Chapter 232. Confused
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Maybe this illusion is reversed~
The Fourth Hokage, known as a devoted and loving man, has become a cheating scumbag who was caught having a one-night stand behind his wife's back. The Third Hokage, once a symbol of integrity and public service, is now embezzling public funds. Advisor Mitokado, from a rising civilian family who worked tirelessly for Konoha, is under investigation for corruption and bribery. Orochimaru, a scientist dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of the ninja world, has turned into a greedy man obsessed with money…
Therefore—
There's nothing wrong with the genius of Konoha becoming the problem child of Konoha if you think about it.
Hyuga Hanabi seemed to have figured out the pattern of this world and pieced together a bit of information. At that moment, she felt a sense of relief.
It's not scary to notice that something is off—what's scary is noticing nothing at all.
At least for now…
Her coming to Konoha seems like the right decision.
But—
Hanabi turned to look at Yuto.
[Uchiha? And the younger brother of the Uchiha Clan Leader?!]
Now that was strange.
After all, she had never heard of Clan Leader Fugaku having a younger brother. Unless… he had died at a young age, which is why no one ever mentioned him?
In any case… that's definitely a suspicious detail.
But—
Hyuga and Uchiha…
How is that even possible?!
Unless it's after the Fourth Ninja World War—
After the war, the Hyuga clan had slowly started branching out and were no longer bound by the Caged Bird Mark. So marrying into other clans wouldn't be strange anymore.
But at this point in time, that would be impossible!
Besides, Yuto's relationship with Kana from the Land of Rain also seemed unusual…
How could this be?!
Hanabi shook her head and laughed softly. She didn't think too much about it. Even though this illusion seemed… deliberately misleading, at least it appeared peaceful.
At the very least—
The tragedy of the Uchiha clan probably wouldn't happen here.
At that moment—
"Jiraiya-sama, Boss Yuto, we'll head back first." Kakashi and the others took their leave.
Soon, only Yuto, Hanabi, and Jiraiya remained.
"Me? It's getting late." Jiraiya stretched and said cheerfully, "I should head home too."
Even though he was usually away, he did have a house in Konoha.
"I'll visit Minato tomorrow~" Childbirth for a Jinchuriki wasn't easy, so Minato might need some help this time around.
After speaking, he disappeared in a few flickers of movement.
Yuto glanced at Hanabi beside him.
"I should head home too."
"Thank you for everything these past few days, Yuto-san." Hearing his voice, Hanabi snapped back to reality and bowed deeply. "I'm truly grateful!"
"No need~"
Yuto waved his hand casually and started walking toward home.
Come to think of it… I haven't even told Suzune that I'm back yet!
I wonder how things are at home.
And… how has Honoka been doing in school these days? Kana seemed pretty worried about her too.
However—
As he walked away—
Hanabi frowned at his back and muttered to herself, "Uchiha Yuto. The younger brother of Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan Leader, yet he's not a ninja, but a self-proclaimed ordinary businessman."
He had close ties with the Sixth Hokage, the Masked Man, Pain's Six Paths, and Jiraiya… and he even saved her in the Land of Wind.
No matter how you look at it—
It's suspicious.
Of course, in a strange illusion like this, it might just be normal.
After all… this world was already weird enough.
But she still needed to investigate. Maybe this person who shouldn't exist was the key to breaking the illusion?
"Sigh, my sister and the others are probably worried about me right now." Hanabi sighed softly, shook her head, and gazed at the darkening sky. "Well, I guess I should head ba—"
Before she could finish—
Suddenly—
She froze. Her head lifted stiffly as she stared in the direction Yuto had left.
She—
Right now—
It seemed like…
She didn't have a single ryo on her!
…
"I'm back."
"Sorry to disturb you!"
"…"
Hyuga Suzune had been happily leading Honoka out to greet Yuto when she heard him return. But suddenly, her expression turned cold.
She was still smiling, but the atmosphere had become… strange.
Even Honoka, after stepping inside, was so scared that she quietly sat down to the side without making a sound.
"Well… it's getting late. We should have dinner." Yuto shook his head helplessly.
Who would've thought…
He had just pressed the doorbell when someone came over to borrow money. And just as he was about to hand it over—
Suzune showed up.
Under her bright and cheerful gaze, how could he lend money to someone for a night at an inn?
