Chapter Three - The Hyuga Affair

"Did you hear about the delegation that came from Kumo to sign a peace treaty?"

"I did! It almost seems too good to be true. This war will finally be over!" I overheard the orphanage staff talking during breakfast. It seems the time has finally come. My three years of life and training have led up to this moment. The true test of my conviction. Of all my effort.

I can't fail to stop this.

After breakfast, I run a lighter version of my normal training routine since I need to save energy for later tonight. I only know that Hinata is kidnapped sometime tonight and don't know the exact time, so I'll have to stakeout by the Hyuga compound.

After my workout, I sneak out of the orphanage and head towards the compound. While walking I review my very poor plan.

My plan is stupidly simple. The only way that the Kumo ninja could have kidnapped Hinata in the cannon timeline would have been some method of hiding from the Byakugan. The Hyuga clan would have grown arrogant and believed that nothing could hide from their eyes. I believe that my sensory ability works differently, and the methods used to hide from the Byakugan shouldn't work on me. If that's the case, I intend to alert the guards by simply yelling about an intruder as if I was a guard.

If the ninja is invisible to even my senses, then I honestly don't know what to do. He'll die inside the compound after being discovered. I can't enter the compound to do anything, so I can't think of anything to do if I can't sense him. I just have to hope everything works out. Naïve I know, but it's all I can do.

I make my way to a store near the Hyuga compound and walk up the walls to the roof. I then lay down and start Skikamaru's favorite pastime, cloud watching, while I wait for the action to start.

Sometime near midnight, I notice a figure sneaking into my sensory range, headed towards the compound.

'It's finally happening huh? Thank God I can see him.'

The kidnapper makes his way towards the walls of the compound, and despite the several guards with their Byakugan active, nobody seems to notice him. I prepare my chakra to enhance my voice and wait for him to breach the walls.

As soon as he's on top of the wall, "INTRUDER ON THE SOUTH WALL! H-HE'S INVISIBLE TO THE BYAKUGAN! INTRUDER ON THE SOUTH WALL"

'Damn, I used too much chakra in that. I'm pretty sure half the village heard that.'

At least it worked. As I was yelling, time almost seemed to stop. The kidnapper and all the guards froze, then a second later, several Hyuga ninja appeared out of nowhere surrounding him.

'Good. I'm surprised everything worked as planned. Now I just need to head back to the orphanage.' Thinking this, I begin to make my way to the edge of the building I'd been camped on and prepare to head home.

But before I can begin heading down the wall a stern looking man with the piercing glare of an active Byakugan appears in front of me.

"Where do you think you're going, kid? You've got a lot of explaining to do."

'Shit, I was hoping they wouldn't pay any attention to a kid just sleeping on a roof. Time to improvise.'

"H-Heading back home to the orphanage s-sir. Someone was yelling and woke me up. I fell asleep while stargazing and I have to get home before the matron realizes and punishes me."

'Totally sold it. Nobody would ever suspect a three-year-old kid to be involved in this.'

The man just continues to stare at me without showing any emotion on his face for a few seconds before saying, "You know my guards saw you suddenly jerk up and yell right? Saw you yell about an intruder on the wall that's invisible to the Byakugan"

'No, no! They were supposed to ignore me. Who would pay any attention to a kid just sleeping on the roof of a random store a few blocks away? Who was that observant to remember to keep an eye on me after I've been here all day? Come on!'

Looking up at the man, I realize that I need to make an excuse and escape before it gets any worse. I can already sense some ANBU showing up to the compound, and I need to be gone before anything further happens.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about sir."

The man closes his eyes and sighs as the veins near his eyes fade, showing he deactivated his Byakugan. "Look kid, there's no use in lying. My guards saw what you did. I know you've been on this roof all day. I know you walked up the side of this building, with more ease than some Chunin level ninja I might add. I know you suddenly jerked up, paid attention to the path this guy must have taken, then yelled as soon as he made it to the top of the wall."

I begin sweating. I didn't think about any of this. Why did I not research more about the Byakugan? I could have hidden outside their range. Instead of being right in the middle of it, and showing my capabilities. I've made a big mistake. A mistake that could cost a lot.

As I'm trying to come up with an excuse, more ninja appear on the roof. Two more ANBU on either side of the Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi, The God of Shinobi.

'Oh no. I'm beyond screwed. No, no, no, no. I've ruined it all. I'm going to end up dead before I even get a chance to become a ninja. Oh god. No.'

As my distress grows and I start hyperventilating, the Hokage speaks. "Hiashi, what's going on? Why are you interrogating a child?"

I can feel my heart thundering in my chest. My ears are ringing. My vision is blurring.

'No! No! I have to get out of here. I can't let this be the end. They're going to take me and torture me! I'm too suspicious. I know too much! Not to mention if they find out the extent of my abilities, they might just kill me immediately. Oh God, I've got to get out of here.'

Thinking this, I turn towards the only side of the roof and prepare to make a break for it. As I take a step, my world goes dark