Night.
The moon shone brightly against a sparse backdrop of stars, cloaking the night in a hazy mist.
Hinata leaned over her desk, rubbing her eyes before stretching lazily.
Tobirama Senju was truly a genius-level figure.
Without any prior precedent in the shinobi world, and under the premise that space-time jutsu was almost an exclusive ability of the Otsutsuki clan, he had single-handedly created the Flying Raijin Jutsu from scratch.
Hinata’s desk was piled high with research materials for training in the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
The prerequisite for mastering the Flying Raijin Jutsu was understanding the concept of space-time.
Space and time combined to form a four-dimensional space-time continuum—a dynamic entity that could be warped by matter and energy, disrupted by gravitational waves, and was capable of expanding on its own.
Long story short, that was the general gist of it.
Furthermore, Tobirama Senju noted in the Flying Raijin scroll that the technique was merely a semi-finished product.
His original goal was to directly open space-time portals, allowing for attacks that were truly impossible to defend against.
If the Flying Raijin Jutsu had achieved Tobirama’s ideal vision, then even a simple strike with a kunai into an empty, desolate field would instantly distribute the weapon’s infinite spatial nodes onto an enemy thousands of miles away, resulting in a theoretically infinite number of attacks.
Hinata massaged her temples.
As for Tobirama Senju’s ideas, she could only say that he truly deserved his reputation as a figure at the apex of the shinobi world.
In the shadow of his elder brother Hashirama Senju’s unparalleled strength, Tobirama, who should have been eclipsed, managed to radiate a brilliance uniquely his own.
Hinata possessed a strong aptitude for learning jutsu formulas; otherwise, she wouldn’t have mastered the Gentle Fist so quickly and deftly.
Yet, facing the Flying Raijin Jutsu, Hinata encountered a real obstacle for the first time.
Space.
Aside from understanding the nature of space-time, the Flying Raijin Jutsu required sensing space itself.
But that didn’t matter.
There was always a way forward when the time came; a living person wouldn’t let themselves be cornered by a minor setback.
As long as she spent enough time pondering it, she would eventually figure it out.
Hinata had always maintained an optimistic mindset; otherwise, she wouldn’t have gone out of her way to beat up Naruto, Neji, and Kiba just for the sake of it.
At that thought, Hinata carefully rolled up and put away the Flying Raijin scroll.
Pushing open her door, she stepped outside.
Her father had mentioned earlier that Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to meet with her, and Hinata could guess his intentions well enough.
After all, it was absolutely mind-boggling for a six-year-old child to ask for the Flying Raijin Jutsu and the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.
Only Hiashi Hyuga, under Hinata’s long-term “influence,” could take such a request in stride.
Stepping onto the wooden floorboards, Hinata made her way toward the kitchen.
Since she was studying so hard, she naturally needed to eat something good to replenish her energy.
One’s body was their greatest asset, after all.
The Hyuga Garden
At this moment, two unfamiliar figures—one tall, one small—both dressed in white robes, stood in the middle of the garden as if no one else were around.
Strangely, whether it was passing servants or ninja, everyone seemed completely oblivious to their presence.
“Father, she’s so cute…”
The young figure tightly gripped his father’s hand, his seemingly hollow eyes staring at the girl not far ahead.
“Do you like her, Toneri?”
“How about making her your wife in the future?”
Hearing his son’s words, a gentle, affectionate smile tugged at the corners of the tall man’s lips.
“Really?”
Hearing his father’s proposition, the boy named Toneri couldn’t help but raise his voice slightly.
He looked up at his father in delight, seeking confirmation.
However, this sudden shift caused a minor fluctuation in the concealment jutsu masking the father and son’s presence.
At that exact moment, Hinata, who was thinking about heading to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat, suddenly felt a chilling shiver run down her spine.
It felt just like a prey animal in nature sensing a predator’s gaze.
Operating almost entirely on instinct, Hinata instantly activated her Byakugan and snapped her gaze toward the seemingly empty garden.
“Who’s there?!”
“Get out here!”
Her body moved far faster than her mind.
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, Hinata had already pulled out four explosive tags folded into the shape of shuriken and hurled them forward!
As for where she got the explosive tags—don’t worry about it!
Come on, the Hyuga clan had so many storehouses filled with countless explosive tags; who was going to miss a few?
Boom!
Crimson flames, driven by a powerful shockwave, swept across the entire garden!
Trees snapped, flowerpots shattered, and fire licked at everything in sight!
Through her Byakugan, Hinata clearly saw an invisible barrier shimmering with light block the blast of the explosive tags!
At the same time, behind the barrier, two figures stood frozen in place!
As Hinata’s eyes fell upon the figure who appeared roughly her own age, her pupils contracted!
This looks like…
In an instant, the entire Hyuga compound was thrown into an uproar!
A large contingent of Hyuga shinobi rushed toward the garden!
Right at that moment, the two figures in her sight line seemed to sense the danger and vanished thin into the air!
“Hinata!”
“What happened here?!”
Looking at the devastated garden, his eyes instantly narrowed.
“Intruders broke in,” Hinata said without hesitation.
Hiashi didn’t answer right away, instead turning his attention to the spot where the explosive tags had detonated.
Amidst the ruined garden, there was still a patch of ground completely untouched.
Hiashi walked over to inspect the undamaged area.
The garden looked as if it had been neatly sliced in two; one side was a charred wasteland from the explosion, while the other side looked entirely pristine, as if it had never been touched.
Traces left by a barrier jutsu!
“A very sophisticated technique.”
Hizashi Hyuga had appeared out of nowhere, standing beside Hiashi to assess the scene.
“Hinata, what exactly just happened?”
Hiashi’s expression was grim.
For an outsider to infiltrate deep into the Hyuga compound was entirely unprecedented.
Given that nearly every Hyuga possessed the Byakugan, this was nothing short of a humiliation!
“I was on my way to the kitchen to look for food.
When I passed by here, something felt off, so I threw the explosive tags,” Hinata replied calmly, quickly organizing her thoughts.
There was no mistake.
That brief glimpse just now—the white hair, and that signature, archaic style of clothing.
It was Toneri Otsutsuki.
The other adult…
must have been his father.
Hiashi completely filtered out Hinata’s mention of the explosive tags; compared to intruders breaching the Hyuga compound, where Hinata got her tags was entirely trivial.
Besides, the physical evidence on the ground proved Hinata wasn’t lying.
“Hizashi, order a full compound lockdown immediately.
I am going to meet with the Hokage,” Hiashi commanded decisively, his voice cold.
Hinata was his daughter, the next head of the Hyuga clan, and the very future of the clan.
No matter the cost, she could not be put at risk.
Furthermore, this wasn’t just the heart of the Hyuga compound—it was the heart of Konohagakure!
“Hinata, come with me.”
Hiashi stepped in front of Hinata, his expression softening slightly.
Meanwhile, high up in the night sky, a pair of eyes quietly watched everything unfolding within the Hyuga compound below.