"Only the Hyuga Clan will be chasing us... I hope so. If the only resistance on our withdrawal route is really that simple, that would be for the best."
Number Three knew the captain was clearly trying to boost morale--or rather, to calm that spoiled young master down before he caused an even bigger mess.
But as a sensory-type ninja, ever since he confirmed that the captain had truly succeeded, a strange, lingering sense of danger had refused to leave his heart. His brows twisted together like a knot, and he let out a quiet sigh as he shook his head.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be? Last time, we never expected to clash directly with the Hyuga Clan, so we were a little underprepared... but this time, every member of our squad is elite among elites.
Unless the Hyuga Clan is willing to pay a heavy price and mobilize the entire clan to hunt us down, dreaming of keeping us here is nothing more than wishful thinking."
As he spoke, "Hyuga Hiashi" paid careful attention to the sparse pedestrians on both sides of the road, judging whether any suspicious gazes were hidden among them. At the same time, after hearing Number Three's seemingly dispirited attempt to throw cold water on them, he merely smiled and shrugged as though he did not care.
"All right, all right. If you're really that bothered by it, then we still have one solution--pick up the pace and leave this damned place before your bad feeling comes true."
"...Hah. I suppose that's all we can do... My apologies, Cap--Hiashi-sama."
After thinking it over and failing to imagine what, based on their current intelligence, could possibly threaten their group's safety, Number Three could only exhale under "Hyuga Hiashi's" reassurance.
He forced that vague sense of danger back down and was about to thank him out of habit, only for the corner of his eye to catch sight of a blond young man who had appeared at some point not far away and was now striding straight toward them.
He immediately changed his words and nudged "Hyuga Hiashi" lightly in the ribs with his elbow, signaling him to focus again.
"Twelve o'clock. One target. Unknown identity... but from the look of it, he's coming for us."
"Hm? Ahem! Very well. After we return, you can submit a detailed report to me. For now, lower your voices. My precious daughter only just managed to fall asleep. Don't disturb her sweet dreams."
Their long partnership meant "Hyuga Hiashi" and Number Three worked together with extraordinary tacit understanding. Before Number Three could even finish his warning, "Hyuga Hiashi" had already understood what he meant.
His face took on an impatient expression, and as if he truly feared waking Hinata, who had already been drugged unconscious in his arms, he lowered his voice several notches.
At the same time, shortly after "Hyuga Hiashi" finished all that and slipped back into the role of a "father," the uninvited guest stopped exactly as Number Three expected, blocking their path without the slightest deviation.
"Oh-ho? Isn't this... Hiashi-sama! Hahaha, it has been a long time! How have you been lately?"
The young man stood with his arms folded, seeming a little uncertain as he frowned and studied "Hyuga Hiashi" from head to toe. His gaze made "Hyuga Hiashi" feel as if every secret he was hiding had been seen through, leaving him guilty and uncomfortable all over.
Only then did the young man look as if realization had struck him. He tapped his fist into his palm, then greeted "Hyuga Hiashi" with a smiling, crescent-eyed expression as though they were old friends, naturally stretching out his right hand for a polite handshake.
"Ah, because of my mission, I left the village for so long that I almost didn't recognize you... Oh? This little one... she must be your daughter, Hinata-sama, right? She really is adorable.
The last time I saw her, she was still a tiny girl who couldn't even find her way home and only knew how to cry. Compared to then, she's grown quite a bit! Oh, right, right. If I remember correctly, today should be the day of the Ninja Academy entrance exam, shouldn't it? Hiashi-sama, are you...
taking Hinata-sama home to rest after picking her up from the exam?"
"Er... hahaha, yes, yes. It really has been a long time..."
Seeing the blond young man speak so warmly and endlessly, as if he had known him--or rather, the real Hyuga Hiashi--for years, "Hyuga Hiashi" had no choice but to smile awkwardly and nod along.
