"Three tails already… I might have overdone it a little." Daniel Davis sighed as he watched Naruto rampaging in the forest, three enormous red tails of Nine-Tails' chakra flailing behind him.
While venting his frustration on the Third Hokage had been satisfying, he hadn't fully considered how much it would affect Naruto. Now, with Naruto tapping into three tails of power, it was clear that his emotions were in turmoil.
Luckily, Naruto was the reincarnation of Asura, which prevented him from succumbing to darkness despite the harsh truths about the village. Had it been anyone else, they might have fallen into despair and darkness. Even in the Infinite Tsukuyomi world, where Naruto's parents were still alive, a version of him had still turned to the dark side.
"Are you alright?" Daniel suddenly appeared next to Sasuke, who was standing nearby with the unconscious Sakura. Though Sasuke often claimed not to care about others, it was clear that his words didn't fully reflect his feelings. He had always said he wanted revenge against the Leaf, but aside from killing Danzo, he hadn't truly acted on it.
"I'm fine. It's just Naruto, after all," Sasuke replied, his face calm and composed.
"Are you really?" Daniel glanced at Sasuke's right arm, noticing a faint wound. It wasn't severe, and since Sasuke wasn't mentioning it, Daniel decided not to press him further.
Though Sasuke had grown stronger after integrating the First Hokage's cells, he was still no match for Naruto in his three-tailed form. Naruto had lost his reasoning and was destroying everything in sight, otherwise, Sasuke would have been much worse off.
"Naruto's body is starting to be corrupted by the chakra… Although the Fourth Hokage's spirit will ensure Naruto's safety, since I caused this mess, I'll be the one to fix it."
Noticing the damage being done to Naruto's body by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Daniel moved swiftly, appearing at Naruto's side just as the boy was about to lash out. He quickly formed hand seals, and four large green vines shot up from the ground, wrapping around Naruto's limbs and restraining him.
Wood Release naturally had a suppressing effect on Tailed Beasts, and though Daniel's Leaf Storm Style wasn't identical to the original Wood Release, it still retained some of its properties. No matter how hard Naruto struggled, the vines held him firmly in place.
"Naruto!" Just as Daniel was about to fully subdue Naruto, Jiraiya and Kakashi arrived, rushing toward the scene. Seeing Naruto bound, they immediately attacked, with Kakashi charging in with his Lightning Blade and Jiraiya preparing a Rasengan.
"The timing is perfect," Daniel muttered to himself. "Alright, I've done enough. I'll leave the rest to them." He released his hold on Naruto, his body flickering as he reappeared beside Sasuke.
"It's time to go." Daniel grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder, preparing to leave. However, just as he was about to teleport away, he sensed something and turned his gaze to the left. A figure was stumbling toward them, fast but unsteady.
"Wow, you're in rough shape, Kabuto," Daniel remarked as he spotted Kabuto, covered in blood, with his left arm severed and several kunai, senbon, and shuriken embedded in his body.
Kabuto had no time to treat his wounds, and his desperate state showed just how dangerous his situation was.
Behind Kabuto, ten masked members of the Leaf's Root division were in pursuit, continuing their relentless chase.
"So, you really went after Danzo," Daniel murmured, realizing what had kept Kabuto occupied earlier.
"You're in bad shape," Daniel said, stepping in behind Kabuto and swatting away the incoming projectiles that were aimed at him.
"You went to assassinate Danzo. Did you succeed?" Daniel asked, but Kabuto didn't respond. Exhausted and relieved to see an ally, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
"You guys are really annoying, aren't you? You think I won't fight back?" Daniel muttered irritably. Just as he was about to check on Kabuto's injuries, the Root members saw their opportunity and launched another volley of projectiles, filling the air with kunai and shuriken.
Fed up with being targeted, Daniel decided it was time to retaliate. With a single sweep of his hand, he deflected all the incoming weapons. Then, he clasped his hands together, and in the next moment, the leaves from the surrounding trees detached from their branches and floated into the air.
As Daniel's hand seals shifted, the swirling leaves took the shape of a massive green dragon, which shot toward the Root members. Its speed was so overwhelming that the ninjas had no time to react before the dragon passed through them.
The leaves, sharp as blades, sliced through their bodies effortlessly. Even the strongest among them, who tried to defend with a sword, could only block a few before succumbing to the barrage of leaves. By the time the green dragon passed, the ten Root members had been reduced to bloodied, shredded figures, similar to Kabuto's earlier state.
With the Root members dealt with, Daniel hoisted Kabuto onto his shoulder and moved back to Sasuke's side. He raised his right hand, causing a swirl of green leaves to gather and spiral around them.
"Consider this a warning: don't bother me again. I'm only letting you off because of Minato Namikaze." As Daniel spoke, the swirling leaves spun faster, completely obscuring him, Sasuke, and Kabuto from view. Then, in a burst, the leaves scattered, and the three of them were gone.
"Kakashi, focus on Naruto first," Jiraiya instructed as he and Kakashi approached the restrained Naruto. Fortunately, Jiraiya's Wild Lion's Mane Technique had held Naruto in place after Daniel released him.
"Understood, Jiraiya-sama."
---
"Lord Hiashi, what about Father?" Neji asked anxiously as he and Hiashi Hyuga entered the Hyuga clan's estate.
Hiashi raised his hand to stop Neji from continuing, and instead, addressed the Hyuga clan members approaching them. "Is Hinata alright?"
