Capítulo 132: The smell of the sea
Kosuke thought that the return of the Hyuga heiress would be good news, but he didn't expect it to further increase the headache he was already having.
"So, did Orochimaru's subordinates who took Sasuke Uchiha also try to kidnap you?" the temporary Hokage recapitulated after hearing the story.
As if two deaths weighing on the Uchiha boy weren't enough, now it almost turned into three!
"Mmm," Hinata nodded with her usual shyness. "They said that since they came for a Sharingan user, there was no reason to leave behind the Byakugan. Ino was with me and tried to protect me, but there were more of them than us, and she..." tears began to fall, and the Hyuga clan patriarch couldn't help but embrace his daughter to try to comfort her after going through an experience so terribly similar to her fourth birthday.
(Was it her fourth birthday when she was almost kidnapped by Kumo, right?)
Everyone believed her, as she brought to light new information that made everything fit and explained why the Yamanaka heiress died when there didn't seem to be a reason for Orochimaru's subordinates to attack her at first glance.
None of them knew that it was all an act and that she was following the plan that Enel laid out to calm the waters, at Hinata's request.
Not only would it make Ino die "defending her friend" instead of exposing her as the killer she almost became out of anger, but it also resulted in a plausible explanation for her disappearance.
"It's been days since it all happened; why didn't you return to the village sooner?" Kosuke suddenly realized this matter and asked.
Even if the Hyuga heiress managed to escape from those subordinates back then, she should have been able to return to the village within a maximum of two days.
But she was out for more than a week!
"When I managed to escape, I was ambushed on the way back by some rogue ninjas who recognized my identity," Hinata explained, trembling a bit while "remembering" what happened. "They almost managed to take me down, but at the last moment, before losing consciousness, I was saved."
"Saved?" Hiashi was furious with the rogue ninjas who dared to attack his daughter, but his focus shifted to getting more details about who helped his daughter in her time of need.
"Mmm," Hinata nodded. "A kunoichi with red hair saved me and let her people take care of my wounds, as I didn't even have the strength to move when I woke up."
Hiashi and Kosuke exchanged glances.
Red hair? That kunoichi could be an Uzumaki.
And the only Uzumaki known now are...
"Hinata, do you know the name of the kunoichi who saved you?" Hiashi asked.
"I think... it was Ameyuri?" Hinata's voice sounded unsure. "I couldn't pay much attention at first since I was anesthetized for surgery."
"Surgery?" Hiashi could no longer stay calm and raised his voice.
Kosuke also didn't waste time, and they took the Hyuga heiress to have a complete check-up at Konoha Hospital, wanting to know if there was anything suspicious in her body.
"Mr. Hiashi, you don't have to worry about your daughter," the doctor said once the results of all the tests were compiled. "It's true that there is evidence that Hinata suffered a considerable amount of injuries recently, with some quite terrible, but they have been treated so perfectly that if we hadn't paid much attention and were asked to look for traces of surgery, I don't think we would have noticed."
Hiashi breathed a sigh of relief, while Kosuke asked for more details.
"And didn't you find anything strange?"
"The only strange thing was the medical level of the treatment, which, much as it pains me to say it, is far above ours," the doctor showed a small gesture of frustration when she said that. "Perhaps only Lady Tsunade could achieve something like that, and even for her, it wouldn't be easy."
Kosuke refrained from making a face at the comment.
"Hinata, you said they took care of you," he tried to change the subject subtly, and he knew exactly how to do it. "Does that mean they took you to their village?"
Hiashi also showed interest in that detail.
"I guess so?" the girl responded hesitantly.
Hinata wanted to roll her eyes; where else could they treat her injuries if not there?
In a stable?
(Remember that Hinata has been secretly in contact with Anko for years, which affected her personality and way of thinking.)
"Can you remember the way back or any feature of the area?" although Kosuke didn't want to come into contact with Seimeigakure at this moment, knowing its location was something that Sarutobi and many people from various villages had been trying to find out.
Moreover, they wanted to know how on earth they could hide so effectively.
The rumor with the highest chances so far was that Seimeigakure was an underground village with hidden entrances like those of Takigakure.
If Enel knew about the rumors, he would applaud and declare that he admired whoever started that rumor for doing him such a great favor and diverting everyone's attention in the opposite direction.
"I spent all the time recovering in my hospital room or the surgery room, but there were no windows," Hinata shook her head to the disappointment of those present. "As for the way, Ameyuri-san put me to sleep, and I woke up a few hundred meters from the village entrance."
As if she was going to tell them that she could now ride a flying cloud to go there whenever she wanted. Although she was glad that the doctors didn't notice the new seal she had, it was the only part about which, even with Enel's assurances, she still wasn't sure.
"Although... Maybe it was just my imagination," Hinata suddenly added. "But I think I smelled the sea."
"You think?" Kosuke questioned with a tone of doubt.
"Well, I haven't really seen the sea yet, but the saltiness in the air should be that, right?"
Hiashi and Kosuke thought for a moment and nodded in agreement; there were few things that could be confused with the smell of the sea, so at least they could use this information to focus their espionage on the coasts.
Neither of them realized the faint smile Hinata had when seeing them take the bait.
And of course, Hiashi didn't expect that later, so many people from the branch family of the clan would be so happy to see Hinata's return, but he wouldn't complain about it.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder