"Sakura!"
"Here!"
Sakura suddenly jolted, hardly daring to believe her ears.
Sasuke had actually called her name voluntarily.
Her heart instantly pounded, her cheeks flushed, and she immediately scurried over, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Sasuke.
She asked, "What is it?"
"Didn't we agree to go see a movie tonight? Did you forget?"
Sasuke, with a serious expression, bluffed, and at the same time, subtly nudged Naruto's hand off his shoulder.
"Huh?"
Sakura was initially stunned, then a light bulb went off in her head.
Oh!
She instantly understood. Sasuke must be asking her out. He was just too shy to say it directly, so he used the excuse of a pre-arranged date.
A huge wave of happiness instantly engulfed her, her cheeks flushed like ripe tomatoes, and her voice trembled with sweetness. "Then let's go quickly? The movie is about to start."
"Mm." Sasuke nodded at Sakura.
Then, he gave Naruto a look that said, "You handle it," and then walked away side-by-side with Sakura.
Naruto remained standing there, watching their receding figures, and shrugged helplessly.
"What's the big deal about being in love?"
Naruto slowly ambled to Ichiraku Ramen, pushed aside the warm cloth curtain, and the familiar aroma wafted towards him.
"Alone today? The usual?"
"Yeah, the usual. Sasuke and Sakura went on a date."
The ramen was served quickly, and Naruto slurped it down heartily.
The weather was cold, and the small ramen shop quickly became filled with people, becoming especially lively.
Naruto ate while idly gazing out the window. Large snowflakes had quietly begun to fall, painting the street outside with a layer of pure white.
"Naruto-kun…" A timid voice sounded in his ear. "Can I sit next to you?"
Naruto turned and saw Hinata standing timidly beside him. "Oh, it's Hinata. Come, come, sit down. My treat today."
Hinata sat down carefully, her heart pounding wildly. She took several deep breaths, then mustered the greatest courage of her life, and took out a carefully wrapped small box from her bag. With slightly trembling hands, she presented it to Naruto.
"This is for you."
"Thanks, Hinata, you're really kind."
Naruto unwrapped the gift in a flash, and when the contents of the box were fully revealed, he froze instantly.
It was a red scarf.
Exactly like the one his mother had left him, which those brats had torn up.
"Hinata, thank you."
"As long as you like it…"
Hinata's cheeks were flushed, a mix of immense shyness and relief at seeing Naruto's reaction.
But the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve into a shy yet satisfied smile.
—
Outside Konoha, the wind and snow grew heavier.
Toneri stood alone in the heavy snow, cold snowflakes landing on his pale skin and blue-white hair, his white robes flapping fiercely in the cold wind.
"The Ninja World of today has become so twisted, far exceeding my deductions and imagination." He muttered in a low voice, his words torn apart by the cold wind.
"Who would have thought that Konoha would give birth to such a monster? Satoshi."
This man, who had stolen the power of the God tree, displayed terrifying strength that, in Toneri's view, even surpassed the sealed ancestor Kaguya.
Originally, Toneri worried that if Kaguya were to be resurrected, or rather, unsealed, she would bring great disaster to the Ninja World.
Now it seemed that the greatest disaster to the Ninja World was not her. But the Hokage, Satoshi, who had acquired her power.
His performance at the Chunin Exams further solidified Toneri's view.
The Ninja World absolutely could not allow such an uncontrollable existence. This power itself was original sin, a spark capable of igniting the entire world.
If it was not stifled or controlled early on, and allowed to expand, Satoshi's inner darkness would be devoured by that infinite power.
By then, he would transform into an even more insatiable God tree, turning the entire Ninja World, all ninjas, into nourishment for his power.
"The prelude to destruction must be played by me."
At the same time, in the Hyuga clan home, Hiashi was still drinking tea.
He put down his teacup and casually asked, "Has Hinata not returned yet?"
Hanabi said, "Father, sister went on a date with Naruto. Well, it should count as a date."
Hiashi's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly, "Who? Naruto? The Hokage's student, Naruto?"
"That's right." Hanabi nodded.
"She even brought a gift, she prepared it mysteriously for a long time."
She couldn't help but chuckle a few times, recalling a discovery from a while ago.
She often saw her sister's room light on at night, and when she secretly snuck over to look, she found Hinata clumsily but diligently knitting something.
Upon questioning, Hinata, with a red face, haltingly recounted the story deeply buried in her heart.
Many years ago, when young Hinata was mocked as a monster by villagers because of her Byakugan and cowered in a corner, it was the equally young Naruto who bravely stepped forward to protect her, getting into a brawl with those bad kids.
The price was that the red scarf Naruto's mother had left him was torn up by those rascals.
Hinata had kept this guilt and gratitude deep in her heart, and finally today, she bravely delivered this belated compensation and heartfelt gesture.
Hanabi refilled Hiashi's teacup "Father, are you listening?"
Hiashi only reacted at this moment. "Mm."
Naruto is the Hokage's student, and Hinata is a descendant of the Main Family. A strong alliance between the two is a good thing.
With the Hyuga clan so closely connected to the Hokage's core power, the Hyuga clan's position in Konoha would be as stable as a rock. If they couldn't be the top ninja clan, being second wasn't bad either.
"Hanabi, it's late, you should go rest…"
Hiashi's words abruptly stopped, and a sharp killing intent instantly erupted from him.
He rushed into the courtyard, and his keen Byakugan instantly activated, scanning the surrounding darkness and falling snow with a 360-degree field of vision.
The courtyard was empty, with only the cold wind carrying snow dust.
However, at his feet, on the pristine white snow, lay a letter.
Hiashi's brows furrowed tightly, his expression becoming extremely grim.
Someone was able to completely evade the Hyuga clan's proud Byakugan perception and silently deliver a letter to the courtyard of the Main Family head's residence?
He bent down to pick up the letter, quickly tore it open, and by the light of the corridor lamp, he swiftly scanned its contents.
The more he read, the more solemn his expression became.
Hanabi followed him out, saw her father's ashen face and the mysterious letter in his hand, and asked worriedly, "Father? What's wrong? What happened?"
Hiashi shook his head. "Nothing, go back and rest."
"Yes, father."
Although Hanabi was full of questions, she still responded obediently, leaving with a backward glance every few steps.
Late at night.
Hiashi changed into a dark, comfortable outfit, and silently left the heavily guarded Hyuga clan compound.
Following the instructions in the letter, he arrived at a secluded back mountain on the outskirts of the village.
Under a sheltered cliff, he saw the figure that had been waiting for a long time.
"You called for me?"