Naruto: Fooling the Ninja World, I'm Hailed as a Savior

The atmosphere within the Hyuga clan was incredibly heavy.

This wasn't solely due to the grim news of impending war, but also because today was Hyuga Hizashi's funeral.

In the courtyard, the suffocating scent of melancholy sandalwood, mingled with the musty smell of old tatami mats, clung to Hyuga Hizashi's nostrils and throat like a viscous ointment.

"..."

Hyuga Hizashi looked at the photograph, layered with white chrysanthemums, and at himself in the picture, as well as the people kneeling in the room. He felt how absurd this world was.

Hyuga Hinata, who had just celebrated her third birthday, hid behind him, cautiously holding onto the corner of her "father's" clothes with her small hand, looking at everything unfolding with innocent bewilderment.

At this moment, Hinata didn't understand what death meant.

It wasn't until she saw Hyuga Neji kneeling in front of the photograph, feeling him as stiff as a forgotten clay figurine.

"Neji, please accept my condolences..."

A Hyuga branch family member patted Neji's shoulder and sighed softly. Neji, whose expression had been calm and suppressed, trembled slightly. Under Hinata's gaze, a glistening tear slid down his cheek as he lowered his head.

The pain and sorrow, almost overflowing from his heart, made Hyuga Hinata's own heart tremble slightly.

"All phenomena are impermanent, they are phenomena of birth and death... When birth and death cease, stillness is bliss... May one be freed from suffering, attain peace, and be reborn in the Pure Land..."

The monk's monotonous and long chanting resonated like heavy lead weights, striking her eardrums repeatedly, then transforming into countless fine needles, pricking her nerves and making her subtly tense.

She recalled the strange glances from the branch family siblings yesterday and suddenly understood that the death of Lord Hizashi might be related to her.

So, Hyuga Hinata gently released her grip on her "father's" clothes and, as if fleeing, took small steps out of the funeral hall.

At the front of the crowd, Hyuga Kawa sensed something and turned his head to look behind him.

Whoosh.

This was Konoha's first snow of the year. Goose-feather-like snowflakes fell silently and densely, covering the meticulously trimmed pine branches in the courtyard, concealing the bluestone path, and enveloping the entire world in a suffocating, cold, pure white stillness.

Only the lanterns under the eaves swayed helplessly in the wind and snow, casting a dim, trembling halo.

In Hinata's eyes, the figures in solemn black approaching swayed in her peripheral vision like silent, ominous dark clouds. Their occasional strange glances, like barbed hooks, scraped at her exposed skin.

Uncontrollable guilt and timidity surged from her heart, making her instinctively choose to flee. From walking, she broke into a run, wanting only to escape the suffocating house.

Crunch! Crunch!

She stumbled through the snow, one foot sinking deeper than the other. Her thin clothes flapped in the wind, and her wide sash tightly cinched her waist. Snowflakes fiercely pelted her face, melting into biting cold water that ran down her collar.

She ran until she was out of the Hyuga clan compound, when her feet suddenly slipped, and she fell heavily into the thick snow. The cold instantly enveloped her.

"Ugh..."

The tears welling in her eyes finally overflowed, hot liquid tracing paths down her cold cheeks, dripping onto the snow, melting into small, fleeting dark marks.

She struggled to get up and continued to run, but when she turned a corner, she bumped squarely into someone.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

Hinata wiped away her tears and stood up, instinctively looking up to apologize.

The person she bumped into was one of three boys. Upon seeing Hyuga Hinata's white eyes, he swallowed the "it's okay" he was about to say.

"Eh?" The two boys beside him also blurted out, "Her, her eyes..."

Everyone now knew that war was coming, and as one of the culprits leading to the war, the Hyuga clan's standing in Konoha was quite awkward.

To put it sarcastically, they used to "look down" on others with their Byakugan; now it was others' turn to look down on them.

As soon as they saw those distinctive white eyes, villagers would show disgust and behave rudely.

This attitude undoubtedly influenced their children.

And the malice of children was the purest kind of malice, malice untainted by any self-interest.

"Look, her eyes are white!"

"They really are! A white-eyed monster!"

"Is she like that thing, a monster too!"

The three boys immediately began shouting and jeering. Hyuga Hinata, who had just stood up, was pushed down again.

One boy even reached out to grab her eyes. Hyuga Hinata seemed petrified, her small face slightly pale, her expression blank, watching wide-eyed.

"St--"

"Hey."

Just as he was about to touch Hyuga Hinata, two voices came almost simultaneously.

The boy instinctively turned to look behind him. The next moment, a palm grew large in his vision.

Slap!

He was spun half a circle by the slap before falling to the ground, and along with him flew a blood-stained tooth.

"Ah!"

The sharp screams of the other two brats had barely left their mouths when Hyuga Kawa backhanded them both, two teeth flying out equally, as they peacefully drifted into dreamland.

"Hinata-san."

Hyuga Kawa looked at the timidly opening Hinata, and with a normal tone, pointed towards the Hyuga clan's direction, "It's very dangerous at night. If you've had enough fun, you should go home."

"Y-Yes, yes..."

Knowing she had caused trouble for others, Hyuga Hinata instinctively lowered her head and replied.

Watching Hyuga Hinata's retreating figure gradually disappear, Hyuga Kawa withdrew his gaze and looked behind him.

Creak... creak...

A small figure, wrapped exceptionally thickly and waddling like a penguin, emerged from behind a utility pole.

As he passed the three fallen brats, he even kicked each of them with a leg still in his pockets.

"Big brother, you're so strong."

Walking up to Hyuga Kawa, the "little shorty" looked up at him, pulled down his scarf to reveal a familiar face, and said in a childish voice, "Are you a ninja? Are you a Genin?"

Looking at the child's bright blue eyes and the distinctive whisker marks on his face, Hyuga Kawa's gaze deepened.

Naruto Uzumaki, the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

He hadn't expected their first meeting to be under such circumstances.

Hyuga Kawa squinted and asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Naruto Uzumaki also squinted his eyes, shaking his head innocently, "No, because big brother doesn't dislike me."

Hearing this, Hyuga Kawa paused, instinctively thinking of Naruto Uzumaki's ability to sense malice.

But soon, he realized that Naruto wouldn't possess that ability yet.

This meant...

"Did he sense it through intuition and experience?" A hint of interest rose in Hyuga Kawa's heart.

The current Naruto seemed much more endearing than the adult Naruto he would become.

However, Naruto Uzumaki's identity was too sensitive; it was too early to meet him now.

Even if they met, it shouldn't be in this capacity.

So, Hyuga Kawa took one last look at him, then raised his hand and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave.

Naruto stood in place, his eyes sparkling slightly.

The Body Flicker Technique, so cool!

Creak.

Not long after Kawa left Naruto Uzumaki, a figure appeared in front of Kawa.

"Hyuga Kawa Jonin." The newcomer wore an Anbu mask and handed two scrolls to Hyuga Kawa, his voice cold, "These are from Lord Third."

A Root ninja?

Smelling that familiar cold aura, Hyuga Kawa immediately understood, taking the two scrolls from the other's hand.

The first, when opened, was a pass to the Forbidden Jutsu Library, seemingly sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi.

As for the second...

"They actually want us to investigate Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village in the Land of Rain on our way to the Land of Hot Water?" Hyuga Kawa's eyes flickered, pondering.

Was this Hiruzen Sarutobi's order, or Danzo Shimura's?

Or perhaps, both?

However...

"Hanzo, huh?" Hyuga Kawa chuckled inwardly, "He seems like a good puppet."