Hiashi Hyuga sat at his desk, fingers pressed against his temples, eyes locked on the latest security report. Hinata had escaped again.
It wasn't possible.
The guards had been doubled. The seals had been reinforced. The elders had assured him that this time, she would not slip through their grasp. And yet, when he checked her room, all that remained was the mocking echo of her absence.
His grip tightened.
Someone was helping her. They had to be. His daughter his weak, fragile daughter couldn't possibly be capable of outmaneuvering the Hyuga Clan's most elite security.
A knock at the door. One of the elders entered, bowing slightly. "Lord Hiashi… there is still no evidence of an accomplice."
Hiashi's Byakugan flared. "Then you are missing something."
The elder hesitated. "…Or perhaps Lady Hinata is simply improving?"
Hiashi turned so sharply the elder nearly stepped back. "Ridiculous. My daughter is not capable of such deception."
A flicker of movement from the window caught his attention. He turned just in time to see a ghostly shimmer of white fur and glowing violet eyes. The figure vanished into the shadows before he could react.
And then he heard it.
A soft chuckle, low, teasing.
"Or maybe, just maybe, she's better than you think."
The elder took a cautious step back as the temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Hiashi's grip on his desk tightened to the point of cracking the wood.
No. He refused to believe it.
Hinata focused, breathing in the cold air as she expanded her Soul Ice Domain. The field stretched outward, mist curling over the ground, frost creeping along the dirt.
Raven watched, arms crossed, idly flicking a kunai between her fingers. "Alright, Princess. Let's see how fast you are."
She threw the kunai.
Hinata didn't move.
The air around the blade solidified instantly. The kunai stopped mid-flight, frozen in place, before shattering into ice dust.
Raven grinned. "Not bad."
Another kunai. Another. Then three at once. Faster, sharper angles, unpredictable movement. Hinata's ice caught them all.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Ice Queen. Time to make things interesting."
Hinata barely had a second to react before Raven was on her.
A feint. A flicker of movement. A kunai aimed for her blind spot.
Hinata's instincts kicked in. The frost beneath her feet surged upward in jagged spikes, forcing Raven to twist mid-air to avoid impalement.
The kunai froze inches away from her skin before it could connect.
Raven landed lightly, shaking out her wrist. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
Hinata exhaled, lowering her hands. The cold mist around her thickened, reacting to her emotions.
She didn't just control the ice anymore.
It was an extension of her.
They sat on a boulder overlooking the training field, the ground still covered in a thin sheet of frost.
Raven leaned back, watching the sky. "The Hyuga compound is depressing."
Hinata glanced at her. "Oh?"
Raven shrugged. "Just a bunch of old men barking orders, deciding everything, thinking they know what's best. No individuality. No freedom."
Hinata looked away. She had never thought much about it—that was just how things were. The elders decided. The rules were followed.
But now…
"Have you ever thought about changing it?" Raven asked casually.
Hinata hesitated. "I… don't think they'd allow it."
Raven smirked. "That's the thing about people in power. They don't allow change unless you force it."
Hinata was silent.
Raven flicked a small piece of ice into the air, watching it dissolve. "You've already proven you're stronger than they think. So why do you let them keep deciding your future?"
Hinata clenched her fists.
Because that's just how it was. Because no one challenged it. Because no one thought it could be changed.
But what if…?
"What about Neji's seal?" she murmured.
Raven tilted her head. "What about it?"
Hinata exhaled slowly. "It isn't fair."
Raven's gaze sharpened. "No. It's not."
Hinata looked at her hands. "He's so strong… but they keep him caged. Just like they keep all of us caged."
Raven was silent for a moment, watching her carefully. Then, she said, "And what about the women in your clan?"
Hinata frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
Raven leaned forward. "The elders hold all the power. The men decide everything. The women are expected to follow orders. Doesn't that bother you?"
Hinata bit her lip.
It did.
She had seen it her entire life. The expectation that she would marry into another noble family. That Hanabi would become the perfect heir. That every woman in the Hyuga Clan was meant to serve, not lead.
She just… never questioned it.
Until now.
Raven smirked. "You, Hanabi, the other women in your clan… You don't have to live under their rules. You could create something better. A place where you make the rules it could even be a revolution of sorts."
Hinata looked at her, really looked at her.
For the first time, the idea of leaving the Hyuga Clan entirely didn't seem so impossible.
Hiashi Hyuga read through the latest security reports, his jaw set in a hard line.
Still no intruder. Still no evidence of an accomplice.
And yet, Hinata had vanished again.
His mind reeled. This wasn't possible.
She was not strong enough to be doing this alone.
A cold breeze swept through the room.
He looked up.
A nine-tailed fox with pure white fur and glowing violet eyes was curled up on his desk, tail flicking lazily.
Hiashi froze.
Yuumi smirked. "Miss me, old man?"
Hiashi shot to his feet. "WHAT ARE YOU?"
Yuumi stretched, yawning. "Wow. So dramatic."
Hiashi's Byakugan flared. "I will have answers."
Yuumi tilted her head, violet eyes gleaming. "Oh, will you?"
Hiashi clenched his fists. "Where is my daughter?"
Yuumi hummed. "Thriving."
Hiashi's veins bulged. "You think this is a joke?"
Yuumi grinned. "Oh, no. I know it's a joke."
Hiashi exhaled sharply, trying to keep his composure. "I will find out the truth."
Yuumi chuckled. "Mmm. Maybe."
And then, in an instant, she was gone.
Hiashi stood there, chest rising and falling, hands trembling from how tightly he was gripping the desk.
He refused to believe it.
She wasn't strong enough.
She couldn't be getting stronger.
She couldn't.
…Could she?
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