Chapter 8: The Rampaging Overprotective Father
A voice full of fury rang out, followed by a devastating Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm that struck Izumi Saburō square in the chest. The violent chakra blast sent him flying, crashing through several massive trees along the way, each one snapping like twigs.
"Ugh…"
Izumi coughed up a mouthful of blood. Even though the Cloud Village was known for their proficiency in taijutsu and superior physical conditioning, being caught off-guard by such a powerful technique left him gravely injured.
"You dared to kidnap my daughter?!"
Hyūga Hiashi appeared, surrounded by dozens of Hyūga clan shinobi. His Byakugan eyes burned with fury so intense it felt tangible. While it wasn't unusual for other villages to covet the Byakugan, no one had ever dared to make such a bold move within Konoha's borders—let alone attempt to kidnap the Hyūga heiress.
"Put Hinata down and I might spare your lives!"
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
Izumi didn't answer. He quickly formed seals, and a bolt of lightning surged forward, aimed directly at Hiashi.
"Pathetic struggle."
Hiashi scoffed coldly, dodging the lightning effortlessly with a swift movement.
"You fell for it!" Izumi suddenly grinned.
The real purpose of the attack wasn't to defeat Hiashi—it was a diversion, a ploy to draw his attention elsewhere. And the true target?
"Hinata!"
Hiashi and the surrounding Hyūga shinobi activated Body Flicker in an attempt to rescue Hinata. But Izumi's squad had come fully prepared to die. By the time Hiashi realized their intent, the three chūnin holding Hinata had already drawn their kunai and were slicing toward her neck.
No matter how fast Body Flicker was, it required a moment to react—and the kunai were mere inches from Hinata's throat. There simply wasn't enough time.
Hiashi's eyes widened in desperation, wishing he could teleport to his daughter's side to shield her from the fatal strike.
"Hahaha! In the end, we win after all!"
Izumi burst into maniacal laughter. Just a little more pressure from his subordinates, and the Hyūga heiress would be dead. That would be enough to send Konoha spiraling—and their mission would be considered a success.
But the next second, Izumi's laughter cut off abruptly.
Hiashi and the others froze in place.
A small hand had stopped the kunai mere centimeters from Hinata's neck. No matter how hard the attacker pushed, the blade wouldn't move forward. That thin sliver of space between steel and skin had become as wide as a canyon.
"Give it up… Mind Link…"
A soft yellow light flickered in Sakura's eyes as she grasped the kunai. She had used the Space Stone to instantly teleport to Hinata's side. The attacker's body went limp and collapsed, falling into a deep sleep.
"Lightning Style: Earth Walker! Die—all of you!"
Izumi roared, unleashing a surge of lightning from his feet. It snaked across the ground, speeding straight toward Sakura and Hinata. Hiashi, who had just begun to relax, felt his heart lurch once more.
"Stubborn fool. A lightning-style jutsu? Then take it back."
Sakura closed her oiled paper umbrella and set it against her magic sword. Supporting Hinata with one arm, she raised her other hand. A swirl of violet energy gathered in her palm. The moment Izumi's lightning touched it, it was absorbed into the purple glow.
Then, that same energy—now infused with blue lightning chakra—blasted forward from Sakura's hand, roaring toward Izumi like a cannon shot.
"What?! No—!"
Izumi barely had time to react.
Izumi Saburō's eyes widened in disbelief. But no matter how stunned he was, the Lightning Style: Earth Walker—now enhanced by the Power Stone—had already reached a terrifying speed. The moment he even thought about dodging, the swirling blue-violet lightning was already in his face.
The amplified jutsu struck him squarely, forcing a bloodcurdling scream from his throat. But just as the pain from the lightning began to subside, another wave of punishment descended upon him.
