73. TV Repair Tactics for Idiots

Shino stood in front of the room, holding a report. He was handling the weekly updates—a task that could've gone to Shikamaru, if only the guy weren't so famously lazy.

"Personnel at the publishing factory have mostly been hired. The first wave of equipment has arrived. The second batch is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. After that, we can begin full operations."

Sitting next to Shikamaru, Asuma stood up to report on his end. Because Hinata and the others were minors, he had been appointed the official head of Konoha Publishing—at least on paper. The Third Hokage even cut back on Asuma's mission load to give him time to manage it.

"We've finalized most of the deals with figurine manufacturers. That said, we need to introduce more characters to the story. For the next episode, we need one onmyoji, one powerful yokai, and a handful of supporting cast. Any suggestions?"

Hinata nodded, clearly satisfied with how efficient her little team had become. Maybe it was a ninja's innate discipline—whether it was small logistics or large-scale planning, they handled it all with ease. Her main focus now was just expanding the cast.

"As far as the onmyoji role goes," Shino began, "we already have three viable male candidates: myself, Chōji, and the cameraman. No need to bring anyone new in. But this yokai character… what's the concept?"

Hinata tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Since the figurines are meant to drive our product sales, the new yokai must be attractive. Think cold, elegant, otherworldly—like the heir of an ancient yokai bloodline. We need that highborn mystique."

In the world of Naruto, where bloodline meant everything, Hinata knew aesthetics sold. And with figurines, if the character wasn't good-looking, nobody would buy it. The entire Fox's Tales concept was built around beautiful, idol-like characters.

"A yokai prince sounds fun," Kakashi chimed in with a smile from behind his camera disguise. "But you need lineage to sell that vibe. I suggest choosing someone from one of Konoha's clans."

More people in the cast meant more stability for the project. Smart thinking.

Hinata grinned. "Alright, but considering the protagonist, Ahri, is a fox spirit... what kind of creature would naturally clash with a fox?"

"Huh? That's easy," Sakura blurted. "What animal chases foxes? Dogs!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Right! If the new yokai is a dog spirit, it makes perfect sense they'd start off as rivals," Ino added, arms folded.

"From a zoological standpoint, dogs aren't natural enemies of foxes," Shino said, adjusting his glasses, "but the public perception leans that way. The symbolism tracks."

"Which means..." Hinata's smile turned sharper. "We need to pick someone from a clan known for working with dogs. And lucky us—there's someone in our class who fits perfectly."

Everyone knew exactly who she meant.

In Konoha, only two clans had deep ties to canine companions. The Hatake clan, of course—though its only remaining member was Kakashi, with his eight nin-dogs. But they were too few, too rare.

The other? The Inuzuka Clan.

And the most obvious candidate was Kiba Inuzuka—a hot-headed ninja who always had his pup Akamaru at his side, both weapon and partner. Not to mention, he was originally part of Team 8 with Hinata in canon. Another twist of fate's inertia.

"Kiba, huh?" Chōji mumbled through a mouthful of chips. "Yeah, he's in our class. Knows dogs better than anyone. But what's this yokai's role?"

"Oh, that?" Hinata's smile turned devilish. "He's Lin's romantic rival."

"…Huh?!"

The room went silent for a beat before Sakura slowly muttered, "So… you're adding a love rival for the female lead? To deepen her bond with the male lead? Wow. Hey, Naruto, did you hear that?"

Everyone turned to Naruto—who, strangely, hadn't reacted yet.

"Huh? He is awfully quiet today. Maybe he ate something bad?" Shikamaru chuckled, noticing how odd it was. Normally, Naruto would've thrown a fit by now.

Hinata's white eyes narrowed. Something was off.

Then—POOF! A puff of white smoke exploded where Naruto had been sitting. His seat was now empty.

"A shadow clone?" Sasuke muttered, frowning slightly.

And now he looked regretful. Why hadn't he thought of that?

Sasuke wasn't blind to the benefits of working with Hinata. It gave him access to resources that could help rebuild the Uchiha clan—money, influence, networking. But these weekly meetings? Boring as hell. If he could've sent a clone, he would've skipped them too.

Though, to be fair, Naruto's clone poofing mid-meeting was sloppy.

"What the hell? That guy's unbelievable! I bet he's off pranking someone again," Sakura snapped, clenching her fists.

To her, Naruto was still the village's #1 troublemaker. Sure, he was getting better, but this? This just proved he hadn't changed much.

Hinata, however, stared at the dissipating smoke, her brows knitting.

No… something wasn't right. Shadow clones usually didn't vanish unless they were attacked or ran out of chakra. And Naruto, idiot or not, had tons of chakra. His clones could last all day.

Which meant… something happened to the original.

"Everyone. Come with me. We're finding that idiot."

Hinata stood up, her gloved fists tightening instinctively.

She had a very bad feeling.

So far, the only real threats had been handled—Mizuki was rotting in prison after a failed scheme, Pain and Akatsuki were too busy building a figurine empire, and Orochimaru was probably still buttering up the Fourth Kazekage for the Leaf Destruction Plan.

So this couldn't be an outside attack.

There was only one explanation left.

Naruto must've pushed his chakra too far... and the thing inside him had started to stir.

"I have a feeling tonight's going to be a long one."

---

[Author Notes]

PS1: Hinata doesn't like losing things or people. She only keeps those who prove they'll stay. If Hanabi had run to hug her, she'd have stayed as her "big sister." But Hanabi's not Naruto—she doesn't cling. So… too bad.

---

"Ughhh... what the hell is this…?"

Naruto collapsed on the rocky floor beneath the waterfall, vision blurring. The problem with using too many shadow clones to train while also being exhausted? His chakra had been drained dangerously fast.

And now, something else was awakening.

An unfamiliar, searing chakra surged from his belly, spreading through him like venom. His limbs went numb, and he felt like his whole body was burning from the inside out.

["Tch… I didn't think you'd crave power this early."]

A deep, snarling voice echoed in his mind.

Naruto flinched. "Who are you?! What do you want?!"

["Me? Hahaha! You already know. That idiot Mizuki spilled the beans, didn't he? I'm the one who destroyed Konoha! Thought you'd grow a bit more before seeking power—but here we are! Perfect!"]

["As long as you keep churning chakra, the seal gets weaker! Now… experience a taste of MY power!!"]

With a burst of malevolent chakra, Naruto's body became engulfed in a burning red glow.

And with it came memories—ugly, searing ones.

"Monster! Get away from us!"

"Why don't you just die already?!"

"We don't want freaks like you here!"

"Get out, you damn demon!"

A tidal wave of hatred, rejection, and childhood trauma slammed into him all at once.