Chapter 24: The Conspiracy Exposed, the Beginning of Neji's Tragedy
"Oh no! This evil Chakra!"
"This is bad! It's coming from the direction of the Forest of Death!"
"This... is it happening all over again!"
The moment Naruto underwent his Tailed Beast Transformation, the powerful Ninja within Konoha Village felt it immediately, and Hiruzen Sarutobiwas among them.
"Telescopic Technique!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly formed hand Seals. The scene within the crystal ball on his desk shifted, and before long, he found Naruto's trail. At this moment, Naruto could no longer control the Nine-Tailed and was uncontrollably attacking HiashiHyuga and that Anbu Ninja.
"Who on earth provoked Naruto, causing him to trigger a Tailed Beast Transformation at the age of three!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was beyond shocked. Without time to think, he tore off his hokage robesand used several consecutive Body Flicker Techniques to rush toward the scene.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Hiashi Hyuga and the Anbu Ninja attacked Narutosimultaneously, which nearly brought HinataHyuga to tears on the side. Why did her father and that Ninja suddenly start attacking Naruto-kun?
Naruto wasn't having an easy time either. While fighting the Nine-Tailed for control over his body, he questioned the beast through his mind.
"Kurama, is this your idea of integrity?!"
"Is this not also a form of limited freedom?" The Nine-Tailed let out a sinister laugh. "It's your own fault for not being able to control the power I gave you. This isn't me breaking our agreement!"
"You...!"
"I remember telling you that a Tailed Beast's Chakra has its own consciousness. Although I am sealed as the primary consciousness, I cannot control the Chakra that leaks out."
"Besides, they're just two small fry; they can't really hurt you. Just don't kill them, right?!" The Nine-Tailed continued to argue. "This way, you can get some practice. Consider it early preparation for things that will happen frequently in the future!"
"Kurama, in that case, next time I must know more secrets of the Ninja World and information regarding the Sharingan!"
"As long as it keeps me entertained, that won't be a problem!"
Watching the incoming fireball and the overwhelming shadows of palms, Naruto paused his conversation with Kurama and completely relinquished control of his body, letting the Nine-Tailed do as it pleased.
Of course, Naruto only gave up control of his physical body; he still maintained strict control over the amount of Tailed Beast Chakra the Nine-Tailedreleased.
He didn't want the violent Tailed Beast Chakra to cause too much damage to his body. After all, his current body was still too small...
"Be careful!" Hiashi Hyuga roared. "Naruto has completely lost control. Don't hold back anymore!"
The Anbu member remained silent. After Narutodispersed the fireball, he didn't choose to release a more powerful Ninjutsu. Instead, he drew the short sword from his back and began to engage the Tailed Beast-transformed Naruto in close-quarters combat.
Seeing this, Hiashi Hyuga also gave up on further persuasion. After instructing Hinata Hyuga to stay put and not run around, he activated his Byakuganand joined the fray.
However, Naruto's combat power in his Semi-One-Tailed State wasn't very high. Under the pincer attack of two Elite Jonin-level Ninjas, he quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Under Naruto's intentional control, the Nine-Taileddid not continue to increase the output of Tailed Beast Chakra. Without subsequent power, it was only a matter of time before the transformed Naruto was defeated.
"Kurama, how did this outing feel?"
"So-so!" The Nine-Tailed suppressed its excitement. "The time was just a bit too short!"
"There will be more opportunities in the future!" Naruto comforted the Nine-Tailed in time. "Thank you for telling me so much; it's saved me from taking many detours!"
"This was just a transaction. Don't expect me to be grateful!" The Nine-Tailed's attitude was as foul as ever. "What a frustrating battle. I'm going back. Don't bother me in the future unless it's important!"
The semi-one-tailed Naruto was finally subdued. Just as the Tailed Beast Transformation was receding, Naruto had a brief exchange with the Nine-Tailed before his vision went dark and he fell back into unconsciousness.
By the time the two had subdued Naruto and he had passed out again, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other reinforcing Ninjas from the village finally arrived.
"Hiashi, what is this..." Hiruzen Sarutobiimmediately began to ask about the situation upon arrival. "How did Naruto undergo a Tailed Beast Transformation, and why is Hinata here?"
"It was the Leader of the Land of Lightning Delegation who kidnapped my daughter. Narutowas the first to come to her rescue. When he was heavily injured and unable to win, he fell into the Tailed Beast Transformation in order to protect her."
Hiashi Hyuga explained the beginning and end of the matter concisely, finding a perfect excuse for Naruto's recent transformation.
This was the fundamental reason Naruto had said those lines during his transformation; it was exactly what he wanted to see. After all, transforming to protect a comrade not only gave him a higher rating with Hiruzen Sarutobi but also provided a legitimate reason—truly killing two birds with one stone.
After confirming the basic condition of Naruto and Hinata, Hiruzen Sarutobi instructed the Anbumember to take Naruto back to the hospital for treatment. He then looked at the already dead Leader of the Land of Lightning Delegation lying on the ground.
"Did you kill him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
Upon being asked this by Hiruzen Sarutobi, HiashiHyuga realized the severity of the consequences in hindsight.
Hiashi Hyuga was no political novice; otherwise, he couldn't have become the Clan Chief of the Hyuga Clan and held his own against the clan Elders.
Thinking about it carefully afterward, this matter was indeed full of holes. This was clearly a trap set by the Land of Lightning (Kumogakure) targeting Konoha's armistice agreement!
Realizing things had turned serious, Hiashi Hyuga said with a dark expression, "Yes, Hokage-sama. In my haste to save my daughter, I accidentally killed him."
"You... this... you are a fool!" Hiruzen Sarutobi also understood it was a trap, but at this point, he could only try to cover up the truth as much as possible and keep the situation within an acceptable range.
But since it was a trap, how could the person who set it let Hiruzen Sarutobi find a way out so easily?
"How majestic your Konoha is!" Just after Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived, the remaining members of the Land of Lightning delegation "happened" to arrive as well, immediately protecting the body of their leader.
"Our peace negotiation representative was murdered in Konoha, and it was the Clan Chief of the Hyuga Clan who did it personally. If you don't give us a reasonable explanation for this, the armistice agreement is null and void!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim, and HiashiHyuga's eyes were similarly burning with a rage that seemed ready to consume someone.
"This matter was started by him kidnapping my daughter; the fault lies entirely with him. Konoha is not to blame!" Hiashi Hyuga intended to take the responsibility upon himself. Even if he didn't, the Hyuga Clan could not escape involvement.
"I killed the man. Regardless of the consequences, my Hyuga Clan will bear it alone. We will definitely give you all an explanation in the coming days!"
After Hiashi Hyuga finished speaking, he picked up Hinata and left with a sweep of his sleeves.
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