Chapter 14: Whispers of War
The first hint that something was off came during dinner. Tsume and Hana were talking in low voices, words like "Kumo" and "treaty" floating across the table. My chopsticks froze halfway to my mouth. Kumo. The Hyūga affair. Oh, shit.
"What's Kumo?" I asked, trying to sound innocently curious. Inside, my mind was racing. The kidnapping attempt on Hinata, Neji's father sacrificing himself... was it happening now?
Tsume and Hana exchanged a look. "Nothing for you to worry about, pup," Tsume said, ruffling my hair. "Just grown-up stuff."
Right. Because that's not suspicious at all.
Over the next few days, I kept my ears open and my nose twitching. Snippets of conversation, worried looks exchanged between adults, an undercurrent of tension in the air. Something big was coming, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was.
The question was: what the hell was I supposed to do about it?
I mean, I was three years old (okay, three and a third, but who's counting?). It's not like I could march up to the Hokage and say, "Hey, by the way, Kumo's gonna try to kidnap the Hyūga heiress. Might want to keep an eye on that."
But I couldn't just sit back and let it happen either. Not when I knew the pain and tragedy it would cause. Neji's bitterness, Hinata's guilt, the whole mess that would shape their lives for years to come.
My chance came sooner than I expected. The Inuzuka clan was hosting a gathering, and several other clans were invited. Including the Hyūga.
I spotted Hiashi Hyūga across the yard, looking as stern and imposing as ever. Hinata clung to his robes, shy and wide-eyed. And there, a few steps behind, was Neji. My heart clenched. He looked so... innocent. None of the anger and resentment that would define him in the future.
"Go on," Tsume nudged me. "Why don't you go play with the other children?"
I nodded, padding over to where Hinata stood. "Hinata," I said, smiling. "Wanna play?"
Hinata looked up at her father, who gave a slight nod. "O-okay," she mumbled, taking my outstretched hand.
We headed towards a small play area, Neji trailing behind us. As we walked, I wracked my brain for a way to warn them without seeming insane.
"Hey, Hinata," I said as casually as a three-year-old could manage, "your eyes are really pretty. Bet lots of people think they're special, huh?"
Hinata blushed, poking her fingers together. "T-thank you, Kiba-kun."
"Yeah," I pressed on, "I bet some people might even want to steal them or something. Crazy, right?"
Neji's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean, steal them?"
I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I dunno. Just thinking out loud. But it's good you guys have such a strong clan to protect you, right?"
I saw Hiashi watching us from across the yard, his Byakugan slightly activated. Good. Let him be paranoid. Better safe than sorry.
As we played, I kept an eye on Hinata and Neji's interactions. They seemed... closer than I remembered from the anime. Neji was protective, helping Hinata up when she stumbled, smiling at her softly when she managed to catch him in our game of tag.
Maybe things were already different. Maybe my presence, my subtle actions, were changing things in ways I couldn't even see.
The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.
As the party wound down, I was helping clean up (because apparently even prodigies don't get out of chores) when a new scent hit my nose. Something... off. Foreign. My hackles rose instinctively.
I followed the scent, weaving through the crowd of departing guests. There - a man I didn't recognize, talking to one of the clan elders. He smelled like lightning and metal, with an undercurrent of nervousness.
Without thinking, I ran up and tugged on the elder's sleeve. "Uncle," I said, using my best cute-kid voice, "who's your friend? He smells funny."
The man stiffened. The elder looked down at me, then back at the stranger, suspicion dawning in his eyes.
What happened next was a blur. The man – definitely a Kumo-nin in disguise – made a break for it. Shouts rang out. Ninja appeared from seemingly nowhere, giving chase.
And me? I stood there, heart pounding, as the reality of what I'd just done sank in.
I'd changed things. Massively. The Hyūga affair as I knew it... might not happen at all now.
The next few days were tense. Security in the village was heightened. Rumors flew about foiled plots and averted disasters. And through it all, I walked around in a daze, torn between relief and terror.
What else would change now? How far would the ripples of this action spread? And most importantly... had I done the right thing?
I tossed and turned that night, my mind a jumbled mess. Akamaru snored softly next to me, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I mean, how do you even begin to process this stuff?
What if I made things worse? What if saving one person doomed another? It was enough to give anyone a headache, let alone a kid who still needed help reaching the top shelf.
But as I finally started drifting off, one stubborn thought kept poking at me: I couldn't just sit on my hands. Yeah, it was scary. Yeah, I might screw up. But doing nothing? That wasn't an option.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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