"The young lady is fine, just a bit shaken. Lady Hanabi is with her now."
Just like in the original timeline, the Cloud Village ninja who had come to observe the Chunin Exams had tried to take advantage of the chaos caused by Orochimaru's invasion to strike at the Hyuga clan, targeting Hinata. However, when Neji and others went to rescue her, they were in trouble. Hiashi had arrived in time and dispatched the Cloud ninjas with his Gentle Fist technique.
"Good. Follow me," Hiashi said, nodding as he turned to Neji.
"I know what you're thinking. You've read Hizashi's letter, and I understand your anger. But the words that man said today aren't enough to explain what happened back then. The situation was more complicated, involving internal struggles among the higher-ups, but more than anything, it was about preventing war. You saw today's battle—doesn't it seem brutal to you? But even this is nothing compared to the scale of the Shinobi World Wars."
"At the time, even though the Leaf had won, we had suffered heavy losses. The village couldn't afford another war," Hiashi explained solemnly.
"So my father died for nothing?" Neji shouted, his voice filled with rage. Learning the truth about his father's death had made Neji furious, a feeling akin to Sasuke's rage when he learned about the Uchiha massacre.
"I understand your resentment, but remember this: the Hyuga clan will never betray the Leaf," Hiashi said with a sigh. "There are things I hadn't planned to tell you yet, but now I have no choice."
Hiashi began recounting the history of the Hyuga clan, detailing how, before they joined the Leaf, they had lived a difficult, hidden life. It was only after gaining the protection of the village that they were able to rise to their current status as one of the most powerful clans.
"As for the Caged Bird Seal, I know many in the clan resent it. When your father and I were younger, we dreamed of abolishing it, but we eventually came to terms with reality. The seal isn't just a method to control the branch family and protect the main family's status. It's also a safeguard for the branch family. Without the seal, many would die because of the people coveting the Byakugan."
Hiashi's words left Neji deep in thought. Before today, Neji would have dismissed such explanations as mere excuses. But after witnessing Hinata's abduction attempt and reading Hizashi's letter, his perspective had begun to change.
Some things couldn't be changed by sheer willpower alone. Reality, especially for a clan like the Hyuga, was harsh.
The Caged Bird Seal, despite its oppressive nature, had saved countless lives within the Hyuga branch family. The Byakugan was a powerful and coveted Kekkei Genkai, and while the Cloud Village was the most aggressive in trying to steal it, other villages were just as eager.
In fact, the Mist Village had managed to acquire a Byakugan after much effort.
The Byakugan had high strategic value, such as detecting whether someone was under a genjutsu. During the Five Kage Summit in the original timeline, Ao had used his Byakugan to see through the illusion cast by Danzo's use of Shisui's eye.
"Think it over carefully," Hiashi said before leaving the room.
---
At a secret base of the Sound Village, Daniel glanced at
Orochimaru, whose hands were now wrapped in bandages.
"Looks like you're not doing too well," Daniel remarked lightly.
"It's all your fault," Orochimaru grumbled, clearly displeased. What was supposed to be his moment to settle his grudge with his former teacher had ended with him playing second fiddle to Daniel.
"Sorry, I didn't expect the Third Hokage to be so decisive," Daniel admitted.
"You left him with no choice but to die with dignity. Living would have dragged the village into internal conflict. By dying, he can leave as a martyr," Orochimaru said bitterly.
"Was everything you said back there true?" Orochimaru asked after a moment of silence.
"I don't know. But one thing's for sure—he bears responsibility for how Naruto was treated," Daniel replied with a smile.
"You seemed to speak highly of Minato Namikaze earlier. You've never met him, right? So, why?" Orochimaru asked, curious.
"Maybe it's because he was born a commoner without a powerful clan or Kekkei Genkai. The ninja world is ruled by bloodlines. Even you, Orochimaru, despite all your strength as one of the Legendary Sannin, were no match for Itachi Uchiha's Sharingan. That's why you sought Sasuke's body and the power of the Uchiha bloodline. Life for ordinary people in the ninja world is hard," Daniel said, sighing inwardly. He, too, had been born without any special lineage, and that struggle resonated with him.
"Fortunately, I've had incredible luck."
"Your intelligence network is astonishing. How do you manage to gather so much hidden information?" Orochimaru asked after a long silence, voicing a question he had been holding in for some time.
"Have you heard of the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku?" Daniel replied.
"Prophecy?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he understood. As one of the Legendary Sannin, he was well-acquainted with Mount Myoboku. After all, Jiraiya had spent years chasing the Child of Prophecy.
"But your prophecies seem far more accurate than the cryptic ones of the Toad Sage," Orochimaru commented, his curiosity piqued.
"My prophecies are different. I can only make one prediction, and after that, the butterfly effect comes into play, and things start to change."
"But what is this 'butterfly effect'?" Orochimaru asked, unfamiliar with the term.
Daniel explained the concept of the butterfly effect briefly.
"So, your involvement is causing changes to the future?" Orochimaru mused.
"Exactly. For example, I once knew what kind of person you would become. But now, because of our interactions and the knowledge you've gained from me, even I don't know what your future holds anymore."
"Fascinating… But before anything else, could you help me remove this seal? Without my hands, I can't continue my experiments, and that's something I simply cannot tolerate," Orochimaru said. Losing his hands didn't just cripple his ability to fight; it also halted his research, which was far more intolerable for him.
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