"Hoo! Hoo!"
With blurry vision, the flagstone road beneath his feet seemed endless. Naruto's ears still echoed with those cold words. All he wanted now was to quickly run back to his home, to that house which, though lonely, at least had no one pointing fingers at him, and hide himself away.
But just as he was fleeing miserably down the street, head bowed, while everyone he saw frowned and recoiled.
Bang!
He felt as if he had collided with a wall that wasn't hard but unexpectedly solid. The immense impact made him, already like willow floss in the wind, lose his balance. His small body fell backward, landing heavily on the cold ground, his palms stinging from being scraped by the rough surface.
"Sor-sorry!" Naruto blurted out almost instinctively. "I-I didn't mean to..."
He didn't dare to look up at the person he had bumped into, fearing he would see another pair of disgusted eyes. His tiny body hunched into a ball from embarrassment.
However, the expected scolding never came.
A hand extended in front of him, appearing in his downward gaze. The hand was slender and distinctly bony, with thin calluses from years of training, but its movement was unusually gentle. It didn't pull him up directly, but rather lay quietly open before him, like a patient, silent invitation.
Naruto Uzumaki froze at the sight, his voice caught in his throat. He tentatively raised his head little by little, looking up along the hand. What met his eyes was the person propping one hand on their knee, lowering their center of gravity, and leaning slightly forward. The face showed no expected coldness or anger, but rather a smile that made him feel unfamiliar and dazed. Sunlight fell upon that face, and even those pure white eyes shimmered with a gentle warmth.
"It's... it's you..."
A faint spark seemed to flash in Naruto's mind. He recalled the figure who had, with three backhanded slaps, sent three children flying. He blurted out, "The strong big brother?"
"It's you," Hiashi Hyuga seemed to remember him too. He offered his hand and asked, "Are you hurt?"
Naruto Uzumaki subconsciously reached out to take the hand, but just before their fingertips could touch.
"Wait, Lord Hiashi Hyuga, don't touch him!"
A slightly nervous but loud warning voice abruptly broke the peace of the surrounding street. Hiashi Hyuga looked up towards the sound and saw a middle-aged man nearby.
"Ahem, you may not know," the man said with a ingratiating smile mixed with self-important shrewdness. "This child is the reincarnation and embodiment of the Nine-Tailed Fox that killed the Fourth Hokage back then!"
These words were like a stone cast into water, instantly stirring up great waves.
"Look at that child's face..."
"Yes, yes! It's him, I heard about it too."
"Lord Hiashi, you are a hero as young and promising as the Fourth Hokage was back then. You mustn't get tainted by this fellow!"
The noisy murmurs and shared consensus gathered once more like an icy tide, instantly refreezing and sealing the barrier that had just shown a tiny crack. The crowd, which had quieted somewhat upon Hiashi Hyuga's appearance, resumed its noisy buzzing. Several pairs of eyes looked at Naruto Uzumaki with tension and a hint of scrutiny.
"I, I..."
Naruto's hand, which had just lifted, froze mid-air. The faint spark that had just ignited was instantly doused by this cold water, leaving only frigidity. He lowered his head again, not daring to look at Hiashi Hyuga's face, fearing that upon learning his "identity," the other would also show the same coldness and distance as everyone else. He could only bury his head deeper, tears welling up in his eyes again.
But now, under everyone's gaze, Hiashi Hyuga's smile softened considerably. It didn't disappear, but rather, like thin snow in early spring, it quietly melted under a certain warmth, revealing a deeper, calmer base underneath.
He didn't immediately respond to the villagers, nor did he look down at Naruto's expression. Those pure white eyes slowly lifted. They swept over the faces of the villagers, filled with self-righteous goodwill and deeply ingrained prejudice.
"..."
When those emotionless eyes, which seemed capable of piercing souls, calmly swept over each person who had been chattering and speaking over one another, the previously noisy discussions involuntarily gradually softened until they completely disappeared and dispersed. The villagers, who had been so assertive just moments before, inexplicably felt a pang of guilt. It was as if some ugliness deep within their hearts had been unveiled and illuminated by those pure white eyes.
And so, the street fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Everyone subconsciously held their breath.
Hiashi Hyuga's gaze landed on the face of the man who had first spoken out to warn him.
