Naruto, all the ninja women love me, and Konoha depends on me.

Chapter 030: Born to Counter the Hyuga

In the midst of utter silence.

A mountain breeze swept through, scattering fallen leaves across the ground.

A group of Hyuga clansmen, wearing bamboo hats and dressed in white robes, stood in the wind, enduring the chaotic flurry of leaves.

So…

Did that kid just… whisk away the young lady right in front of all the Hyuga elders?

Huh?

The sound of the wind snapped the silent group out of their daze.

And as they regained their senses, they suddenly realized something.

"…Clan leader!"

Someone, startled by the mountain breeze, immediately exclaimed.

Hyuga Toshimori raised his hand expressionlessly, signaling everyone to remain calm.

"No need to worry, Miyu will return on her own…" It's not the first time, after all…

As he spoke, Hyuga Toshimori slowly turned his head toward the direction of Hyuga Shiro, who had just been sparring with Senju Wakama.

At this moment.

Hyuga Shiro's face was dark and gloomy, though no one could tell what he was thinking.

The atmosphere was undeniably awkward.

However, after such a long fight, Hyuga Shiro had been thrown off by Senju Wakama twice, yet he hadn't sustained any serious injuries.

This showed that Senju Wakama had no intention of harming Hyuga Shiro.

Everyone was well aware that the purpose of this trip wasn't to gang up on Senju Wakama. They were merely here as Hyuga Miyu's family to communicate.

Though, the sheer number of people they brought certainly made the situation intimidating.

Hyuga Toshimori's emotions were incredibly complex.

He realized that it wasn't just him everyone present had been deceived by Senju Wakama's movements.

Earlier, during the fight, Senju Wakama had effortlessly countered Hyuga Shiro's attacks with graceful and elegant movements, seamlessly deflecting every move.

If it weren't for the fact that Senju Wakama didn't possess the Byakugan, Hyuga Toshimori might have even mistaken him for a member of the Hyuga clan.

But now…

All Hyuga Toshimori could think was, "This kid is born to counter the Hyuga." Every move he made countered the Gentle Fist technique. He had to be captured.

Hyuga Toshimori believed that the relationship between Hyuga Miyu and Senju Wakama "wasn't in trouble." If the two were indeed in such a relationship, the clan members chasing after them under the guise of protection might only create unnecessary misunderstandings.

Hyuga Toshimori decided to wait for his daughter to return and explain the situation herself.

...

Deep within the forests of Naka River.

Senju Wakama, carrying Hyuga Miyu's light body, dashed swiftly through the trees.

His proficiency in the "Art of Stealth" had reached a high level, and he didn't dare let his guard down, especially when facing a group of "Byakugan" users.

Whether or not the Hyuga clan was pursuing them, Senju Wakama had to maintain a vigilant demeanor.

He needed to put all his effort into putting as much distance as possible between himself and the Hyuga clan.

For this moment, Senju Wakama had trained hard in the "Art of Dexterity" for a long time, even enlisting the help of black bears in the forest.

The essence of the "Art of Dexterity," as taught by his elder brother, was to steal weapons from opponents during battle or subtly poison them.

If one could steal weapons and even internal organs, stealing a living person didn't seem entirely impossible.

However, stealing a living person was far more difficult.

After all, a living person was not the same as a lump of organs.

Organs were small and compact.

A human was a large, unwieldy object.

How could one skillfully steal such a large "object" from a crowd?

It required calculating the target's physical characteristics and utilizing the surrounding environment.

This was a skill that definitely required practice.

Senju Wakama had practiced stealing bear cubs from black bear dens multiple times, treating the bears as humans to hone his "people-stealing" skills.

This was something Tsukuyo had suggested to Senju Wakama.

By doing this, Senju Wakama was helping Hyuga Miyu maintain her lie.

Even if they hadn't actually eloped before, Senju Wakama's actions now solidified their "elopement."

A fake elopement had turned into a real one.

They no longer needed to explain anything further.

As for why they needed to solidify it?

Because his sister Tsukuyo had said that a genius girl with a love-struck mind was a rare find. If they could keep her, it might prove useful in the future.

For Senju Wakama, this was an absolute win.

And if he were to meet another girl he fancied in the future?

Simple… he'd just keep her too…

...

Nestled in Senju Wakama's arms, Hyuga Miyu had no idea that her dream lover's thoughts were so complicated.

At this moment, Hyuga Miyu leaned against Senju Wakama's chest, feeling the warm and powerful heartbeat. Her heart raced, and her mind went completely blank.

Wakama was holding her.

Wakama had… saved her?

Huh?

Wait…

No!

Her father and clan members hadn't come to punish Senju Wakama.

She didn't need to be saved at all!

Finally coming to her senses, Hyuga Miyu's face turned pale, and her voice trembled as she spoke, "Wakama… um…"

But the words caught in her throat.

If she said that her father had come to have a friendly discussion with Senju Wakama…

Then Senju Wakama would surely ask, "Why?"

And if Hyuga Miyu admitted that she had lied about eloping with Wakama and running away from home…

What if Senju Wakama grew to dislike her and refused to play along with her lie? What would she do then?

Hyuga Shiro had immediately attacked Senju Wakama upon their encounter, and the Hyuga elders had all stood by, watching the spectacle unfold.

If Senju Wakama had lost to Hyuga Shiro, who knows what consequences he might have faced.

Hyuga Miyu hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Senju Wakama knew the truth, of course. He knew exactly what Hyuga Miyu was about to say.

But he pretended not to.

Senju Wakama cautiously said, "Were you discovered by your clan and taken back? Don't worry, I'll do my best to take you to a safe place. Once we're there, you'll be free."

He even provided Hyuga Miyu with a ready-made excuse.

As long as Hyuga Miyu wasn't too foolish, she should know how to respond.

The letter Hyuga Miyu had left behind, aside from expressing her longing for Senju Wakama, had been vague about many things.

Senju Wakama acted as if he knew nothing, responding to Hyuga Miyu based on how a normal person might react.

Hearing Senju Wakama's words, Hyuga Miyu choked up and murmured softly, "I… think you're right. Maybe following my father and the clan's arrangements, accepting that fate, wouldn't be the worst outcome…"

Senju Wakama had a good idea of what was going on, but he feigned confusion and asked, "So… you went back to the Hyuga clan on your own?"

At this point, Senju Wakama knew it was time to move to the next part of the script.

Suddenly, he stopped running and set Hyuga Miyu down.

Hyuga Miyu's expression was uneasy, much like when she had first met Senju Wakama fragile and pitiful. She softly replied, "Yes…"

Senju Wakama stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Then I guess I've done a good deed that turned out to be a mistake, huh? But just now…"

"I'm sorry. I apologize for my clan brother's rudeness," Hyuga Miyu suddenly bowed deeply to Senju Wakama.

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