Naruto: Copy System

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"Hinata is adorable, but she doesn't let anyone touch her."

Kushina grumbled, watching Hinata sit obediently beside Shin. 'I'm not that scary, am I? Why is Hinata so afraid of me?'

Every time she tried to pat Hinata's head, the little girl would flinch away in panic.

"That just means you lack charm," Shin said with a smile.

"Shin, are you saying I'm not charming?" Kushina gritted her teeth, clenching her fists and glaring threateningly at Shin.

However, Shin didn't feel threatened in the slightest.

"Is Hinata going to live with us from now on?" Mikoto asked Shin.

"Yes, Hinata will be living with us from now on."

Shin had already spoken to Hinata about it, and she had agreed to stay with him.

"That means we'll see Hinata every day,"

Konan smiled faintly at Hinata, who immediately lowered her head, tightly gripping Shin's clothes.

"The Hyūga defected. You actually pulled it off. That's… impressive." Tsunade was still amazed that Shin had managed to convince the entire Hyūga Clan to defect

Shin had already told them about the Hyūga defection.

"I only played a small part. The Hyūga decided to defect mainly because of their dissatisfaction with Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi."

Shin's few words were enough to push Hiashi over the edge primarily because Hiashi was already resentful towards Konoha and Hiruzen.

"Sigh… I feel like Konoha might completely decline in the future."

Tsunade sighed.

Konoha was founded jointly by the Senju and Uchiha clans. The Hyūga were the most prominent clan after them.

Now, the Senju Clan only consisted of her and Nawaki, and they had severed ties with Konoha. The Hyūga Clan had defected entirely.

As for the remaining Uchiha Clan… Tsunade knew about their strained relationship with Konoha. They would likely follow the same path eventually.

"They brought it upon themselves. If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't pulled his stunts, I might still be in Konoha."

Shin hadn't initially planned to leave Konoha either, but Hiruzen's actions had been too repulsive. Shin couldn't be bothered to stay.

"Enough about that. I suddenly feel so wronged," Mei Terumī said glumly.

During the Third Shinobi World War—she had only intended to rest temporarily in the Land of Whirlpools, but ended up staying and later becoming a Kirigakure Missing-nin.

"Why do you feel wronged? Have you been mistreated here?"

Shin habitually flicked Mei Terumī's forehead, making the already dejected girl feel even more wronged.

"You bully me every day."

Mei Terumī felt like she'd become their punching bag. She'd lost count of how many times her forehead had been flicked.

"Ahem, sorry, it's become a habit," Shin coughed lightly, apologizing awkwardly to the teary-eyed Mei Terumī.

"...."

Mei Terumī looked at Shin indignantly.

'A habit??' She told herself she was a strong girl; she wouldn't cry. Absolutely not.

"Alright, I swear I won't randomly flick your forehead anymore."

Shin patted Mei Terumī's head comfortingly, causing her to blush slightly.

"Oh? Mei, you're blushing," Kushina pointed out.

"No, I'm not! Don't be ridiculous!"

Mei Terumī wasn't the bold, alluring Mizukage she would become in the future; she was still easily embarrassed. If it were the future Mei Terumī, she probably would have teased Kushina right back.

——

News of the Hyūga Clan's defection had spread throughout the Shinobi world.

"The Hyūga Clan defected?"

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sneered. This was good news for Sunagakure.

Suna had lost the Third Shinobi World War and was forced into an alliance with Konoha.

However, Rasa, though not particularly strong, was ambitious. He had never given up on attacking Konoha.

As for the alliance treaty? It was just a piece of worthless paper, easily discarded when convenient.

——

In Iwagakure, Ōnoki laughed uncontrollably upon hearing the news, much to his son Kitsuchi's concern. Had his father finally lost it?

"Lord Tsuchikage, are you alright?" Kitsuchi asked cautiously.

"I'm fine! Better than ever!" Ōnoki laughed.

"Good news from Konoha! The Hyūga Clan defected!" Ōnoki handed the intelligence report to Kitsuchi.

Honestly, Ōnoki found Konoha's constant internal turmoil hilarious.

First, Shin Uzumaki left for unknown reasons, likely related to Konoha's leadership. Ōnoki was grateful for that; a Konoha with Shin Uzumaki could have conquered the world.

Then, Hatake Sakumo, a Kage-level powerhouse, was driven to suicide by his own village.

Ōnoki had rejoiced at that news too.

Shortly after the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha suffered the Nine-Tails Incident, losing their Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

And now, the Hyūga Clan had defected. What did Konoha have left? Only the old man Hiruzen Sarutobi holding things together.

Ōnoki was eagerly awaiting the inevitable conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. Though he didn't know all the details, he was aware of the friction between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha.

That conflict was bound to erupt eventually. When it did, it would be a fight to the death.

Regardless of the outcome, it would only benefit Iwagakure.

"The Hyūga Clan defected… and succeeded? Is Konoha that weak?" Kitsuchi asked Ōnoki, puzzled.

Ōnoki stopped laughing and fell into thought. He'd been so caught up in his gloating that he hadn't considered that point. If Kitsuchi hadn't brought it up, he might have overlooked it.

"The intel doesn't mention how they succeeded. Looks like we need to investigate this further."

Ōnoki felt it was necessary to find out how the Hyūga Clan managed to escape Konoha. A clan, no matter how strong, couldn't possibly defeat an entire village, could they?

It was absolutely impossible.

In Ōnoki's eyes, the Hyūga Clan was decent, but not exceptional, certainly not comparable to the Uchiha.

If the Uchiha Clan had successfully defected, Ōnoki wouldn't have been so surprised.

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