"Reincarnation of the Nine-Tailed Fox? Killed the Fourth Hokage?"
He looked at the villager, a faint smile on his face, his voice still calm as he asked, "May I ask where you heard these claims?"
"This, I..."
The man was startled by the question, his face turning somewhat awkward and flustered. His eyes darted nervously as he stammered for a long time, then glanced at another woman nearby, pointing at her as if grasping a lifeline: "It's, it's her! I heard it from her!"
At these words, everyone instinctively followed his finger, and the named woman instantly became the focus, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Hiashi Hyuga's gaze naturally shifted to the woman. Under his calm yet inexplicably oppressive gaze, the woman's throat bobbed as she swallowed dryly.
"This... this..."
Her voice was dry and tight, betraying her unmasked panic. She blurted out, "Everyone, everyone says so! It's been rumored throughout the village for a long time! Who, who doesn't know?"
"I see, everyone says so..."
Hiashi Hyuga nodded slightly, neither affirming nor denying. His gaze slowly swept over the now hushed crowd, his calm voice spreading clearly: "Then, is there anyone?"
"Among everyone present, is there anyone who has personally seen this child do anything to harm others, even a trivial matter?"
At these words, even the air seemed to solidify.
A deathly silence.
Everyone looked at each other, speechless for a moment.
Disgust and fear spread like a plague; everyone scrambled to distance themselves, hurled insults, and even taught their children to view him as a monster. But the root of this disgust and fear, ultimately, was merely the rumor of "everyone says so." It seemed no one had actually seen the child harm anyone?
In truth, this was their inherent flaw. It wasn't that no one thought of this point, but it had nothing to do with them. Not causing trouble for others, and not wanting to get into trouble themselves—this was their mindset. This seemingly normal thought evolved into collective indifference and bullying. In their view, even if Naruto Uzumaki truly wasn't the Nine-Tails' incarnation, what did it matter? They hadn't done anything truly heinous, had they? Everyone was doing and saying this, so there must be something wrong with him, right? If someone really came to investigate in the future, a simple apology would suffice, wouldn't it? "I've already apologized, what more do you want from me?"
So, even though they were speechless in front of Hiashi Hyuga now, some still harbored faint resentment in their hearts.
Thus, the expression on Hiashi Hyuga's face softened again, and that amiable, gentle smile resurfaced.
"Everyone, we are all villagers of Konoha," he said gently. "Living under the same roof, enduring the storms of the shinobi world together, we are family who rely on each other."
"How can family members slander each other based only on a little unverified rumor, without any actual evidence?"
"Even if it weren't this child here, but any one of you, I would still do the same, and I would firmly choose to believe you."
[Your lie has been judged as [Silver Tongue]. Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and others have experienced emotional fluctuations, reaching the level of [Believed], gaining 700 Truth Points.]
Unbeknownst to anyone, the eye on the tsuba of Hiashi Hyuga's sword at his waist had opened. These words flowed like warm spring water into the lake of their hearts, slowly dissolving the resentment in the hearts of several people present. Their furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed. Some even showed a hint of guilt on their faces. Sasuke Uchiha, observing this scene from afar, also stared at Hiashi Hyuga with some curiosity.
And Naruto had now raised his head, his bright blue eyes wide, filled with disbelief. He stared blankly at Hiashi Hyuga. The golden evening light cast a hazy halo, illuminating the tall and slender figure as if coating him in a faint golden glow, making him unable to look away.
Just as Naruto's mind was blank, filled with an unprecedented mix of complex emotions, Hiashi Hyuga looked at him again. This time, he didn't wait for Naruto to take his hand. That strong hand firmly grasped Naruto's small, dust-stained hand, which had been frozen mid-air.
A warmth, like the temperature of sunlight, clearly and quickly spread from their clasped hands, extending up Naruto's arm and dispelling the previous chill. Naruto was startled by this sudden warm touch, feeling as if his bones had been removed. He was lightly pulled up entirely by the strength of Hiashi Hyuga's arm. He stood firm, still looking down, but his small body was no longer so stiff. Hiashi Hyuga's hand didn't release immediately; the embrace of warmth made him feel an unprecedented sense of security and warmth.