"Eight Trigrams: Two Palms... Four Palms... Eight Palms... Sixteen Palms... Thirty-Two Palms... Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"
Having watched his daughter face mortal danger not once but twice, Hiashi Hyūga had completely snapped. He went into a full rampage. The rapid-fire combination of Gentle Fist strikes launched Izumi into the air, where he helplessly endured the full barrage of chakra-point sealing attacks.
By the time Hiashi withdrew his hand, Izumi lay crumpled on the ground—dead beyond a doubt.
But what unsettled everyone was the faint, victorious smile still etched on his lifeless face.
"Damn... I acted impulsively…"
Hiashi's expression shifted instantly. Regret hit him hard.
Izumi had been officially sent by the Hidden Cloud Village to sign a peace agreement. And now, he had died under the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist techniques. Even without thinking too deeply, Hiashi could already guess what would happen next—the Cloud would undoubtedly use this as a pretext to cause trouble.
"F-Father…"
At that moment, Hinata stirred awake—her mind cleared of the sedative thanks to the Hyūga clan's medical-nin. She looked around, confused to find herself in the middle of a forest. Her face wore a blank, dazed expression.
"Hinata, are you hurt? Were you scared? Father's here—everything's okay now…"
The cold, furious Hiashi transformed in an instant into a doting father. He used Body Flicker to rush to her side, gripping her little hand, asking question after question in a tender, soothing tone.
"…Total girl dad," Sakura thought to herself, the term flashing unbidden into her mind.
Hiashi was acting nothing like the disappointed, stern father from the original timeline. Instead, he was a picture of pure fatherly affection.
On reflection, though, it wasn't surprising. At this point in time, Hiashi's brother, Hizashi, hadn't died protecting him. Hinata was only four years old—she hadn't started serious training yet, and she hadn't lost to her younger sister Hanabi in sparring. With none of those disappointments weighing on him, Hiashi had no reason to be disillusioned with Hinata's potential.
Still, Sakura found it a little shocking to see this version of Hiashi.
---
Later that night...
A group gathered in the Third Hokage's office. Hiruzen sat behind his desk, puffing on his pipe. In front of him stood Hiashi, Sakura, and little Hinata.
"It seems the Hidden Cloud didn't just come here to sign a peace treaty," Hiruzen said grimly after taking a long drag. "They were clearly after the Byakugan. But the most troubling part is this: officially, they came on a diplomatic mission. Now, one of their envoys has died at the hands of the Hyūga clan. With the Cloud's temperament, they'll definitely use this as a justification to stir up trouble."
"If war breaks out, the Hyūga clan will stand with you, Lord Hokage," Hiashi said coldly. Just thinking about the trauma his daughter might've suffered made him want to dig up Izumi's body and beat it again.
"The Third Great Ninja War ended not long ago. If another war starts now…"
Hiruzen sighed heavily. His head throbbed at the thought. "For now, we'll leave things as they are. We'll have to wait and see how the Cloud responds."
"Then, Grandpa Third, we'll head back now!"
Sakura, half-dozing atop her magic sword, gave a sleepy wave. Beside her, Hinata sat on the same floating sword, marveling at the fact that she was flying.
"Mhm. Sakura, you did well. If you hadn't noticed their plan and intervened, they might've succeeded in taking her," Hiruzen said with a rare smile.
Bloodline abilities were valuable in every village, and the Byakugan—especially one that could be transplanted—was a prize no one wanted their enemies to get their hands on.
"Hiashi, you should go too. I'll convene the Council of Elders to discuss our next move and update you afterward."
"Understood." Hiashi nodded. Then he turned to Hinata with a soft, affectionate smile.
"Hinata, let's go home. Tomorrow, I'll take you to play with Sister Sakura again, okay?"
"Mm! See you later, Sister Sakura!"
Hinata waved shyly and let her father lead her out of the room.
Seeing this, Sakura gave her goodbyes to the Third, then commanded her magic sword to lift her up and glide out the window. The move made Hiruzen chuckle softly, reminded of a certain student of his—Jiraiya—who had always preferred window exits too.