No—I've been discovered!
She didn't know who threw the kunai, but Hinata could tell instantly: that explosive tag wasn't just meant to kill her. The real goal was to create a loud explosion—to raise the alarm and summon any nearby allies.
In an instant, the ice wings on her back surged with speed. Before the detonation could go off, Hinata reached out and caught the kunai midair, then came to a sharp stop atop a tree trunk ahead.
Her Byakugan, which she had casually closed earlier after completing the teleportation, snapped open again—instantly sweeping the area. From the animal masks and the uniforms, there was no doubt. These were Konoha's patrolling Anbu.
"So it's a special day, huh? Reinforced patrols… All of Konoha's out in force today."
Hinata stood tall, calm. As her voice rang out, several Anbu stepped out from the woods around her, taking formation to surround her. Judging from how hastily they threw the kunai, they must have only just spotted her. If they'd known ahead of time, they would've set ground traps instead.
"Why would someone from Kirigakure be here? That mask…"
The lead Anbu squinted slightly, clearly recognizing the design of Hinata's mask. There was a faint tension in his voice. It made sense—any ninja who could fly was rarely easy to deal with.
And more importantly, the explosive tag he'd thrown… didn't go off.
"Oh? That's a boring question."
Hinata's voice had a chill to it. She tightened her grip slightly—and with a brittle crack, the kunai in her hand shattered into shards of ice that scattered across the ground. The explosive tag had long since frozen solid, and now it too crumbled into icy dust as it dropped.
No matter how volatile an explosive tag is, if it's completely frozen before ignition, it'll never reach detonation temperature. It won't explode.
"Perfect… Let's see just how good Konoha's Anbu really are."
The ice wings behind her spread wide. Backed by the surging chakra of her Sage Body, Hinata unleashed the full potential of her Ice Release—power that far surpassed what its previous user ever achieved. Before the lead Anbu could even shout a warning, a storm of glittering ice feathers burst forward, raining down on the surrounding ninja—!
Each feather, sharp and slender like a blade, sliced through the air in erratic, unpredictable arcs. With her precise chakra control and enormous reserves, Hinata had turned her wings into a deadly barrage. Within seconds, three Anbu were torn from their perches in the trees, crashing to the ground below with blood pouring from deep cuts, screaming.
Ha~! No wonder Haku loved to launch Niddles everywhere… This really is an effective move!
With her Byakugan, Hinata confirmed the three Anbu were incapacitated and no longer a threat. This confirmed it: this body, born from the perfect fusion of three kekkei genkai, had combat strength far beyond ordinary standards. It made sense.
"Don't move a muscle~ Unless you're ready to find out who dies next~"
She flared her wings again, chakra flowing. Then raised her hands into a seal. If she was going to wear the face of a Kirigakure Hunter-nin, she might as well play the part.
"Kirigakure no Jutsu! (Hiding in Mist Technique!)"
At her command, the air thickened instantly. A heavy mist rolled out, swallowing the entire area in seconds, blotting out visibility in all directions.
"Damn it! Regroup on me!"
The Anbu captain growled. Though only a C-rank technique, Kirigakure no Jutsu was undeniably effective. Without Wind Release to dispel it, it was practically foolproof.
Of course, if one were like Zabuza, trained to hunt in the mist, it was even more dangerous.
Not to mention someone like Hinata, whose Byakugan could see clearly through everything—the fog barely even existed to her.
What a shame…
If only the Hyūga clan would let go of their obsession with tradition and start using ninjutsu, even just this Mist Technique could make them terrifying on the battlefield.
With that thought, Hinata paused. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. She carefully scanned the surroundings again with her Byakugan. Last time she let her guard down, she'd blundered right into this patrol group.
Suddenly, the lead Anbu raised one hand. With a pulse of chakra, thick wooden roots burst from the ground, rising up to form a large shell that shielded him and several nearby Anbu.
"Mokuton: Mokujōheki (Wood Release: Wood Dome Wall)…?"
Hinata's eyes narrowed. That was definitely Wood Release. So the captain was… Yamato?
