On December 27th, Cloud and Konoha finally reached an agreement, signing a peace treaty.
That evening, Konoha celebrated with a grand festival, warmly inviting the Cloud delegation to join. The streets blazed with lantern light, lively chatter filling the air.
But amid the bustling celebration, few noticed a small detail, one member of the Cloud shinobi mission was missing.
And the Cloud shinobi who slipped away in secret never realized… someone else was following him from the shadows.
Meanwhile, deep within the Hyūga clan compound, a different gathering was taking place.
Today marked the third birthday of the clan's eldest daughter, Hyūga Hinata.
By clan law, members of the branch family must always serve as the guardians of the main house.
And when the heir of the main house reached the age of three, the branch family's children... those yet unmarked would have the Caged Bird Seal engraved upon their foreheads.
Thus, Hinata's birthday was not only a celebration, but also the day of the branch family's curse mark ceremony.
Because of this, the branch family did not attend the village-wide festival.
The clan meeting concluded as the night deepened. After the elders departed, little Hinata, drowsy from the long day, was carried back to her room and quickly fell asleep.
Silence soon draped the Hyūga compound. The lanterns were dim, the courtyards empty.
Then
A shadow slipped from Hinata's room.
Clad in a black night suit with his face concealed, the intruder carried the small girl in his arms and bolted without pause.
Moments later, another figure burst from the house, veins bulging at the temples as Byakugan flared.
Hyūga Hiashi's pale eyes locked instantly onto the fleeing kidnapper. Rage surged through him, an intruder had dared to breach the Hyūga's sacred grounds… and steal his daughter?!
Unforgivable.
Hiashi leapt after the kidnapper, only for the air around him to suddenly whistle with danger.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Kunai rained down from every angle, surrounding him in a deadly storm.
His pupils shrank. Ambush?! There are accomplices waiting in the dark?
Grinding his teeth, Hiashi roared:
"Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"
A dome of spinning chakra burst from his body, deflecting the barrage of kunai with explosive force.
The blades clattered away harmlessly. But when Hiashi's vision swept the surroundings… there was nothing. Not a single soul.
His expression darkened. Impossible. With my Byakugan, how could I not see them?
The answer was simple. Someone was making sure he couldn't.
Perched above, cloak rippling in the night wind, stood a man with a spiraled mask. Arms crossed, he gazed down at the Hyūga head.
Tobi.
His presence radiated menace.
He stood unmoving, as though posing for an invisible audience.
From the shadows nearby, White Zetsu emerged, eyeing him with a puzzled expression.
"…Tobi. There's no one watching. Stop the theatrics already and get to work."
Tobi didn't so much as twitch. His voice was calm, stripped of the playful tone he sometimes wore.
"It doesn't matter. Captain's orders were clear always believe someone is watching. Even if no one is there, act as though they are. Aura farming."
"…"
White Zetsu stared at him in silence, unsure whether to laugh or sigh. He never truly understood Tobi or their captain, but he had to admit… in moments like this, they really did look cool.
Even he couldn't help but feel swept up in it.
The White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique allowed his body to merge seamlessly with earth, roots, and trees, vanishing entirely from perception.
With it, he could move undetected, as though the world itself had swallowed him.
After triggering the trap, Tobi turned with a dramatic flourish, his cloak whipping in the night wind, only to sprint away at full speed.
"Can't have too much fun… otherwise Captain would get angry."
Hyūga Hiashi wasted no more time. His daughter was slipping further with every second.
He charged ahead, Byakugan blazing. The thief was fast, but not fast enough to escape his vision.
Then... another disturbance.
"Puff… puff…"
The sound of wings flapping echoed overhead. From the darkness, a murder of crows materialized, circling ominously above him.
In moments, the flock dove, countless black shapes blotting the night sky. They didn't strike directly, instead swirling chaotically around Hiashi, disrupting his vision and movement.
"Tch… out of my way!"
Hiashi's voice thundered as he thrust out his palm.
"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
A concentrated shockwave blasted forward, scattering several crows. Feathers exploded into the air, fluttering down in thick clouds.
But then
"Zzzt… zzzt…"
A faint, sinister sound crackled among the falling feathers.
Hiashi's eyes widened. Explosive Tags hidden inside the flock?!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The night split with a chain of violent detonations. Fire burst across the road, searing heat tearing through the silence of the compound.
Smoke and flame roared skyward, lighting the Hyūga district as if it were midday.
Inside the compound, lanterns flared to life. Alarmed voices rose as clansmen poured out of their homes.
In the midst of the inferno, a lone figure emerged.
Hyūga Hiashi broke free from the flames, his robes scorched, his face streaked with ash. He ignored the sting of burns, his eyes immediately turning toward the path of escape.
But the thief...the one who had taken Hinata was gone.
Not a trace remained.
