Hinata slowly regained consciousness. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she realized she was lying on the ground in a strange, awkward position.
A dull ache throbbed in her head as fragments of memory returned—someone had been following her… and then struck her from behind, knocking her out.
A wave of fear like nothing she had ever felt before surged through her small body. She tried to push herself up, but quickly realized that while her mind was awake, her limbs had no strength at all.
The moonlight stretched shadows long across the ground, one of which drew her gaze. Slowly, with effort, she turned her eyes upward—and saw a black-haired boy standing right in front of her.
At the same moment, Senju Haruto noticed her as well. Their eyes met, and in Hinata's gaze, Haruto saw nothing but fear. Her small body trembled as she tried to shuffle backward, her eyes growing misty with tears.
The check-in task was complete. Haruto could easily leave her here and move on.
But seeing her like this—Small.Frightened.Helpless.Hopeless.
Haruto let out a quiet sigh. He crouched down slowly, noticing how she instinctively tried to inch away from him.
"I'm here to save you," he said softly."It's over now. You're safe."
He didn't wait for her reaction. Instead, he slid an arm beneath her knees and another around her back, lifting her into a princess carry.
I'll just drop her off at the entrance to Konoha's hospital, he thought.If he happened to run into someone from the Hyūga clan on the way, even better—he could hand her over directly.
But the entire walk back, he didn't see a single Hyūga or any search party from the village.
Either they haven't realized she's missing yet… or we just took different routes, he mused.
Forget it. I'll make a bit of noise and head back.
Boom!
Gathering his immense chakra into his fist, Haruto slammed it into the ground. The impact cracked through the earth like a thunderclap.
He was about to turn and leave when Hinata, mustering the last bit of strength in her voice, spoke up.
"…Name…"
The word was barely a whisper—no louder than a mosquito's buzz. If Haruto didn't have sharp hearing, and if the night hadn't been so still, he might not have even noticed.
Then again, given Hinata's shy nature, even at her best she tended to speak softly.
"Senju," Haruto replied, giving only his surname before vanishing into the night.
Moments later, the noise he'd made drew Konoha hospital staff outside. They spotted the small figure lying on the ground—and froze.
"Wait… isn't that the Hyūga clan's young lady?"
Startled, they quickly called for help and rushed Hinata inside.
High above, balanced on a telephone pole, Haruto quietly watched until he saw her taken in for treatment. Only then did he turn away.
Ding!New check-in mission issued.Proceed to the Ninja Academy for check-in and receive a reward!
Haruto's eyes lit up instantly.Ninja Academy?
Even though he now possessed the chakra of Senju Hashirama, all he truly had was an overwhelming reserve of it. To reach Konoha's highest ranks—or even become Hokage—he first had to officially be a ninja.
Even Naruto, as often as people mocked him, was at least a genin.
Right now, Haruto was just a member of the fallen Senju clan, living as an ordinary civilian. To rise to the top, becoming a ninja was step one—and entry into the Ninja Academy was the first gate to pass through.
"And if the reward for my first check-in was this good… maybe the next one will give me Wood Release," he murmured.
Hashirama's chakra and Hashirama's Wood Release—That would be the true definition of the God of Shinobi.
But that was tomorrow's task. Tonight, after everything he'd been through, he intended to treat himself.
Meanwhile…
Hyūga Hiashi, head of the Hyūga clan, was leading his people in pursuit. They quickly reached the border of the Land of Fire—And stopped dead at the sight before them.
An enormous swath of forest had been reduced to barren wasteland.
"Could this be the result of a Tailed Beast Bomb…?" Hiashi murmured, a chill running down his spine. He ordered the others to begin a search.
"Clan leader!"
In less than three minutes, using their Byakugan, his men found something.
"This is…"
Hiashi strode forward quickly—only to find the remains of Kumogakure ninja. Calling them "bodies" was generous; they were mangled beyond recognition. It had taken significant effort to even identify them.
"What in the world happened here…?" Hiashi muttered.
Had the jinchūriki gone berserk and killed their own comrades? That would at least explain this scene.
"Could it be… him?" one of the Hyūga suggested cautiously.
Everyone knew the Land of Lightning possessed a perfect jinchūriki, so a berserk episode was unlikely.
"Lord Jiraiya?" Hiashi frowned. If it were the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, this level of destruction was possible—But how to explain the chakra they'd felt earlier…?
"Expand the search radius," Hiashi ordered after a long pause.Whoever had done this, he needed to find his daughter.
No one knew how much time passed before Hyūga Hizashi—who should have been back at the main estate—arrived at the scene.
"Lord Hiashi."
"Hizashi? Why are you here?" Hiashi asked, clearly surprised.
"It's about Lady Hinata."
Hiashi's expression hardened instantly. "Hinata? What happened to her?"
As both his daughter and the future of the Hyūga clan, Hinata's importance was absolute.
"She was delivered to Konoha Hospital," Hizashi said after a deep breath.
"…She was sent to the hospital?" Hiashi blinked, glancing back at the devastation around them. Could it really have been Lord Jiraiya?
"Hizashi, gather the Kumogakure bodies and bring them back to the village," he ordered before rushing off.
Just as Hizashi had said, Hinata lay in a hospital bed, being treated.
Not only that—Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and village advisor Danzō Shimura had arrived as well.
"Lord Hokage," Hiashi greeted quickly, before turning back to the nurse. "How is she?"
"She's fine now," the nurse assured them. "Just shaken. She needs rest."
"Who brought her here?" Hiashi pressed.
It wasn't just Hiashi who wanted to know—the Hokage and Danzō were also listening closely.
"We're not sure," the nurse admitted after a moment. "But… while still unconscious, Lady Hinata mentioned the name Senju several times."
"What?!"
Hiashi, the Third Hokage, and Danzō all froze in shock.