Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 295 Welcome to the World of Ninjas
"..."

Inside the bustling izakaya, the corner by the window seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, the atmosphere eerily stagnant.
Hyuga Neji's muscles tensed, his pale blue eyes beneath the mask fixed on the man opposite him who called himself "Little Hyuga Mukai".

"Teacher?" Neji's voice was forced out through clenched teeth. "Wait, Hinata? You're the one who was eliminated by the Anbu years ago..."

Although he was young at the time, he remembered the name Kohinata Mukai.

That was the only person in the Kohinata clan in decades to accidentally awaken the Byakugan, but he was later found to be colluding with external forces and was eventually dealt with by the Konoha Anbu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi informed the Hyuga clan about this matter, and it is said that it was Hyuga Kumokawa who carried out the cleanup mission.

However, Kohinata Mukai should have died long ago, and even his wife and children are being taken care of by Hinata Kumokawa.

Is it...

"That's right, it was Lord Yun Chuan who sent me."

Kohinata Mukai directly confirmed his guess: "Your power is strong, but you are still too inexperienced."

"The reason he had me fake my death to escape and hide in the shadows was because he knew you would break free of the cage one day, and he made me your guide after your defection."

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Neji felt a chill run down his spine, causing his expression to change beneath his mask.

"Impossible!" he almost couldn't help but growl, his voice trembling with shock.

Fortunately, the izakaya was bustling with noise at that moment, and his sudden voice did not attract much attention and was quickly drowned out by the even louder commotion.

He immediately realized his lapse in composure, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, and lowered his voice, making it even colder and angrier: "Do you know what you're saying?"

"You mean, years ago, Hyuga Kumokawa already foresaw that I would defect from Konoha? And he even arranged a 'teacher' for me in advance?"

Are you kidding me?
This is absolutely absurd!

Seeing Neji's excited reaction, Kohinata Mukai sneered, his laughter carrying a hint of pity, a hint of mockery, and a trace of barely perceptible awe.

“I don’t know why he was so sure you would defect, but…”

Kohinata Mukai's eyes peered through the mask at Hyuga Neji: "Do you really think you can escape alive from him with just your newly awakened power?"

"Do you think that, given the strength he later demonstrated, if he really wanted to kill you, you would have had absolutely no chance?"

Upon hearing this, Hyuga Neji's heart clenched, and the scene of their brief encounter that night, along with those eyes, instantly flooded his mind.

what happened?

what happened?

Did Hyuga Kumokawa have been planning to find an opportunity for me to defect all along, but my actions disrupted his plans?
Or is it that everything that is happening now was all part of his plan all along?

The thought of this possibility made Hyuga Neji's throat bob, and his body tremble slightly.

He couldn't tell the difference, he really couldn't tell the difference.

A profound sense of absurdity and a chilling coldness intertwined, almost threatening to engulf him.

"Kid, you have no idea. The guy you're facing is a monster in human skin," Kohinata Mukai said coldly.

"His cunning, his scheming, his power... are far beyond your comprehension. Don't try to guess his intentions."

"Whether it's me, you, or the entire Hidden Leaf Village, we're all just one move in his grand scheme, a move that was already planned long ago."

"What you see now may only be the darkness and injustice of the main family and Konoha, but what he sees may be a more distant and terrifying future."

"Believe it or not."

After saying that, Kohinata Mukai stood up, looked down at him and said, "I am only here to wait for you, to teach you before you see the true nature of this world."

"Of course, you can also choose to refuse and continue to hide like this, like a headless fly, until you are found by Konoha's pursuers or other guys who covet the Byakugan."

"The choice is always in your hands." With that, he turned around and walked out of the izakaya with a composed gait.

As Hinata Mukai's figure was about to disappear behind the curtain, Hinata Neji's fingers turned slightly white from the excessive force.

Finally, amidst his struggle and confusion, he suddenly stood up, slammed a few copper coins on the table, and without a word, quickly followed in the direction that Xiao Ri Xiang Wu Jie had left.

However, just after Neji and Kohinata Mukai left, in another inconspicuous corner of the izakaya, two guests, both dressed in black robes, exchanged a silent glance.

One of them nodded slightly, while the other gently placed a few copper coins on the table.

The two immediately got up and followed him out quickly and silently, blending into the bustling crowd in Tanabata Street, their eyes fixed on Neji's back as he disappeared into the alley.

Neji quickly turned into a dark and narrow back alley, where the stench of rotting garbage and damp mold hit him.

The alley was dimly lit, with only the distant light barely outlining the shapes of the clutter.

There was nothing in front of them; Kohinata Mukai's figure had vanished as if he had never been there.

