleep, but Yuki's consciousness was perfectly clear. Darby's genjutsu hadn't worked—or rather, the simple illusion was broken the moment it took effect.
The method Yuki used to break the genjutsu was simple: he used the phantom entity floating behind him that no one else could see—The Stand: Kaguya-hime.