Check out my new novel: Hiashi's house, Hinata was sitting at the table with a distressed look on her face, staring at a detailed knitting guide for a scarf. The book was too heavy to hold, so she had to keep it on the table.
After looking at it under the lamp for a long time, Hinata couldn't help but sigh, picked up the needles and thread again, and started trying again.
"Naruto doesn't seem to like tea as much as I thought he would." Hinata murmured to herself, "A scarf... I wonder if he'll like it. Maybe he will."
"This pattern seems a bit complicated. I can't figure it out, ugh!"
She pouted, her hands fumbling under the light as her eyes grew dry from squinting. Finally, she put down the needles and rubbed her eyes.
Hinata looked up and realized how late it had gotten. She didn't consider herself stupid, but for some reason, she couldn't get the hang of knitting.
What's more annoying is that she found that she couldn't even lower her head to rest on the table because of the heavy burden on her body. Sitting for too long would make her back ache, so it wasn't exactly restful.
She sometimes wished she were smaller, but then she thought better of it.
After all, despite the inconveniences, Naruto seemed to appreciate her as she was. If that was the case... then it wasn't so bad.
Just as Hinata was about to stand up, she noticed half a person suddenly appear on the floor. She subconsciously leaped back at a high speed, and her usually gentle eyes suddenly sharpened.
Zetsu simply smiled as vines and tree trunks erupted around him, instantly trapping Hinata in a sphere of foliage. Almost in the blink of an eye, the sphere burst open from the inside.
The moment the cage broke, Hinata didn't hesitate, and flipped backward to break the window to escape.
Zetsu's strength was not too strong, barely the level of a Jonin, but his ability was a bit disgusting.
He has Hashirama’s cells implanted in him, and has some Wood Release abilities. At the same time, he can sink into the ground or trees as long as he touches them.
Hinata might appear gentle, but she was resilient at her core. Even if she wasn't the strongest, she was still a legitimate Jonin, so it is completely reasonable for her to break free from Zetsu's grasp, who was essentially a weakling.
Just as Hinata was about to leap through the window, she gritted her teeth and raised her arms to protect her head. But in the last second, a massive swirling vortex appeared, sucking her in.
She had no way to avoid it and was pulled inside.
The next second, Obito appeared in Hinata's room, looking at Zetsu who almost failed to catch the target with a blank expression.
Zetsu smiled awkwardly, pointed at something on the table and said, "Take that thing to Uzumaki Naruto, he will definitely react."
Obito turned and looked at the table. There, a ball of yarn and two knitting needles lay quietly. He couldn't help but pause.
He suddenly remembered that Rin had once knitted a scarf too, but he never got the chance to ask who it was for.
After a brief moment of distraction, Obito swept the unfinished knitting materials into his hand and left. Zetsu followed him and soon sank into the ground.
…
Naruto was walking on the main street of Konoha, wondering where the uneasiness in his heart came from. A night breeze blew past, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Uzumaki Naruto, when did you get back?" The person who spoke dropped from the rooftops, light as a swallow.
Dressed in Anbu attire, with an animal mask and a short sword on her back, the woman removed her mask, revealing long purple hair that cascaded like wind chimes.
"Long time no see. I got back yesterday." Naruto greeted her and forced a smile.
"Is that so?" Yugao took a couple of steps toward Naruto, "You don't look so good. Did something happen?"
"Since when do you care about my personal affairs?" He asked back.
"After nightfall, it's the Anbu’s duty to ensure the safety of every villager and eliminate any abnormalities." Yugao stood there and said lightly.
"This is the Anbu’s responsibility, and it's also my responsibility."
"As expected of the Anbu Commander, you’ve memorized the rules so well." Naruto clapped his hands a few times and said perfunctorily, "Has anything happened in the village recently?"
"Well, nothing special, except that you returned to the village." Yugao looked at Naruto, her eyes slightly narrowed, "Are you worried about something? Or did you discover something?"
"No." Naruto shook his head and said honestly, "I just feel a little uneasy. I was worried that something might happen, so I came out for a walk."
"Got it. You can go. I'll let you know if anything comes up." Yugao said and was about to turn around and leave. It was a casual exchange between acquaintances.
The way she said ‘let you know’ was telling. Naruto had worked with Yugao for years and knew her well. If she said she'd inform him first, then he would indeed be the first to know.
This was also thanks to the close friendship between the two, otherwise an Anbu Commander would not have done this for him.
"Alright." He nodded.
As the night deepened, Naruto thought about it and walked towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Although he thought this idea was a bit absurd, he still wanted to verify it before he could rest assured.
But before he could walk far, he suddenly stopped and turned to stare at a corner.
"Come out!" Naruto demanded.
The area fell silent for a moment before a half-black, half-white figure rose from the shadows. It wasn't a normal human standing up, but it was more like some melted substance reversing its flow.
Under the dim streetlight, Naruto finally saw clearly what that thing was. The figure of Zetsu slowly emerged from the darkness, and his half-black and half-white body looked a little grotesque.
Seeing this, Naruto didn't say anything, but his heart sank. The moment he saw Zetsu, he knew something was wrong.
"Uzumaki Naruto?" A lively smile appeared on the face of Zetsu's other half, White Zetsu. In contrast, his other half, Black Zetsu, remained stoic.
"That's me." Naruto's expression darkened.
"Since it's you, then come with us now, and remember not to make any noise." White Zetsu said with a smile, while Black Zetsu remained silent.
"Why should I?"
"Haha, because of this." Black Zetsu spoke up and threw two items toward Naruto. One was Ino's communicator, and the other was the half-finished scarf Hinata had been knitting.
Naruto glanced at them briefly, and his face suddenly turned as dark as the night sky.
"Oh my, how scary!" The White Zetsu laughed, pretending to be frightened, "Don't look at me like that. I might get scared."
"You took Ino and Hinata?" He asked patiently and coldly, "You couldn't have done it alone, Zetsu. You're not strong enough. So you have an accomplice, right?"
"Who is it? Uchiha Obito?"
Hearing this, both Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were stunned. White Zetsu shut up immediately, and the taciturn Black Zetsu took over and stared at Naruto.
"You don't need to know. Just come with us."
"Haaah~" Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes locked onto Black Zetsu, "One last question, are they safe now?"
Zetsu grinned but didn't answer, simply staring at him with a mocking expression.
Seeing this, Naruto closed his eyes, and after a moment, he spoke viciously.
"If they're hurt in any way, I'll definitely bring back Otsutsuki Kaguya and Nohara Rin, turn them into ***, and make them suffer a thousand times over." (T/N: It’s censored in RAW, so just use your imagination ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧)