Half a Day Earlier — The Hyūga Clan
"Lord Hiashi—this is bad! The young lady was attacked! On the way back, several unknown shinobi wounded us and abducted Hinata-sama!"
"Damn it… could it be Kumogakure again?"
"Those bastards—do they really think the Hyūga are easy prey?!"
"Clan Head, let us go!"
"This time we'll make them pay in blood!"
"They've gone too far! The Hyūga don't seek trouble… but we're not afraid of it either!"
The Hyūga erupted in rage, volunteering one after another to hunt the enemy down.
Hyūga Hiashi, the clan head, stood with a grim expression. Without raising his voice, his presence alone pressed down like iron.
"Which direction did they go?"
"Reporting to Clan Head—the branch family has already begun pursuit. They shouldn't have left the village yet."
"I'll handle the kidnappers myself." Hiashi's voice was cold.
"You protect the clan. Also—send someone to notify the Hokage."
With that order, his figure blurred and vanished at speed.
This situation dragged up the memory of the old Kumogakure incident—when the political climate had been unstable, and the village chose compromise to avoid war… at the cost of his younger brother.
But this time wouldn't end like the last.
Again and again they dared to prey on Hyūga blood—did they really think the Hyūga had no temper left?
---
Hokage's Office
An ANBU shinobi reported, "Hokage-sama, the Hyūga have sent word. Their young lady has been abducted by foreign shinobi. Clan Head Hyūga Hiashi has gone in pursuit."
The Third Hokage's expression tightened. After a long pause, he let out a heavy sigh, then said sternly:
"I understand. The Hyūga are a pillar of Konoha—no outsider is allowed to humiliate them."
"Have the Uchiha assist in the search. Hinata Hyūga must be rescued safely."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
After the ANBU left, the Third Hokage unrolled a scroll, as if the past had surfaced in his mind.
"The matter of Hizashi… in the end, it still left a thorn in his heart…"
---
The Forest Outside Konoha
"Sir… what do we do now?"
Three masked shinobi crouched on the thick trunk of a massive tree, speaking in low voices. Their leader carried a small girl over his shoulder—delicate as a doll.
The leader glanced at the unconscious child, the pressure crushing down on him.
"Konoha's dogs will catch up soon. No matter what happens, the Byakugan must not be harmed in the slightest."
"If it comes down to it and we can't force our way out—prioritize your lives."
The two subordinates quietly breathed easier. At least they weren't being ordered to fight to the death.
The leader could read their thoughts. If I left two chūnin behind, they wouldn't last ten seconds.
Still, these were comrades who had bled beside him. At a moment like this, their morale mattered.
"Don't panic," he soothed. "We have support outside."
"As long as we make it out of Konoha, their shinobi can't touch us. The adults in the village will intercept them."
"And once we complete this mission…" his voice sharpened with greed,
"…we'll be heroes back home. Our futures will be limitless."
The two subordinates flushed with excitement, fear pushed down by anticipation.
Just as they searched for a breakthrough—
Laughter carried through the trees.
The leader instantly prepared himself, forming hand seals—
And then, within their line of sight, two boys appeared: one older, one younger. The smaller one was even holding an orange cat.
"Konoha brats?" one of the masked shinobi muttered, puzzled.
"What are they doing this deep in the forest?"
"Don't tell me they're here for us," the other chūnin scoffed.
"No way. Two kids? Konoha really thinks that little of us?"
The leader didn't relax.
"Don't let your guard down. It could be bait."
"Watch first."
One of the chūnin was a sensor-type. After probing the area, he said,
"Sir, I checked. Aside from those two kids, there's no one else nearby. It doesn't look like a trap."
The other chūnin leaned in.
"Sir, if they dare come out here, it means they've probably done it before. They might know other ways out of Konoha."
"Should we capture them and interrogate them?"
The leader frowned, torn.
Then the sensor's face tightened.
"Sir—several people are closing in from the southeast. Konoha shinobi. What do we do?"
"Move," the leader decided instantly.
"Grab them. Even if they don't know an exit, we can use them as hostages."
The danger was too close now.
One subordinate stayed with Hinata. The other moved to cut off Uzumaki Renka and Naruto's retreat.
It happened fast—like lightning.
---
Renka was talking to Naruto about teaching him some jutsu when a whip of water snapped down from a tree ahead, aimed with precision.
"Water Style—Water Wall!"
Renka hastily formed seals. A wall of water surged up from the ground, blocking the incoming water whip.
"Naruto! I'll hold them off—run back to the village and get help!"
His attacker's strike failed, and the leader's heart sank.
"This isn't an ordinary kid. End it quickly."
"If necessary, kill him first—leave just one."
"Water Style—Water Prison Jutsu!"
A chūnin behind Renka seized the opening. A ring of water formed around Renka at high speed, compressing into a spherical prison—trying to lock him down first.
"Renka big brother!" Naruto shouted, panic flooding his face.
