Inside Hinata's room, little Hinata carefully wiped the sweat from Uchiha Izumi's face, who appeared to be in great pain. Hinata could see that Izumi seemed trapped in a nightmare.
She could even vaguely hear Izumi whispering a name, but the words were too muffled for Hinata to understand.
"She should be okay, right?" Hinata thought anxiously, glancing back at the pile of chains on the floor, which she had painstakingly unlocked. When she had touched them earlier, she felt her chakra become unstable, almost as if it was being suppressed.
It felt oppressive and uncomfortable, reminiscent of when her father had struck her chakra points during training, leaving her feeling sealed and confined.
Where could these strange chains have come from?
She also noticed that there had been quite a commotion at the door earlier, with many voices coming and going, which seemed unusual for this time.
"Naruto-kun, what kind of trouble have you gotten into? I hope everyone else is okay..."
Hinata murmured.
It was only now that she had a moment to think that she realized something was off.
[Did Naruto-kun just call me "little Hinata"? He's never called me that before. It felt strange yet familiar, like being close to my father.]
"Hmm… what am I thinking? Naruto-kun is definitely not the same as Father."
Just as Hinata pondered, shaking her little head, Uchiha Izumi on the bed let out a low moan and slowly opened her eyes.
A strange ceiling.
[Where is this?]
"Ah, you're awake?"
Hinata quickly stood and moved closer.
"You're... no, it's bad! Quickly, notify the village! The guard team is under attack!"
Izumi felt a deep ache throughout her body, but soon recalled what had happened, grabbing onto little Hinata's shoulders and shouting.
Her delicate face was filled with fear, and in her panic, her Sharingan activated without her realizing it.
"The... the guard team is under attack?" Hinata was startled by the news. Though she was shy by nature, she was not one to shy away from danger. As the daughter of the Hyuga clan, she understood the gravity of the situation. She quickly stood up, saying, "I understand! You rest here; I'll go find someone to notify…"
However, just as the anxious Hinata stepped out the door, two figures suddenly appeared silently in her room.
"...Little Hinata, no need."
Before she could even exit, a familiar yet weak voice came from behind her again.
The voice was soft, but it still startled Hinata.
"Who is it... Naruto-kun, what's wrong with you?!"
In an instant, Hinata turned her head with her Byakugan activated, her hands ready in a gentle fist stance. But the moment she saw the blond boy sitting on the floor, looking weak, her heart sank. She rushed over to help him up.
As she supported him, she noticed how weak he really was, his face pale. Most alarming were his once vibrant blue eyes, now dull and lifeless.
"What happened? Naruto-kun, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Seeing Naruto like this pained Hinata's heart. She crouched down, letting Naruto lean against her shoulder to support himself.
Under normal circumstances, Hinata would never do something so embarrassing, but in this moment, she was solely focused on making Naruto comfortable.
She didn't even consider how Naruto had appeared in her room twice now; her mind was filled with concern for him. Could it be related to what that older sister said about the guard team being attacked? Did Naruto encounter bad people too?
"...A-are? Hinata?"
However, the next second, that familiar voice suddenly came back, clear and strong, right by her ear. Hinata looked up to see Naruto's bright blue eyes sparkling with life, completely different from before.
"Where is this? How did I end up here?"
"Eh?" Hinata blinked in surprise as Naruto stood up, pulling his head away from her shoulder, showing no trace of his previous weakness.
With her Byakugan still active, she could clearly see that Naruto's chakra was now flowing powerfully and steadily within him—he seemed completely healthy.
More importantly, his tone had returned to that familiar, lively way she knew.
"What a big room! I just came from that other place... No, wait! This is bad! Hinata, hurry and tell everyone! Izumi-nee is in danger!" Realizing where he was, Naruto suddenly charged forward, grabbing Hinata's hand and calling out loudly.
[Hmm? This scene feels oddly familiar. It seems like it just happened.]
Hinata was momentarily stunned, watching as Naruto energetically prepared to dash out. She finally snapped back to reality, shouting, "Naruto-kun, wait! What about... eh?"
Hinata stared at the empty bed, her mind momentarily overloaded.
What on earth was happening?
Where did that big sister go?
**********
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 120+ at patreon.com/Esei01.