Fleeing from Konoha

"Where's Father?"

Coming home from school and not seeing her father, the girl felt a bit uneasy.

The person she asked was her younger sister, a few years below her.

Black hair and the same white pupils as her own—the emblem of the Hyuga Clan.

The only difference was that in her sister's pale eyes there was a firm, steady light, making her seem unlike an ordinary little girl.

Looking at such a sister, Hinata sometimes had the illusion that the other was actually the elder sister, and she herself was the younger one.

"He went to convene a meeting with the clan elders. It seems someone was sent over from Lord Hokage's side, apparently to discuss something important."

Glancing at her sister Hinata, the girl named Hyuga Hanabi pointed toward the Main Family's conference room and said this to her.

"So he went to a meeting."

Upon hearing this, Hinata's timid expression relaxed in relief.

Just thinking of her father's stern and demanding face made her tense up involuntarily.

"So that means, tonight's sparring…"

Gentle Fist practice was something Hinata was afraid of.

As the Hyuga Clan's signature technique, Gentle Fist could be called the Taijutsu every Hyuga member had been trained in since childhood.

Not just her—her younger sister Hanabi, a few years below her, had already started learning Gentle Fist, and had been praised by their father several times.

This made Hinata somewhat discouraged. No matter what she did, she could never earn her father's praise, whereas her younger sister could win his approval so easily… All because her own talent was too poor, completely incomparable to her sister's.

"That's not right, you know. Father specifically told me you're to carry on as usual."

Hanabi spoke up.

"Eh?"

Hinata froze there, a little at a loss.

"Neji-nii-san will be over soon. Father told me to supervise your practice. As the eldest daughter of the Main Family, if you get outshone by someone from the Branch Family, Father will be very angry, and it'll also make him lose face in front of Uncle Hizashi."

Hanabi said this.

After listening, the pressure on Hinata's heart grew even heavier.

Failing… would make Father angry, would cause Father and the Main Family to lose face. The weight of it all pressing down on her made it hard to breathe.

Just because she was the Main Family's eldest daughter, she had to undergo the clan's trials with strict standards.

But… her cousin Neji, one year older than her, was already the most outstanding prodigy in the Ninja School. It was said his strength already surpassed that of many Genin who had graduated.

Facing an opponent like that, how could she possibly win?

If it were Hanabi… Hinata gave a bitter smile.

That was impossible as well. Hanabi had only been exposed to Gentle Fist for a short time. Even if she beat her, it would only bring Hiashi even more shame.

She had clearly received the Main Family's best education; whether in Gentle Fist or other forms of training, everything had been offered to her without reservation.

By contrast, those of the Branch Family were not allowed to learn the true essence of Gentle Fist.

The true secrets of Gentle Fist were taught only to members of the Main Family.

In theory, she should be the one to win, but facing her genius cousin, she had absolutely no confidence.

"I get the feeling you're thinking something rude, Sister."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes; the human heart was a dark place.

"N-no, I'm not."

Hinata hurriedly waved her hands.

"Honestly, at this point even going to pray at a temple won't help. You'd better think about how you're going to beat Neji-nii-san. Or… go find that destined prince of yours to cheer you on, and then come back…"

Before Hanabi could finish, she saw Hinata's face suddenly flush scarlet, steam figuratively puffing from the top of her head as her body collapsed limply to the floor.

"..."

Hanabi was momentarily speechless.

What an easy-to-tease sister; she was far too shy.

◎

"Lord Hokage hopes to select one Jonin from our Hyuga Clan to cooperate with the Anbu in carrying out a classified S-Class Mission. What do you all think?"

In the conference room within the Main Family's compound, Hiashi was seated in formal seiza on the front cushion, with the elders of both the Main and Branch Families arranged on either side.

"Did Lord Hokage explain what the mission entails?"

A Branch Family elder asked.

"No."

Hiashi shook his head.

The order had been conveyed by a member of the Anbu directly under the Hokage, but they hadn't disclosed what the top-secret S-Class Mission actually was.

"I recall that yesterday a delegation from Hidden Sand made a secret visit… Could this be related?"

One elder offered his analysis.

In truth, everyone already had a rough idea in their hearts.

The fact that the Land of Demons had declared war on the Land of Wind had long since spread throughout the Ninja Realm.

It could be said that the attention of every country in the Ninja Realm was focused on the battlefield between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind.

Every move made there tugged at countless hearts.

Especially after it became known that the Land of Demons was secretly controlled by a Konoha Renegade Ninja, rumors spread unchecked, running rampant through the village.

For ordinary civilians, this didn't have much impact; they wouldn't think too deeply about distant matters.

But for Ninja—especially those of Konoha—it was anything but good news.

To think a Renegade Ninja from their own village was stirring up such chaos on the international stage—wasn't that the same as slapping Konoha hard across the face?

Every country, to some extent, would come forward with condemnation.

For example, the Land of Wind, currently in conflict with the Land of Demons, leveled the harshest criticism at Konoha.

Because Konoha had failed to hunt down the Renegade Ninja in time and had thereby brought such immense suffering to the Land of Wind, Konoha could hardly escape blame.

The Hidden Sand delegation's secret visit to Konoha yesterday spoke volumes; anyone with eyes could see what it implied.