Over the next few days, Hinata became increasingly aware that there seemed to be more people hovering around her.
It wasn't her imagination; the change was real.
She knew very well that this was Hiashi's deliberate arrangement.
Danzo—that sly, treacherous man—never let any target worthy of his attention slip away.
At a time like this, with the Uchiha Clan mirror freshly shattered, the Hyuga main house suddenly producing an heiress displaying abnormal strength had set Danzo's paranoid nerves on edge.
Sensitive Danzo.
Like a viper hidden in shadow, he flicked his tongue in silence, fixing his cold gaze on every fruit that might contain power or secrets.
Yet Hinata paid no mind; she went on living as though nothing had happened.
Although in the original story the Hyuga had little screen time, that didn't mean they lacked strength.
The title of Konoha's number-one clan wasn't granted for nothing—it wasn't as if Hiashi had simply drunk the Third Hokage under the table and received the honor while the old man was tipsy.
It represented the Hyuga Clan's might and standing within Konoha Village.
Danzo understood this perfectly, so he dared not clash head-on with the Hyuga.
After all, the Hyuga possessed formidable power, wide connections, and deep foundations.
Offending them was not something most people could afford.
As for Hinata, her days were simple and regular.
By day she attended classes at the Academy, learning all manner of knowledge and skills—though she barely listened, either cultivating or lost in thought.
After school she returned to the clan compound, secluded in her own courtyard to Cultivate.
Shielded by both the Formation Plate and the Breath Concealment Technique, the true state of her practice inside her courtyard remained a secret known only to her.
Step by step she consolidated her cultivation, familiarized herself with her strength, and—thanks to resources the clan began funneling her way—obtained precious herbs and rare metals hard to find on the market, all to aid her training and to craft some delicate little gadgets.
After all, everything in the System was too expensive; she couldn't afford it…
On a night of dim moonlight, Danzo Shimura leaned on his cane, walking alone along the hidden route back to the Root base.
Silence surrounded him; only his footsteps echoed through the empty underground tunnel.
He was sorting through surveillance reports on Hyuga Hinata and Uchiha Sasuke, planning his next move.
Suddenly he halted, his single eye snapping toward the shadows ahead.
There, without warning, stood a figure.
In the dim light the man looked eerie; his calm face bore crimson eyes where three tomoe slowly spun, linked and shifted into a complex pin-wheel pattern.
Mangekyo Sharingan.
Uchiha Itachi.
He stood there quietly, one with the shadows, no Killing Intent or Chakra leakage, yet an invisible, suffocating pressure already filled the passage.
Danzo's lone eye contracted, his cane-gripping hand tightening instinctively.
He hadn't expected Itachi to be so bold—to appear in Konoha, right in front of him.
'Uchiha Itachi…'
Danzo's voice was hoarse and icy.
'You dare return to Konoha?'
Itachi's gaze stayed calm like an unfathomable abyss, fixed on Danzo.
'I warned you, Danzo.'
Itachi spoke.
'Stop plotting against Sasuke.'
Danzo's face darkened.
'A Rogue Ninja has no right to tell me what to do!'
Struggling to stay composed, Danzo quietly gathered Chakra.
Itachi stepped forward; his Mangekyo Sharingan seemed to hold endless darkness and madness.
His voice remained flat, but the Killing Intent within froze the very air.
'It seems you didn't take it to heart.'
Itachi's eyes swept over Danzo, a gaze that felt like blades scraping bone.
Like a ghost, Itachi appeared behind Danzo and, in a whisper only the two could hear, delivered his final words.
'If you ever think of touching Sasuke again, I'll leak every scrap of Konoha's intelligence to foreign lands—and I will kill you, no matter the cost.'
The instant those words fell, a colossal spiritual pressure—brimming with hatred and destruction—surged through like a tsunami.
Though it lasted but a moment, Danzo felt his very Soul freeze, terror filling his lone eye.
He didn't doubt Itachi for a second; the man who had slaughtered his entire clan for peace would tear up any agreement without hesitation to protect his only little brother.
The next instant, Itachi's body dissolved into a flock of crows that scattered behind Danzo.
'I'll be watching you, Danzo…'
The cold voice echoed as Danzo broke into a cold sweat.
He turned—nothing remained, as if it had all been an illusion.
Only the lingering chill of Killing Intent and the sweat on his back proved the man had truly been there.
Danzo stood rooted, face ashen, chest heaving.
Humiliation—an unprecedented humiliation—he, threatened by a Rogue Ninja, a junior.
Yet he knew the threat was real.
With the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi possessed the power to end his life, especially if he was willing to pay any price—and Shisui's other eye was most likely in Itachi's hands.
'Uchiha Itachi…!'
The name ground through his teeth, dripping with venomous hatred.
His lone eye blazed with fury.
Still, Danzo's reason stayed stretched tight, warning him not to act rashly.
He knew Itachi's strength, and those Mangekyo eyes filled him with dread.
Until he found an absolute counter to the Mangekyo, he could not move against Sasuke again.
Failure or exposure would plunge him into irredeemable ruin.
In the end, Danzo swallowed his hatred, gave a cold snort, and, leaning on his cane, staggered away.
His figure vanished into the depths of the tunnel, leaving only that suffocating Killing Intent lingering…
Meanwhile, far away in her room within the Hyuga compound, Hinata closed her eyes and continued guiding spiritual power through her Meridians, cultivating steadily.
The night in Konoha remained deep and still.