"Big sister, what will happen to those people?"
"They were too fragile. They're already dead," Kaguya replied indifferently.
"Dead?" Hinata gasped.
"Yes, this is the punishment for your disobedience." Kaguya said playfully.
Within the spiritual world, a cold smile appeared on her face.
"But... why didn't you punish me instead?" Hinata asked weakly.
"Because I couldn't bear to hurt you, of course." Kaguya chuckled softly.
"Hinata, kindness without principle is just weakness. This consequence was created by you."
"If you disobey me again in the future, I'll still punish others. Do you understand?"
"Was it really my fault?" Hinata felt deep guilt.
Kaguya: "Go back now."
Hinata stumbled away, utterly dazed and hollow-eyed.
"Big sister, you're actually a kind person, right?" Her voice carried a begging tone, as if trying to confirm something.
"...I never said I was anything like that. This whole thing is just your own foolish fantasy." Kaguya whispered softly.
After Hinata left, Naruto ran to the snow pit where those five boys had fallen.
"Ha! Serves you right!"
While loudly mocking them, he started brushing off the snow covering their bodies.
"They feel so cold..."
"Why won't they move at all?" He murmured.
"Uzumaki Naruto, who told you to run this far? Come back with me immediately."
A cold male voice came from behind, making Naruto stiffen in fear.
A Chunin wearing a flak vest approached, looking at the motionless figures lying in the snow. His brows gradually furrowed as he fixed Naruto with an interrogating gaze.
"They have no breath. All of them are dead. Did you kill them, Naruto?"
"Kill someone?" Naruto scratched his head, looking completely confused. He obviously hadn't understood.
It wasn't entirely his fault — no one ever bothered teaching him basic things. Just feeding him and keeping him alive seemed good enough for them.
The Chunin gave him a cold stare, then struck his neck with a knife hand, knocking him unconscious.
Afterward, he created several shadow clones to carry both Naruto and the corpses, bringing them before the Third Hokage.
Holding the unconscious Uzumaki Naruto, Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the Chunin's report with tightly knitted brows.
"Was there any Nine-Tails chakra leakage?"
"I don't know, sir."
"Go call Inoichi and the others."
Suddenly, the previously dimly lit office building became brightly illuminated.
Long after, Inoichi Yamanaka arrived with members of his analysis team.
After administering a long-lasting sedative to Naruto, Inoichi and his team began analyzing his memories.
They didn't spare even the few already deceased children, conducting autopsies and checking their memories as well.
Hours passed, and the first rays of dawn broke over the horizon.
"Any findings? Is Naruto related to these deaths?" Hiruzen walked into the room and asked Inoichi's team.
If the Jinchuriki Naruto Uzumaki showed violent tendencies, his danger level needed immediate reassessment.
If it was like the One-Tail Jinchuriki from Sunagakure whose mind was heavily influenced by the Tailed Beast, resulting in overwhelming killing intent, Naruto's freedom would definitely be restricted.
"Hokage-sama, this has nothing to do with Naruto Uzumaki. The person was already dead before he approached."
"What about these other children then?"
Inoichi Yamanaka hesitated before replying, "Besides Naruto, another person at the scene was the Hyuga clan's heir, Hinata Hyuga."
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned sharply, surprised by what he heard. "Are you suggesting Hinata Hyuga committed the killings?"
Inoichi paused. "...After eliminating all other possibilities, she does seem most suspicious."
"But there's no conclusive evidence."
"According to the memories of those children, Hinata stood completely still while their eyes kept shifting backward, as if something was pushing them away."
"Eventually they were buried under a snow pit, their bodies stiffened, temperature dropped, until death occurred."
Hiruzen let out a slight sigh, momentarily at a loss for words.
Without key evidence, why even bring it up? That's just a baseless accusation and only causes trouble.
The Uchiha clan was already a major political threat. Could he really take action against the Hyuga clan's heir based merely on suspicion?
Moreover, Hinata was only three years old and had just begun training. How could she possibly be that powerful?
"Any other possibilities?"
Inoichi subtly twitched his mouth and replied, "According to their memories, those kids finished dinner, met up to play together, then encountered Hinata Hyuga and intentionally provoked her. After that, things ended up like this..."
Hiruzen pondered briefly, then relaxed.
Since it had nothing to do with Naruto Uzumaki, the rest no longer seemed important.
"Hokage-sama, the parents of those deceased children have already filed reports with the Uchiha Police Department," one subordinate entered to report.
Thinking for a moment, Hiruzen ordered, "Say they died accidentally from falling injuries."
Soon, the Uchiha police members returned the bodies of those children to their families.
Upon learning about their children's deaths, the families were devastated, unable to accept the news immediately, directing all their grief and anger toward the Uchiha members, shouting furiously at them.
They had assumed their children were simply lost while playing, never expecting that the next time they saw them, it would already be farewell forever.
"How is this possible?"
"How could they die? They seemed absolutely fine when they went out."
"In such a short time, have you really investigated thoroughly? I don't believe it was accidental death."
"You're just covering up the truth! We want the real truth!"
"It's an injustice!"
"You've been utterly irresponsible!"
"Why didn't you start searching sooner? If you had found them earlier, they'd still be alive! This is all your fault!"
Each parent shouted at once—nearly erupting into a full-blown argument.
The Uchiha members felt resentful and filled with complaints.
They were merely following the Third Hokage's instructions—why should they bear the blame? Why did they have to shoulder this responsibility?
They were just carrying the blame on behalf of the Hokage!
If anyone questioned this, why not confront the Hokage directly? If you dare, criticize the Hokage instead!
A bunch of bullies—picking on the weak and running scared from anyone stronger!
"I'm going to file a complaint at the Hokage Building!"
"Go ahead then—anyone too scared to complain is just a coward!" scoffed an Uchiha.
Tempers flared until the group finally stormed into Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.
"Hokage-sama, you must help us..."
Two Uchiha clan members stood aside silently, eyes flickering with schadenfreude.
You'll soon understand. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi himself who brushed off your children's deaths so casually.
He wanted this buried. Go on, hate the Hokage for it!
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe, casting an indifferent glance toward the Uchiha representatives.
Can't even handle such a trivial matter? The Police Department is truly incompetent!
"They did die in an accident," Hiruzen finally said slowly.
"That's impossible... it can't be..."
"The Hokage never lies. They died accidentally." Danzo Shimura walked through the door, smirking slightly. "Naruto Uzumaki can testify to that."
Hiruzen's eyebrows suddenly furrowed.
At the mention of "Naruto Uzumaki," those villagers couldn't help but start forming dark associations in their minds.
Naruto Uzumaki… the Nine-Tails… monster… bringer of bad luck…
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