“Lady…
Lady Hinata.”
You really shouldn’t have laid a finger on him…
Just as they stepped out of the snow-laden pine forest, a tall figure suddenly materialized before her.
It was Tokuma Hyuga, her designated bodyguard.
As the heiress of the Hyuga Clan’s main branch, there was no way she would ever be allowed outside without security.
“That boy, he is…” Tokuma parted his lips, entirely at a loss for words.
What kind of situation was this?
The young mistress had just beaten up the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki over a tiny misunderstanding!
If this escalated, would the Hokage himself come knocking on their door to demand an explanation?
“You shouldn’t have had any contact with that child…” After a long, agonized struggle, Tokuma finally managed to squeeze the words out.
“Are you trying to boss me around?” Hinata raised an eyebrow casually, her face a mask of cool indifference.
Tokuma froze.
Everyone knew the Hyuga Clan was a traditional, highly disciplined, and rigidly set-in-its-ways clan.
But there was an exception to every rule, and the young girl standing in front of him was that very exception.
She did whatever she pleased.
To her, the clan’s rules were nothing more than scrap paper, and at six years old, she ran wild throughout the compound.
Leveraging her terrifying natural talent, every time she sparred with her cousin Neji, she beat the poor boy so thoroughly that he would end up crying for his father to save him.
Whenever that happened, her tone would grow even more arrogant: “Calling your father just to beg for mercy?
It seems I need to teach you what real backbone and integrity look like.”
Because of that, outside of mandatory sparring sessions, Neji avoided his younger cousin like the plague just to keep from crossing her.
Ignoring Tokuma completely, Hinata left him standing in the snow and walked straight toward the family estate.
So what if she beat up Naruto?
She did it.
What of it?
“He got beaten up?”
Meanwhile, the Anbu monitoring Naruto promptly reported the incident to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The old man who had ruled the Leaf Village for decades stared at the latest report concerning the Jinchuriki, feeling a massive headache coming on.
Stand up for Naruto?
Sorry, but Hiruzen had no intention of doing any such thing.
After all, the culprit who thrashed the Jinchuriki was the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan.
The Hyuga had always been law-abiding, strictly neutral, and completely obedient to the Hokage’s orders when facing external threats.
They were the absolute model clan in the Leaf, unlike the Uchiha.
So if he got beaten up, so be it.
It was no big deal, just kids playing around.
Still, the heiress of the Hyuga’s main branch possessed a strikingly sharp personality, vastly different from the traditional Hyuga clan member.
Hiruzen merely glanced at the report before setting it aside, planning to drop by Naruto’s place to comfort him after finishing his work for the day.
After all, the boy had stepped up out of the goodness of his heart, only to get thrashed by Hinata without a word of explanation.
He had to be feeling terribly wronged.
The Hyuga Estate.
“I’m back!”
Hinata pushed open the main gate.
Having vented her frustration, she was in a surprisingly good mood.
“Lady Hinata.” The guards stationed at the gate bowed slightly, their faces showing a trace of nervous tension.
“Mm, I’ll have the old man give you a raise later,” Hinata said casually, strolling into the courtyard on her short legs.
The parting words left the guards with bright eyes.
Though their young mistress had an eccentric temper, one thing was certain: she always kept her word.
If she said they were getting a raise, they were definitely getting a raise!
A similar thing had happened before.
When Clan Head Hiashi refused to approve a bonus, the young girl stubbornly paid it out of her own allowance.
That resulted in her sneaking into the kitchen for an entire month to hunt down extra food just to fill her belly.
Hearing the promise of a raise, the two guards instantly stood straight as pikes.
It was as if they were no longer just guarding the gate, but defending the very honor of the young mistress herself.
Forget about enemies, today even a mosquito wouldn’t dare dream of flying into the compound!
Loyalty!
“So you still remember the way home!”
“Tell me, did you bully Neji again today!”
The moment Hinata set her left foot inside the main hall, a stern, authoritative voice thundered out.
Hinata looked up to see a middle-aged man sitting in the head seat of the hall.
His expression was dead serious, brimming with natural authority.
Hiashi Hyuga, Hinata’s father, and the current head of the clan.
“Losing to his younger sister and then running off to complain?
How embarrassing,” Hinata dismissed with a wave of her hand.
“I’ll double his training intensity tomorrow.”
Facing her father’s interrogation, she walked over to the side hall, casually swiping a plate of snacks from the tea table right next to Hiashi as she passed by.
“I have told you many times, Neji is your older brother!
If you keep acting like this, I won’t know how to explain things to his side of the family!”
Hiashi felt entirely helpless against his daughter’s willful behavior.
Though he was thoroughly satisfied with her extraordinary talent, exactly as expected of his child, he simply had no way of dealing with her unyielding, rebellious streak.
“Uncle Hizashi won’t mind,” Hinata mumbled around a mouthful of snacks.
It was worth noting that Hizashi Hyuga, who should have willingly died when Hinata was three years old, was currently alive and well.
As long as a three-year-old Hinata didn’t fall asleep during her birthday banquet and instead clung to Hiashi’s side, refusing to leave, the so-called Kumogakure peace delegation naturally found no opportunity to kidnap her.
Without the kidnapping attempt, the subsequent tragedy never unfolded.
Hizashi never had to die in Hiashi’s place.
“…”
“Anyway, where did you go just now?” Looking at his daughter’s reckless behavior, Hiashi felt a mix of fond affection and deep exasperation.
“I…”
“Lord Hiashi…”
Just as Hinata opened her mouth to answer, Tokuma suddenly appeared at the doorway, causing her to roll her eyes.
“I’m out.
Bye.”
Taking the entire plate of snacks with her, Hinata turned and left without missing a beat.
Hiashi watched her retreating back with a slight frown, sensing that something was off.
“Speak,” Hiashi commanded, looking at Tokuma.
“Lord Hiashi, it went like this…”
Tokuma quickly recounted the events from earlier.
As the story unfolded, Hiashi’s heart slammed against his ribs.
His usually stoic face hardened completely, his grip tightening so hard that his knuckles nearly shattered the armrest of his chair.
“You’re telling me my daughter beat up the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki for no reason?!”
This was simply…
lawless!
“HINATA!!”
A roar erupted from Hiashi’s chest, the veins on his forehead bulging in fury.
The outburst startled the surrounding Hyuga clan members, who instinctively glanced toward the main hall, while even the birds perched on the roof scattered into the sky in terror.
Ah, the Clan Head got riled up by the young mistress again.
Get used to it, it happens all the time.
Hearing her father’s near-prowling roar, Hinata quickened her pace and scurried toward her room.
Not my problem.
The blonde kid’s skills just suck.
Eating is more important.
Besides, can beating up Naruto even be considered a beatdown?
That was giving him a lesson on how harsh the real world is.
He should be thanking me instead!