"Don't worry about me!" Renka barked.
"If you stay, you'll just be dead weight—run!"
Renka didn't even know whether Naruto listened. His hands flew through seals; body memory kept him steady even in chaos.
"Fire Style—Fireball Jutsu!"
He blasted a torrent of flame. White steam erupted around him as fire and water collided, thick fog spreading outward.
"This kid isn't genin—he's chūnin!"
The sensor chūnin grew anxious. In his perception, Konoha shinobi were getting closer. Their situation was turning lethal.
"Sir—grab the smaller one! They're coming!"
"Damn it!"
The leader cursed, eyes snapping to Naruto—who stood frozen, trembling from fear, unable to move.
The leader stomped forward, crossing over ten meters in an instant, and reached out to seize Naruto.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Renka had just regained clear vision when he saw it—his heart nearly stopped.
He formed seals and slammed both hands onto the ground.
A solid stone wall erupted upward for dozens of meters. The violent force of it repelled the leader outright.
You want to die—fine. I want to live.
"Renka big brother—are you okay?"
Renka panted hard. He hadn't expected real combat to be this brutal. One mistake and you fell into a dead end.
"I'm fine for now," he snapped.
"But if you don't run, I won't be!"
"Renka big brother… who are they?" Naruto asked shakily.
How would I know? Renka cursed internally.
He stared harder at the enemy—and noticed someone on the tree above.
Looking closer, he saw a small girl slung over that shinobi's shoulder, about Naruto's age.
…Hinata Hyūga?
Damn it—are these those Byakugan thieves from Kumo?
No—Hizashi already died… so is this another group coveting the Byakugan?
What the hell—I got dragged into this?! My luck is cursed!
But once he'd seen it, he couldn't pretend he hadn't.
And if he handled this right, he might even gain a connection with the Hyūga.
"Renka big brother… what do we do?" Naruto whispered, unsettled.
Hinata's been taken—Hyūga shinobi will definitely be on the way. Maybe they're already close.
I just need to buy them time.
Perfect—this is also a chance to test my strength.
"Fire Style—Hiding in Ash Jutsu!"
The enemy had lost patience. Water bullets fired in rapid succession—
Renka formed seals, cheeks swelling as he exhaled a thick cloud of ash and dust. The area was instantly swallowed by a choking haze.
He grabbed Naruto by the collar and leapt up into the trees.
"Hide here."
"See that girl? When I get her back, you carry her and run straight to the village."
"Report everything to the Hokage."
"I got it."
This time Naruto didn't argue. His face was tight and serious as he nodded.
The orange cat clung to Naruto's clothes and cap with both paws—showing no intention of escaping at all.
With Naruto secured, Renka launched himself.
His target was the sensor shinobi on the tree.
He formed a cross-shaped hand sign.
Puff!
A shadow clone shot into the ash cloud while Renka's real body charged forward.
"Sir—behind you! Watch out!" the sensor shouted.
He hadn't lost the target—only, in that instant, Renka became two.
"Water Style—Water Dragon Jutsu!"
At the warning, the leader exhaled a massive water dragon. Its snarling head surged forward and slammed into Renka—
Puff!
The water engulfed him. Then came a soft pop—white smoke burst outward.
The target vanished completely.
"A shadow clone! Be careful!" the leader snarled.
"How is that possible…?"
The sensor's face went pale as he frantically searched for Renka—
And at that moment, Renka shot upward from below the tree, hand seals already formed: Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger.
"Fire Style—Fireball Jutsu!"
A terrifying fireball, as large as a water tank, roared upward toward him.
He doesn't care about the hostage?!
Seeing Renka's cold, merciless eyes and his utter lack of hesitation, the sensor chūnin's body trembled.
This guy's insane—he never intended to protect the hostage!
At the last instant, he threw the hostage away, forcing chakra through his system and spitting out a huge water bullet.
Water and fire collided—fog exploding everywhere.
Renka flickered in, caught Hinata mid-fall, and immediately handed her to Naruto.
"Run!"
Naruto hoisted Hinata onto his back, gritted his teeth, and bolted toward the village.
"Don't die," Naruto yelled back as he ran.
"You still owe me ramen!"
Renka flashed a bright grin.
"Ramen, huh… when this is over, a bowl of ramen doesn't sound bad at all."
The sensor chūnin's face twisted, livid.
So he'd been played.
"Bastard—I'll kill you!"
Boom!
That impact echoed even from far away.
A thousand meters out, Hyūga Hiashi's eyes snapped toward the sound. Chakra surged to his feet—his figure shot forward, crossing dozens of meters in a blink.
At the same time, the Uchiha Police Force also detected the disturbance.
Led by an ANBU member—Itachi—they rushed toward the battlefield at full speed.
...
The ash cloud thinned.
Renka pulled his Leaf headband from his arm and tied it around his forehead. Then he interlocked his fingers into a cross.
"Alright… now let me see my limit."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"