"Itachi-kun!"
A melodic voice made Itachi turn around.
Izumi Uchiha, a young girl with bright eyes and a tattooed tear, waved at him.
Daughter of a Uchiha and an unknown man.
Awakened her Sharingan during the Kyūbi Disaster.
Itachi's childhood friend.
Shisui nudged Itachi toward her, laughing:
"Come on, don't be shy!"
"Is she... your girlfriend?" Sako blinked, intrigued.
Mikoto smiled: "Ah, youth is so beautiful..."
On the rooftop, Naruto watched Izumi with a chilling intensity.
An unexpected piece on the chessboard...
"OHHHH!"
The clouds arrived under a rain of petals.
The one-eyed ninja leader greeted them with a predatory smile.
Naruto counted:
– 8 ninjas (including the one-eyed man)
– 4 officials (stiff suits, political smiles)
Twelve people. Twelve potential targets.
"Hey! Naruto!"
Sako had spotted him, but he ignored her call and vanished in a flash.
---
In the Hyūga Territory, Hinata, dressed in a new kimono, stared at her reflection.
"Will Naruto-kun come...?"
Her maid pulled her from her daydream:
"Focus, Hinata-sama. Your father..."
Hinata shivered. A mistake today would have terrible consequences.
Today wasn't just a birthday.
It was also the day when the children of the branch family would receive the Caged Bird Seal.
A demonstration of power. A bloody tradition.
As she spoke, Aka sensed a piercing gaze at the entrance of the Hyūga estate.
She turned her head—
"Uzumaki Naruto?!"
The blue-eyed boy was watching the clan's walls, like a wolf stalking its prey.
Hyūga Natsu stopped at the entrance of the clan, her icy gaze locked on the individual spying from afar.
The sneaky yet clumsy way he hid only increased her displeasure.
Uzumaki Naruto, the nine-tailed demon, instigator of the terrible destruction Konoha once suffered.
Like most villagers, to Hyūga Natsu, he embodied pure evil.
"Miss Servant~..."
Discovered, Naruto cautiously emerged from the bushes.
His shy demeanor sparked no sympathy in Natsu.
As he approached, the disgust in her pale eyes seemed to overflow.
The shadow partly hid the face of the Hyūga branch family's servant.
The coldness in her gaze forced Naruto to stop.
The age and height difference allowed her to look down on him with ease.
Two years older than Yūki, Hyūga Natsu had grown into an elegant young woman with generous curves.
Her immaculate servant uniform worn over a dark kimono highlighted her voluptuous figure.
Although extremely conservative, even stiff, her outfit somehow still gave her a troubling allure.
And with that stern face, Naruto's heart... began to feel something different.
"Hmm?"
To Kyūbi, it was as if the dark sewers suddenly lit up.
This usually meant his host was secreting adrenaline—or rather... getting aroused.
But why?
Even after a thousand years of existence, Kyūbi still didn't understand everything.
There was a certain fetish: the more someone despises you, the more thrilled you become.
Of course, Naruto wouldn't admit that.
"Tell me, is Hinata here?"
Naruto scratched his head, pretending to be shy.
"The other morning, I saw you with her on the shopping street, so I thought..."
"Silence!"
Naruto was abruptly cut off by Natsu.
Today was a special day.
Almost all of Konoha's residents had gone to observe the diplomatic delegation from Kumo.
The Hyūga clan members, however, were celebrating Hinata's birthday in private.
That's why... the area was deserted, except for the two at the gate.
Natsu had no intention of listening to Naruto, much less showing him kindness.
Why should she be nice to this "nine-tailed demon" whom everyone rejected?
"You're not allowed to say Lady Hinata's name!"
Hinata-sama was the heir of the Hyūga main branch.
What did this nine-tailed demon, Uzumaki Naruto, represent compared to her?
He had no right to approach her.
"Leave immediately! And most importantly... never come near Lady Hinata again!"
"Huh? But..."
Naruto's expression instantly turned confused and helpless.
Sweat droplets on his forehead betrayed his nervousness.
Hyūga Natsu: "No 'but'! Get out! That's my final warning!"
Swish.
With a quick movement, the Hyūga servant took the opening stance of the Jūken.
A gentle fist warning!
In that instant, her expression of contempt peaked.
Even Kyūbi, after all these years, had never seen such a disdainful face!
"Heh..."
Yet Kyūbi yawned, completely unconcerned.
Because from the start, he knew Naruto was acting.
Feigning weakness to trap the opponent.
He'd done it with Yūki, and now, this human called Hyūga Natsu was falling into the same trap.
"She's done for..." Without thinking, Kyūbi predicted her fate.
"O... okay..."
Naruto pretended to be defeated and walked away immediately.
Too "scared" by the Jūken warning, he "accidentally" tripped, nearly falling!
Seeing his pitiful posture, Natsu felt slightly appeased.
"Hmph!"
She let out a mocking snort before walking away stiffly but gracefully, quickly leaving the area...
Naruto, for his part, crouched behind a nearby bush.
He planned to stay there until nightfall.
"This is what they call... waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree trunk..."
"What does that mean?" Kyūbi asked, annoyed.
"Kyūbi, you should read more books~."
Kyūbi: "..."