Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 22 Mysterious Masked Man

Time flowed quietly by like water, and soon after, Konoha Village witnessed two very different major events.

The first piece of news swept through the entire village—an envoy from the Hidden Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning had officially arrived, and the two countries had begun alliance negotiations.

The villagers in the streets and alleys all had joyful smiles on their faces. They may not understand the power struggles in diplomatic negotiations, but to them, the word "alliance" meant peace and stability. Shops hung colorful flags, and izakayas were doing better than usual. The whole of Konoha was immersed in a celebratory atmosphere.

Another event seemed insignificant in comparison—Hinata, the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, celebrated her third birthday. This should have been a joyous occasion, but it was accompanied by a cruel tradition: Neji Hyuga of the branch family would be branded with the "Caged Bird Seal" on this day. From that day forward, the child's life would no longer belong to him; his sole purpose in living would be to protect the eldest daughter of the main family.

When Naruto heard these two pieces of news, he realized that things were about to begin. The conspiracy of Kumogakure and the sacrifice of Hizashi were all developing according to the original story.

Is it finally coming...?

But then, a serious problem arose in Naruto's mind. Even if he hijacked the Cloud Village's convoy and saved Hizashi, what if the Hyuga main family insisted on sacrificing Hizashi to quell the incident? With the domineering power of the Caged Bird Seal, Hizashi would die on the spot with just a thought from the main family.

Should they infiltrate the Hyuga clan and knock out or kill the envoy from Kumogakure? But would Kumogakure let this go so easily?

Naruto scratched his head in frustration. If he could temporarily suppress the caged bird's activity with the Adamantine Sealing Technique, it might buy some time for Hizashi...

Just as he was racking his brains, a system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

【Ding! 】

[Discovering a major event from the original work: Triggering the main quest "The Death of Hizashi"]

[Mission Objective: Seize the Cloud Village convoy and change Hyuga Hizashi's fate]

[Mission Reward: Unlock the Multiverse Lottery Channel and obtain the Stand ability "Crazy Diamond"]

------

A day later, news broke in Konoha. The entire village was engulfed in shock: the Kumogakure delegation's failed attempt to kidnap the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, and their subsequent killing by Hyuga Hiashi, quickly escalated into a diplomatic crisis that could trigger a war.

"Have you heard? Those bastards from Cloud Village actually turned around and bit us!"

"They say that our Konoha killed their messenger without cause..."

"This is absolutely shameless!"

In the streets and alleys, villagers discussed the matter with righteous indignation. In the taverns, ninjas slammed their fists on the table, and merchants grumbled indignantly. But beneath this wave of anger, an uneasy feeling was also surging—people were afraid of war, afraid of the harsh words left behind by the Cloud Village envoy before his departure.

After that, there was a meeting between the old guard of Konoha and the Hyuga clan. The result was exactly the same as in the original work. Under pressure from the two old men, Homura and Koharu, the Hyuga clan was forced to make a sacrifice. Then the main family suggested that Hizashi be the scapegoat.

The Hidden Cloud Village's conditions were clear—the murderer must be handed over alive to the Raikage for "trial." Behind this high-sounding rhetoric, everyone knew their true purpose: a complete Byakugan user.

As the blindfolded Hizashi was escorted out of Konoha's gates by Cloud Village ninjas, some villagers wept, some cursed, and most simply watched in silence. The procession gradually moved further and further away, eventually disappearing from sight on the road.

------

Konoha Village, inside a public restroom

Naruto stood in the cubicle, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

With a soft "bang," another identical blond boy appeared beside him. The shadow clone winked at him, gave him an "OK" sign, and then swaggered out the door.

Alright... now it's your turn.

Naruto pricked up his ears and could vaguely hear the light footsteps of the Anbu ninjas outside—sure enough, those guys who were responsible for monitoring the Jinchuriki immediately followed the shadow clone.

Now's the time!

He quickly formed the hand seals for the Transformation Jutsu, his figure blurred for a moment, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into an inconspicuous villager—short black hair, slightly tired eyes, and dressed in ordinary coarse cloth clothes. Such people were commonplace in Konoha and would not attract any attention at all.

The outer edge of the Leaf Village, the edge of the forest

After confirming that no one was around, Naruto deactivated his transformation jutsu and returned to his original form. He took a deep breath and retrieved the card radiating purple light from his system space—[Vortex Menma Template Trial Card].

The card felt slightly warm in his palm, then melted and seeped into his skin. In an instant, a strange torrent of chakra swept through his body, and Naruto felt his bones and muscles being reshaped, his body rapidly growing taller, and his clothes being replaced with his signature robe.

This feeling... is truly wonderful.

He looked down at his hands—long, strong, and the physique of a grown man. He raised his hand to touch his face, his fingertips brushing against the cold mask.

Even my hair has turned black...

What surprised him even more was that the clear Nine-Tails chakra sensation within his body had completely disappeared. It wasn't that it was suppressed, but rather that it seemed to have never existed at all.

Is this the power of freckles...?

Beneath the mask, Naruto's lips curled into a slight smile. Well then... it's time to teach those Cloud Village bastards a lesson.

"Whoosh—"

As a gust of wind swept up, the black figure vanished instantly, leaving only a few fallen leaves drifting slowly down from the sky.