Leaning over Kairen's dragon back, Hanabi's initial curiosity gradually faded, and she began asking Kairen about his future plans.
"Brother-in-law!"
In the end, she still compromised and accepted the new form of address Kairen demanded.
"What is it?"
Hanabi asked, "What are we doing next?"
Logically speaking, they were refugees and should hide in some remote mountains or deep forests and wait for the situation to cool down.
"Hmm… let me think!"
Kairen planned to first go to the Land of Wind to retrieve his bear. As for the next step, he would find a quiet place.
But a quiet life didn't suit him—he was a man born to roam.
Since he had come to the future and had no ties to the original timeline, why not tear off the mask and live freely?
Kairen's ambition instantly swelled.
"Dominate the ninja world, sweep across the Five Great Nations, establish a foundation to last ten thousand generations, and gather three thousand beauties within."
Hanabi only understood the first part. Thinking herself invincible now, she got excited as soon as she heard about sweeping the Five Great Nations.
"Alright! Our Hanabi Party will rule the entire world!"
Kairen beat his wings and continued flying with all his might toward the great desert.
"First, take Sunagakure and control the Land of Wind."
Summed up in one sentence: take Sunagakure, steal Temari, and get lewd.
Hanabi echoed along, "Take Sunagakure and dominate the Five Great Nations!"
Suddenly, Hanabi noticed her sister beside her—her face flushed red, her body trembling slightly, murmuring softly.
"…Kairen-kun, don't!"
Kairen wiped on a wicked dragon's grin and dove downward.
Hinata had also fallen under his genjutsu, Traceless Spring Dream.
..."Mm…"
Hinata murmured in her sleep, then woke from the nightmare.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw herself cradled in Kairen's arms. Thinking of that absurd dream, her face flushed even redder, and she hurriedly jumped out of his embrace.
Hanabi pointed at Hinata innocently. "Sis, you just peed!"
Hinata's face burned with embarrassment as she covered Hanabi's mouth.
"Don't say nonsense!"
After regaining her composure, Hinata immediately asked Hanabi,
"Where is this place? And we…"
Hanabi spilled everything, saying proudly,
"Sis, we've already escaped the Hyuga clan! You have no idea how brave I was back then."
"I just glared at them and all those main-family elders passed out. Also, Brother-in-law can turn into a big lizard with wings and even carry us while flying."
Hinata noticed Hanabi's choice of words. "Brother-in-law?"
Hanabi pointed at Kairen. "Sis, someone as gentle as you—only Brother-in-law in this whole world is worthy of you."
Hanabi started playing matchmaker, making Hinata blush again and again as she kept covering Hanabi's mouth.
"Don't say it! Don't say it!"
After the sisters finished fooling around, Kairen noticed several sneaky figures. A sharp shout rang out:
"Come out!"
Immediately, five people wearing Hyuga clan attire flashed into view and knelt on one knee on the desert ground.
"Greetings, Hyuga Heavenly Nin!"
"Heavenly Nin?" Kairen asked in confusion.
One branch-family member explained respectfully, "My lord possesses the Tenseigan beyond the Byakugan. All members of the Hyuga clan obey you alone and honor you as the Hyuga Heavenly Nin."
Hyuga Heavenly Nin—within the Hyuga clan, the strongest individual was called the Hyuga Heavenly Nin. This title hadn't appeared for several hundred years.
Kairen curled his lip. "Stop flattering me. Why are you here? Speak!"
He didn't acknowledge any favor from the Hyuga clan.
What he cared about were Hanabi and Hinata—and the ones coming to pledge loyalty were all branch-family members.
Just how afraid of death were the main family?
The branch-family members looked at each other. They were merely here to convey the elders' order to submit to Kairen.
They then shook their heads, indicating there was nothing else.
"If there's nothing else, then leave! Tell Hyuga Hiashi that Hinata and I are mutually in love. I acknowledge him as my father-in-law. In the future, I'll naturally compensate the Hyuga clan."
Kairen's bold words made Hinata blush again. She softly scolded him,
"…Kairen-kun, what are you saying?"
The branch-family members nodded, then said to Hinata,
"Eldest Lady, the clan head and the elders have a message for you."
"They want you to stay by Kairen's side properly and to no longer argue about the distinction between main and branch family regarding you and Lady Hanabi."
Kairen started shooing them away. "Alright, alright, get going. We still have our honeymoon to enjoy!"
The Hyuga clan was really calculating. Seeing that he possessed the Tenseigan, they coveted his Kekkei genkai and directly handed Hinata over to him.
Though Kairen sounded disdainful, he was actually quite pleased and hoped for more of this kind of thing.
The branch-family members quickly vanished in a flash.
