In the pitch-dark corridor, crisp footsteps echoed softly.
A woman walked through the darkness, her figure blurred by the shadows, her face impossible to make out.
"…Is it time?"
She asked quietly.
"Yeah. And I hope you won't be coming back again."
A man's voice came from deep within the darkness.
From the heavy tone alone, it was obvious he didn't like her one bit.
"This place doesn't welcome you."
"Heh. Let's hope so,"
the woman replied with a light laugh, clearly unconcerned.
The darkness answered her only with silence.
Her footsteps gradually faded away, until the man in the shadows couldn't help speaking again:
"Behave yourself from now on. This isn't a place you can come and go as you please."
The woman stopped.
She turned her head slightly, glanced back, and said softly,
"Heh… we'll see."
With a slow creak, the heavy door was pushed open.
Blinding sunlight poured in, tearing through the deep darkness like a blade of light.
It felt like a boundary between two worlds—
behind her, a place of suffocating shadows and crime;
ahead of her, warmth, freedom, and open sky.
Then—
Bang!
She kicked the door open.
The once-solid gate lurched violently, sunlight flooding in and driving away every last trace of darkness.
Looking at the familiar scenery outside, she threw her head back and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"One whole month!"
"I, Hyūga Hinata—"
"—AM BACK!!!!"
Her bright, ringing voice echoed through the air for a long time.
"DAMN IT, HYŪGA HINATA!"
"You just destroyed Konoha public property!"
"I'M ARRESTING YOU AGAIN—ANOTHER HALF MONTH FOR YOU!"
An enraged shout erupted from behind her, from the Konoha prison guards.
"Ah—oops~"
Hinata grinned awkwardly.
"Time to run~"
And with that, she bolted—
leaving behind one utterly furious prison guard screaming in vain.
—
Hyūga Hinata strolled through Konoha's bustling streets, thoroughly enjoying herself.
A cropped top.
Hot pants.
Black stockings hugging her long legs.
She showed off her figure without restraint.
For Konoha in Year 34, this kind of outfit was far too avant-garde.
The village's social atmosphere was nowhere near as open as in Hinata's era.
Men turned their heads one after another.
Even plenty of shinobi couldn't help but sneak glances her way.
After all, strictness and tradition were practically the Hyūga clan's trademarks.
And here was a Byakugan girl from another world, dressed boldly, acting freely, and not giving a damn.
Hinata noticed none of it—or rather, she was long used to it.
In fact, she enjoyed being the center of attention.
"Boss, give me some oden."
She stopped at a food stall, staring at the steaming pot and swallowing hard.
Heaven knew what she'd eaten over the past month in Konoha Prison.
Calling it "food" was already generous.
Thankfully, her money still worked in this world.
She didn't have much on her, but it was enough to live comfortably for a while.
"Coming right up,"
the vendor replied enthusiastically.
Before long, a hot serving of oden was handed to her.
She paid casually and continued wandering through this Konoha that, to her, belonged to decades in the past.
She'd ended up in a strange world for no clear reason—but then again, she herself was a strange person.
So her ability to accept strange things was… strangely strong.
Complicated, but accurate.
Soon, she spotted a few familiar figures.
They were still kids, but she recognized them instantly.
That chubby one… Choza-ojisan, right?
Then that must be Shikaku-ojisan and Inoichi-ojisan.
She paused, then nodded to herself.
Huh. Inoichi-ojisan was actually kinda cute as a kid.
She casually tossed the skewer from her oden onto the ground and didn't bother approaching them.
The Ino–Shika–Chō trio might look impressive, but in her eyes?
So-so.
She still remembered beating the crap out of her generation's Ino–Shika–Chō without breaking a sweat.
Then—
Her gaze locked onto someone else.
A young woman wearing a purple short-sleeved knit top and a khaki skirt that fell past the knees.
Long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
Delicate features, calm temperament—
And those unmistakable, pure white Byakugan eyes.
Most importantly—
She looked almost exactly like Hinata.
"Oh."
"That's my alternate-world mom."
The very woman who'd personally thrown her into prison.
How righteous.
How heartless.
Hinata clicked her tongue and walked straight over.
Only when she got closer did she notice that her "mom" wasn't alone.
There was a red-haired little boy.
And a blonde little girl.
Hinata's eyes narrowed slightly.
She wasn't stupid—far from it.
From the interrogation before, she'd already realized that this world wasn't the same as her own.
The Nine-Tails jinchūriki was different here.
Between Uzumaki Mito and Namikaze Menma, there was an extra jinchūriki.
Uzumaki Kushina.
Menma's mother.
Which meant—
The red-haired kid in front of her.
So that's you.
At that realization, Hinata's interest spiked immediately.
Her own "mom" didn't matter much to her.
A parent who died when she was three—there wasn't much attachment to begin with.
But the parents of the boy she'd liked?
Now that was interesting.
As Hinata noticed the trio, they noticed her as well.
Byakugan.
Kagura Mind's Eye.
And a future Yellow Flash.
None of them had poor perception.
She's out already?
Hyūga Shiori glanced at Hinata approaching and felt a headache coming on.
The existence of Sky Ninja remnants had been confirmed.
And they'd already been neatly erased by Hatake Sakumo.
Even their remaining airships had been seized and brought back to Konoha.
Which meant—
This unruly delinquent girl really was her alternate-world daughter.
What an unfortunate conclusion.
Nao made a decision on the spot.
Hyūga Hizashi, you're a good man.
But we're not compatible.
If she really had a daughter like this in the future, she'd be driven to an early grave out of sheer rage.
"Yo—my dear mother~"
Hinata greeted cheerfully, going straight for the throat.
"Why didn't you come visit your poor daughter even once?"
Nightingale was immediately under fire.
Meanwhile, holding a taiyaki at her side, Kaoru froze completely.
"…Huh?"
Wait.
Nao-neechan had a daughter?
And one who looked almost the same age as her?!
Her brain completely blue-screened.
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