Next Check-in Location
Hinata slowly regained consciousness. As she opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the ground in an awkward position.
Immediately, a throbbing pain shot through her head as memories resurfaced—someone had been following her, and then she had been knocked out.
Panic surged through her. Terrified, she tried to stand up, but it was then that she realized something alarming—while her mind had awakened, her body felt weak, her limbs devoid of strength.
A shadow stretched across the ground, cast by the moonlight, catching Hinata's attention. With difficulty, she rolled her eyes upward and saw a black-haired boy standing before her.
At the same time, Xu Fan also noticed Hinata.
Their eyes met, but in Hinata's gaze, Xu Fan saw only fear. Her small frame trembled as she tried to inch away from him, tears welling up in her eyes.
His sign-in task was complete. Technically, he could just leave Hinata here.
But seeing her like this—
Weak. Helpless. Terrified.
Xu Fan sighed. He slowly crouched down, watching as Hinata instinctively recoiled from him.
"I'm here to save you."
"It's okay now."
Without waiting for her response, Xu Fan scooped her up effortlessly into his arms in a princess carry.
He had already decided—he would leave her at the entrance of Konoha Hospital.
If, on the way, he happened to encounter any Hyuga clan members, he would hand her over to them.
However, as he moved through the village, he neither encountered the Hyuga clan nor any search parties from Konoha.
Had they not realized she was missing yet? Or had he simply taken a different route than them?
No matter. I'll just make some noise and head back.
Boom!
With a surge of chakra, Xu Fan clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground, sending a powerful shockwave through the area.
Just as he was about to turn away, a faint voice reached his ears.
"...First name..."
Even though Hinata had gathered all her strength to speak, her voice was barely above a whisper—so soft it could have been mistaken for a mosquito's buzz.
If it weren't for Xu Fan's keen hearing and the quiet of the night, he might not have noticed at all.
But then again, Hinata had always spoken softly due to her shy nature.
"Senju."
Leaving only his surname behind, Xu Fan vanished into the night.
Not long after, hospital staff—alarmed by the sudden noise—rushed outside to investigate.
There, they found Hinata lying unconscious on the ground.
"This is... the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan?!"
Startled, the on-duty staff wasted no time in summoning help, quickly carrying Hinata inside for treatment.
From a distance, hidden atop a telephone pole, Xu Fan watched. Only when he saw Hinata safely taken in did he finally turn to leave.
Ding! A new sign-in task has been released!
"Sign in at the Ninja Academy to receive rewards!"
Xu Fan's eyes lit up.
The Ninja Academy?
Although he had inherited Senju Hashirama's chakra, he possessed only a vast reserve of it for now. If he truly wanted to climb Konoha's ranks—or even become Hokage—he first had to become a ninja.
Even Naruto, despite being constantly mocked, had at least graduated from the Academy.
And I... I'm nothing more than a remnant of the once-great Senju clan, living as an ordinary civilian in this village.
If I want to stand at the top of Konoha—if I want to become Hokage—I need to take the first step.
Enrolling in the Academy.
"And if my first sign-in reward was already so valuable, maybe the next one will grant me Wood Release..."
The chakra of the First Hokage, combined with the legendary Wood Release—
That would be the power of a true god among ninjas.
But that's for tomorrow.
Tonight, I've worked hard enough.
I deserve a little reward.
---
Meanwhile...
At the border of the Land of Fire, Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, led a group of his clansmen in pursuit.
When they arrived, however, the sight before them stunned them into silence.
Vast stretches of forest had been reduced to barren wasteland.
"Was this... a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Hiashi inhaled sharply before issuing orders.
"Search the area!"
Within minutes, members of the Hyuga clan, using their Byakugan, found something.
"Patriarch!"
Hiashi strode over quickly, only to find—
The corpse of a ninja from the Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Or rather, what remained of him.
Calling it a corpse was generous—it was more like a pile of mangled flesh.
It took them some time to even confirm the identity of the deceased.
"...What the hell happened here?"
Hiashi frowned, deeply perplexed.
Could the Jinchūriki of the Cloud have lost control and killed himself in the process?
That seemed unlikely.
The Hidden Cloud Village prided itself on its perfect Jinchūriki. The chances of an uncontrolled rampage were slim.
"Could it be... him?"
A Hyuga clansman cautiously voiced his suspicion.
Everyone knew that the Land of Lightning possessed well-trained Jinchūriki, making a berserk rampage an unlikely explanation.
"Lord Jiraiya?"
Hiashi narrowed his eyes. If it was the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, then such large-scale destruction was possible.
But then... how could he explain the chakra signature he had sensed earlier?
"...Expand the search area."
After a brief pause, Hiashi made his decision.
No matter who was responsible for this devastation, his top priority was finding his daughter.
Unbeknownst to him, Hyuga Hizashi—his twin brother—had already arrived back in the village.
"My lord."
"Hizashi? What are you doing here?" Hiashi was taken aback by his brother's presence.
"It's about Lady Hinata."
Hiashi's expression tensed. "What about Hinata?!"
To him, Hinata wasn't just his daughter—she was also the future of the Hyuga clan.
"She was taken to Konoha Hospital." Hizashi took a deep breath before delivering the news.
Hiashi's eyes widened. "The hospital?!"
His gaze drifted back to the devastated landscape.
Was it really Jiraiya who saved her...?
"Hizashi, retrieve the bodies of the Cloud nin. We're taking them back to the village."
Having given his orders, Hiashi wasted no time—he turned and sprinted back toward Konoha.
---
At Konoha Hospital
Hinata lay in bed, undergoing treatment.
At the same time, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Konoha's advisor, Danzo Shimura, had just arrived.
"Hokage-sama," Hiashi greeted, but his focus was entirely on Hinata. "How is she?"
"She's fine," the nurse replied. "She was just frightened and needs rest."
Hiashi exhaled in relief, then immediately followed up.
"Who brought her here?"
The room fell silent.
Not only Hiashi, but also the Third Hokage and Danzo were eager for an answer.
"We don't know," the nurse admitted after a moment's hesitation. "But... while unconscious, Lady Hinata kept muttering one word—Senju."
"WHAT?!"
Hiashi, Hiruzen, and Danzo all stiffened in shock.