The atmosphere within the Hyūga compound was unbearably oppressive.
It wasn't just due to the grim news of the impending war. It was also because today was 'Hyūga Hizashi's funeral'.
In the courtyard, the stifling, heavy scent of sandalwood incense mingled with the stale smell of old tatami mats, clinging like a thick, greasy paste to the inside of Hizashi's own nose and throat.
"..."
Hyūga Hizashi looked at the photograph surrounded by layers of white chrysanthemums—at the image of himself—and at the people kneeling inside the room. He felt the sheer absurdity of the world.
Hyūga Hinata, who had just celebrated her third birthday not long ago, hid behind him. She clutched the hem of her "father's" kimono with a small, careful hand, watching everything unfold before her with innocent, unknowing eyes.
Right now, Hinata didn't understand what death meant.
Until she saw Hyūga Neji, kneeling rigidly before the photograph like a forgotten clay figurine.
"Neji, my condolences..."
A member of the Hyūga branch family patted Neji's shoulder with a soft sigh. Neji, who had been holding a composed, repressed expression, couldn't help but give a slight tremble. Under Hinata's gaze, he lowered his head, and a glistening tear traced a path down his cheek.
The pain and sorrow that seemed to well up from the very depths of his heart made Hinata's own chest constrict slightly.
"All conditioned things are impermanent, they are subject to birth and death... When birth and death are extinguished, the bliss of Nirvana is attained... May you be free from suffering, reborn in the Pure Land..."
The monk's monotonous, drawn-out chant fell like heavy lead weights, thudding against her eardrums. It seemed to transform into countless fine needles, pricking at her nerves, making her tense up almost imperceptibly.
She remembered the strange looks from the branch family boys and girls yesterday and suddenly understood that the death of that Hizashi-sama might have something to do with her.
So, Hyūga Hinata gently released her grip on her "father's" kimono and took small, fleeing steps out of the mourning hall.
At the front of the crowd, as if sensing something, Hyūga Kumokawa turned to look behind him.
Whoosh.
It was Konoha's first snow of the year.
Thick snowflakes fell in a silent, dense curtain, covering the meticulously pruned pine branches in the garden, blanketing the slate pathways, and wrapping the entire world in a suffocating, icy, pure white silence.
Only the lanterns under the eaves swung helplessly in the wind and snow, casting flickering, dim pools of yellow light.
Before Hinata's eyes, the figures clad in somber black approached, shifting at the edges of her vision like silent, ominous storm clouds. Their occasional, peculiar glances felt like barbed hooks, scraping against her exposed skin.
Uncontrollable guilt and timidity surged from the depths of her heart, making her instinctively choose to flee. What started as a walk turned into a run, a desperate need to get away from that house saturated with oppressive air.
Crunch! Crunch!
Her feet sank unevenly into the snow. Her thin clothes flapped sharply in the wind, the wide obi belt cinched tightly around her waist. Snowflakes pelted her face, melting into icy rivulets that trickled down her collar.
She ran until she left the Hyūga compound's grounds, then suddenly stumbled, pitching face-first into a deep snowdrift. Icy cold instantly enveloped her.
"Wah..."
The tears pooling in her eyes finally overflowed. Scalding liquid streaked down her freezing cheeks, dripping onto the snow, melting small, fleeting dark marks.
She struggled to her feet and kept running, only to crash straight into someone as she rounded the next corner.
"S-sorry, I'm sorry, sorry."
Hinata wiped her tears as she stood, automatically looking up to apologize.
The boy she'd bumped into was one of three. Seeing Hinata's white eyes, the 'it's okay' he was about to say died in his throat.
"Huh?" his two companions exclaimed almost simultaneously. "Her... her eyes..."
By now, everyone knew war was coming. As one of the perceived instigators, the Hyūga clan's standing in Konoha had become awkward.
To put it crudely, in the past they used their Byakugan to look down on others; now, it was others looking down on them.
