The atmosphere within the Hyūga clan was suffocatingly heavy.
It wasn't just because of the grim news that war was approaching. Today was also the day of Hyūga Hizashi's funeral.
Inside the courtyard, the thick, cloying scent of sandalwood incense mixed with the musty smell of old tatami mats, pressing down like a sticky paste against Hizashi's own nose and throat.
"…"
Hyūga Hizashi stared at the photograph surrounded by layers of white chrysanthemums. He looked at the image of himself and at the people kneeling throughout the room, feeling how absurd the entire world had become.
Little Hyūga Hinata, who had only just celebrated her third birthday, hid behind him. Her small hand clutched the hem of her "father's" clothes as she watched everything unfolding before her with innocent, uncomprehending eyes.
The current Hinata didn't yet understand what death truly meant.
Not until she saw Hyūga Neji kneeling stiffly in front of the photograph, looking like a forgotten clay statue.
"Neji… my condolences…"
A branch family member patted Neji's shoulder with a soft sigh. Neji's previously calm but suppressed expression twitched. Under Hinata's gaze, he lowered his head, and a single crystalline tear slid down his cheek.
The raw pain and sorrow that seemed to overflow from the depths of his heart made Hinata's own chest tighten slightly.
The monks' low, monotonous chanting echoed through the hall, each note striking her eardrums like heavy lead weights and piercing her nerves like countless tiny needles, leaving her tense.
She remembered the strange looks the branch family children had given her yesterday and suddenly realized that Lord Hizashi's death might have something to do with her.
Quietly letting go of her "father's" clothes, Hinata slipped out of the mourning hall with small, hurried steps.
At the front of the crowd, Hyūga Kumokawa felt something and turned to look behind him.
The first snow of the year in Konoha was falling. Large, feather-like flakes drifted down silently and densely, covering the meticulously trimmed pine branches in the courtyard, blanketing the stone path, and wrapping the entire world in a cold, pure white silence that felt almost suffocating.
Only the lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed helplessly in the wind and snow, casting trembling, dim yellow halos of light.
In front of Hinata, the figures dressed in somber black clothes appeared like silent, ominous clouds in her peripheral vision. The occasional strange glances they cast her way felt like barbed hooks scraping across her exposed skin.
Irresistible guilt and cowardice surged from her heart. She instinctively chose to flee—first walking, then breaking into a run, desperate to escape the oppressive room.
Crunch! Crunch!
Her feet sank unevenly into the snow as she ran. Her thin clothes flapped loudly in the wind, the wide obi belt digging into her waist. Snowflakes lashed against her face, melting into icy streams that slipped down her collar.
She kept running until she left the Hyūga clan grounds. Then her foot caught, and she tumbled heavily into a thick pile of snow. The cold instantly enveloped her.
"Ugh…"
The tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally spilled over. Hot droplets slid down her freezing cheeks and fell onto the snow, creating tiny, fleeting dark spots.
She struggled to her feet and tried to keep running, but as she rounded the next corner, she crashed straight into someone.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Hinata wiped her tears and stood up, instinctively raising her head to apologize.
She had bumped into one of three boys. When he saw Hinata's white eyes, the "it's fine" he was about to say died in his throat.
"Eh?" His two companions blurted out, "Her… her eyes…"
By now, everyone knew war was coming. As one of the triggers for the conflict, the Hyūga clan's position in Konoha had become extremely awkward.
They used to look down on others with their Byakugan. Now, others were looking at them with disdain.
Whenever villagers saw those signature white eyes, their expressions would turn hostile and their attitudes nasty.
This attitude naturally influenced their children.
And children's cruelty is the purest kind—free of any self-interest.
"Look! Her eyes are white!"
"Wow, they really are! A white-eyed monster!"
"Is she some kind of demon, just like that other thing?"
The three boys immediately started yelling and jeering. They shoved the already-standing Hinata back down.
One of the boys even reached out toward her eyes. Hinata seemed frozen in fear, her little face paling as she stared blankly.
"Stop—"
"Hey."
Just as the boy's hand was about to touch her, two voices spoke out almost simultaneously.
The boy instinctively turned around. The next moment, a palm enlarged in his vision.
Slap!
The smack sent him spinning halfway around before he crashed to the ground. A blood-stained tooth flew out along with him.
"Ah!"
The other two brats had just let out sharp cries when Hyūga Kumokawa backhanded them as well. Two more teeth flew out as they dropped peacefully into unconsciousness.
"Lady Hinata."
Hyūga Kumokawa looked at the timidly blinking Hinata and pointed calmly toward the Hyūga clan compound. "It's dangerous at night. If you've had enough fun, you should head home."
"Y-yes…"
Realizing she had caused trouble for someone else, Hinata lowered her head obediently.
Watching Hinata's small figure gradually disappear into the distance, Kumokawa withdrew his gaze and looked behind him.
Crunch… crunch…
A short figure bundled up so thickly he looked like a waddling penguin emerged from behind a utility pole.
As he passed the three unconscious boys, he kicked each of them once while keeping his hands in his pockets.
"Big brother, you're really strong!"
The little "shorty" walked up to Hyūga Kumokawa, tilted his head up to look at him, pulled down his scarf to reveal a familiar face, and said in a childish voice, "Are you a ninja? A genin?"
Looking into the boy's bright blue eyes and at the distinctive whisker marks on his face, Hyūga Kumokawa's gaze deepened.
Uzumaki Naruto—the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
He hadn't expected their first meeting to happen under these circumstances.
Hyūga Kumokawa narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you afraid of me?"
Uzumaki Naruto narrowed his own eyes in imitation and shook his head energetically. "Nope! Because you don't hate me, big brother."
Kumokawa paused for a moment, instinctively thinking of Naruto's ability to sense malice.
But he quickly realized that the young Naruto wouldn't have that ability yet.
Which meant…
"You sensed it through instinct and experience?" A spark of interest rose in Kumokawa's mind.
The current Naruto seemed much more likable than the one who would grow up later.
However, Uzumaki Naruto's identity was far too sensitive. It was still too early for them to meet.
And even if they did meet, it shouldn't be under these circumstances.
With that, Hyūga Kumokawa gave him one last look, then used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished.
Naruto stood in place, his eyes sparkling.
Body Flicker Technique—so cool!
Crunch.
Not long after Kumokawa left Naruto, a figure appeared in front of him.
"Jōnin Hyūga Kumokawa." The masked Root operative handed over two scrolls with a cold voice. "These are from Sandaime-sama."
A Root ninja?
Catching that familiar, chilling aura, Kumokawa immediately understood. He accepted the two scrolls.
The first one was a pass to the Forbidden Scroll repository—clearly sent by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As for the second…
"They want us to investigate the physical condition of Hanzo of Amegakure in the Hidden Rain Village while we're heading toward the Land of Hot Springs?" Kumokawa's eyes flickered slightly as he pondered.
Was this an order from Sarutobi Hiruzen? From Shimura Danzō? Or both?
Still…
"Hanzo, huh?" Kumokawa thought with a faint smile. "He would make quite an excellent puppet."
***
Hey, everyone! I'm currently working on a new Marvel project, and I'm really excited about it. If that sounds like something you'd enjoy, feel free to give it a read:
[Marvel Apex Predator]
Synopsis:
What would happen if you were born into a world filled with bizarre races wielding even stranger powers, as a species whose sole purpose is to evolve by devouring every other race?
Chaos.
That's exactly what happens when the universe's one and only true Apex Predator is born into Marvel.
This is the story of how Xenomorph tears apart the cosmic food chain and reshapes the hierarchy of life itself.