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On the fifth day of Hinata's confinement by her father, Luffy was the first to lose his patience.
At Mount Gorbo, Ace, Luffy, and Sabo, along with Infernape, Blaziken, and Typhlosion, gathered together.
Except for Infernape, who was focused on his training, the seven brothers of Mount Gorbo were all present.
It wasn't the weekend, but Sabo had taken leave from Perona, saying there was something at home that needed his attention, which allowed him to return.
"Where's Hinata?! Why haven't we seen her for so many days?" Luffy anxiously asked Sabo.
Being a first-time big brother, Luffy was very concerned about his little sister, worried that she might get hurt.
It was similar to when Ace first accepted Luffy as his brother; even when Garp gave Luffy a 'Fist of Love,' Ace would get so mad that he'd argue with Garp, calling him an 'old geezer' and telling him not to hit Luffy.
"Well..." Sabo didn't actually know why Hinata hadn't appeared in so many days, but based on her behavior and upbringing, he could guess what was happening.
"Sabo, just say what you're thinking," Ace said, twirling an iron rod he had picked up from the Gray Terminal. Recently, he had been learning staff techniques from Infernape, making him the strongest among the three brothers. He could even fight against the former king of Mount Gorbo—a tiger over seven meters tall.
However, Ace's personality had also become more like Infernape's, obsessed with training all the time.
With Sabo attending school, it was usually just Blaziken, Typhlosion, and Luffy causing mischief on Mount Gorbo. This was why Luffy missed Hinata so much—no one was there to play with him anymore.
"Do you remember what my situation was like before?" Sabo hesitated but decided to share his thoughts. From the beginning, all their decisions were made together, and this time was no different.
Although Luffy could be impulsive, Ace's opinion was crucial, especially since he had become more calm and rational after training with Infernape.
As long as his brothers and family weren't in danger, Ace could remain calm, even if it meant losing an arm.
"Of course! Sabo used to sneak into town every day to steal food!" Luffy eagerly raised his hand to speak.
Wham! Ace jumped down and knocked Luffy on the head, knowing that with Luffy's rubber abilities, it wouldn't hurt.
"Are you saying Hinata's been locked up?" Ace understood Sabo's situation well. He had known Sabo for two years before meeting Luffy, so he was aware of Sabo's past family issues.
"I think so. When Hinata first woke up from the hospital, I could tell from her manners and behavior that she was likely a noble from another world," Sabo nodded.
The Hyūga clan was indeed a prestigious family in Konoha Village, having been a major clan since the time of Senju Hashirama. Initially, the Senju clan was undoubtedly Konoha's most powerful, followed by the Uchiha clan.
However, after Hashirama disbanded the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan suffered heavy losses in the First and Second Ninja Wars, the Hyūga clan rose to prominence, rivaling the Uchiha.
But then Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan, leaving the Hyūga as the sole remaining prestigious family in Konoha.
Although the Hyūga clan had never produced someone at the pinnacle of village power, they had the most jōnin in the village. Having their support in the jōnin vote was almost a guaranteed step towards becoming Hokage.
Moreover, the Hyūga's Byakugan was a cornerstone of Konoha's strength, holding a status similar to the Uchiha's Sharingan.
If not for this, Konoha's elite clans would be the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, not the Hyūga.
"What?! My sister's been locked up! We need to rescue Hinata right now!" Luffy couldn't understand what Ace and Sabo were discussing, but he knew Hinata needed their help.
"Don't rush. We don't even know where Hinata is right now. Plus, she's probably just been confined by her parents to learn proper manners, etiquette, and other things girls should know. She's not in any danger," Sabo speculated based on his experience with noble families.
He was mostly right.
Sabo mentioned all the things Hinata would typically learn, such as becoming a good wife. While the girls of the Hyūga's main family could also learn some martial arts and ninjutsu, the branch family had much stricter limitations.
The girls were expected to learn how to become good wives, while the boys were trained to better protect the main family.
This was how the Hyūga maintained their power and status, though it was less effective than Hiruzen's 'Will of Fire' indoctrination, which aimed to control the thoughts of the branch family, preventing rebellious tendencies.
What Sabo didn't realize was how strict Hiashi, Hinata's father, was with his daughter. Forcing such a young, adorable girl to train in martial arts...
Hiashi was strict with both of his daughters. Although it seemed like Hinata had it worse, it was only because she, as the eight-year-old eldest daughter, had lost to her three-year-old sister, which made Hiashi even harsher with her out of disappointment.
