Tenten swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly. "Neji, so many people from the Hyuga clan just died. Do you know who that woman actually is?"
"I don't know them."
Neji's voice was hoarse, and his body trembled slightly as a bitter sense of satisfaction welled up inside him.
The Main House members, who used to be so arrogant and high and mighty, could now only glare helplessly, not even daring to utter a single harsh word.
So this was how it was. As long as you had overwhelming strength, the so-called Main House was nothing special after all.
At that moment, a powerful desire for strength took root in Neji's heart.
Haguxi looked at Hyuga Hiashi and the others with an amused expression, her lips parting in a mocking smile.
"My, my, are you scared already? You can run away, you know."
"Don't worry, I have no interest in people who have lost their fighting spirit."
The Hyuga clansmen felt a mix of shame and fury, but they didn't dare show the slightest bit of murderous intent, only managing to put on a brave front and shout back.
"Don't be arrogant. The Hokage-sama won't let you get away with this."
The surrounding onlookers nodded in agreement. After pulling off something like this, the matter was no longer just an internal affair of the Hyuga clan—this woman was finished.
Hearing this, the corners of Haguxi's mouth curved upward into an even more amused smile.
"Oh my, losing so badly that you have to call for backup."
"So the prestigious Hyuga clan is really nothing much after all."
Bulging veins throbbed on Hyuga Hiashi's forehead, yet he dared not make a single move.
Meanwhile, news of what was happening here had already reached the Third Hokage.
Because he needed to tutor Naruto, Jiraiya had been staying in the village for a while.
Right now, he was sitting in the Hokage's office, looking over the reports sent back by Root.
Everything was normal at the Dragon Vein ruins in the ancient kingdom of Loulan.
Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. Influenced by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, he too had come to believe that the potential threat to the Ninja World might be a person from the future who traveled through time via the Dragon Vein.
As long as they kept watch there and nipped the danger in the bud the moment the opponent arrived, the crisis facing the human world could be safely averted.
"Old man, I've already started tutoring Naruto, and in a few more days..."
"Hokage-sama, this is bad!" The door to the Hokage's office was shoved open violently. The messenger swept a glance across the room and shouted, "Many elders of the Hyuga clan have been killed!"
"What?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya doubted their own ears, but the messenger's grim expression proved he wasn't talking nonsense.
"What is going on?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hands on the desk and stood up, his aged body radiating a terrifying pressure.
He had initially thought another ninja village was launching an attack on the Hyuga clan.
Could it be the Cloud shinobi again? After all, those guys had a criminal record.
Or perhaps the Sand shinobi? Was Rasa's participation in the exams just a cover, and coming here to kill people the real objective?
However, the next piece of information left both men dumbfounded.
"What, it was an internal conflict within the Hyuga clan, and they were killed by one of their own?!"
This master and disciple simultaneously thought of the tragedy that had befallen the Uchiha clan, and Jiraiya even wondered if this was another Uchiha Itachi.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. The person who made a move was a woman from the Hyuga Main House. With just a single technique, she instantly wiped out everyone who went after her."
"Her strength is definitely at the Jonin level. What should we do now?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a few seconds, his expression darkening. "No matter what, anyone who dares to commit murder in Konoha must be prepared to pay the price. Capture her immediately."
Jiraiya stood up. Right now, the true strength of that potential future destroyer of the Ninja World remained unknown, and every scrap of power could prove vital.
"I'll go ahead. Anyone who dares to threaten Konoha, I will kill!"
A rare glint of murderous intent flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.
To him, Konoha was the most important thing in the world. Even though he felt disappointed in his teacher and the other higher-ups, they were individuals, while Konoha was Konoha.
In the original timeline, during Orochimaru's invasion, Jiraiya and the others hadn't even come back to help. Granted, the Sand shinobi were causing chaos, but this was a home match, and the Sand shinobi were one of the weakest of the Five Great Nations; if Jiraiya and the others had taken it seriously, the situation could have been resolved quickly.
From that, one could imagine how unpopular Sarutobi Hiruzen had been at the time.
The next second, Jiraiya bolted out the door.
Seeing this, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and the messenger felt reassured. That was Jiraiya they were talking about—one of the Legendary Sannin.
While the origin of that title was somewhat humiliating, there was no denying his strength; he was a definitive Kage level powerhouse.
With him going there, even if the Hyuga rogue was a Jonin, it wouldn't matter.
Dismissing the messenger, Sarutobi Hiruzen pulled a crystal ball from his desk drawer, preparing to use the Telescopy Technique to see what kind of situation was unfolding over there.
Just then, an Anbu operative knocked on the door from the outside. "Hokage-sama, we have important news."
"More important news?!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face wrinkled so deeply it could have crushed a fly. Surely it wasn't another piece of bad news.
With the Chunin Exams right around the corner, so many incidents kept happening; if word got out, he had no idea how many people would mock them.
"Enter."
The door opened, and a masked Anbu operative stepped inside. "Hokage-sama, Yuhi Kurenai has returned."
"Yuhi Kurenai? The one Asuma is always talking about?" He had some impression of her, given how often his son droned on about the girl.
Didn't she vanish right after graduating from the Ninja Academy all those years ago?
"It's her. Not only that, but she also..."
The Anbu operative proceeded to recount everything he had witnessed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked once again. Having disappeared for so many years, she had returned looking entirely like a young girl.
"In addition," the Anbu continued, "I discovered that Root has also found out about this."
"What?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze flickered with uncertainty. As partners who knew each other inside and out for years, he knew Danzo's character all too well.
Danzo would definitely send men to capture Yuhi Kurenai.
No, absolutely not.
Bang!
The closed door was thrown open violently, and Asuma Sarutobi rushed in excitedly.
"I need your help with something!"
"Is it about Yuhi Kurenai?"
The words that had risen to Asuma's throat were swallowed right back down, leaving him startled. "How did you know?"
"I just found out," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "Looking at your expression, you must still have feelings for her. Well, you now have a chance to make that Yuhi Kurenai fall for you."
"Root has already caught wind of this, and Danzo will surely send men to 'invite' Yuhi Kurenai. What you need to do is show up at the critical moment and play the hero saving the damsel in distress."
Asuma had remained unmarried for years, a matter that Hiruzen had long fretted over. He hadn't expected Yuhi Kurenai to reappear after being gone for so long.
That worked out perfectly. Since Asuma liked her anyway, they could simply be paired up.
As for the age gap, that was hardly an issue at all.
Upon hearing this, Asuma's expression shifted drastically. Just as he was about to rush off to rescue her, his father's words struck a chord, instantly setting his heart racing.
That was right! If he appeared right as Kurenai was about to be captured and played the hero, wouldn't his favorability in her heart skyrocket?!
By then, he would be able to...
Thinking about how he might finally be with Kurenai, Asuma couldn't help feeling a surge of joy.
Plus, he would even have the fortune of watching Kurenai grow from a young girl into a mature woman.
That was simply... fantastic!