'Shit.'
Satoru remembered that Hinata was kidnapped in the original story and almost caused another war between villages.
He'd made sure to keep an eye on Hinata most of the time to prevent the incident, but he didn't expect that the event still happened despite his variable existence.
'Besides, I never heard that Kumo envoys were visiting Konoha.'
He could only blame the higher-ups for hiding such information and not informing the whole village like countries in his old world did.
"Brother!" Hinata called, recovering from her shock.
"Stay behind me, and don't leave my side," Satoru said, shielding her from the enemy.
He didn't send her away, as he didn't know whether there were other enemies lurking outside his perception.
Fortunately, the ninja in front of him was only a Chunin, based on his chakra amount, which meant their situation wasn't completely hopeless.
Satoru wasn't foolish enough to think he'd be a match for a Jonin. But, against a Chunin, he could manage.
The Kumo ninja pulled out a kunai and advanced slowly. "Now kids, how about coming with me and no one gets hurt, yeah?"
"Who do you think you're trying to fool? You're even more idiotic than the bullies I just dealt with. " Satoru took out a kunai and quickly pushed Hinata further behind him.
"Hinata, listen to me. Don't interfere, no matter what happens, okay? I promise I'll protect you."
"Y-yes, Brother!" Hinata stammered and clenched her fist. Even though she wanted to help, she knew that her interference would only distract Satoru.
The Chunin chuckled. "You going to protect her? What bold words you say in front of a ninja. Let's see if you can back it up."
He flickered to Satoru's side and slashed his arm, but Satoru saw his movement clearly and parried the attack.
The ninja's eyes briefly widened in surprise at his ability to react before he regained focus, and they exchanged a flurry of attacks, sparks flying at each clash.
'I can see them.' Satoru thought as he parried another slash.
The Six Eyes gave him a dynamic vision comparable to Sharingan, which made him clearly follow the enemy's attacks.
It was like watching a slow-motion replay, giving him fractions of a second more to react than a normal person.
Surprised by his defense, the Kumo ninja increased his strength and delivered a powerful kick to Satoru's stomach.
Even with his enhanced perception, Satoru couldn't fully evade the brute force and was sent flying, crashing against a thick tree trunk with a grunt.
"Brother." Hinata shouted in worry but still didn't move to help, as she remembered his words clearly.
"What are you, kid?" The Chunin looked puzzled. "It feels like I'm fighting an Uchiha."
"And here I thought that Kumo Shinobi were only a bunch of brutes who only know lightning Jutsu. But you're pretty smart, huh? And you can also use Earth Jutsu, right? Are you sure you're not born in the wrong village, or are you a spy?" Satoru mocked.
The insult seemed to tick the Chunin off as he clenched his Kunai harder and flickered toward him. "They only told me to bring Hyuga. So, you're not needed."
Satoru saw his movement clearly, but his young body was incapable of reacting to such speed.
"Die!" The Chunin smirked when he saw him frozen and lunged with the kunai.
But instead of piercing Satoru, the kunai stopped a few inches away from his body. No matter how much he pushed, he couldn't move it forward.
"What's this?" Shocked by the bizarre situation, the Chunin paused for a second.
'Chance!' Satoru's eyes lit up in a blue hue. This was the chance he was waiting for.
Without hesitation, he swiftly shoved his kunai through the ninja's throat.
The Chunin gurgled, his eyes wide with a mixture of pain and absolute shock. His hands instinctively flew to his neck, but it was too late. He slumped forward before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Satoru yanked his kunai free and watched him with a grim look on his face.
"You shouldn't have underestimated me just because I couldn't react to your kick."
He knew that he'd be screwed if he allowed the Chunin to use Ninjutsu. So, he intentionally received that attack in order to create an opportunity to finish his opponent once and for all.
"Brother!" Hinata rushed forward and hugged him. "I was scared."
Her body trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Hinata, snap out of it. We don't have time for this."
Usually Satoru wouldn't yell at her, but the current situation was quite dire. The Six Eyes allowed him to see two more ninja heading their way. And their chakra amount was comparable to the Jonin he saw in the clan.
"There are more enemies coming. We need to go home quickly."
Without waiting for a response, he lifted her behind his back, climbed the tree, and flickered between the thick branches.
"Damnit!" He saw the two ninja follow him no matter how much he tried to change his route. "One of them must be a sensory ninja."
"Are we still followed?" Hinata asked as she had yet to activate Byakugan.
"Yeah. But we'll be fine. Just hold tight." Satoru assured her but couldn't help feeling bitter inside.
If his chakra were a bit larger, he would have been able to learn the Shadow Clone technique and resolve this crisis more easily.
After a few minutes of flickering around and changing directions, the enemies finally caught up to them.
A fireball was fired toward Satoru, forcing him to drop to the ground.
Just as he tried to run away, a kunai pierced the ground in front of him.
"I can't believe that Saki was killed by a brat." Said the middle-aged Jonin.
"He's obviously not an ordinary kid." Said the other younger ninja. "As expected of Konoha. It's really full of talents."
Satoru watched them carefully with tense nerves, but they paid him no mind.
"Should we also take him with us?" Asked the younger one.
"Our mission only includes the Hyuga. No need for the extra bag."
"What a pity."
"Hinata, I need you to stay behind me, okay? Just like before. I'll protect you." Satoru hid her behind him and tried to reassure her. But his solemn voice didn't show confidence.
"Oh yeah, I'd like to see that."
The Jonin smirked and pulled a kunai, but before he could take a step, his companion shouted.
"Watch out, Hayashi!"
Hayashi spun toward the danger, but he was too slow to react. A kunai plunged into his heart.
He coughed up a mouthful of blood and glanced at the man who ambushed him.
"You…how are you here, Hiashi Hyuga!"