Kairen turned and looked at Hinata, who was holding Hanabi's shoulders. Her expression grew quiet.
Frankly speaking, the Hyuga main family's words were an attempt to give Hinata to Kairen—but her heart belonged to Naruto.
Even if she grew wet for Kairen, she still couldn't forget that boy who always believed in his ninja way.
Kairen walked over, took Hinata's hand, and passed a warmth into her palm.
"Let's go. Our journey has only just begun."
"Brother-in-law is right! Sis, let's go!"
"Mm~ "
...
Heading west, the journey began again.
Endless yellow sands—Kairen carried Hanabi and Fenchu on his back, holding Hinata's hand as they walked toward Sunagakure.
Wolon's sensed location was in Sunagakure. Since it was on the way, he might as well conquer Sunagakure too.
The desert winds of the Land of Wind were fierce, and all around was nothing but yellow, like the loneliness of the great desert.
Walking through the desert, staying silent for too long could suffocate a person.
Kairen took the chance to talk to Hinata about feelings.
"Hinata, the one you like is Naruto, right?"
Hinata didn't speak—she tacitly agreed.
"But he's never paid attention to you. The one he cares about is that pink-haired girl by his side. You won't get any result this way."
Hanabi assisted from Kairen's back. "Yeah! Sis, that yellow-haired guy is so old-fashioned. Why do you like him?"
"Brother-in-law is so handsome and so capable. When I grow up, I want to marry him too."
Kairen and his little sister-in-law joined forces to drive Naruto out of Hinata's heart.
Kairen's words grew stranger.
"That kid Naruto doesn't just like Sakura. He's also interested in Sasuke. Otherwise, why would he keep obsessing over bringing Sasuke back?"
Hinata wondered how Kairen knew so much. The past of all these people was completely familiar to him.
But when Hinata thought carefully—
Naruto-kun really was strange. His concern for Sasuke even surpassed his devotion to Sakura.
And on graduation day, the two of them even kissed!
Could it be…
No! No!
Seeing Hinata lost in thought, Kairen prepared to smear Naruto even more.
But ahead, flying sand filled the sky and blocked their vision—a sandstorm common in the Land of Wind.
"Hold tight. We're going through the sandstorm."
"Okay!"
If Kairen could fly, why walk on the ground? Wasn't it to show sincerity in danger and capture hearts?
As the yellow sands approached, a powerful pulling force nearly lifted them into the air.
Hanabi's confidence was overflowing. She kept glaring at the sandstorm, as if battling wits with the air itself.
Fenchu used its claws to cling tightly to Kairen's clothes.
The wind grew stronger, and Hinata's grip on Kairen's hand tightened.
"Whooo—"
The howling of the sandstorm drowned out everything, turning all into a blur.
Hinata felt mentally exhausted, as if she were a useless burden on society.
Because her Gentle Fist talent dragged her down, her father and the main family were disappointed in her.
Because of the main family status, her cousin Neji resented her.
And because of her own shyness, she never confessed her feelings to Naruto.
Now she had become a bad girl who ran away from home.
She suddenly felt weary of the world. Her gentleness couldn't withstand the coldness of reality.
She quietly loosened her grip on Kairen's hand—but just as she was about to be swept into the sandstorm, a large hand grasped her palm tightly.
Through the dim yellow haze, Hinata saw a pair of glowing sky-blue eyes, as brilliant as stars in the night sky.
"Silly girl, don't even think about leaving my side!"
Kairen pulled Hinata back and kissed her deeply.
At that moment, even the sandstorm yielded for them, opening a quiet space for the passionate kiss of a young man and woman.
By the faint light, Hinata saw Kairen's face clearly, their breaths mingling.
She grasped the final ray of light in her heart: Kairen-kun—is he worth entrusting herself to?
No boy had ever cared for her like this, or protected her like this.
Hinata, you should have someone to rely on.
She began responding to Kairen's kiss with passion. Though inexperienced, she quickly learned the rhythm.
And in her heart, she made a clean break with the past: Naruto-kun, I wish you happiness!
Hanabi on Kairen's back stared wide-eyed, so dry she didn't even blink.
Since when did Sis become this passionate?
After the kiss, the desert sandstorm shyly dispersed.
Hinata hurriedly pulled away from Kairen's embrace—she was still a shy girl after all.
One sentence from Hanabi shattered her defenses again.
"Sis, you were so proactive just now!"
Hinata yanked Hanabi off Kairen's back and kept kneading her cheeks.
"Don't say it! Don't say it!"
Kairen laughed heartily and swept Hinata up by the waist.
"Let's go!"
"Kairen-kun, put me down!"
"Kairen-kun, stop already!"
