Chapter 23
Hokage Office
"Lord Hokage, mission accomplished."
Hearing those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a weight lift from his chest. The dark cloud that had been pressing on him dissipated, and even the deep lines on his face seemed to soften.
Hatake Kakashi knelt on one knee, voice steady: "The Kumo delegation has safely left Fire Country territory. Root… withdrew."
"Well done, Kakashi."
Hiruzen exhaled a smoke ring. "Sending you to monitor Root's movements was the right call. As expected, they made their move."
"Danzō went too far this time. After this incident, he'll likely behave himself for a while."
This had been a bloodless contest of wills.
Hiruzen had traded "letting Kumo go" for continued peace—and used "Anbu encirclement" to deliver a sharp warning to Danzō.
"Regarding Uzumaki Naruto…" Kakashi hesitated.
He knew full well that the so-called demon fox the village feared was actually his sensei's son.
But as an Anbu operative, village missions came first. Without orders, he could not make unauthorized contact.
"You needn't worry about Naruto's daily life."
Hiruzen smiled gently. "Now even the Hyūga and Uchiha clans will permit interaction with him. Let the children build their own bonds."
"The future of Konoha belongs to your generation—and to theirs."
Root Base
The air here remained cold, damp, and oppressive.
"Failure, then…"
Danzō listened to his subordinate's report without erupting in anger.
He simply sat motionless in the darkness of his chair, the single candle flame reflected in his one eye.
The elite Root team he had dispatched had faced Hatake Kakashi and several times their number in Konoha Anbu. Retreat had been the only option.
Though he always stressed mission priority above all, he was not foolish enough to order his men into certain death.
"Hiruzen, Hiruzen… to protect your illusion of peace, you mobilized such overwhelming force just to guard against me."
Danzō closed his eye. The tip of his cane tapped lightly against the floor.
Only a direct order from Hiruzen himself could have mobilized that many Anbu under Kakashi's command.
Otherwise—even as an Anbu squad leader—Kakashi lacked the authority.
"So be it."
"Now that the Kumo matter is settled, pressing further would only give you leverage against me."
"Patience… Root lies buried beneath the earth. I will wait—until the day that child loses control… until the shinobi world is once again swept by turmoil."
In the darkness, the viper retracted its fangs, coiled tightly, and waited for its prey to expose a fatal weakness.
...
Several days later—at the Hyūga compound.
Since the Kumo incident, Hiashi Hyūga's attitude toward Naruto had undergone a complete reversal.
Though there was no grand public announcement, when Naruto arrived waving the Third Hokage's "letter of introduction" and strode confidently through the gates, no Hyūga clan member dared block him.
Inside the training hall
"Ugh, this move feels so awkward."
Naruto clumsily mimicked one of the Hyūga clan's basic Gentle Fist forms.
Standing opposite him was a boy half a head taller, forehead wrapped in bandages, white eyes sharp.
Hyūga Neji.
Though only four years old, Neji already carried the early traces of a genius's pride.
"Too slow."
Neji said helplessly: "Without the Byakugan, it's impossible to truly master Gentle Fist. Every move you make is full of openings."
"While I'm grateful you saved Lady Hinata, if your learning ability is only at this level, you're simply wasting my time training with her."
"Hey! The way you talk is exactly like that arrogant jerk Sasuke!"
Naruto flopped onto the floor in frustration. "Your Gentle Fist is so weird—I can't understand any of it!"
"Naruto-kun… Neji-niisan… please don't fight…"
Hinata knelt at the edge of the training hall, hands twisting together anxiously as she tried to mediate.
"Fox Sage, help! Let me win just once!" Naruto shouted.
"Just this once—no more after this!" Xuanming's voice drifted lazily from beside him.
Once confirmed he would receive Xuanming's guidance, Naruto sprang to his feet excitedly. "Let me show you—Fox Sage's taijutsu is way better than your Gentle Fist!"
