Chapter 38

In the courtyard of the Hyuga branch family head's residence.

"About the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki giving birth?"

"Yes, the Fourth Hokage has already spoken with the Hyuga main family."

"They will probably send Tokuma and a few other clansmen to help."

Neji Hyuga rarely saw women other than his father and mother chatting casually, and he would only show a gentle and kind smile to those other than his mother. Yet, he felt no sense of crisis that his father was about to be taken away, simply because that older sister looked...seemingly very sad. An inexplicable, oppressive chakra permeated her surroundings, and through his Byakugan, he could sense that indifferent chakra quietly residing within her.

"Is that Xiaoxue?" The mother, supporting her frail body, opened the paper sliding door.

Hyuga Neji was a little nervous, hiding behind his mother and clutching the hem of her skirt tightly.

She peeked out, revealing half of her small face and her bright white eyes.

The older sister, who had been chatting with her father, looked in their direction.

Yuki's gaze first fell on Hyuga Hana, whose face was growing increasingly pale and whose body was as thin as paper, and she frowned slightly. Then her gaze slid down to the boy with long black hair, whose Byakugan was identical to those of the Hyuga clan. He did resemble Hyuga Hana in appearance, very pretty and upright, but because he was still young and had long hair, it was difficult to tell whether he was male or female at first glance.

Yuki nodded to Hinata Hana and said, "Are you feeling alright, Hana-nee?"

"Okay, okay, everything's fine." Hyuga Hana's wide kimono sleeves slightly covered her mouth, and a few blushes appeared on her face. She reached out and placed her hand on Neji's hair, pushing it forward. Neji subconsciously took a step forward. Standing in front of his mother, his soft, chubby face and fine eyebrows furrowed. Urged by his mother, he reluctantly greeted her.

Good afternoon, Sister Xue.

Xue smiled and squatted down, looking directly at Neji. Her eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Neji, good afternoon."

Xue opened her clenched fist, revealing a candied fruit, the most popular treat in the candy store, in her palm.

Neji's eyes widened involuntarily as he looked up at his mother.

His mother, who usually disliked giving him candy, nodded, and he looked at his father standing in the courtyard.

Even his usually stern father nodded. Neji reached out, unwrapped the candy, and put it in his mouth.

"So sweet."

Neji felt somewhat pleased that the candied fruit tasted sweeter than any candy.

He couldn't help but think that it would be great if Sister Xue could come to his house more often.

Yuki and Hyuga Hizashi entered the Japanese-style room, and Hyuga Hana made tea for them.

"Hana, what about your health?" Yuki looked at Hyuga Hana, who was coughing from time to time. No matter what, as the wife of the branch family head, the captain should take good care of her.

Hyuga Hana smiled and explained to Hyuga Hizashi, "It's a bloodline disorder. After giving birth to Neji, he's become increasingly weak."

"Is there no cure?" Xue asked.

Hyuga Hizashi lowered his head and remained silent, while Hyuga Hana sat beside him and gently patted his back.

"It's difficult, almost impossible." Hinata Hana gave a helpless smile.

Xue's gaze fell on Hyuga Neji's smooth forehead. Because he was still young, he was sitting on a futon and did not know that his mother was seriously ill. When he saw the stranger staring at him, he sat up straight, seemingly trying to make a good impression on her.

The black-haired girl frowned: "Neji, can't we skip the curse mark?"

"Xiaoxue, when the children of the branch family turn three years old, a curse seal is placed on them to restrain the power of the branch family. This is a measure taken by the Hyuga clan to prevent their bloodline limits from being scattered outside." Hyuga Hizashi was unusually serious when speaking to Uchiha Yuki, while Hyuga Hana stood awkwardly between the two.

"I don't understand... Captain, you must also be dissatisfied with the Hyuga clan's system, right?" Yuki asked.

Hyuga Hizashi truly loathed the cursed seal of the Caged Bird Seal; for a moment, he did.

I wish he were the head of the main family, so that his children wouldn't be branded with the so-called "caged bird".

Not only can one cultivate the physical techniques that only the main family can do, but one will also not have the blind spot of the Byakugan.