"I should be the one apologizing," Hiashi Hyuga said in a light tone, as if the previous conversation had never happened. He chuckled, "You fell, did it hurt much?"
"You seem to be here for breakfast. As an apology, how about I treat you to ramen?"
The sudden apology caught Naruto off guard. He quickly shook his head and stammered, "It's-it's okay... no, that's not right, I was too careless, I can't..." This sudden kindness made him feel awkward. Even his verbal tic was exposed, and he instinctively wanted to pull his hand away and escape.
But, the next moment, a very clear sound rang out.
Grrrrrrr!
The sound came from Naruto's stomach, as if in protest, and it instantly froze all his movements. Hiashi Hyuga clearly heard this "protest," letting out a suppressed chuckle, with a hint of obvious teasing but no malice.
"Let's go," he said in a joking tone, "You wouldn't want me to send you back, and then you lie in bed crying from hunger all by yourself, would you?"
(As shown in the image, still from anime episode 700, he really cried QAQ)
Upon hearing this, Naruto Uzumaki's heart trembled fiercely. An inexplicable surge of bitterness welled up, and his nose twitched slightly. Hiashi Hyuga gave him no more time to waver. With a seemingly natural force, he pulled the still-dazed Naruto forward, and they began to walk.
The villagers who had not yet dispersed watched this scene with complex expressions. No one stepped forward to say anything, and surprisingly, there was no resentment either. Instead, they sincerely felt that Hiashi Hyuga's character was truly excellent. Even when facing a child suspected of being the "Nine-Tails' incarnation," he was so gentle, which inexplicably evoked a sense of respect.
"Sasuke, I've been looking for you for a long time. What are you doing here?"
As Sasuke Uchiha watched the two figures, one large and one small, leave, a voice filled with amusement and curiosity suddenly came from behind him. Sasuke turned his head towards the sound and saw a young man with long eyelashes, carrying a small katana on his back.
"Brother Shisui," he called, then looked at the two figures in the distance and said softly, "That's Hiashi Hyuga, whom everyone has been talking about lately, isn't it?"
Hearing this, Shisui Uchiha followed his gaze, looking up at the distant figures. He hadn't seen what happened here, and his impression of Hiashi Hyuga was limited to what others said about him. A war hero, a diligent genius, a rebel of the Hyuga clan... For Shisui, who valued both his clan and the village equally, his first impression of the name Hiashi Hyuga was very good before meeting him in person.
However, as he watched that distant back, the back being stared at by everyone on the street, Shisui slowly frowned.
"What is this feeling..."
He had now awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and also possessed "Kotoamatsukami," the strongest genjutsu. He could be said to be the most skilled genjutsu user in all of Konoha. As a genjutsu master, he was extremely sensitive to changes in himself and his environment. And because he hadn't seen what had just happened, he acutely sensed an invisible and colorless aura, realizing that his emotions seemed to have experienced an inexplicable fluctuation.
But that lingering aura was very, very faint, so faint that he even wondered if it was just his imagination...
"Brother Shisui?"
Sasuke, who hadn't received a response for a long time, turned around and saw Shisui frowning and staring intently into the distance. He tugged at Shisui's clothes, not understanding.
Shisui Uchiha's thoughts were interrupted. Given his personality, he wouldn't make baseless conjectures, so he simply shook his head to cast away a trace of doubt. He looked down at Sasuke and smiled, saying: "It's nothing. Let's go. Your brother has an Anbu mission today, so I'll accompany you instead."
Upon hearing this, Sasuke Uchiha's expression immediately drooped. He mumbled, "It's always like this. He said it was the last time before."
"Alright, alright, don't you know your brother by now?"
Shisui chuckled as he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, pushing him to turn and leave.
However, before leaving, he finally turned his head to look once more into the distance, taking a deep look as that figure, holding the small child's hand, disappeared around the street corner.
Lately, the clan's dissatisfaction with the village had grown increasingly intense. The words spoken at clan meetings were becoming bolder and bolder, making him feel increasingly pained being caught in the middle. He earnestly hoped to resolve the conflict between the village and the clan, but currently, he couldn't think of a solution. He was already mentally exhausted and simply didn't have the energy to worry about other matters.
So, I hope that feeling just now was merely my imagination...