Villagers would wear expressions of disgust and treat them coldly the moment they saw those distinctive white eyes.
This attitude, inevitably, influenced their children.
And a child's malice is the purest kind, devoid of any ulterior motive or gain.
"Look, look! Her eyes are white!"
"It's true! A white-eyed monster!"
"Is she a demon too, like that thing?"
The three boys immediately began to jeer and shout. Hinata, who had just stood up, was pushed down again.
One boy even reached out to grab at her eyes. Hinata seemed paralyzed with fear, her small face pale, her expression vacant as she stared helplessly.
"Stop—"
"Hey."
Just as his hand was about to touch Hinata, two voices came almost at the same time.
The boy instinctively turned to look behind him. The next moment, a hand filled his vision.
Smack!
The slap sent him spinning halfway around before he crashed to the ground. A tooth, stained with blood, flew out along with him.
"Ah—!"
The other two brats' sharp cries had just left their mouths when Hyūga Kumokawa's backhanded slaps found them. Two teeth flew out with fair impartiality, peacefully entering their dreamland.
"Hinata-sama."
Hyūga Kumokawa looked at Hinata, who had timidly opened her eyes. His tone was matter-of-fact as he pointed back towards the Hyūga compound. "It's dangerous at night. If you're done playing, you should go home."
"Y-yes..."
Knowing she had caused trouble, Hinata bowed her head automatically in response.
Watching Hinata's retreating back disappear into the distance, Hyūga Kumokawa withdrew his gaze and looked behind him.
Crunch... crunch...
A short, stocky figure, bundled up so thickly it waddled like a penguin, emerged from behind a telephone pole.
Passing the three brats lying motionless on the ground, it kept its hands in its pockets and gave each one a kick with its foot.
"Mister, you're so cool."
The "little shorty" walked up to Hyūga Kumokawa, looked up at him, pulled down its scarf to reveal a familiar face, and said in a childish voice, "Are you a ninja? A Genin?"
Looking at the child's bright blue eyes and those trademark whisker marks, Hyūga Kumokawa's gaze grew thoughtful.
Uzumaki Naruto. The orphan of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. The current Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails.
He hadn't expected their first meeting to be under these circumstances.
Hyūga Kumokawa narrowed his eyes slightly. "Aren't you afraid of me?"
Uzumaki Naruto mimicked the squint and shook his head vigorously. "Nope! 'Cuz you don't hate me."
Hearing this, Kumokawa was taken aback for a moment, immediately thinking of Naruto's ability to sense malice.
But he quickly realized Naruto shouldn't possess that ability at this age.
So that meant...
'He can tell through intuition and experience?' A flicker of interest arose in Kumokawa's mind.
This current Naruto seemed much more likable than the one who'd... grow up a bit differently later on.
However, Uzumaki Naruto's identity was far too sensitive. Meeting him now was too early.
Even if they met, it shouldn't be under this identity.
So, Hyūga Kumokawa gave him one last look, raised a hand, and vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
Naruto stood there, his eyes shining slightly.
The Body Flicker Technique... so cool!
Crunch.
Not long after Kumokawa left, a figure appeared before him.
"Hyūga Kumokawa, Jōnin." The newcomer wore an Anbu mask and held out two scrolls to Kumokawa, his voice cold. "These are from the Third Hokage."
A Root ninja?
Catching the familiar, chilly scent, Hyūga Kumokawa understood immediately. He took the two scrolls.
Opening the first revealed a pass to the Forbidden Technique Vault—clearly from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As for the second...
"They want us to investigate the physical condition of Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure, in the Land of Rain, while we're en route to the Land of Hot Water?" Hyūga Kumokawa's eyes gleamed faintly as he considered this.
Was this Sarutobi Hiruzen's order, or Shimura Danzō's?
Or perhaps... both?
But then...
'Hanzō, huh?' Hyūga Kumokawa smiled inwardly. 'Seems like he might make a fine puppet.'
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