He freed one hand to shake the man's hand casually, occasionally giving perfunctory replies, while the corner of his mouth moved slightly as he quietly asked the person beside him, his expression twitching.
"Who... is this guy? Is he close to Hyuga Hiashi? No, that doesn't sound right. I remember the intelligence on Hyuga Hiashi's social circle never mentioned anyone like him."
"Maybe, just as he said, he left the village early for some mission, so our intelligence department missed his information."
Seeing that "Hyuga Hiashi" seemed to be having a hard time dealing with him, Number Three, disguised as a guard, kept his expression perfectly blank. He quietly raised one arm and pressed a finger against "Hyuga Hiashi's" back. Hidden by the blind spot created by their bodies, he answered silently by writing coded words.
"In any case, no matter who he is, deal with him first... Besides, because of the Ninja Academy enrollment, there are hardly any people nearby. If it really comes to it, we can only blame this guy for his bad luck in blocking our way."
After passing the final message to "Hyuga Hiashi," a cold killing intent flashed through Number Three's eyes. Once he confirmed that "Hyuga Hiashi" had received the message, he slowly withdrew his finger from his back. His wrist shrank slightly, hiding his entire palm inside his sleeve.
Using the wide sleeves of the Hyuga Clan's signature robe to conceal the movement, three sharp shuriken slid from his sleeve into his palm, each caught firmly between his fingers.
On the surface, nothing looked out of place, but in secret, he had already prepared to strike and kill the man before them at any moment.
'He's already preparing to move? We're still some distance away from the planned escape route...'
Perhaps because the kidnapping had gone too smoothly, "Hyuga Hiashi" was reluctant to expose such a safe and convenient disguise. But after noticing his companion's subtle movements, he could only sigh inwardly. Comforting himself, he continued chatting and laughing with the man before him while quietly gathering strength in secret.
'Tsk. Fine. Delay invites trouble... We don't have time to keep wasting it on this idiot of unknown origin. I just hope no one sees what happens afterward, so the "Hyuga Hiashi" disguise can last a little longer.'
Just as killing intent gradually rose in "Hyuga Hiashi" and his companions as time passed, the young man before them remained completely unaware. Like a floodgate that had been opened, he continued rambling without end.
"...Ah, and also, let me tell you, during that mission I even saw... Oh! Right, right! Look at my memory. Today is Hinata-sama's birthday!"
After chatting aimlessly for quite a while, the young man suddenly seemed to remember something important. He clapped his hands together, causing his words to pause for an instant. Then, looking even more excited, he reached out and gently pinched the cheek of "sleeping" Hinata.
Still acting overly familiar, he leaned closer with a punchable, sly grin and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret.
"No wonder you're in such a good mood today that you personally brought Hinata-sama out... Heh, would you mind letting me in on what surprise gift you're planning for your precious daughter this year? Oh, don't answer too quickly. Let me guess... another oversized cake like last year?
Or a grand banquet with an enormous ceremony? Hahaha! Every year, you come up with fresh ideas. I'm honestly getting impatient to find out!"
"Actually... that is still confidential. You know, once a secret is spoken, it stops being a surprise, doesn't it?"
Hearing him mention Hinata's birthday gift, which he knew absolutely nothing about, "Hyuga Hiashi" felt half his heart go cold. His eyes rolled, and because he could not sense the slightest malice in the man's movements, he allowed him to continue to avoid arousing suspicion.
At the same time, relying on his own experience, he winked at him and answered with a deliberately mysterious air.
"You'll know tonight... Don't worry. Just like before, I will absolutely not forget to send you an invitation. But for now, you need to restrain your curiosity a little. That way, the surprise tonight will become even more--"
As he spoke, "Hyuga Hiashi's" wandering eyes instinctively focused on the person before him again. But before he could finish the perfunctory words already on his tongue, a sudden alarm of danger rang wildly in his heart.
In his vision, besides the young man's smiling face, a fist wrapped in thin strands of flickering lightning was rapidly enlarging before his eyes, tearing through the air!
