Naruto: The new beginning

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"It turns out that's the situation. Of course, there's no problem." Hiashi Hyuga nodded after hearing the request. Although he was mildly irritated by Naruto's growing closeness to his "Precious Daughter" (Hinata).

He couldn't deny the sincerity of the young man. Plus, the way Hinata sneaked glances at Naruto every three seconds made it clear he'd already lost the battle. Reluctantly, he agreed to help.

Naruto carefully placed a Flying Thunder God kunai at a visible spot in the Hyuga compound and left to gather the others.

Although Hinata already had a kunai with his marker, Naruto deliberately avoided using it. Using that would be like saying, "Hey, Father-in-law, I have the key to your daughter's room!" That's asking for trouble.

Naruto shuddered at the thought of Hiashi discovering him "sneaking" into Hinata's room one day and retaliating with 100,000 Byakugan-enhanced strikes. Better to play it safe.

---

Naruto returned with Sasuke, bed and all, via Flying Thunder God. Sasuke, now surrounded by five pairs of focused eyes, shifted uncomfortably.

Naruto patted his shoulder. "Relax. It's just like an X-ray. It won't hurt. You'll get used to it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. 'Get used to it? Of course, you're used to coming here every day, but I'm not!'

Fugaku solemnly addressed Hiashi. "Please, we leave this in your hands."

Hiashi nodded, his Byakugan activating. However, as his vision swept over Naruto, he momentarily froze. What in the world is this massive chakra?

His gaze flicked to Minato and Kushina for confirmation. While Minato's chakra was undoubtedly strong and Kushina's impressive as a former Jinchūriki, Naruto's sheer reserves were on another level.

Hiashi pushed his curiosity aside and refocused on Sasuke. Carefully, he examined Sasuke's chakra system, meridians, and acupuncture points. After a long silence, he deactivated his Byakugan. "I didn't find anything unusual. What about you two?"

Hizashi and Neji also shook their heads, confirming they hadn't seen anything either.

Just as the room began to grow tense, a hesitant voice spoke up. "I… I think I saw something," Hinata said.

Everyone turned to her, startled.

"What did you see?" Hiashi asked, hiding the emotional ripple her words caused.

"There are tiny fragments of chakra scattered in the meridians near Sasuke's forehead," Hinata explained. "Because they're so small and spread out, they're difficult to detect."

Hiashi, Hizashi, and Neji reactivated their Byakugan, but none of them could see what Hinata had described.

Hiashi frowned. 'How can my daughter see what even I cannot?'

"Byakugan!" Hanabi declared, activating her own eyes. Her serious tone and young age made her determination amusing. Naruto couldn't resist ruffling her hair.

"You're getting pretty skilled, Hanabi," Naruto teased. "But be careful if you keep improving this fast, someone might try to steal your Byakugan."

Hanabi batted his hand away, her face serious. "Naruto, don't joke! This is important."

After scrutinizing Sasuke for a moment, she pouted. "I can't see it either. Big Sister is amazing!"

Hiashi asked, "Hinata, are you certain of what you saw?"

"Yes," Hinata replied firmly, though her nerves made her voice tremble slightly.

Naruto, trusting in Hinata's sharp eyes, asked, "Could you target those fragments with Gentle Fist?"

Hinata shook her head. "It's too dangerous. If it were anywhere else, maybe, but on the head…"

Itachi spoke up. "Sasuke, try using some chakra. Let's see if it affects those fragments."

Sasuke nodded, jumping out of bed to release a Fireball Jutsu. Afterwards, Hinata checked again. "No," she said, "they haven't moved."

Minato sighed. "If we can't address this through ninjutsu, we'll have to focus on finding the one behind it."

Mikoto frowned, worry creasing her face. "But who could it be?"

---

Before anyone could speculate further, a massive projection appeared in the sky.

Naruto pointed at it. "I'm guessing it's that guy."

Kakashi ruffled Naruto's hair. "Your guesses are too accurate. Don't make a habit of it."

Naruto smirked but didn't reply. 'Just wait until we deal with Pain. I'll let you guess how many explosive tags Konan has. Good luck with that.'

The projection revealed a man speaking confidently. "I am Hiruko, a former ninja of Konoha, and the creator of the Chimera Technique. Using this forbidden jutsu, I have absorbed four Kekkei Genkai and made them my own. When I claim the fifth, I will become an immortal ninja and crush Konoha beneath my feet!"

The projection vanished, leaving a tense silence in its wake.

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged looks. "Hiruko?" Jiraiya muttered. "But he's supposed to be dead."

Tsunade sighed. "Guess not. And what's with that appearance? He's kept the look of a child all these years."

Naruto tilted his head. "Wait, if he's been alive all this time, why didn't we know?"

---

Jiraiya and Tsunade gave a brief history of Hiruko. He had been a contemporary of the Sannin but was overshadowed by their talents.

This inferiority complex led him to develop the forbidden Chimera Technique, which allowed him to steal others' Kekkei Genkai. When his experiments were discovered, he defected from Konoha.

"He's basically a mad scientist," Tsunade concluded with a grimace. "Sound familiar?"

Naruto muttered, "Seems like Orochimaru's long-lost twin."

Minato stood. "We know who's responsible now. Let's prepare to deal with him."

The group left the Hyuga compound, ready to strategize. Hiashi, watching Minato's calm demeanour, doubted Hiruko could cause much trouble.

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Back at the Hyuga Compound

"Big Sister, come train with me!" Hanabi said, tugging on Hinata's sleeve. Her admiration for Hinata had grown after her discovery of Sasuke.

Hinata hesitated, glancing at Hanabi's face. "Hanabi, you should wash your face first."

"Huh? Why?" Hanabi asked, confused. Hyuga Natsu handed her a mirror, and Hanabi gasped.

At some point, someone had written SERIOUS across her forehead.

"That awful guy!" Hanabi stomped her feet, glaring at the direction Naruto had left. "When did he do this?!"

She stormed off to wash her face, leaving the rest of the Hyuga clan chuckling quietly.

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