If he did—
By tomorrow, rumors of "Boss Yuto, the President of Yuto Group, leading a scandalous life and keeping a mistress" would be all over the internet.
And now… he wasn't sure how to explain it.
He knew where Hyuga Hanabi came from, but how could he put it?
After all, he was just an ordinary businessman.
If he explained too much, people might think he was a psychopath!
After thinking for a moment, he said casually, "She's from your clan—Hyuga Hanabi. I saved her on the road, so she returned to the village with Jiraiya-sensei and the others."
"I know." Suzune smiled slightly as she glanced at Hanabi. "Obito already told me."
"???"
Yuto was stunned.
I haven't even told her yet—how did that kid already tell her first?!
However—
Suzune's gaze lingered on Hanabi, a bit puzzled.
Such pure eyes and a graceful presence… Why had she never seen her in the clan before? She hadn't even heard the name Hyuga Hanabi before.
But the Byakugan couldn't lie.
Eyes so naturally aligned with the Hyuga bloodline — unless someone truly had Hyuga blood, it would be impossible for them to possess the Byakugan so naturally.
And there hadn't been any reports recently of anyone from the main family losing their eyes!
So—
Who exactly was she?
Even though Suzune was confused, she didn't show it. She maintained her gentle smile and said, "I'm Hyuga Suzune."
"Hyuga Hanabi." Hanabi was equally surprised as she looked at Suzune.
She hadn't expected—
What Jiraiya said was actually true.
Uchiha and Hyuga…
How was that even possible?!
If she wasn't mistaken, Neji had only recently been born, and her father was still a rigid and conservative Clan Leader. How could he allow the blood of the Hyuga clan to flow out?
Unless, in this world… her usually stubborn father was actually an easygoing and optimistic man?
And Hyuga Suzune…
That name sounded familiar.
But she was sure she had never seen this person in the clan before.
"Please have a seat." Suzune invited Hanabi inside. For some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity with Hanabi, especially her eyes.
Of course, given the circumstances, she didn't think too much about it and didn't dwell on it. As for everything else… Well, matters of the Hyuga clan were for the Clan Leader to handle.
And soon, she would be called Uchiha Suzune.
So whatever was going on with this woman who possessed pure Byakugan, it had nothing to do with her.
Seeing Yuto already lying lazily on the couch, stretching comfortably, Suzune felt warmth in her heart. She knew that apart from checking the signals in the Land of Wind, Yuto had also gone out this time… for her sake.
But the Caged Bird Mark…
Suzune sighed softly in her heart, but on the surface, she kept smiling at Yuto.
"It's already late. Honoka and I didn't expect you to be back so soon, so we've already eaten." She paused, then said thoughtfully, "How about… you take a shower first? I'll prepare something for you."
"No need." Yuto waved his hand casually. "Let's just order takeout. I'm actually pretty hungry. A bowl of ramen sounds good."
Then he turned toward Hanabi, who seemed lost in thought. "Would you like something?"
Hanabi froze for a moment, then smiled a little awkwardly and said, "Sorry for the trouble… I will definitely repay you in the future!"
She was definitely hungry.
This was an illusion, and this wasn't the time to be overly reserved.
But still—
She hadn't expected this world to already have takeout!
The level of technology here was clearly ahead of its time!
[Based on when Boss Ichiraku first opened and factoring in his cautious personality and the current distance… Even by bicycle, the delivery should take at least twenty minutes!]
Hanabi watched as Suzune placed the order from the computer.
[Maybe I should also investigate her identity…]
Just as she was considering it—
"Okay!" Suzune smiled, closed the computer, and poured them two cups of hot tea. After about ten minutes, she stood up leisurely. "It's almost time. I'll go get the food first!"
"???"
Hanabi was confused.
Takeout in this world requires picking it up yourself?
If that's the case… why not just go out and eat directly?
However—
Ding Dong! Ding Dong!
The doorbell rang.
…
"Suzune-san! Boss Yuto! Honoka-san! Your order is here! Please give us a five-star rating~"
"Creak."
The door closed again.
"…"
Hanabi stared at the steaming bowl of ramen in front of her. It didn't even look soggy… it was as if it had just come out of the pot.
Takeout delivery in this world is too fast!
Wait—
Just now…
What did she see?
A flash of green light?!
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