He was the only known Wood Release user in Konoha after the First Hokage. The same man who had helped Naruto suppress the Nine-Tails during his early training.
So they'd crossed paths here, of all places? Not that it mattered much. Naruto still needed Yamato in the early timeline to stabilize Kurama—so his life had value.
There was no need to kill the Anbu. This was enough.
After one last sweep with her Byakugan to confirm no one else was approaching, Hinata unfurled her wings again—and silently vanished into the mist.
This wasn't the time for a full fight. What mattered was that she'd confirmed it: this new body could eliminate standard Anbu in an instant. That was enough for now.
A short time later, guided by the clay bird, Hinata located the caravan from the Land of Waves, slowly making its way down the road. It wasn't a large procession—they were a small nation—but there was a large ox-drawn cart at the center, and that vehicle.
"Sorry I am a bit late."
Descending from the sky, Hinata's arrival didn't alarm the surrounding guards. It was clear they had received prior instructions from Konan, knowing that their Suikyō-hime wasn't inside the ox-drawn carriage earlier.
"Good, we're just about to enter the jurisdiction of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village)."
Inside the ox-drawn carriage, Konan naturally wasn't wearing the Akatsuki's distinctive black-and-red cloud robe. She was dressed in a standard lady-in-waiting kimono.
She wasn't overly surprised to see Hinata fly in, simply lowering her head slightly and saying, "Alright, now help the princess get dressed. It needs to be done before we enter Konoha."
"Then I'll leave it to you, but may I ask~ Compared to a strong princess, a gentle princess is more popular, isn't that right?"
Sitting beside Konan, Hinata allowed Konan to unzip her Gothic dress and then put on a heavy Jūnihitoe (twelve-layered ceremonial kimono).
Konan, helping Hinata change with a calm expression, spoke in a soft and gentle tone, "Yes, humans are fragile creatures, so they probably prefer others to be gentle with them, rather than cold."
"Heh~ What an understanding thought. Then I pretty much know what kind of face I should put on."
Hinata scoffed disdainfully. She had indeed considered being a bit more assertive in diplomacy, as the factories in the Land of Waves were currently the only ones for merchandise. However, the conversation of those fools earlier, and Konan's advice, made her think she might still need to be more humble.
Moreover, since her true self's assertiveness was already deeply ingrained in people's minds, the personality of this disguised Suikyō-hime definitely needed to change to avoid raising suspicion.
Although the roads and districts of Akihabara were still very new, Danzō, as a shrewd and cunning person, was clearly no fool. He had some knowledge of methods for village prosperity and naturally understood how to handle things.
To create a prosperous scene in an area, the best approach is: food, fun, and vibrancy!
Snack stalls and BBQ stands were practically ubiquitous throughout Akihabara's streets. Goldfish scooping and balloon dart shops were also everywhere.
Normally, such a sight was only seen during temple festivals, but now, due to the large number of tourists in Akihabara, the vendors gathered here were all bustling with energy, setting up their stalls to earn money from the hands of various tourists.
"Chashu ramen! Takoyaki! Taiyaki! Fried mochi! Oden! Hand rolls!! I want to eat them all~!!"
With his arms full of food, Chōji was clearly in a state of excitement. Shikamaru and the others beside him weren't much better off. Although naturally lazy, it didn't mean Shikamaru disliked snacks.
Especially with all the delicious food in front of them now, which they usually only saw on holidays in the streets of Konoha, the pineapple-haired boy unusually decided to eat his fill.
Especially since they were completely unconcerned about money now; the monthly payment they received from Hinata-gumi (Hinata Group) was basically enough for them to eat until they burst.
"Mmm~~ What a great place~! If there's this much delicious food here every day, I'll decide to make this my walking spot after training!"
Happily sharing a skewer of flavorful grilled beef with Akamaru, Kiba was clearly very satisfied with Akihabara's environment. Meanwhile, Naruto, with several dango (dumplings) stuffed in his mouth, had his cheeks bulging.