"Hmph."
Both took their stances. Neji assumed the Gentle Fist opening posture; his gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Come."
Whoosh!
His steps were lightning-fast. A palm shot straight toward Naruto's chest tenketsu.
"Left foot empty step, turn, Cloud Hands—entangle his arm."
Naruto couldn't beat Neji on his own, but the same techniques—guided by Xuanming's instructions—allowed him to counter perfectly.
With a comical yet strangely effective posture, he evaded Neji's palm and countered with a wrapping motion.
The instant Naruto's hand touched Neji's arm, Neji's wrist flicked with practiced flexibility—shaking off the grab.
They traded blows, weaving and dodging.
Under Xuanming's guidance, Naruto always managed clever evasions or redirects.
He withstood Neji's storm-like offense without falling.
In the end, Neji's superior skill found an opening in Naruto's reaction time. A palm struck Naruto's shoulder.
Bang!
Naruto took the hit full-force, grimacing but refusing to retreat.
His right hand seized the opportunity—re-attaching to Neji's forearm.
"Borrow force! Wild Horse Splits Mane!"
This time Neji felt an unfamiliar spiraling force pull him off-balance against his will.
Then Naruto's small body surged forward, cutting inside Neji's guard. A shoulder slam connected.
Bang!
The seemingly light collision struck precisely at the moment Neji's old force had dissipated and new force had yet to rise.
Even a genius like Neji staggered backward several steps, nearly falling.
"Good chance!" Naruto's eyes lit up. He pressed forward, palm aimed at Neji's chest. "I win!"
At the very last instant.
Hyūga Neji snapped his head up. His young face was filled with unwillingness and humiliation.
As the older brother, he hadn't been able to protect Hinata that night—and now he couldn't even beat this clumsy Uzumaki Naruto?
"I absolutely… will not lose!"
The intense shame broke through his limit.
Veins bulged around Neji's temples. His calm white pupils suddenly contracted. Chakra fluctuated violently across his body.
Byakugan: Activate!
A crisp sound rang out.
Naruto's sure-win palm was caught dead in mid-air.
Neji's hand clamped Naruto's wrist with caliper-like precision—right at the joint.
In those bulging-veined white eyes burned cold, all-seeing light. Every trace of chakra flow inside Naruto's body lay exposed.
A surge of chakra poured into the wrist—sealing the tenketsu in the pathway.
"Ah…!" Hinata looked at Neji in astonishment.
The Hyūga clan's Byakugan kekkei genkai could naturally be activated once a child reached the proper age.
But doing so independently at four years old was far beyond normal.
"Wh-what's happening?" Naruto froze, wrist tingling numbly.
Xuanming's brow lifted slightly. "Oh? He opened his Byakugan at a moment like this?"
"Damn it… that's enough."
Neji released Naruto's wrist, feeling that using the Byakugan to win was somewhat unfair.
His focus relaxed; the Byakugan returned to normal.
But Naruto showed no anger—only shining eyes. "So cool! That's the real Byakugan?"
"This round goes to you." Neji turned his head.
"That was only because I had Fox Sage's help. On my own I can't beat you. Neji really is amazing—you're the real genius."
Naruto didn't care about winning or losing. He only wanted to prove himself, to be acknowledged.
"I'll get Father to release the seal." Hinata saw Naruto's limp hand and realized Neji had sealed his tenketsu.
"No need—I recover fast." Naruto waved it off.
As he spoke, Xuanming sent a small pulse of chakra—breaking the blocked pathway.
Both Neji and Hinata stared in shock.
Xuanming spoke to Naruto: "Neji has tremendous talent. You should come spar with him more often. Let him sharpen your technique mastery."
Naruto spent the rest of the afternoon training Gentle Fist at the Hyūga compound before finally leaving.
Feeling no fatigue despite the hard work, he didn't head home—instead took a familiar route straight toward the Uchiha compound.
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