"I'm telling you, was a night raid really necessary?!"
Kyūsei glared at the person in front of him with open hostility.
"Huh?"
"Where is this place?"
"And who are you, brat?!"
Despite it being midsummer, the woman before him was dressed in heavy winter clothing, a thick cloak draped over her shoulders. Even more bizarre—
Snowflakes were drifting down around her.
"N-no… you're not Nightingale."
Kyūsei's expression changed instantly.
"Who are you?!"
Hyūga Hinata.
He recognized her by the second glance.
But with people watching outside, he couldn't act like he knew her at all. If nothing else, Kyūsei's acting skills had improved dramatically over the past few years.
"Hah?!"
"That's my line!"
"What kind of place is this?!"
"How did you bring me here?!"
Was Hyūga Hinata always this short-tempered?
The shock of seeing Hinata—someone from decades in the future—had barely registered before things escalated.
Two figures smashed through the window in an instant.
Seiran charged in with a drawn blade, lunging straight for Hinata, while Nightingale grabbed Kyūsei by the arm and yanked him out of the room.
The force was so great it made Kyūsei wince in pain.
…She's definitely taking revenge.
"Perfect timing!"
Hinata didn't retreat. Instead, chakra surged into both her hands, forming lion-shaped constructs around her fists.
"Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!"
Seiran's blade crackled as blue lightning surged along its edge.
The two clashed violently in the cramped bedroom, instantly turning it into a battlefield.
This fighting style—
Gentle Fist!
Seiran's expression darkened.
He'd assumed this woman was using some advanced Transformation Technique. Instead, every move she made was textbook Hyūga Gentle Fist.
Troublesome.
Very troublesome.
Even if she really was a Hyūga, barging into the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's bedroom in the dead of night gave him every right to subdue—or even kill—her on the spot.
And she was daring to fight back.
If he killed her here, the Hyūga clan wouldn't have a word to say.
Hinata's gaze sharpened. Seeing Seiran attack with killing intent, her own moves grew increasingly fierce.
Her Byakugan activated—and she froze.
The Hokage Rock.
Konoha?!
Why was she back in Konoha?!
And why were there only three Hokage faces?!
But under Seiran's relentless assault, she had no time to think.
"Hey—are you insane or—"
Before she could finish, the blade flashed past her cheek, slicing off a strand of her black hair.
That was it.
She snapped.
She, the dignified Hyūga heiress, had lived in Konoha for seventeen years—rampaging for sixteen years and two months!
The remaining ten months didn't count; she'd been in her mother's arms!
Never—not once—had anyone cut her hair!
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"
Violent chakra erupted, spinning wildly around Hinata.
Seiran's eyes narrowed as he leapt straight out through the window.
In such a confined space, there was no way to avoid Rotation.
And that range—
It was absurd.
Hinata's Rotation covered well over ten meters.
As dust settled, the technique finally dissipated.
Hinata reappeared in Seiran's sight—
And Kyūsei's heart shattered.
My house…!
Nearly half of it was gone.
This was the apartment he'd bought with most of his savings—prime location on Konoha's second ring, right next to the commercial district and the hospital!
"Brat! Don't move!"
"Stay right there and don't cause trouble!"
Nightingale—
No.
Hyūga Shiori—moved swiftly to Hinata's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with Seiran.
Rotation.
That meant main family.
But the Hyūga main family only had a handful of members—and she knew all of them.
None looked like this girl.
Had someone from the branch family secretly learned Rotation?
"Who is she to your clan?" Seiran asked grimly.
"I don't know her."
Nao already saw the disaster forming.
A mysterious Hyūga appearing out of nowhere.
Breaking into the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's home.
Resisting arrest.
Fighting ANBU.
Whether she was main family, branch family, or a lost Byakugan outside the clan—it was enough to throw the Hyūga into complete chaos.
And of all places, she'd chosen here.
Two crimes stacked together—no explanation would be enough.
"I'll handle her," Nao said coldly.
"You go get reinforcements."
"Got it. Be careful."
Seiran vanished instantly.
With a Hyūga involved—and Nao being Hyūga main family herself—this was best left to her.
"Oh?"
"Calling for backup?"
Hinata sneered arrogantly.
"Perfect. That's exactly what I wanted."
Nao almost laughed in anger.
Did this idiot have any idea how much trouble she was causing the clan?!
"Ten moves."
Nao tossed her blade to the ground and spoke icily.
"W-what?"
Hinata frowned in confusion.
But when Nao removed her mask as well—
Hinata froze.
Nao's face looked uncannily similar to her own.
"M… Mom…?"
Nao's voice was cold as ice.
"Ten moves to take you down."
"Then you're going straight to the Hokage."
Wind.
Wind roared violently around Nao.
Her figure vanished in an instant.
So fast!
Hinata barely dodged Nao's palm strike.
The shockwave alone obliterated the tree behind her.
Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!
Hinata didn't even need to look back—her Byakugan told her exactly what had happened.
She wanted to shout, to make Nao stop—but Nao had no intention of listening.
Her only goal was to subdue this reckless clan member as quickly as possible.
Nao shifted from palm to fingers, stabbing toward Hinata's chakra points like lightning.
Hinata grit her teeth and leaned back at the last second, narrowly avoiding the strike.
So strong.
This woman—who looked like her mother—was overwhelmingly strong.
In moments, Hinata was completely suppressed.
And not far away, Kyūsei watched the two Hyūga women locked in combat, his expression deeply conflicted.
If he wasn't mistaken…
These two were probably—
Mother and daughter.
…Right?