"Hmm?" Neji's expression changed beneath his mask, and he instinctively tried to sense his surroundings.

However, just as his chakra was about to gather in his eyes... *Pfft!*

A very faint yet chilling sound of flesh tearing suddenly came from very close behind him!

Neji reacted almost instinctively, instantly creating distance while turning to look in the direction of the sound.

Not far behind where he had just stood, one of the two men in black robes who had followed him into the alley was already decapitated.

boom!
The head rolled onto the dirty ground, its eyes wide open, still showing disbelief and horror.

Blood gushed out from the headless neck like a fountain, staining large areas of the mottled wall red.

Meanwhile, Kohinata Mukai appeared there at some unknown time. He had no sharp weapon in his hand, only the edge of his right palm was stained with glaring blood, which was slowly dripping down.

He stood there as if he had done something insignificant, looking at the other surviving man in black robes, who reacted quickly as well.

Almost the instant he witnessed his companion's death, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, leaping forward and twisting his body in mid-air while rapidly forming hand seals in front of his chest!
"Art fire escape ho fireball!"

A blazing fireball spewed from his mouth, carrying a scorching shockwave, and hurtled toward Kohinata Mukai, who was standing still!

Kohinata Mukai made no move to dodge or form hand seals, and the pale blue veins around his white eyes suddenly bulged out!
Roll your eyes, open!

He raised his blood-stained right hand to his face, directly facing the incoming blazing fireball.

呲!
The fireball was silently and neatly sliced ​​in two right in front of Kohinata Mukai's palm.

The two halves of the fireball flew past Kohinata Mukai's body on either side, crashed into the wall behind him, and exploded into two charred marks!
Neji could see it clearly: the moment Kohinata Mukai made his move, the flow of chakra in front of his palm underwent an extremely subtle change, forming a sharp "line"!
This "line" is not a physical entity, but rather it disrupts the stability of the fireball's internal chakra structure by interfering with and guiding the flow of chakra, causing it to disintegrate on its own.

The next moment, Kohinata Mukai's figure disappeared from his original spot and appeared in front of the black-robed man who had just finished releasing his ninjutsu.

Before the man in black could react, Kohinata Mukai's hand was already pressed against his chest.

Fingers easily pierced through clothing and flesh, probing into the chest cavity and grasping something that was throbbing violently.

Then, with a sudden yank!
puff!

A heart, still twitching and steaming, was ripped out by Kohinata Mukai. The black-robed man's eyes dimmed instantly, and he fell straight backward.

"This is your first lesson."

With his hands, stained with warm blood, hanging naturally, Kohinata Mukai looked at Hyuga Neji in the distance and smiled, "Make good use of your eyes and your power."

"Also, welcome to the world of ninjas."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Meanwhile, at Konoha Hospital, in the intensive care unit.

Soft sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds, casting dappled shadows on the polished floor.

Beep...beep...beep...

The air was filled with the distinctive cool smell of disinfectant, and the regular, monotonous electronic sounds of the vital signs monitors echoed in the quiet ward, like the faint beat of life.

Hinata Kumokawa lay quietly on the pristine white hospital bed, his eyes closed, his face so pale it was almost transparent, like a fragile glass statue.

Various sophisticated instruments are connected to his body via tubing, and the numbers and curves jumping on the screens are his only remaining, faint connection to the world at this moment.

He was covered with a thin blanket, but some wounds that had not yet fully healed could still be seen on his exposed neck and arms.

The Hokage's hat was placed on a table to the side, and Hiruzen Sarutobi stood alone in front of the hospital bed, his shadow stretching long in the sunlight.

Those eyes were now fixed intently on the unconscious Hyuga Kumokawa on the hospital bed, their gazes filled with a complex and unfathomable light.

A mix of emotions culminated in a long, heavy sigh that drifted slowly through the silent ward.

"Ugh……"

Finally, he slowly turned around, walked with slightly unsteady steps to the ward door, and opened it.

Click.

The door hinges turned with a slight sound, and the ward door was gently pulled open.

Light streamed in from outside, clearly revealing the scene outside to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Several figures stood silently outside the door, clearly having arrived long ago, yet they tacitly maintained silence, making no sound for fear of disturbing the peace inside the ward.

When the ward door opened and Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared in the doorway, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on him.

A few seconds of silence followed before Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, slightly hoarse, said, "Come in."

(It's almost the end of the month. If I'm in the top 100, I can get the title "Standing in the Sky" next month. But now my ranking is about to drop out of the top 100. Please give me your monthly votes to help me stay in the top 100. Sigh QAQ)

(End of this chapter)