When the figure sensed two cold, all-seeing Byakugan gazes penetrate the trees and lock onto him, he trembled violently, as if pricked by invisible needles.
He didn't even dare to turn his head, nor did he care to check his injuries. Enduring the severe pain, he stumbled and fled with all his might, like a startled rabbit.
The figure made several frantic leaps through the forest, quickly disappearing into the deeper shadows, leaving behind only trampled grass and a few drops of dark red blood on the leaves.
"Is that Fuuichirou?"
Hinata's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and clear confusion. Maintaining her Byakugan, her brows were slightly furrowed.
Although the other party's figure fled in a sorry state, under the Byakugan's insight, the familiar silhouette and Chakra characteristics were clearly captured.
The Hyuga Clan is a large clan with many members, so Hinata naturally couldn't recognize every face.
But she knew this Fuuichirou.
He was a member of the Main Family, or more precisely, the grandson of the Sixth Elder of the clan.
This identity deepened the doubts in Hinata's heart.
Why would someone from the Main Family hide in the dark, spying on their training here?
And when did he sneak in there?
What was his purpose?
Hanabi also recognized the other party. Her small face still held a trace of dissatisfaction from having her food fantasies interrupted, but more so a childish annoyance and confusion: "Is that Fuuichirou? Why is he hiding there? So sneaky! He scared me!"
"You know him?"
Naruto, hearing this, paused his movement, which had been preparing to give chase.
He withdrew his foot, his sharp, blade-like gaze shifting from the direction Fuuichirou disappeared to Hinata and Hanabi.
His golden eyebrows were slightly raised, carrying a hint of inquiry and lingering vigilance.
"Yes."
Hinata nodded, her pure Byakugan still activated, ensuring no other lurkers remained in the area.
Her voice carried a barely perceptible heaviness.
"He is the grandson of the Sixth Elder of the Main Family."
"Hmph, he's just a good-for-nothing."
Hanabi pouted beside her, her small face showing undisguised disdain. She seemed to have little respect for this Main Family brother, and the annoyance from having her meal interrupted hadn't completely faded.
Naruto tilted his head slightly, a clear look of confusion on his face: "Elder? Isn't the Hyuga Main Family a single lineage?"
In his understanding, the Hyuga Main Family, in order to maintain the purity and control of the Byakugan, had always adhered to an extremely strict inheritance system. Only the heirs of the clan head's line were true Main Family members; other Branch Family members would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, their lives controlled by the Main Family.
How could that person named Fuuichirou also be Main Family?
Hinata sighed softly, finally slowly deactivating her Byakugan. The veins on her forehead receded, and her eyes returned to their clear state, though now tinged with complex emotions.
She looked at Naruto, her voice gentle but carrying a heavy sense of helplessness, as if revealing a family scar they wished to keep hidden.
"No, Naruto-kun."
She shook her head slightly.
"The Main Family was indeed a single lineage at first, but..."
She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully.
"Over the long years, there have been variables within the clan. There were a few... particularly strong or particularly... protective clan heads."
Hinata's gaze inadvertently swept over Hanabi, who was nestled beside her, a subtle flicker of pity and determination in her eyes, as if confirming a resolve to protect.
"With their prestige and power, they overruled all objections, even going so far as to modify certain marginal clauses of the clan rules, forcibly bringing their other children into the Main Family, exempting them from the fate of being branded with the Caged Bird Seal."
"Although such situations are extremely rare, each time accompanied by great controversy and hidden currents, it... it did happen."
She paused, as if recalling those dusty family secret records, and then clearly pointed to Fuuichirou's identity: "The grandfather of this person named Fuuichirou, the Sixth Elder, is a product of such an exception.
The Sixth Elder is my great-grandfather's nephew and one of the survivors from the Sengoku period.
Because of his father, their branch also became part of the Main Family, and the first child of each generation does not have the Caged Bird Seal."
Naruto also looked at Hanabi.
The Hyuga Clan usually has the Caged Bird Seal inscribed at the age of three, but little Hanabi had never been branded with it.
Given this, it made sense.
The method Hyuga Hiashi used to avoid having his daughter branded with the Caged Bird Seal might have been one previously used when those elder branch families became Main Family members.
Hanabi seemed to sense her sister's and Naruto's overly complex gazes, blinking her big eyes in confusion, her small hand anxiously twisting Hinata's clothes.
She didn't understand why the atmosphere suddenly became so heavy. She instinctively snuggled closer to her sister, her pure vision reflecting Naruto's furrowed brows and her sister's solemn eyes.
Naruto directly scooped Hanabi up by her armpits.
"What's wrong? If he ever bullied you or your sister, tell big brother, and big brother will help you beat him up."
"Hehe, how could he bully Hanabi and Big Sister? He usually walks around us when he sees us.
Because as soon as he gets close, Sister Natsu will tell Dad.
Then Dad will find an opportunity to beat up both Fuuichirou and his dad."
Sister Natsu was Hanabi's maid who took care of her daily life when she was little, Natsu Hyuga from the Branch Family.
"That's good, then let's go home for dinner!"
Naruto said cheerfully, his tone completely relaxed.
"Yay!"
Hanabi immediately cheered, her earlier unease long gone, her mind filled only with the longed-for takoyaki and sweet and sour fish.
Naruto gently placed Hanabi back on the ground, his thick, warm hand naturally taking her small one.
The small hand immediately trustingly and tightly squeezed his.
At the same time, Naruto's other hand gently held Hinata's slightly cool wrist.
Hinata felt the warmth and strength from his wrist, pausing slightly, then looked up at Naruto.
Meeting his sunny, warm gaze, filled with comfort and an unspoken 'I've got this,' the lingering heaviness in Hinata's eyes quietly melted away, transforming into a warm current in her heart.
She gently squeezed Naruto's hand back, a faint but genuine curve forming on her lips.
"Mhm, let's go."
——————————
Hyuga Hiashi's figure stood like a bedrock in the center of the battlefield. At his feet were several Hidden Mist Ninja, their Chakra sealed by pressure points and tightly bound with ropes.
He didn't even linger his gaze on them, as if these people were merely fallen leaves casually swept aside during battlefield cleanup.
His sight was firmly fixed on a more important target.
That Hyuga Hiroshi, also bound and slumped on the ground, his face ashen.
Hiroshi's Byakugan was forcibly deactivated, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
It's over, I completely messed up this time.