But even though he thought this way, he absolutely couldn't say it aloud. He frowned, and even his voice turned cold.

"Uchiha Yuki, I hope this topic ends here."

Xue paused for a moment, realizing that she might be too concerned about the internal affairs of his tribe.

She looked at Hinata Hana, who also looked disapproving.

Finally, she lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, Captain."

When they parted, Hizashi Hyuga grabbed Yuki's wrist at the entrance.

He said in a low voice, "Xiaoxue, there's something I need your help with."

-

The birth of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a significant event for the village, and the village's guards are part of the Fourth Hokage's protection force.

Their mission was to strengthen the barrier surrounding the village, specifically the area where Kushina gave birth.

Xue crouched down to examine the seal's runes, but a sense of unease lingered in her heart.

She looked up; it was the setting sun. In the golden afterglow, patches of red, fiery clouds spread out like a gentle ripple.

"Is it just my imagination...?"

“There is a familiar chakra fluctuation.”

When Xue stood up, Shiranui Genma, who had been traveling in pairs, had disappeared.

There was no one in sight in the dim forest, and Xue's heart was pounding wildly for some reason.

"He's all alone now."

A hoarse, deep male voice came from behind. Yuki pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch and stabbed it at the source of the voice; the whole process took less than three seconds. Yuki stared wide-eyed in disbelief as the kunai pierced the black-robed man's ethereal body. Her wrist was then seized by him, and Yuki used the momentum to kick him hard in the chin.

The black-haired boy under the mask clicked his tongue and had no choice but to release his grip and blur his body to dodge the attack.

The moment the other person let go, Xue pulled back to create some distance. After getting a clear look at the boy's clothes and overall appearance, she frowned, puzzled.

It was the strange masked man who helped Kakashi kill the Hidden Mist Village ninja that day. The boy had changed his face to a tiger-striped mask, but he was still dressed in a black robe. However... when he took off his hood, his hairstyle had a very strong sense of déjà vu.

He can use the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, and can also use ninjutsu that allows him to intangibly transform his body and the Wood Release of the Senju clan.

Xue's mind raced, trying to narrow it down to people she knew.

But no one fits the bill. The only one who could be ranked is the one that Fugaku mentioned.

There is only one Uchiha clan member who left Konoha and possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan.

That is, Uchiha Madara, who co-founded Konoha Village with the First Hokage.

Xue drew the Ice Feather sword from behind her back, its tip aimed at the enemy.

"Who are you? Why are you wearing a mask?"

Xue could clearly sense that as soon as she finished speaking...

The other party, who was already hostile, exuded a sense of oppression, with a naked and overflowing malice.

Being surrounded by that sticky, cold gaze made Xue feel physically uncomfortable.

She frowned, glancing around out of the corner of her eye as she analyzed her chances of success in the battle against the enemy.

The answer is that the enemy is more likely to kill her than she is to kill the enemy, allowing her to infiltrate Konoha undetected.

This strange guy... is definitely not ordinary.

She might even possess strength comparable to the Fourth Hokage; she... must hold him off.

"At a time like this, are you still getting distracted?"

"Uchiha... Yuki."

With a deep voice, the masked man reached out, and black chains dangled from his sleeves.

Yuki's expression was focused. Ever since Obito's sacrifice, she had rarely taken up her sword and had gone on missions far too infrequently.

Not entirely confident she could hold him off, Xue tried to remove his mask as their weapons clashed.

The chains bound her hands tightly, and the ice feathers in her hands fell away.

On the lawn in the woods, a black-haired girl was bound by black chains, and a masked man stood on top of her with his legs spread apart.

He looked down at her condescendingly, first letting out a cold laugh, his tone mocking.

He said, "Konoha Village is truly doomed. 'Konoha Snow Princess' is just this much? It's seriously diluted."

He put his hands in his pockets and leaned slightly forward.

"I heard that the famous Copy Ninja, Kakashi with the Sharingan, is your lover?"

Xue didn't say a word; it was because she was less skilled.

