Just when it seemed like everything was settling down—
"What is going on here?"
A deep, authoritative voice shattered the tense silence.
Everyone turned toward the Hyuga estate's battered entrance, their gazes landing on a dignified middle-aged man walking out, flanked by three younger figures.
This was Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan.
Behind him stood his two daughters: the gentle Hinata and the lively Hanabi, along with the prodigy of the branch house, Hyuga Neji.
The moment Hiashi appeared, Hyuga Qingchi and the other guards straightened up and respectfully bowed.
"Clan leader!" they greeted in unison before hurriedly recounting the incident.
As they spoke, Hinata's gaze drifted past them, settling quietly on Naruto, who stood behind Shinomiya Uzumaki.
She couldn't take her eyes off him.
Naruto, as if sensing her stare, turned toward her at that exact moment. Their eyes met.
Naruto grinned, bright and carefree, like the sun breaking through the clouds.
Hinata's face immediately turned crimson.
"Naruto-kun..." she murmured shyly.
Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi finished listening to the explanation and turned his sharp gaze toward Shinomiya Uzumaki.
At first glance, the boy looked no different from any other Genin. But the fact that he had taken down four skilled Chūnin in an instant made Hiashi's eyes narrow in appreciation.
A young genius with this level of combat ability… He could rival even the prodigies of the Uchiha before their downfall.
In his mind, a single thought solidified:
Perhaps, in the near future, this boy could stand on par with Elite Jōnin like Hatake Kakashi.
Hiashi took a step forward, a rare attempt at a smile appearing on his usually stern face. It was an awkward expression, stiff from disuse.
"I am Hyuga Hiashi, leader of the Hyuga Clan. May I know your name?"
"Shinomiya Uzumaki," he answered concisely, unaware that Hiashi was already measuring his potential as a future powerhouse.
Hiashi nodded.
"Shinomiya-kun, I understand what happened. The fault lies with my people. I offer my sincerest apologies." His tone was even, without hesitation.
"Clan leader Hyuga, you don't have to apologize personally," Shinomiya replied, giving a light chuckle. "It was their mistake, not yours."
He wasn't the type to hold grudges over trivial matters.
Hiashi's stiff smile softened slightly at this response.
"I heard you came to invite Hinata to go out with you? Of course, that's not a problem. At your age, you should enjoy your youth."
With that, Hiashi gently pushed Hinata forward.
"Go on, Hinata. These are your classmates. You should spend time together."
Hinata stepped forward timidly, hesitating for a moment.
But before she could speak, Shinomiya Uzumaki gave Naruto a little shove, forcing him into the spotlight.
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, laughing.
"Hinata, long time no see."
Hinata's fingers twisted together, and she barely managed to whisper his name.
Seeing this, Shinomiya Uzumaki grinned.
"Alright, enough standing around! Let's go eat!"
Ino followed closely behind, sighing in relief. "Finally, this whole thing is over. That was way too intense."
As the group left the Hyuga estate, Hinata remained mostly quiet, responding to Naruto's chatter with soft nods.
Meanwhile, back at the Hyuga estate, Hiashi turned to Qingchi with a commanding expression.
"Qingchi, investigate Shinomiya Uzumaki. Find out everything you can about him."
Qingchi's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Chief, are you planning to take revenge?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth—
SMACK!
Hiashi backhanded him without warning, sending him tumbling across the courtyard.
"You fool!" Hiashi scolded.
"I want to make friends with that boy. If possible, I'd even consider inviting him into the Hyuga Clan one day. Do not mess this up."
With that, Hiashi turned on his heel, striding toward the entrance.
Then he stopped abruptly.
"Oh, and one more thing—"
He glanced at the broken estate gates.
"Find someone to repair this immediately. The branch house will cover the cost. This happened because of your poor handling of the situation."
Qingchi, still lying on the ground, stared at his leader's retreating figure with tear-filled eyes.
Not only did I get smacked for no reason, but now I have to pay for it too?!
As he got up, he saw Hyuga Shi, the original instigator, standing nearby with a clueless smile.
Qingchi's expression darkened.
"Shi."
"Yes, brother Qingchi?"
"Come inside with me. We need to talk."
As he spoke, Qingchi unbuckled his belt and cracked his knuckles.
That day, the famous "Seven Wolves Beating Technique" was once again put into action.
---
A Meal to Remember
Meanwhile, Shinomiya Uzumaki and the others arrived at a restaurant, where the owner gave them a wary look as if to say, "Don't cause any trouble here."
They found a table and sat down, only to be greeted by a familiar waiter—the same one who had served them last time.
Shinomiya smiled and handed the menu back.
"Four of the 'One Heart, One Mind' set meals, please. That should be fine, right?"
The waiter rolled his eyes but took their order without comment.
Soon, the table was filled with delicious dishes.
Shinomiya immediately revealed his inner glutton, devouring the food without restraint.
Between bites, he took out his communicator and checked the group chat.
Just as he expected, it was flooded with messages—mostly from two familiar names:
Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Obito.
He scrolled through the chat, piecing together what was happening.
Apparently, Obito had been inspired by both Senju Hashirama and Minato, who had each taken action to change the course of the future.
Feeling left behind, Obito wanted to make a move as well.
But there was a problem.
Unlike Hashirama and Minato—who were both Hokage with immense power—Obito was still just a nobody in the current timeline. Even with his Mangekyō Sharingan, he was far from being a game-changer.
The Third Great Ninja War was still raging, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
That's when he got an idea.
He noticed that his Mangekyō Sharingan was being sold in the group's Gold Coin Mall.
If I buy another pair and fuse them… I can awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!
This would allow him to avoid blindness from overusing his Mangekyō abilities. Even more importantly, he'd gain the power to use Kamui without limitations and unlock Perfect Susanoo.
There was just one small issue—
He had no money.
Obito's Mangekyō was priced at 300,000 gold coins, but he was completely broke.
So, he started begging in the chat.
Minato, ever the generous sensei, immediately lent him 100,000 gold coins, but that still left him 200,000 short.
Just when it seemed hopeless—
A new message popped up.
Senju Hashirama: "Need a loan? I just happen to have 200,000. You can use it."
Obito was overjoyed.
Uchiha Obito: "Really?! First Hokage-sama, thank you so much!"
Hashirama simply laughed.
Senju Hashirama: "No problem, no problem."
Shinomiya Uzumaki leaned back and smirked.
"Damn. The First Hokage is flexing his wealth like a true boss."
As he continued scrolling, he couldn't help but wonder—
What kind of chaos was Obito about to unleash this time?
––--––-------------------------------
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