Chapter 105: When Hinata Encounters the Elders of Konoha - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

## Chapter 105: When Hinata Encounters the Elders of Konoha After the funeral concluded, the crowd slowly dispersed. Hiashi Hyuga called out to Hinata and said calmly, "Hinata, come with me for a bit." "No!" She didn't know why Hiashi wanted her, but experience told her it was probably not something good. In good times, he never thought of her. "Don't be stubborn. It's something important." "Ugh! Fine then!" She thought Hiashi would take her somewhere unexpected, but instead, he led her straight into the Hokage's office. Though the Third was no longer there, the advisors Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, along with Danzo Shimura, the leader of the Root, were present. Even Jiraiya had come. He was leaning against the window, looking quite impatient. Hinata glanced at each of them in turn. Danzo was indeed a difficult character to redeem. Though he claimed to act for Konoha's sake, that was truly just a beautified excuse. He was simply ruthless in his ambition to become Hokage. Many of the tragedies in the Hokage's history were linked to him. Even rootless tragedies could be pinned on Danzo. The Nine-Tails attack on Konoha could very well have had his involvement. The only familiar face was Jiraiya. Hinata warmly greeted him, "Hello, you pervy sage!" "Tch!" Jiraiya had already resigned himself to this branding and turned his head to look out the window, pretending she was addressing someone else. "Hmph!" Danzo gave a heavy snort, clearly displeased with Hinata’s disrespect. She looked at Danzo with a face full of concern and asked earnestly, "Old man, is your nose congested? If so, you might try slicing onions; it works wonders." A sudden thought seemed to occur to Hinata, and she wrinkled her nose with a shudder as if utterly repulsed. "If a blocked nose isn't treated properly, the mucus might flow down your throat…" "Ugh." "Go away. Just seeing you makes me think of snot, and it ruins my appetite!" Danzo's face turned a deep shade of black. Though Hinata hadn't insulted him directly and even seemed concerned about his health, everything she said sounded like veiled mockery. "Haha…hahaha..." Jiraiya leaned against the window, laughing heartily. "Hmph!" Danzo was visibly disgruntled, snorting again as he tapped his cane for emphasis. Hinata retched again. She pretended to gag as she spoke to Danzo, waving her hand apologetically, "Please forgive me, old man. I didn't mean to mock you. I just have a habit of being clean and have a slight phobia about dirt, so it’s a bit overwhelming. Ugh." "Hinata!" Hiashi lightly scolded, maintaining his calm demeanor, "This is Elder Danzo Shimura. He was once a hero of Konoha. Show him proper respect." "Sorry! My apologies!" Hinata bowed repeatedly, quickly adding, "I could tell right away this gentleman was a hero just by looking at him." Danzo's face eased slightly at her words. Hinata continued, "I have deep respect for elders and never hold prejudice against those with disabilities…" "The old man's blind in one eye, has a broken arm, and needs a cane to walk. He probably can't perform missions anymore, can he?" "If he needs support in retirement, he's welcome at the Hyuga household. We have enough means and wouldn't mind an extra mouth to feed." Danzo was about to snort again but abruptly stopped himself, though he did feel an itch in his nose, as if something unknown was flowing down his throat. His expression mirrored his disgust, as if he'd consumed something foul. "Alright!" Koharu Utatane stepped forward, her voice steady as she addressed Hinata, "I hear that during yesterday's battle, you were able to borrow chakra from the Nine-Tails within Naruto?" Hinata looked at Koharu with curiosity, her face adorably puzzled, "Granny, who told you that?" "I was told by..." Koharu's expression darkened, her voice growing colder, "I'm the one asking the questions here!" Hinata obediently straightened up, her face serious, "Alright, please ask." Koharu took a deep breath, repeating her question, "So, is it true… that you can use the Nine-Tails' power?" "Yes." Koharu exchanged glances with Homura and Danzo. Then she asked seriously, "How did you do it?" Hinata tapped her lips thoughtfully, then clasped her hands together with a pitiful expression, "Oh mighty Nine-Tails, I beg you, please lend me some chakra!" Afterward, she returned to her usual composure, her face solemn, "The Nine-Tails is a very agreeable fox. As soon as I asked, it granted me chakra." She looked at Koharu… Hinata wore a slightly embarrassed expression and advised, "Granny, the Nine-Tails has a soft spot for beauties, but… you might not be able to borrow from it." Initially, Koharu didn’t grasp Hinata's implication, but realization quickly dawned. Are you saying I'm old now? Back in my days, I was the pride of Konoha, chased after by both Sarutobi and Shimura, you naïve little girl! I'll end you! Sensing Koharu's murderous glare, Hinata instinctively straightened her posture. It's those subtle flaunts that dig deepest. Koharu quickly backed down, glancing at Homura with pleading eyes: I'm done, you try. "Ahem." Despite his stern demeanor, Homura was relatively more approachable compared to Koharu and Danzo. "Hinata! Can you elaborate how you communicated with the Nine-Tails?" Hinata fixed her gaze intently on Homura. Homura: "…" "Why are you staring at me like that?" Hinata responded as if speaking to someone not entirely bright, "With my Byakugan, of course! I can see the tailed beasts inside Naruto and Gaara." "Oh!" Mentioning Gaara reminded Hinata of something important. She turned to the three elders, her face earnest as she inquired, "Old man, granny, you must be the higher-ups of the village, right?" Homura nodded kindly, cautiously asking, "Is there something you need?" Hinata cleared her throat and, with all seriousness, stated, "Well… I brought Gaara back. If he’s used in negotiations with the Hidden Sand Village, could I get a share of the compensation?" "And! Also!" "Our Hyuga clan suffered significant losses in yesterday’s battle…" Hiashi interjected with a mild yet firm tone, "Hinata!" He hadn’t spoken up till then, not because he didn’t want to defend her, but because he was afraid of embarrassment. He wished he could sink into the ground. If Hinata actually demanded money from the village, the Hyuga clan’s reputation would truly be tarnished.