But that didn't mean Hanabi had it easy either. She had been required to train in Gentle Fist since she was three, just like her sister Hinata.
In reality, Hiashi's rigid and outdated mindset made him favor his eldest daughter, Hinata.
According to tradition, if the Hyūga clan leader had two children, the stronger one would lead the main family, while the weaker one would be branded with the Caged Bird Seal.
This tradition had been followed for generations in the Hyūga clan.
However, despite Hinata intentionally losing to Hanabi multiple times, Hiashi continued to give her opportunities, rigorously training her in hopes that she would eventually surpass Hanabi and become stronger.
In the end, it was Hiashi's belief in the importance of birth order that drove his actions.
Just as his father had made him the head of the main family because he was the eldest, marking his brother Hizashi with the Caged Bird Seal, Hiashi inherited this mindset, believing it was only right for Hinata, the eldest, to lead the main family. This is why he was particularly furious with Hinata's weakness and kindness.
"So what should we do?"
Luffy clutched his head, unsure of what to do.
"Blaziken," the second brother, spoke up, suggesting they go find Grandpa.
"If we ask that old geezer, he should be able to take us to the other world to find Hinata," Ace nodded, agreeing that it was a good idea.
"Huh? With Grandpa's temper, wouldn't he just blow up the place with a bunch of bombs?" Luffy hesitated, knowing Garp's personality all too well.
With Garp's temperament, he probably would.
If Hinata had committed some terrible crime, Garp might hesitate in the name of 'justice.'
Just like during the Marineford War with Ace.
But Hinata hadn't done anything wrong; she had just been taken away. There was no way Garp would hold back.
When Shanks had merely spent some time with Luffy, Garp had chased Shanks all over the East Blue, only stopping when they reached the Grand Line.
If Luffy hadn't changed his mind about becoming the Pirate King and decided to become the League Leader instead, Garp would have chased Shanks to the New World.
Now that Hinata had been taken, would Garp remain calm? "Good point. It might turn into a world war," Sabo and Typhlosion nodded, agreeing that it was better not to involve Garp.
"So what should we do?" Luffy asked, feeling dejected.
"Luffy, do you remember that boy you argued with in the street the other day?" Sabo suddenly remembered Naruto.
"Who?" Luffy didn't remember.
"Uzumaki Naruto," Ace recalled.
"Who?" Luffy still didn't remember.
"The one who said he wanted to become the second League Leader," Sabo reminded him again.
"Who?" Luffy still didn't remember.
"Sigh." Typhlosion sighed, "The spiky-haired kid." (Remember this monkeys can undertand Pokemons)
"Oh~ him! What's up with him?" Luffy finally remembered Naruto, slamming his right fist into his left palm as he recalled the incident.
"He's a kid from another world. Maybe we could use the excuse of 'wanting to visit their school' to go to the other world and find Hinata," Sabo suggested, thinking it was a feasible plan.
"That's right! I remember that kid said Hinata was his classmate. If we follow him to school, we're sure to find Hinata," Ace agreed with Sabo.
In the past, Sabo usually came up with the ideas, and as brothers, Ace and Luffy naturally trusted him.
"Then it's decided! Let's go!" Luffy shouted, ready to go, only to have a peach fall from the sky and hit him on the head.
"Who did that?!" Luffy looked up angrily, only to see Infernape. He immediately closed his mouth and hid behind Blaziken.
In the past, he would have hidden behind Ace, but now Ace had become Infernape's biggest fan, and Sabo also listened to their eldest brother, Infernape. Luffy had no choice but to hide behind the kind-hearted Blaziken.
Blaziken was indulgent with the younger ones. Whenever Infernape tried to discipline Luffy, Blaziken would usually intervene, and Infernape would relent.
"Are you out of your minds? Aren't you afraid of dying over there?" Infernape looked at his brothers, feeling a headache coming on.
They knew nothing about the other world. Who knew what it was like over there? What if there were powerful and evil people?
Especially since Ace, Sabo, and Luffy weren't that strong. They were only considered powerful on Mount Gorbo, but in the East Blue, they were nothing.
There was no way Infernape would let them go to an unknown place.
"Then what should we do? Just leave Hinata alone?!" Luffy stubbornly stuck his head out from behind Blaziken and shouted, only to quickly retreat again.
The others shared the same determined look, refusing to give up.
"I'll go myself," Infernape decided.
(End of Chapter)