Tenriki walked through Konoha with Hinata beside him, their small shadows stretching across the street beneath the afternoon sun.
The sight of the two Hyuga children drew attention wherever they went.
Tenriki rarely appeared outside the clan compound, but rumors of Hiashi Hyuga’s genius son had already spread throughout the village.
More than a few pedestrians slowed down simply to get a better look at him.
“So that’s the Hyuga prodigy…”
“What a polite little boy.”
“Lord Hiashi certainly has an impressive son.”
Tenriki had lost count of how many times he’d heard some variation of the same thing.
He ignored the attention and continued strolling with Hinata until a familiar three-story building came into view.
Tenriki stopped.
Wait.
He stared at it for a moment.
Isn’t that the Fourth Hokage’s old home?
Naruto’s place?
“Brother?”
Hinata stopped beside him and tilted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
Tenriki looked at his little sister.
And suddenly remembered her future.
In the original timeline, Hinata would spend years quietly loving Naruto while the idiot remained completely obsessed with Sakura Haruno.
Tenriki didn’t even want to imagine how many times Hinata’s feelings had been bruised while Naruto chased someone else.
He used to like Naruto quite a bit.
Naruto was the protagonist, after all.
But that had been before Hinata became his sister.
Apparently, becoming an older brother had awakened a disturbingly strong protective streak.
Tenriki narrowed his eyes at the building.
Hinata fell for you for two major reasons.
First, you helped her when she was young, and she never forgot it.
Second, neither of you was acknowledged by the people around you, so she saw something of herself in you.
A smug little smile appeared on Tenriki’s face.
But things are different now.
Hinata wasn’t growing up alone.
She had him.
Her childhood was already changing.
Let’s see if you still manage to make her fall for you this time.
Tenriki gave a satisfied little huff, turned around, and took Hinata’s hand.
“Come on. We’re leaving.”
“Okay, Brother.”
Hinata obediently followed.
She could tell that Tenriki had suddenly become strangely irritated, but after thinking about it for all of two seconds, she decided it probably wasn’t important.
Tenriki glanced over his shoulder one last time.
“You can keep chasing Sakura.”
Hinata blinked.
“Brother?”
“Nothing.”
Not long afterward, the siblings arrived at one of the most legendary establishments in all of Konoha.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Tenriki stared at the modest shop with almost ceremonial seriousness.
If the jokes from his old world were to be believed, Teuchi was one of the most terrifying hidden experts in the entire Naruto universe.
Itachi and Kisame had once infiltrated Konoha without anyone noticing them—yet somehow Teuchi always seemed to know exactly what was happening.
Pain destroyed half the village, but Ichiraku survived.
Naruto could return from brutal missions half-dead, eat a bowl of ramen, and somehow regain the will to fight an army.
And Teuchi himself had lived through multiple Shinobi World Wars and all manner of disasters without losing his enthusiasm for noodles.
There were even jokes claiming that his face vaguely resembled the Sage of Six Paths, which obviously meant he was secretly the Sage’s hidden clone overseeing Konoha from behind a ramen counter.
Naturally.
The logic was flawless.
Tenriki sighed solemnly.
“A legendary place like this deserves a visit.”
Hinata had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
Tenriki led her inside with the reverence of a tourist entering a historic shrine.
Ayame noticed them immediately.
Her eyes lit up.
“Ah! Aren’t you two Lord Hiashi’s children? You’re adorable!”
Tenriki sat down at the counter with Hinata.
Teuchi greeted them with his usual broad smile.
“What can I get for you?”
“Two bowls of whatever your signature ramen is.”
“You got it!”
Tenriki watched closely.
Teuchi turned around.
His hands moved.
And seemingly an instant later, two steaming bowls of fragrant ramen landed in front of them.
Tenriki stared.
So this is the legendary hand speed faster than Itachi’s seals?
He picked up his chopsticks.
The ramen was good.
Very good, actually.
But after several bites, Tenriki reached a disappointing conclusion.
Not bad…
but Mother’s cooking is still better.
Beside him, Hinata was eating quietly and happily.
Neither child noticed anything unusual.
At least, that was how it appeared.
Not far from the ramen stand, two shinobi from Kumogakure were watching them from the corner of their eyes.
Their voices were low enough that ordinary children would never have noticed.
“Those are the Hyuga clan head’s son and daughter?”
“The boy is supposed to be some kind of genius, isn’t he?”
One of the Cloud shinobi frowned.
“His chakra reserves are tiny. Some ordinary kids back home have more chakra than that.”