"However, back in Sunagakure, there was a rumor that the Fourth Hokage was seen hugging and embracing a black-haired girl in the street, behaving in an extremely ambiguous manner. I'm so curious about who that girl is."

Xue's lips were a little pale; where did this guy get this information from?

The sun slowly sets in the dark forest.

The other person reached out and pushed their rough thumb into her mouth.

Before Xue could bite down hard, the masked man swiftly took off his glove and stuffed it into Xue's mouth.

Are you a dog?

Snow touched the tip of her tongue, then she turned her head away.

Spitting out the rag from her mouth, she said, "Kill me."

The masked man seemed stunned for a moment, then he let out a cold laugh.

"Kill you? That's not enough."

"I want you to look at this false world and live in pain for the rest of your life, every moment."

"I can never forget the departure of someone important."

Then, Xue felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

When Xue awoke again, a tremendous roar came from afar, and as far as the eye could see, flames soared into the sky.

Xue frowned and clenched her fist. Through her Sharingan, she could sense a massive amount of Nine-Tails chakra emanating from the center of the village.

A roar that was not human came into view, and what came into view was a huge, orange-red creature—a nine-tailed fox.

"Nine-Tails?"

The orange-red figure wreaked havoc throughout the village. Yuki, the Fourth Hokage's bodyguard, was first and foremost concerned for Kushina's safety. Extracting the Nine-Tails from the Jinchuriki's body would severely limit his chances of survival. When she arrived at the cave where the birth had taken place, she thought it was too late; the surrounding area was filled with lifeless ninjas.

The messy altar and the lingering smell of gunpowder from the remaining explosive tokens indicated that a battle had just taken place here.

Yuki saw Sarutobi Biwako's body among them, and she froze.

But she wasn't allowed to think right now; she rushed back to the center of Konoha Village.

Amidst the ruins of the Uchiha clan's territory, they searched everywhere for Mikoto's two children.

Amidst the chaotic crowd, she was somewhat flustered, looking around and calling out.

When he saw a child running towards him, he instinctively scooped the child up in his arms, dodging the falling boulder.

The child in her arms looked up with tears in his eyes; it was Uchiha Izumi.

"Auntie, we're here."

Itachi, carrying Sasuke, appeared in a safe area nestled among the mansions.

Yuki, holding Itachi who was carrying Sasuke in one hand and Izumi in the other, led the three to an emergency shelter in Konoha Village, where they joined up with the guard force led by Fugaku Uchiha. However, they learned of the village leadership's order to the Uchiha police force: the Uchiha clan was forbidden from participating in the war and were instead tasked with the emergency evacuation of villagers.

Fugaku's expression darkened. He said, "The cause of today's Nine-Tails attack is very likely Madara Uchiha."

Xue was startled; it was that man.

She gripped the Ice Feather Sword tightly, somewhat bewildered.

Looking up at the blood moon on the horizon, so red it seemed to drip blood, and the Third Hokage battling the fox spirit, who had driven it out of the village after summoning the Enma. Yuki looked down; at her feet lay Kakashi's summoning beast, Pakkun. She crouched down and picked Pakkun up; most summoning beasts could speak human language.

"The village leadership has instructed the new generation of ninjas in the village not to approach the Nine-Tails. Kakashi specifically asked me to come and tell you."

Xue was silent for a moment, then leaped onto the tallest building in the village and looked down.

The village center was a scene of utter devastation, and she frowned, feeling deeply uneasy.

When Minato appeared and summoned Bunta to suppress Kurama.

Xue patted Puck's head and said, "Sorry, please tell Kakashi."

"This is my duty as a member of the guard unit."

After putting Puck down, Yuki formed hand seals and instantly appeared beside the Third Hokage.

"Xiaoxue, I didn't issue a notice... cough... cough!" The Third Hokage, who had exhausted his chakra, was supported by others.

The Tailed Beast Ball that slowly condensed in Kurama's mouth was transferred to a more remote suburb along with Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique.

In the sweltering heat of the explosion, the black-haired girl's tied-up hair was slightly lifted by the heat.

She turned around and said earnestly, "I'm sorry, Third Generation, but I must stay by the Fourth Generation's side."