...
Sunagakure.
In a corner at the edge of the village, Temari had built a mud house here and was experimenting with flowers and plants around it.
The climate of the Land of Wind is harsh, and many people long for a bit of green to appear in their homes.
Temari was no exception.
She liked plants, because they were rich with vitality, symbols of life.
Temari watered her favorite flowers and quietly gazed at this trace of life amid the yellow sand.
As someone born in the great desert, Temari naturally understood the hardships of the desert.
It could be said that the only thing that could save the Land of Wind was Wood Release.
And Wood Release existed only in Konoha; as allies, they did not want to help Sunagakure too much.
"Mmm~"
A chubby black-and-white figure rolled around beside Temari, tugging at her pant leg with its paws, noisily demanding food.
Temari said helplessly, "The Land of Wind only has cacti. If you want to eat other plants, there's nothing I can do!"
This was a black-and-white bear Temari had picked up in the desert two days ago. Seeing how cute it was, she brought it back to the village.
Unexpectedly, what she brought back was an ancestor—insisting on eating green plants, but where would green plants come from in the desert?
Wolon was furious: "Mmm~ ╰_╯"
It had followed Kairen, eating well and dressing well—when had it ever suffered such grievance?
It immediately wanted to transform into Golden Mode and threaten these two-legged creatures into handing over something tasty.
Temari suddenly lifted it by the scruff of its neck, as if gripping the throat of its destiny.
"Tonight I'll just stew you. Let's see if you still dare to make noise!"
Light footsteps approached. Temari looked outside.
It was Kankurō, his face painted with a puppeteer's oil paint, looking like a ghost in broad daylight.
"What happened?"
Normally, Kankurō wouldn't come unless something important happened. Once there was trouble, he would come to notify her.
Kankurō said, "Something did happen. Gaara is looking for you!"
Temari nodded. "Alright then!"
She put Wolon down and pinched its ear as she warned it,
"Don't cause trouble at home, and especially don't eat my flowers. If you don't listen, I'll stew you tonight."
"Mmm~ (｀⌒´メ)"
...
Kazekage's Office.
Gaara's short red hair and expression looked much better than before.
The reason was that with Shukaku gone, he could finally sleep normally.
Looking at his older brother and sister, Gaara spoke the intelligence passed over from Konoha.
"Konoha was attacked. The attackers also abducted the two eldest daughters of the Hyuga clan, and they destroyed Konoha's Root."
Temari was instantly shocked when she heard this.
"Who would be so bold as to attack Konoha?"
Gaara turned to look out the window. Sunagakure truly had no scenery—only endless yellow desolation.
"The attacker claimed to be from the Hyuga clan. The Fifth Hokage warned us that this person is already heading toward the Land of Wind."
Temari clenched her fist. "What does he want? Sunagakure no longer has Shukaku!"
Gaara shook his head. "I don't know. Sunagakure doesn't have anything he needs."
"We must guard against him and reorganize the ninja forces. We can't be like when the Akatsuki attacked us—beaten without any ability to fight back."
Gaara nodded, agreeing with Temari's suggestion.
He then said somewhat pensively,
"The ninja world has been getting more and more chaotic lately. First the Akatsuki, and now this audacious attacker. I wonder if Sunagakure can make it through this storm in the ninja world."
Kankurō snorted. "We're not what we used to be anymore. This time, anyone who dares offend Sunagakure won't get away with it."
Suddenly, a massive dragon's roar resounded throughout the entire Sunagakure.
"Roar—"
A storm began to rise, and amid the calm, Sunagakure welcomed chaos.
Gaara and the others hurried outside and immediately saw a black colossal dragon in the sky, blocking the summer sunlight and bringing endless darkness.
A pair of dragon wings stretched over a hundred meters; its ferocious body and nightmare-like aura instantly sent countless villagers into panic.
Kairen circled twice in the air, then descended onto a stretch of Gobi, his cold golden dragon eyes looking down upon the village amid the yellow sand.
What he was about to do next was somewhat barbaric—he feared it might corrupt the children and also affect his image in Hinata's heart.
Therefore, he placed Hanabi and Hinata in a cave outside Sunagakure.
With the experience of the previous attack, Sunagakure reacted very quickly. The entire village moved like a war machine springing into action.
In the blink of an eye, more than a thousand ninjas gathered and surged toward Kairen's direction.
Gaara took the lead, flying atop the sand, parallel to Kairen's line of sight.
Just sensing Kairen's massive chakra made Gaara's expression grave.
The chakra on Kairen's body had already surpassed that of the tailed beasts—vast and boundless, like the sea.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Kairen spoke calmly, "Hand over my bear."
----------------
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