His companion gave a quiet laugh.
“The Uchiha and Hyuga have always competed with each other. The Uchiha have Itachi Uchiha, a genius who’s already graduated from the Academy. Maybe the Hyuga couldn’t stand being outdone, so they started exaggerating their own young master’s talent.”
“Hah. Sounds like them.”
The first man glanced toward Hinata.
“Anyway, our target for the Byakugan operation is the Hyuga girl, right?”
“Yeah.”
His companion’s expression turned cold.
“That’s her.”
Their gazes settled on Hinata.
Tenriki’s chopsticks stopped halfway to his mouth.
Only for an instant.
Then he calmly took another bite.
Hinata noticed.
“Brother?”
Tenriki smiled.
“It’s nothing.”
His eyes remained on his ramen.
“Just a couple of rats.”
Hinata looked around in confusion.
“Rats?”
“Eat your noodles.”
“Oh.”
She obediently returned to her meal.
Tenriki’s expression didn’t change, but his thoughts had already sharpened.
After finishing their ramen, he paid and stood.
As he turned away from the counter, his peripheral vision swept across the two men.
He caught sight of their forehead protectors.
Cloud.
Kumogakure.
Then Tenriki remembered.
Recently, a delegation from the Hidden Cloud had arrived in Konoha to renegotiate the armistice between the two villages.
And in the original timeline, that diplomatic mission had hidden another objective.
The Byakugan.
Cloud shinobi would attempt to kidnap Hinata.
Hiashi would kill the kidnapper.
Kumogakure would seize on the death as an excuse to pressure Konoha, demanding Hiashi’s body in compensation.
And Konoha, desperate to avoid another war, would ultimately allow Hizashi Hyuga to die in his brother’s place.
Tenriki’s eyes cooled.
So it’s already starting.
The timing matched.
He didn’t look back at the two Cloud shinobi.
Doing so would only tell them they’d been noticed.
Instead, he took Hinata’s hand and casually led her away.
You want the Byakugan?
A faint smile touched his lips.
Fine.
I’ll make sure you get a proper welcome.
They had barely gone a short distance when angry voices erupted behind them.
“Get away from here, you monster!”
“Why don’t you just disappear?”
“Monster!”
“Go somewhere else!”
“Don’t let me see you around here again!”
Tenriki slowed.
Ahead, villagers were scattering to either side of the street as though avoiding something filthy.
Disgust twisted their faces.
Some glared openly.
Others muttered curses as they passed.
Tenriki already knew who was coming before he saw him.
Monster?
Has to be Naruto.
A small figure eventually appeared between the dispersing crowd.
Bright blond hair.
Three whisker-like marks on each cheek.
A worn, lifeless expression that looked completely wrong on a child his age.
Naruto Uzumaki walked slowly down the street with his head lowered.
There was none of the loud confidence Tenriki remembered from later years.
No ridiculous grin.
No boasting about becoming Hokage.
Right now, he was simply a lonely child being treated as though his existence itself offended everyone around him.
Tenriki watched him for a moment.
Then he turned away.
“Come on, Hinata.”
Hinata didn’t move immediately.
She was staring at Naruto.
“Brother…”
“Hm?”
“Why are they calling him a monster?”
Tenriki fell silent.
Because the Nine-Tails had been sealed inside him.
Because the village had lost countless lives during the attack.
Because frightened and grieving adults had chosen to direct their hatred toward a child who hadn’t even been old enough to understand what had happened.
But Hinata didn’t need to hear all of that here.
“Brother doesn’t know,” Tenriki said.
Hinata continued watching Naruto with obvious confusion.
Tenriki looked at him as well.
The son of the Fourth Hokage.
Minato Namikaze had sacrificed his life protecting Konoha.
Kushina had died the same night.
Their son should have grown up surrounded by gratitude.
Instead, Naruto was isolated, cursed at, and forced to grow up without even knowing who his parents were.
Tenriki knew the official explanation.
Keeping Naruto’s parentage secret was supposed to protect him from Minato’s enemies.
Perhaps there was logic in that.
But watching a little boy walk through a street while adults openly called him a monster made the justification feel painfully hollow.
Protection?
Tenriki’s mouth tightened.
If this is what Konoha calls protecting the Fourth Hokage’s son, then it’s a pretty miserable excuse for protection.
Naruto kept walking.
Alone.
Tenriki’s eyes followed him for another moment before he finally led Hinata away.
For now, the Cloud shinobi were the more immediate problem.
And if his memory was correct, they would make their move soon.
Very soon.