Ch 239 : Hyuga Hinata

Daimyo's Manor.

Lord Minamoto sat in the main seat, his face haggard and weary.

Beside him sat a beautiful woman, elegant and noble in demeanor.

His health seemed to have deteriorated significantly, and he exuded an air of exhaustion.

"General Oda, what brings you here?"

"Lord Minamoto, the guardian shinobi, Mr. Kanai, has grown old. I have sought out a suitable successor for you."

Hearing that it was a matter concerning the guardian shinobi, Lord Minamoto became slightly more attentive.

He asked, "Where is the person?"

Oda Isamu gestured toward the door, and a young man slowly stepped inside.

As Lord Minamoto assessed the newcomer, the beautiful woman beside him reacted with immediate fear the moment she laid eyes on the young man.

The newcomer was none other than the Hakuryu whom Oda Isamu had encountered in Amegakure.

However, this woman seemed to recognize him and displayed an intense terror.

Noticing Princess Kushinada sudden change, Lord Minamoto quickly asked her with concern what was wrong.

Princess Kushinada merely replied that she was feeling unwell and wished to return to rest.

Hearing this, Lord Minamoto became anxious.

Ignoring Oda Isamu, who was still kneeling, he prepared to take Princess Kushinada to rest and intended to summon a doctor to examine her.

It was evident that he cherished this woman dearly, and the sight of his deep concern left Oda Isamu feeling stifled with frustration.

"My lord… let's finish the business at hand first," Princess Kushinada said after glancing at Hakuryu standing below.

With the help of her attendants, she left and returned to her chambers.

However, the moment she arrived at her residence, the maid beside her suddenly fainted without warning.

Princess Kushinada trembled with fear, not daring to move an inch.

"You seem to be enjoying life here quite a bit."

A sudden voice rang out from behind her.

Startled, Princess Kushinada hurriedly turned around and stepped back, only to see Hakuryu standing at the doorway.

Panicked, she spoke in a trembling voice, "I am not your enemy. I won't fight you for anything. Please, let me go."

But Hakuryu merely smiled. "Don't say that. I am you, and you are me. Aren't we originally one and the same?"

Princess Kushinada kept retreating, but her long robes tangled around her feet, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Do you know that everyone outside is calling you a witch now?"

"I never wanted that… I didn't want this to happen. I only wanted to be with Lord Minamoto."

Hakuryu slowly approached, crouching down in front of her.

He gazed at her face, which appeared heartbreakingly beautiful in her fear and helplessness.

"How pitiful… Why would you choose a man like him?"

He gently lifted Princess Kushinada delicate chin with his fingers, admiring her features with an expression that resembled someone appraising a treasure that belonged to him.

"Help me with something," he said softly. "In return, I can ensure that you and the Daimyo stay together in peace."

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Hokage Residence.

In the courtyard, Neji was crouching down, intently observing the ground.

Toneri, who stood beside him, asked, "Neji, what are you looking at?"

"Watching the ants move their nest," Neji replied, then looked up at the sky. "Does this mean it's going to rain?"

Just as he lowered his head again to watch the line of ants, a foot suddenly stomped down hard, crushing the ant colony.

Neji's small face stiffened, and he heard an angry voice.

"Neji, Naruto and Sasuke aren't listening to me. Go beat them up for me!"

Looking up, he saw a little girl with the Byakugan standing before him.

She had short, neatly trimmed hair and a delicate, adorable face, though it was currently filled with frustration.

"..."

Neji remained silent, simply watching the scattered ants running for their lives, feeling sorry for them.

Seeing that Neji was ignoring her, the little girl turned her gaze to Toneri beside him.

"You're the new guy—Neji's little follower, right?"

Toneri responded, "I'm Neji's friend, not his follower."

The little girl carefully examined Toneri and asked, "Can you not see?"

Toneri replied, "I can see."

"But your eyes are closed."

"I don't use my eyes to see."

"How about you become my little follower? Call me big sister, and I'll protect you from now on."

"You're probably younger than me."

Toneri's calm and composed demeanor made the little girl lose interest quickly, so she stopped paying attention to him.

Instead, she crouched down beside Neji and pitifully pleaded, "Neji, Naruto and Sasuke bullied me. You have to help me get revenge!"

Without even looking at her, Neji replied, "You were probably the one bullying them."

He knew his younger sister's personality all too well—she was the most unreasonable one in the family, and their father spoiled her endlessly.

From the veranda, two small figures ran toward them, but the moment they spotted the girl in the courtyard, they immediately turned and fled in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, the girl jumped up and chased after them, waving her little fists. "Naruto! Sasuke! Don't you dare run away!"

Now that his troublesome sister was gone, Neji finally let out a sigh of relief.

He sat down on the wooden floor of the veranda and quietly watched the clouds drifting in the sky.

Though he was still young, compared to his younger siblings, he was much calmer and less playful.

Toneri, sitting beside him, asked, "You don't like playing with your younger siblings?"

Neji gave a faint smile. "I'm already three years old. They're only two. They're too childish."

Toneri: "..."

Neji continued, "People of different age groups don't have much in common. This is called a generation gap. I can introduce you to another friend of mine later."

"Another friend?"

"He's called Jugo. He's a year older than me, but he listens to everything I say. Hinata also tried to recruit him as her little follower, but just like you, she failed."

Toneri asked, "Why does your sister like recruiting little followers so much?"

Neji replied, "Because she's the youngest in the family and has to call everyone 'big brother.' She's always wanted to be a big sister, but our father and mothers never had any more children. So, she often bullies Naruto and Sasuke, forcing them to call her 'big sister.' If they refuse, she beats them up."

Hearing this, Toneri tilted his head slightly, finding this Hinata rather interesting.

He had never had any siblings.

Ever since he could remember, the only person by his side was his father, who had instilled in him a single purpose—to fulfill the ancestral decree in the future.

"Neji."

Just then, a voice rang out from the main gate.

Both boys turned to look and saw a young man standing there.

He had delicate features, prominent tear troughs, and wore a Konoha forehead protector.

His long black hair was loosely tied behind his head.

"Itachi-nii!" Neji's face lit up with joy.

"You're back!"

He quickly got up and ran toward the newcomer.

After a brief hesitation, Toneri followed.

Itachi smiled warmly, gently ruffling Neji's hair before turning to Toneri. "You must be Toneri."

Toneri nodded.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Itachi."

"…Hello."

Neji excitedly introduced him to Toneri. "Itachi-nii is one of my father's Crown Guards. He's an incredibly powerful ninja! One day, I want to be just like him."

Itachi chuckled. "My little young master, you can't become a Crown Guard. You're meant to be the one protected by the Crown Guards."

But Neji shook his head. "No, I want to be like Itachi-nii—I want to be a Crown Guard!"

Toneri hadn't expected Neji to admire someone this much.

His curiosity about this man grew.

Itachi asked, "Where are Sasuke and the others?"

"They ran off earlier, trying to escape from Hinata."

Hearing that name, Itachi sighed, rubbing his temple slightly.

"…Hinata, huh…"

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