Naruto might have thought that the Third Hokage would recall Jiraiya and Tsunade to the village, so these past few days he had deliberately adjusted his taijutsu training route, detouring past the Leaf Village's hot spring inn every day.
Unfortunately, he never saw the lecherous white-haired old man appear.
In reality, Jiraiya had indeed returned once, appearing directly at the hospital via the Reverse Summoning Technique from Mount Myoboku.
But he merely paid a brief visit to the recuperating Third Hokage, and after a short private conversation, Jiraiya hastily left the Leaf Village.
As for Tsunade, in her current state of utter despair, she probably wouldn't return unless the Leaf Village was truly destroyed.
Naruto was not in a hurry to take Neji to the Land of Hot Springs to find Hizashi.
With the situation escalating so much, it would be safer to act after the commotion had somewhat subsided.
It's rather ironic that the initial fuse for this conflict, which was enough to shake the entire Ninja World—the Kumogakure's plot involving the Byakugan incident—had its true victim, Hyuga Hizashi, completely ignored.
In the face of a madman with destructive power and a mission to prevent war, who suddenly appeared in the Ninja World, the life and death of a mere Hyuga Branch Family member seemed so insignificant.
The gap between individual fate and the world's pattern was simply too vast.
Naruto had originally prepared for the Leaf Village to likely execute Hizashi with the Caged Bird Curse Mark to appease Kumogakure, according to the original plan.
But now, under the absolute power displayed by Menma, both Kumogakure and the Leaf Village tacitly forgot about this Hyuga clan member in a corner—no one dared to act rashly, fearing that a single misstep would incur the wrath of that terrifying existence.
This unexpected development left Naruto at a loss.
He had planned to rush there at any time using the Flying Thunder God to try and break the Caged Bird Curse Mark's death seal with his "Crazy Diamond" ability, but now he had no use for it.
Although the villagers of the Leaf Village experienced a brief panic, life had to go on.
Just like facing an irresistible natural disaster, people quickly returned to their routines.
Those who farmed continued to farm, and those who ran shops continued to run shops.
Fear certainly existed, but since they were powerless, why worry all day?
Life was already difficult, so why add more torment to themselves?
As the horrifying giant crater outside the village was nearing completion, the fear in the villagers' hearts gradually subsided.
Finally, Naruto could begin to fulfill his promise.
——————
At midnight, the Hyuga Branch Family's residence was shrouded in a deathly silence.
Four-year-old Neji curled up alone on the cold tatami mat, tears silently streaming down his cheeks, dampening the fabric by his pillow.
In the Hyuga clan, where status was determined by the Main Family and Branch Family system, blood ties had long been replaced by cold rules.
Losing his father, for this child, meant losing his only relative.
The outside world was shaking over earth-shattering events: the mysterious Menma, the anti-war madman capable of destroying a village, the emergence of the [Ash] organization, the Raikage's near-death...
But none of this held any meaning for Neji.
At this moment, his entire mind was consumed by a simple yet cruel truth: his father might never return.
Although he was just a child, in this unreasonable world, one could not survive without maturing early.
Neji had already pieced together the truth of the matter from the servants' whispers: his father had become a scapegoat for the Main Family.
Father... where are you... what... what should I do...
Hate? Resentment? Indignation? These emotions would slowly fester in the lonely days to come.
But now, what occupied this young mind was the purest and cruelest—grief.
Tears under the moonlight, like this child's shattered childhood, silently vanished into the long night.
Just in this silent deep night...
"Yo."
A sudden voice made Neji tremble.
He abruptly stood up and looked towards the source of the sound.
On the moonlit windowsill, a figure had appeared at some point, dressed in a black robe and wearing a fox mask that completely obscured his face, casually sitting on the window frame.
Of course, this was the Transformation Technique.
"You are—!"
"Shh."
The masked man raised a finger, "Don't make a sound, it won't do you any good if things get out of hand."
Before Neji could react, the figure in front of him suddenly vanished.
The next second, a pair of hands gently rested on his shoulders.
"Wh-what... when..."
Cold sweat trickled down Neji's back.
Only then did he realize that if this person wanted to take his life, it would be as easy as turning a hand.
"You... what is your purpose..." Neji's voice carried suppressed terror.
"Yare yare..." Naruto spread his hands helplessly, "Don't be so scared, I mean you no harm.
If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."
"!"
"...I... I am just a Hyuga Branch Family member..."
Neji suppressed his fear, and involuntary tears streamed down, "If you want the Byakugan... the Main Family will use the Caged Bird Curse Mark to kill me..."
His voice was filled with fear but he tried to communicate.
Naruto just wanted to tease Neji, but this made him feel a little guilty.
"How should I put it? My purpose might be even more childish than you think." Naruto said with a light chuckle, placing his hands back on his shoulders.
"Anyway, come with me first, and you'll understand later."
Come with him?
Was he being kidnapped?
Neji's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and just as he was about to say something, the scene before him suddenly distorted.
This wasn't the blur of high-speed movement, but a genuine spatial displacement.
The world spun and reassembled before his eyes, as if thrown into a Mangekyo.
What's going on?
Where am I now?
Was he really kidnapped...
It's... impossible to call for help now...
When his vision refocused, a strong sense of dizziness washed over him.
Neji suppressed his discomfort and mechanically looked around.
This seemed to be the interior of a residence, with ordinary Japanese-style corridors on both sides, and a simple sliding door in front of him.
"Alright." Naruto released his hand from Neji's shoulder, "Open the door and go in.
Cherish this opportunity, you won't have it again for a long time."
Neji fearfully looked up at the fox mask, the eyes hidden behind the mask made him unreadable.
Although he didn't understand the meaning of the words at all, he truly had no other choice now.
At least... this doesn't look like a prison...
His small hand trembled as he reached for the sliding door.
Neji took a deep breath and slowly pulled the door open—
"Father...? !"
His childish voice trembled with disbelief.
What appeared before him was the face he thought he had lost forever, and would never see again.
Hyuga Hizashi was kneeling in the center of the room, and the moment he saw his son, a gentle ripple appeared in his usually stern eyes.
This man, who had walked through the gates of hell, had now finally achieved his greatest wish after rebirth.
"Neji."
The simple call contained too many unspoken emotions.
The usually strict father now showed a tenderness he had never displayed before.