Such an experience of strolling with his friends was undoubtedly rare for him, making it even more precious.
"Based on the number of people gathered here, this grand scene should be able to continue indefinitely, as long as there are many tourists, these shops will have no reason to leave."
Shino, also holding a pile of snacks, spoke and ate at the same time. Even his mysterious nature didn't prevent him from enjoying the culinary experience at this moment.
"Exactly~! Then let's just come here often to play from now on~! Too bad that stuck-up Sasuke isn't here. And Sakura and Ino have disappeared somewhere~"
Swallowing the dango in his mouth, Naruto quickly pushed his 'bosom buddy' out of his mind and looked at the already arranged street with immense anticipation: "I heard that Suikyō-hime will come out from here later. I wonder what kind of person she is.
"Heh~ I think you'd better not have too high expectations. You've all seen the daimyō's (feudal lord) wife of the Land of Fire, haven't you? Do you think a princess who looks like that is worth seeing?"
Shikamaru, chewing on takoyaki (octopus balls), wickedly tried to dampen everyone's spirits. Naruto and Kiba instinctively shivered and glared at Shikamaru: "Shut up~ You, don't talk about such unappetizing people while we're eating, okay? Besides, we just want a gentle and cute princess older sister, is that a problem?"
"Well, well~ If we're talking about beauty, isn't Hinata a rare beauty? Haven't you seen enough?"
It turned out Shikamaru also had a talent for being a rascal. The pineapple-haired boy, with a mischievous smile, looked at the pale-faced Naruto and Kiba, feeling a dark sense of satisfaction. That's right~ He was always threatened by Hinata telling his mom about his cross-dressing, so it was time for others to be a little wary.
"That's why! Hinata's personality... ugh..."
Naruto, halfway through his exasperated sentence, abruptly stopped speaking and then blinked. Clearly, he had remembered something: It seems that Byakugan (White Eye) female companion acted very strangely last time near the pond...
Hinata at that time had none of her usual aggression and ruthlessness, but instead a very familiar sense of weakness and dependence...
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Shikamaru looked curiously at the suddenly silent Naruto. Just as he was about to ask further, he suddenly heard a gong sound from the front of the street, followed by a long voice: "The Princess of the Land of Waves, Suikyō-hime, has arrived~! Please, citizens, make way~"
The matter of the foreign princess's visit was not kept a secret from the public, so both sides of the street were already filled with Konoha citizens like Naruto and the others, hoping to catch a glimpse of the princess. As the clearers shouted, a small procession also appeared in everyone's sight, and an ox-drawn carriage, representing her status, followed behind.
"Too bad, she's sitting inside the carriage, isn't she? We won't be able to see her then."
Kiba spoke with some disappointment, while Shikamaru beside him shook his head with a laugh: "That's to be expected, she's a princess, how can people just casually see her... Huh?"
Before Shikamaru could finish his gloating taunt, the pineapple-haired boy choked up himself. The reason was simple.
The curtain of the ox-drawn carriage was gently pulled open by a slender, fair hand, and a delicate figure then appeared in everyone's view. A Jūnihitoe kimono with a black base and snowflake patterns perfectly accentuated her noble demeanor. Her long, immaculately white hair gave her a composure and elegance that ordinary girls lacked.
Seemingly a little shy of the surrounding gazes, she instinctively raised her right hand and used the wide sleeve to cover the lower half of her face. Only her pinkish-purple eyes, like jewels, darted around, captivating everyone's thoughts.
"This is... Suikyō-hime..."
Naruto mumbled unconsciously, his gaze indeed drawn to the white-haired beauty in front of him. Although he had no ill intentions, the inherent human nature to appreciate beautiful things prevented him from looking away.
Just then, the blonde boy's body trembled slightly, because those pinkish-purple eyes seemed to notice him, then sharply turned, meeting his gaze!
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Author Notes:
(PS1: Well~~ After all, Kuro Hinata's personality is already very strong. If Suikyō-hime is the same, it's too easy to get confused~~ So~~ let's make her a bit more gentle~~)
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