The atmosphere within the Hyuga clan was extremely oppressive.
It wasn't just because of the grim news that war was approaching, but also because today was the funeral of Hyuga Hizashi.
In the courtyard, the heavy, suffocating scent of sandalwood mixed with the stale smell of tatami mats, like a thick layer of grease clinging tightly to Hizashi's own nose and throat.
"…"
Hizashi stared at the photograph surrounded by layers of white chrysanthemums, stared at the image of himself, and at the people kneeling inside the room, and felt that the world was utterly absurd.
Not long ago, three-year-old Hinata hid behind him, carefully clutching the hem of her "father's" clothes with her small hand, watching everything in front of her with innocent confusion.
At her current age, she didn't understand what death meant.
Until she saw Neji kneeling in front of the photo, stiff like a forgotten clay statue.
"Neji… my condolences…"
A member of the branch family gently patted Neji's shoulder and sighed. Neji, who had been suppressing his emotions, trembled slightly. Under Hinata's gaze, he lowered his head, and a glistening tear slid down his cheek.
That kind of pain and sorrow, welling up from the depths of his heart, made Hinata's own heart tremble faintly.
"All things are impermanent, arising and ceasing… when birth and death are extinguished, stillness is joy… may you leave suffering, find peace, and be reborn in the Pure Land…"
The monk's monotonous, drawn-out chanting struck her ears like heavy lead, like countless fine needles piercing her nerves, making her tense.
She remembered the strange looks from the branch family children yesterday and suddenly realized that Lord Hizashi's death might have something to do with her.
So Hinata gently let go of her "father's" clothes and hurried out of the mourning hall.
Meanwhile, at the front of the crowd, Arata seemed to sense something and turned to look behind him.
This was Konoha's first snowfall of the year. Goose-feather snowflakes fell silently and densely, covering the carefully trimmed pine branches, burying the stone paths, wrapping the entire world in suffocating, cold, pure white silence.
Only the lanterns under the eaves swayed helplessly in the wind and snow, casting dim, trembling light.
Before Hinata's eyes, figures dressed in black passed by like silent, ominous clouds. The strange looks they occasionally cast at her were like barbed hooks scraping against her exposed skin.
An uncontrollable sense of guilt and timidity welled up from her heart. She instinctively chose to flee, her steps turning from walking into running, desperate to escape that suffocating room.
Crunch! Crunch!
She stumbled through the snow, her thin clothes flapping in the wind, her wide sash tightly bound around her waist. Snowflakes struck her face, melting into icy water that seeped into her collar.
Until she ran out of the Hyuga compound, stumbled, and fell heavily into the thick snow. The cold engulfed her instantly.
"Waa…"
Tears finally spilled from her eyes, hot drops sliding down her frozen cheeks, melting small dark spots into the snow.
She struggled to stand and kept running, but as she turned a corner, she collided straight into someone.
"S-sorry, I'm sorry…"
Hinata wiped her tears and instinctively apologized as she looked up.
She had bumped into one of three boys. When he saw her white eyes, the words "it's okay" stuck in his throat.
"Huh?" The other two boys blurted out, "Her, her eyes…"
Everyone already knew war was coming, and as one of the causes behind it, the Hyuga clan's position in Konoha had become awkward.
Jokingly speaking, they used to look down on others with their Byakugan; now, others looked down on them.
As soon as people saw those distinctive white eyes, they would show disgust and treat them coldly.
And that attitude naturally affected their children.
A child's malice is the purest kind, untainted by interests.
"Look! Her eyes are white!"
"Yeah! A white-eyed monster!"
"Is she some kind of demon too?!"
The three boys began shouting and jeering, pushing Hinata back to the ground. One of them even reached out toward her eyes. Hinata froze in fear, her pale face blank as she watched.
"Stop-"
"Hey."
Just as he was about to touch her, two voices sounded almost at the same time.
The boy instinctively turned his head, and the next moment, a slap filled his vision.
Smack!
He spun halfway around before crashing to the ground, a bloodied tooth flying out with him.
"Ah!"
The other two troublemakers barely had time to scream before Arata slapped them as well, knocking out a tooth each in perfect symmetry.
"Miss Hinata."
Arata looked at the timid girl, opening her eyes and said calmly, pointing toward the Hyuga compound, "It's dangerous at night. If you're done playing, you should go home."
"Y-yes…"
Realizing she had caused trouble, Hinata lowered her head and responded softly.
Watching her figure fade away, Arata turned his gaze behind him.
Crunch… crunch…
A short figure bundled up like a penguin waddled out from behind a utility pole. As he passed the three unconscious boys, he casually kicked each of them.
"Big brother, you're amazing."
The "little kid" walked up to Arata, looked up, pulled down his scarf, and revealed a familiar face. In a childish voice, he asked, "Are you a ninja? A genin?"
Looking at the boy's blue eyes and the distinctive whisker-like marks on his face, Arata's gaze deepened.
Uzumaki Naruto, the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the current Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
He hadn't expected their first meeting to happen like this.
Arata narrowed his eyes. "You're not afraid of me?"
Naruto squinted as well and shook his head. "Nope. Because you don't hate me."
Arata paused, briefly thinking of Naruto's ability to sense malice.
But then he realized, Naruto didn't have that ability yet.
Which meant…
'Instinct and experience?' Arata felt a spark of interest.
This version of Naruto was far more likable than the one he would grow into later.
However, Naruto's identity was too sensitive. It was too early to get close.
Even if they met, it shouldn't be in this way.
So Arata gave him one last look and used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
Naruto stood there, eyes shining.
'That technique… so cool!'
Not long after Arata left, a figure appeared before him.
"Arata, jōnin." The man wore an ANBU mask and handed over two scrolls in a cold voice. "These are from the Third Hokage."
'A Root ninja?'
Sensing that familiar cold aura, Arata immediately understood and took the scrolls.
The first one contained access to the forbidden techniques library, clearly a reward from Hiruzen.
As for the second…
"Investigate the condition of Hanzo of the Hidden Rain Village on the way to the Land of Hot Water?" Arata's eyes flickered as he thought.
'Was this Hiruzen's order? Or Danzō's?'
'Or both?'
'Still…'
'Hanzo, huh?' Arata smiled inwardly. 'Sounds like a pretty good puppet.'