(before you read the chapter this chapter and next one are not cannon this is just for Naruto and hinata to get closer ig as he didn't interact with other's before this system arrived )
After training the entire afternoon, the bright sky had faded into darkness, and the forest was now pitch black. Naruto's physical energy was nearly drained, and he finally stopped what he was doing.
Swoosh~~ Swoosh~~
Suddenly, a figure flickered through the dark woods. But with the poor lighting and the opponent's incredible speed, Naruto couldn't see who it was.
"Who's there!?"
Almost on instinct, Naruto chased after them. Who was that? Was it someone sent by the Third Hokage to monitor him? He had suspected for a while that, as the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, he was under special surveillance. But ANBU members were strong—skilled at concealing their presence. As far as he knew, he had never detected them before.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he used the Body Flicker Technique to leap swiftly between the trees. Suddenly, a few droplets landed on his face. Wiping them away, he glanced at his palm.
A bright red stain.
Blood? Was that person injured?
"Mmmh… Wooo~~~"
A faint whimper reached Naruto's ears—a girl's voice.
Focusing his chakra into the soles of his feet, he increased his speed, closing in on the figure ahead. As he got closer, he finally saw them clearly—a tall ninja dressed in black, carrying a girl under his arm. The girl wore the traditional attire of the Hyuga Clan. Her hands were tied behind her back, her feet bound with thick rope.
As she struggled, Naruto caught a glimpse of her face under the faint moonlight.
"Hyuga Hinata!?"
That's right—the girl being carried away was none other than Hyuga Hinata. A cloth was stuffed in her mouth, preventing her from speaking. She could only whimper in distress, twisting and resisting with all her strength.
Naruto's expression darkened. This wasn't something ANBU would do. This guy had to be an enemy ninja.
Then, a memory surfaced wasn't Hinata kidnapped by the Hidden Cloud Village seven or eight years ago? Back then, the Third Great Ninja War had just ended, and Hinata was only four years old. Konoha was still drowning in grief, struggling to recover from the Nine-Tails' rampage and the devastating loss of the Fourth Hokage. Countless families had been torn apart, their loved ones buried beneath the rubble of what was once their home. The village, still reeling from its wounds, had barely begun to stand on its feet when another tragedy struck.
The Hidden Cloud saw Konoha's weakness as an opportunity. Under the guise of peace talks, they sent elite ninjas into the village's heart, not with words of diplomacy, but with the cruel intent of stealing away a child Hinata, the Hyuga Clan's eldest daughter. Their goal was clear: rip the Byakugan from her bloodline and dissect the secrets of her clan's dojutsu, regardless of what became of the innocent girl in their hands.
That incident had shaken all of Konoha. Naruto had only been four years old at the time, but as a transmigrator, he remembered those events clearly. And now, Hinata was being targeted again.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
Naruto shouted as he reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a handful of shuriken.
Swoosh~~
The shuriken whizzed through the air, spinning toward the tall ninja's back. Annoyance flashed across the enemy's face. He quickly swung his kunai, deflecting each incoming shuriken with sharp metallic clangs. However, the attack had slowed him down. He clutched his chest, his face grim.
Blood seeped between his fingers, dripping onto the ground. His breathing was heavy, and the chakra pathways in his body were blocked. Had he been struck by the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist? Right now, his chakra flow was sluggish, and sharp pain pulsed through his body.
To capture the Hyuga Clan's purest Byakugan bloodline, he had lost more than ten comrades. All of them were elite ninjas—each at the level of a senior Jonin. His fallen comrades had entrusted this mission to him, hoping he would successfully escape with Hinata.
And yet, now he was being blocked by a mere blond brat?
That made him furious.
[Ryuki's Anger +36]
"Kid, if you don't want to die, get lost!"
The tall ninja finally took a proper look at Naruto. He was just a child—probably a fresh academy graduate. Nothing to worry about. More Konoha pursuers could be closing in, and he had no time to waste on a brat.
"Old bastard, who the hell are you calling a kid?" Naruto shot back. "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"
He saw the desperation in Hinata's tear-filled eyes as she silently pleaded for help. At the same time, he couldn't gauge the strength of the enemy in front of him. But if this guy had managed to kidnap Hinata from the Hyuga Clan, he must be pretty strong.
Even so, Naruto stood his ground, his stance shifting into a defensive posture, prepared for a sudden attack.
[Ryuki's Anger +66]
"Die, brat!"
Ryuki suddenly reached into his pouch, pulling out four kunai—each one tied with an explosive tag. With a fierce throw, the kunai shot toward Naruto like a storm of deadly wind.
Boom!!
A series of explosions erupted, sending flames roaring through the forest. The spot where Naruto had just stood was engulfed in fire. A cruel smirk spread across Ryuki's face. Without sparing another glance, he turned and sprinted ahead.
He had specifically aimed the exploding kunai to block all of Naruto's escape routes. There was no way that brat had survived. As he dashed forward, the trees ahead thinned, and patches of moonlight peeked through.
He was almost out of the woods. A river lay before him. If he followed it downstream, he would reach a hidden passage out of Konoha.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him.
It started small but rapidly expanded, covering his entire body.
"What the—?"
Ryuki looked up—just in time to see a figure descending toward him.
In that figure's hand was a spinning blue sphere of chakra.
The sheer energy radiating from it sent a chill down Ryuki's spine. If that thing hit him, he'd be seriously injured—if not worse. Without hesitation, he threw himself backward, rolling away while keeping a firm grip on Hinata.
Boom!!
The Rasengan smashed into the ground, sending dirt and debris flying in all directions. A thick layer of mud splattered across Ryuki's face, forcing him to shut his eyes.
He clenched his teeth.
This damn brat…!
(End of Chapter)