The rest of "Hyuga Hiashi's" words died in his throat.
Fortunately, because they had already been planning to strike first, "Hyuga Hiashi" and his group had made full preparations.
"Enemy attack! Protect Hiashi-sama!"
Almost the instant the young man launched a sudden attack without warning, Number Three, who had been staring at his every movement under the pressure of his strange sense of danger, snapped his wrist and flung all three shuriken in his hand.
They shot toward the young man's throat, heart, and head, forcing him to abandon the attack and defend himself, knocking each shuriken down barehanded. At the same time, Number Three's thoughts raced, and in order to cover their identities, he shouted loudly.
"Protect Hiashi-sama!"
"Protect Hiashi-sama!"
At the same time, because of their different positions and angles of view, Number Two and the young master did not react at once. But after hearing Number Three's deliberate reminder, they immediately echoed him in a showy manner while acting quickly.
Taking advantage of the moment when the blond young man was occupied with knocking down the shuriken, they formed a triangular formation with Number Three in the blink of an eye, trapping the young man firmly in the center.
"Tch. I thought I could finish it in one strike... Your subordinates are much more reliable than you are, Hiashi-sama."
After knocking down the three shuriken one by one, the lightning on the young man's hand faded and went out. The joking smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold, disdainful expression, as if he did not care about the obvious disadvantage he was in.
He shook the right hand he had used to block the shuriken and let out a quiet scoff.
"No wonder. I was wondering how you managed to live this long. Turns out you raised a few useful dogs... If they hadn't reacted in time, with that sluggish response of yours, you would already be reporting to the other world."
"What do you mean? Do you even understand what you're doing? If you stop now, I can still consider our past relationship and treat this as a moment of impulse. I'll spare you this once!"
While pretending to angrily scold him in lingering shock, the corner of "Hyuga Hiashi's" mouth could not help twitching. Seeing the man look like he had a deep grudge against him filled his heart with a helpless urge to laugh and cry.
'Great. I was planning to use Hiashi's name to smoothly bring his daughter back to the village. Now look at this. His enemy mistook me for the real thing and made me take a disaster meant for him... What the hell is this?!'
"Heh. Hehehe... Hahahaha! Oh, Hiashi-sama, Hiashi-sama. Don't tell me you still haven't recognized that I'm an impostor? Then your eyes really are failing you... No, I should say you have eyes but can't see. Use your brain, Hiashi-sama. For this day, I waited and endured for so long. How could I let you go so easily?"
As he spoke, the young man's gaze never lingered on the three people surrounding him. Ignoring the danger of being encircled, he calmly gathered lightning for his next strike. His free hand slowly rose, and he tapped his temple with a finger in mocking disdain.
After a brief pause, he treated the three people blocking him as if they were nothing and charged straight toward "Hyuga Hiashi."
"You violated the agreement between our two villages, deceived my village with a trick, and strutted around in the world as if nothing happened... By order of the Fourth Raikage-sama, for the honor of my Hidden Cloud Village, die here, Hyuga Hiashi!"
'Tsk. So this is an enemy who won't stop until he gets revenge... Wait. What did he just say? By order of the Fourth Raikage-sama, for the honor of the Hidden Cloud Village? Then that means... he's one of ours?!'
Seeing the man charge with killing intent, as if he hated him to the bone, even the well-experienced "Hyuga Hiashi" could not help shuddering. But soon, from the information the man had shouted about his own origins, he discovered an even more absurd truth.
As he repeatedly retreated and dodged to keep the man from accidentally injuring Hinata in his arms, he could not help swearing inwardly.
'Damn it! Our own people are fighting our own people. This is too miserable and unfair... So the village didn't just send the four of us to Konoha for this mission! And they didn't even notify us in advance. Now the misunderstanding has gotten huge!'
A flood had washed into the Dragon King Temple--one's own family was fighting one's own family. What a fine show.
But... was that truly the case?