"Damn it!!" Hiashi roared, fury echoing through the compound.
The thief had slipped from Hiashi's Byakugan field of vision. That could only mean one thing he was already more than a kilometer away.
His daughter was in danger.
"Clan head!"
Several Hyūga landed beside him, their eyes flashing pale as they scanned the area.
Hizashi, Hiashi's younger brother, stepped forward, his voice heavy. "What happened?"
Hiashi's jaw clenched. "Hinata was kidnapped."
"What?!"
The Hyūga shinobi around them froze in shock.
"In this direction—chase!"
Hiashi didn't waste another breath. He dashed forward, his robes scorched and torn, but his eyes burning with fury.
The other Hyūga immediately followed, Byakugan activated as they combed the night for traces.
Far from the chaos, down a narrow alley swallowed in shadow, a masked man leaned casually against the wall.
Obito's lips curved faintly beneath the mask.
"Those crows were surprisingly useful. No wonder Shisui and Itachi enjoy them so much."
He thought back on the murder of crows he had gathered earlier, subdued on a whim.
They had served perfectly, both as distraction and as cover. A smirk tugged at his face.
"Perhaps I should raise some myself… birds make for convenient tools. And pets."
His gaze dropped to the child lying at his feet.
The little girl's hair was dark, her figure small similar enough to Hinata's at a glance. Under the veil of night, no one would notice the difference.
She wasn't from any noble clan, just an ordinary villager's child Obito had plucked at random. Choosing a child from a prominent family would invite suspicion.
An ordinary girl, however, was nothing more than collateral. When the truth surfaced, Konoha would simply believe Cloud shinobi had swapped Hinata midway.
The blame would rest squarely on the Cloud.
Obito crouched down, tugging Hinata's small coat from her shoulders and draping it neatly over the slumbering girl.
The child smiled faintly in her sleep, the result of the genjutsu he had cast on her moments earlier.
At the mouth of the alley, a figure appeared the Cloud shinobi. His expression was blank, his steps mechanical.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward, placed Hinata gently on the ground, and lifted the substitute girl into his arms.
From start to finish, he never even acknowledged Obito's presence.
Satisfied, Obito scooped the real Hinata into his arms. His Mangekyō shimmered faintly, the tomoe spinning with quiet menace.
For a brief moment, he turned his head, his gaze lingering on the substitute girl. Her face was calm, lips curved in a faint, peaceful smile beneath the genjutsu.
After giving her one last look… the ripple of Kamui swallowed both him and Hinata into its depths.
As he stepped through, he dispelled the genjutsu binding the Cloud ninja.
He knew well enough, if the Hyūga saw the irregular chakra flow in the man's body, they'd immediately realize he was being controlled.
That couldn't be allowed. Better to leave behind a scapegoat who appeared guilty on his own.
From here on, the stage was set.
All that remained was to sit back… and enjoy the show.
Just as he had planned.
---
"...Am I?"
In the alley, the Cloud shinobi staggered, eyes hazy as the genjutsu haze lifted. He looked around in confusion.
Wasn't I fleeing with the girl? Why would I be running at all?
Then the thought struck him like lightning. No that's not my mission. My mission is to die at the hands of Hyūga Hiashi.
"Over here!"
Several voices rang out. Hyūga figures emerged at the alley's end, Byakugan shining like cold moonlight.
The Cloud shinobi's breath steadied. He looked at Hiashi rushing toward him, and his resolve hardened.
It doesn't matter. If Hiashi is here, I only need to complete the task. For the Cloud… for the mission.
His masked face twisted in grim determination as he charged straight toward Hiashi, the child still cradled in his arms.
Hiashi's eyes narrowed. "Cornered, and you choose to attack head-on? Fool. Die where you stand!"
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, chakra surging. His palm thrust forward, sharp and merciless.
Gentle Fist.
"Bang!"
The blow struck true, piercing directly through the Cloud shinobi's heart. His body convulsed once, then went limp, collapsing to the ground in silence.
Hiashi caught the child from his arms before the body hit the dirt.
"Whew…" He exhaled, relief flooding his chest. Dangerously close. I almost let him escape with her.
But when he lowered his gaze to check on his daughter
"…What?"
The girl in his arms wasn't Hinata.
Her hair was black, yes, but her face an unfamiliar child, sleeping peacefully.
Hiashi's expression froze, then contorted in horror.
"This… this isn't Hinata!"
"What?!"
The Hyūga shinobi surrounding him stiffened, eyes wide with shock.
"Hinata's been swapped! There must be accomplices still hiding!" Hiashi barked, setting the girl gently down and scanning the shadows with Byakugan.
At that moment, one of the clan members stepped forward, pulling the mask off the fallen enemy.
"Patriarch… this man, he's a member of the Cloud delegation!"
"What?!"
Hiashi's face darkened instantly, fury burning behind his pale eyes.
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