Chapter 23: One Night Without Return
Hyūga Clan, Main Residence.
"Young Lady, it's getting cold. Please return to your room soon." The maid bowed slightly, handing a handkerchief to Hyūga Hinata after she suddenly sneezed.
"O-Okay…"
Hinata blinked softly, accepting the cloth. She dabbed her nose lightly, though it wasn't truly necessary.
She hadn't caught a cold.
It was just a single sneeze.
Still, the gentle and somewhat naïve Hinata couldn't help but wonder—
Is someone thinking about me…?
In a sense—
She wasn't wrong.
Kumogakure had formally proposed establishing diplomatic relations with Konohagakure.
On the surface, it appeared to be a gesture of peace.
But in reality—
It was a calculated move.
In the original course of events, the Hidden Cloud Village used this opportunity to infiltrate Konoha and attempt to seize the Hyūga clan's Kekkei Genkai—
The Byakugan.
At its core, this bold move stemmed from one undeniable fact—
Konoha had weakened.
The death of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, during the Nine-Tails' attack…
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, returning to power in his old age…
The annihilation of the Uchiha clan, once one of Konoha's strongest military forces…
And the absence of the Sannin—Tsunade had left the village, Jiraiya wandered as a spy, and Orochimaru had already defected.
All of this combined had shaken Konoha's status as the strongest shinobi village.
And so—
Other villages began to test its limits.
Among them—
Kumogakure took the first step.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Chinatsu soon met up with her assigned ANBU squad.
Each of them wore animal masks, concealing their identities completely. Judging from their presence alone, they were all elite shinobi—far beyond Chūnin level.
And at the front—
One figure stood out.
Hatake Kakashi.
Wearing a mask resembling a hunting hound, Kakashi stood calmly, his posture relaxed yet alert.
Unlike the others—
He was a Jōnin-level shinobi, even among ANBU.
"This mission—you'll be operating with us."
One of the masked ANBU spoke in a low voice.
"Mm~ understood. Please take care of me~"
Chinatsu extended her hand casually.
No one responded.
The atmosphere turned briefly awkward.
After a moment, Kakashi turned his back slightly and spoke in a calm tone.
"The Kumogakure delegation will arrive tomorrow. We'll assign surveillance positions in advance."
ANBU operations were divided into multiple teams.
Some had already left the village to gather intelligence.
Others were stationed within Konoha, maintaining security and monitoring potential threats.
This time—
Their objective was clear.
Track the movements of the Cloud shinobi at all times.
The village perimeter—east, west, south, and north—would each be monitored separately.
And within the village—
Close observation.
Chinatsu listened carefully.
Although parts of the explanation were complex, she still grasped the overall structure.
Such tight surveillance…
Then how, in the original story—
Did Kumogakure still manage to infiltrate the Hyūga compound?
Chinatsu muttered softly to herself.
At that moment—
Kakashi's gaze shifted toward her.
"You'll be paired with me. I'll supervise the newcomer."
"Understood."
The other ANBU members nodded without objection.
With a simple gesture from Kakashi—
The squad dispersed instantly.
Only Chinatsu remained.
Standing still.
"…Are you listening?"
Kakashi stepped forward and lightly tapped her shoulder.
Chinatsu jolted.
"Yes! I'm listening! I heard everything!"
"…"
Kakashi fell silent.
This wasn't the Academy.
This was an ANBU mission.
After a few seconds, he simply sighed inwardly.
Troublesome.
Chinatsu watched him, the corners of her lips twitching beneath the fox mask.
Was that just silent judgment…?
That evening—
Naruto and Sasuke returned from the Ninja Academy.
Naturally, they returned to the Uchiha compound.
Naruto hadn't gone back to his own apartment in a long time.
To him—
That empty place could hardly be called a home.
"Sasuke! Let's spar today!"
"No. I'm training shurikenjutsu. I need to improve my accuracy—ten consecutive hits on the center."
"Eh? That's boring! Ninjutsu is what matters! Sister said once I finish the basics, she'll teach me something super powerful!"
The two walked side by side through Konoha's streets.
As they arrived—
Sasuke glanced around.
Then exhaled quietly.
"…She's not here."
His voice carried a trace of disappointment.
Chinatsu had already told him that morning—
She would be away for several days on a mission.
Without her—
The Uchiha compound felt… empty.
"Sasuke, I'll be gone for a few days."
"What?! What mission? You won't come back?!"
"It's a shinobi mission. Don't worry about me. Focus on training—I'll check your progress when I return."
The memory lingered in Sasuke's mind.
He took a slow breath—
Then pulled out a small packet of military ration pills.
Opening it, he popped a few into his mouth.
"Nrr… this is yours too."
He tossed another pack to Naruto.
Naruto caught it easily and tore it open without hesitation, swallowing them down.
Military ration pills—
Standard supplies for shinobi.
They could quickly replenish stamina and suppress hunger.
However—
Their taste was notoriously terrible.
Most people struggled just to swallow them.
But Naruto and Sasuke—
Had already gotten used to it.
After finishing their quick "meal," the two immediately headed toward the training ground.
Sasuke began practicing shuriken throws.
Naruto sat cross-legged, focusing on chakra control.
Their determination—
Was undeniable.
If someone like Might Guy saw this—
He would definitely give a proud thumbs-up.
But somewhere—
A certain Chinatsu watching from the shadows could only feel secondhand embarrassment.
"Don't overdo it… I'm not dragging you inside again tomorrow…"
Hidden outside the compound, Chinatsu muttered quietly.
After confirming they were fine—
She turned and vanished into the night.
Following Kakashi.
Dawn approached.
And with it—
The arrival of Kumogakure's delegation.
They entered Konohagakure with confident, almost arrogant steps—
As if they feared nothing.
—
Ahem… starting from today, two updates per day… I'll make up for the rest tonight…