Chapter 179 - 6

Chapter 6: Never Give Up (Probably?)Gao Shan reached out his demonic claws toward Naruto without hesitation.Seeing this, Naruto turned and fled.But in the next moment, he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck—the scruff of fate.Lifting Naruto like a little chick, Gao Shan grinned. "Taking away a genius like you, Konoha will surely be heartbroken to death."Indeed, Gao Shan considered Naruto a genius.A three-year-old kid who didn't wet his pants in the face of a powerful enemy, but instead responded calmly and tried everything to stall for time...To read Taiwan novels, choose Suishixiang anytime.Although he didn't succeed, he did well enough that one couldn't find fault; calling him a genius was no exaggeration."A king cannot be insulted!"Naruto's body twisted incessantly as he unleashed the Nine Heavens Thunder Double Kick.Gao Shan grew impatient. Just as he raised his hand to deliver a chop to knock Naruto out, a thunderous shout came from the distance."You're looking for death! How dare you steal my daughter!"—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!The air compressed rapidly, pressing down on Gao Shan in an instant."Oh no, I've been discovered!"With Naruto in his left hand and Hinata in his right, Gao Shan had no time to defend.In a flash, Gao Shan threw Naruto—whom he deemed of lower value—to act as a shield, then quickly fled with Hinata.Bang!The wind from the palm strike grazed Naruto's scalp, snapping a large tree in half."The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki... why is this brat here too?"Looking at the Little Blondie in his hands, Hyuga Hiashi frowned...Fortunately, he had diverted the direction of his attack just in time; otherwise, killing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would have brought a catastrophe upon the Hyuga Clan."Hizashi, protect him. Don't let anything go wrong. I'll continue to pursue the enemy."Hiashi chased after Gao Shan, his silhouette fading into the distance.Having narrowly escaped death, Naruto wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to look.A man with Byakugan was standing beside him.His appearance was almost identical to Hyuga Hiashi's.That's right, you are Hyuga Hizashi, a tragic character.Naruto pondered for a moment and said, "The enemy is a Cloud Ninja."Hizashi was stunned for a moment, wondering why he would say that. So what if the enemy was a Cloud Ninja? Did he think I'd be intimidated? Ridiculous. Anyone who bullies the Hyuga must pay the price, Cloud Ninjas included...Wait, where did a Cloud Ninja come from in Konoha Village?As if remembering something, Hizashi's pupils constricted, and he looked at Naruto as if he were looking at a monster.How could you think so far ahead?"Are you really only three years old?""What do you mean?"Naruto looked bewildered on the surface, but his heart was pounding... Damn it, if I'd known, I wouldn't have run my mouth."I mean... no, I must be overthinking it."Despite saying that, Hizashi didn't dare to gamble. He handed Naruto over to the Anbu who were rushing over and went to catch up.Hopefully, it's not too late.Hizashi prayed from the bottom of his heart...."Brother! Stop!""Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"Hiashi struck out in anger, every move lethal. He executed a set of Gentle Fist secret techniques with fluid grace, possessing the air of a Tai Chi grandmaster.By the time Hizashi arrived, Gao Shan had been reduced to a pile of mush, as dead as could be.Hizashi lamented, "Brother, you've caused a huge disaster."Hiashi was comforting the newly awakened, dazed Hinata in his arms. Hearing his brother's words, he said displeasedly, "Hizashi, why the gloomy talk? We Hyuga are the number one clan in Konoha..."He couldn't continue boasting because Hizashipulled down Gao Shan's mask, revealing his true face."A Kumogakure Envoy?!"...The Third Hokage, like a pervert, lifted Naruto's clothes. Seeing the Nine-Tails Seal was intact, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled kindly. "Little Naruto, you weren't scared, were you?"Naruto crossed his arms and took a step back, saying warily, "I was scared by you."The Third Hokage laughed awkwardly. "It seems little Naruto is very brave and wasn't scared by the enemy."Naruto retorted, "I was, however, scared by one of our own."The Third Hokage fell silent.Naruto didn't press the issue and instead asked, "The two Anbu who were protecting me earlier... are they still alive?"The Third Hokage was taken aback, then said with relief, "Little Naruto has grown up; you know how to care for your comrades."Naruto kept a wooden face and said nothing.The Third Hokage didn't mind and explained, "The two Anbu are still alive. The enemy was likely in a hurry to capture you and didn't have time to finish them off. Although their injuries are severe, they've received timely treatment and are out of mortal danger."...An Anbu came to report: "Hokage-sama, the enemy was the Kumogakure Envoy, Gao Shan. He has been killed by Hyuga Hiashi..."Hiashi arrived as well. At this moment, he had none of the dominance of Konoha's number one clan, as he uneasily asked the Third Hokage for forgiveness.The Third Hokage waved his hand. "Hiashi, what are you saying? You're not at fault. I'm already aware of the situation. This is entirely Kumogakure's fault. If Kumogakure doesn't give Konoha an explanation, Konoha will never let this matter rest."Seeing that the Third Hokage had no intention of making the Hyuga a scapegoat, Hiashi was moved to tears of gratitude. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. The Hyuga will always be a part of Konoha."...—Three Days Later—The Hyuga Clan handed over Hizashi's body. Subsequently, Konoha and Kumogakure reached an understanding and signed a peace treaty.Heavy snow fell continuously for three days, draping the entire Konoha Village in a coat of silver.Hinata ran out of the Hyuga residence in distress.Staying at home was miserable for her; the heavy atmosphere and strange looks almost made it impossible for her to breathe.Hinata didn't understand, much less comprehend, why her home had suddenly become so unfamiliar.She understood nothing, only knowing that... since that day.She never saw Uncle Hizashi again. Her father never smiled anymore and became much stricter with her training, often looking at her with sighs. Brother Neji no longer played with her, instead pushing her away with great coldness...Why... what exactly happened? Did I do something wrong?No one answered Hinata's questions. Only her mother held her, comforting her, "No, Hinata, you're not at fault. It's the fault of other bad people who made your father and the clansmen angry. Just be good for now, and things will get better after a while..."Following her mother's advice, Hinata behaved very obediently and well-mannered, her every move cautious. It was inevitably stifling, so she had only now come out to catch her breath.On the snow-covered streets, Hinata ran aimlessly. When she finally stopped, she stared at the unfamiliar surroundings and froze.Where... is this?How do I get back?...Stepping out of his house, a biting cold wind blew, making Naruto shiver involuntarily."It's a bit cold. I really want to stay home and not go out..."But that was just a thought. Having made up his mind to train hard, he couldn't afford to be slack.Naruto patted his cheeks to cheer himself up and started running to exercise his body.This was something that hadn't existed before; it appeared now because Naruto yearned for the strength to protect himself.Although theoretically, he was safe and sound in Konoha, and even the greatest source of danger, Danzo, was blocked by the Third Hokage, so he didn't need to worry.He could just live in peace.But after that encounter with the Cloud Ninja, Naruto understood that there was no such thing as absolute safety in the Ninja World, and Konohawas no exception. No one knew which would come first: tomorrow or an accident.