"Ugh!!!"
Hyuga Hiashi crashed through the ceiling, slammed into a wooden beam, spat out a mouthful of blood, and then collapsed onto the floor with a heavy thud.
With great effort, he pushed himself up, his entire body screaming in pain. He assessed his injuries.
"Four broken ribs, a cracked leg bone, fractured arm... urgh..."
A sharp wave of pain surged through him, forcing him to suck in a deep breath.
"It hurts...!" He winced, his body trembling. "He's... unstoppable."
Just then—
Boom!
A Hyuga clan Jōnin was sent flying through the wall, landing in a heap inside the house. His arm was bent unnaturally, his leg twisted at an odd angle. Groaning, he struggled to crawl forward, but when he caught sight of Hiashi, his face filled with horror.
"Lord Hiashi... even you couldn't stop him?"
Hiashi shook his head bitterly.
"He's too strong."
"Uzumaki Naruto is far beyond anything we expected."
"It's not just the Nine Tails' power… it's him. His own power."
The Jōnin swallowed hard, glancing out the shattered window.
And there Naruto stood.
Four blood-red chakra tails flickered behind him, his entire body radiating violent energy. And yet—
His eyes were calm. Cold. Controlled.
Hiashi clenched his fists.
"By all logic, a Jinchūriki at this stage should have already lost their mind and succumbed to their tailed beast," he muttered. "But Naruto… he's still conscious. He's still himself."
The Jōnin's throat went dry.
"A body that strong… a willpower that unshakable… and the ability to suppress the Nine Tails' chakra on his own… combined with those Adamantine Sealing Chains…" He exhaled shakily. "At this point, he's already stronger than an average Jōnin, isn't he?"
Hiashi closed his eyes, regret washing over him.
Six. Maybe seven years old.
This boy has already reached this level… and I made him my enemy.
"This… This was a mistake," the Jōnin murmured.
Hiashi let out a bitter chuckle.
"Regret?" He sighed. "I feel it too."
Naruto, still cloaked in his ominous chakra, strode deeper into the Hyuga compound, his four golden chains swirling protectively around him.
Then, he heard it.
Thwack! Thwack!
The sound of something striking flesh.
His expression darkened.
With a single kick, he blasted the doors open.
Inside, Hyuga Setsuna stood over a trembling, exhausted Hinata, his wooden staff raised high.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
Naruto stepped forward, the Nine Tails' malevolent chakra churning around him, and approached the girl who was swaying on her feet.
Her hands were red and swollen. Her breath was ragged. She was barely holding herself up.
Naruto clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
Without hesitation, he pulled her into his arms.
A soft whisper escaped him.
"Hinata… I'm late."
Her small body trembled against his. She slowly looked up, her pale lavender eyes glazed with exhaustion.
"Naruto… kun?"
She blinked.
"I… Am I dreaming…?"
Naruto shook his head and gently brushed her hair aside.
"It's not a dream," he murmured. "I'm here now."
"I won't let them hurt you anymore."
Hinata smiled—soft, weak, yet full of warmth—before her body went limp in his embrace.
Naruto held her close, his mind racing with memories.
The girl who, despite the scorn of the village, always smiled at him.
The girl who, when he was hungry, brought him lunch in a box almost too big for her to carry.
The girl who, when he felt like giving up, clenched her tiny fists and told him to never back down.
He closed his eyes.
Never again.
Never again would he let anyone harm her.
Setsuna, who had been frozen in place, finally snapped out of his shock.
"You…" His voice wavered. "What do you think you're doing!?"
Naruto ignored him, gently placing Hinata onto her bed. He pulled the blankets over her, then leaned down to place a soft kiss on her forehead.
He stood up.
And then—
The entire room seemed to change.
A sudden, suffocating pressure filled the air.
Naruto turned around, his glowing red eyes now void of all warmth.
Nine Tails' chakra surged violently.
The four golden chains in the air trembled, then lashed outward, glowing like molten metal.
The sheer killing intent that radiated from him made Setsuna stumble backward.
His voice broke.
"Th-This chakra…!" His face paled. "It really is the Nine Tails…!"
--
(A/N: Advance Chapters Are Available On My Patreon... Please Think Of Joining It)