Chapter 17 — The Disheveled Pair Head to the Hyūga Clan
"The hero you've always admired is the very one who made you suffer twelve years of rejection!"
The Nine-Tails' cold words continued to echo in Naruto's mind. The Fourth Hokage—the man he had always looked up to—was supposedly… the root of everything.
Just as that thought lingered heavily in his chest, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his neck.
"Ow!!"
This time, Kaguya had gone a little too far. The moment she felt that dense, powerful chakra, an instinctive desire surged within her—to take more, to claim it, to devour it completely. It wasn't until Naruto cried out that she abruptly snapped back to her senses.
Embarrassment immediately spread across her face.
It seemed she had overdone it again.
"Sorry… did I take too much?" Kaguya asked softly.
Naruto blinked, his bright blue eyes still clear, and shook his head. He didn't really mind something like that. What troubled him far more was the connection between everything… and the Fourth Hokage.
"Are you okay? You seem like you're in a bad mood," Kaguya asked, tilting her head slightly. She could clearly sense the heaviness in his emotions.
"I'm fine. Nothing happened at all!" Naruto forced a grin, brushing it off.
Kaguya looked puzzled but chose not to press further. If he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't force him.
Whoosh!!
The curtains in Naruto's room were suddenly pulled open without warning.
Kakashi had arrived.
"Naruto, today I'm taking—"
Before he could finish, his gaze landed on the scene before him.
Kaguya was leaning over Naruto, pinning him down, their positions far too ambiguous. The marks on Naruto's neck were especially… conspicuous.
For a brief moment, three pairs of eyes met.
Silence.
Kakashi's expression froze in shock.
This scene… was definitely wrong.
The two of them were lying there in complete disarray, utterly lacking any sense of propriety—and what was with those bite marks on Naruto's neck?!
"…Sorry. Looks like I came at a bad time," Kakashi said calmly, then reached out and quietly closed the curtains again.
Two and a half seconds later—
Whoosh!!
The curtains were violently yanked open once more. This time, Kakashi's expression had turned dark.
"You two, get up right now!!!"
"Wah! Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?!" Naruto shouted, jumping up in shock.
Kaguya quickly got off him, her expression slightly stiff.
Caught again.
She would definitely need to be more careful in the future.
After hastily eating a simple breakfast, Kakashi led the two of them out of the apartment.
…
Along the way—
"Kakashi-sensei, where are we going?" Naruto asked, walking behind him.
"I'm taking Kaguya to the Hyūga Clan," Kakashi replied casually.
"The Hyūga Clan? That's Hinata's place, right? Is it because of the Byakugan?" Naruto asked curiously.
"That's right. The Byakugan is unique to the Hyūga Clan, yet Kaguya also possesses it. They should be able to determine something. That's why I brought her," Kakashi explained.
"The Byakugan sounds really amazing!" Naruto said, his interest piqued.
"Amazing is an understatement," Kakashi said, glancing back at him. "The Hyūga Clan is currently the strongest clan in Konoha, largely because of the Byakugan. It grants nearly three hundred and sixty degrees of vision with almost no blind spots, and it can see the flow of chakra within the human body—giving it a kind of penetrating sight."
He paused slightly before adding, "That level of perception… is something even my Sharingan can't match."
"I-it's really that incredible?" Naruto was stunned. He hadn't expected Hinata's clan to be that powerful.
So… Hinata must be really strong too?
Kaguya listened quietly from the side.
A clan that possessed the Byakugan…
…
Hyūga Clan.
The clan compound stretched out before them, vast and imposing. Even from the outside, it radiated a sense of heritage and authority, a silent testament to its long-standing power within Konoha.
After exchanging a few words with a maid at the entrance, Kakashi led Naruto and Kaguya inside.
As they walked deeper into the compound, Naruto couldn't help looking around in fascination.
Everywhere he looked, there were people with the Byakugan.
Kaguya, too, observed them carefully.
They all possessed the same dōjutsu, and yet…
So weak.
That was her first impression.
The purity of their Byakugan, the clarity of their bloodline, the density of their chakra—it was all far too diluted.
Some of them even bore seals that suppressed their eyes, forcibly restricting their power.
Why?
Why would they intentionally weaken the Byakugan?
Questions arose one after another in Kaguya's mind, while Naruto simply marveled at everything around him.
So this was the inside of the Hyūga Clan? It was his first time here—and it was huge. Seriously huge.
So this was what Hinata's home looked like…
Soon, Kakashi led them into a large hall.
Inside, Naruto immediately spotted a familiar figure.
"Eh? Isn't that Hinata?" he muttered.
Sure enough, Hyūga Hinata stood in the center of the hall, currently sparring with a girl even smaller than herself.
Their movements were fast and precise, their palms striking out in quick succession. Naruto couldn't follow their techniques at all.
So this was the Hyūga Clan?
So cool!
Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement.
At the same time, the head of the Hyūga Clan, Hyūga Hiashi, noticed their arrival.
Of course, he wasn't the only one.
Hinata also caught sight of them—
—and the moment she saw Naruto, she froze completely.
N-Naruto-kun… why is Naruto-kun here… at my house…
That brief moment of distraction was all Hanabi needed.
With a swift palm strike, she hit Hinata and knocked her back.
Seeing this, Hiashi slowly shook his head, disappointment evident in his eyes.
Hinata lowered her head slightly. The moment she caught that look, a bitter smile appeared on her face.
Not only that…
In Naruto-kun's eyes… I must look weak too, right?
Losing to her younger sister… how embarrassing…
The more she thought about it, the heavier her heart felt, as if everything had collapsed around her. She hadn't wanted Naruto to see this…
But—
"Sugoi, sugoi! Hinata, that was amazing, dattebayo!" Naruto suddenly shouted excitedly.
So that was the Byakugan? It looked incredible—seriously amazing!
Hinata froze.
Amazing…?
Naruto-kun… praised her?
The happiness came so suddenly that her mind went blank. Heat rushed to her face, and a deep blush quickly spread across her cheeks.
"Don't shout like that, Naruto," Kakashi said helplessly, pressing a hand down on Naruto's head.
"Got it, dattebayo…" Naruto muttered, lowering his voice.
Kakashi sighed, then turned toward Hiashi with a respectful nod.
"My apologies, Clan Head Hiashi. Naruto tends to get a bit… enthusiastic. Please don't mind him."
Hiashi shook his head lightly.
So this is the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki…
"This is the one the Third Hokage mentioned—the person who also possesses the Byakugan," Kakashi said, gesturing toward Kaguya. "Clan Head Hiashi, can you determine anything?"
There was no need to comment on Kaguya's appearance. Even Hinata, upon seeing her, felt overshadowed.
But what drew everyone's attention wasn't her beauty—
It was those eyes.
That pair of pure, flawless Byakugan.