Easy Chapter 782 Second Goal, This Time It's Hinata

Nightfall.

Naruto’s Home, Living Room.

“I’m sorry, I take back what I said this morning.” Yugao bowed her head, her usually unchanging expression now filled with shame.

She suddenly felt incredibly foolish… nothing like an Anbu Commander should be. Lately, her mind hadn’t been sharp, as she kept being driven by the village’s stance and interests.

It frustrated her immensely. She had become an Anbu Commander to grow stronger, to gain a more prominent status. One day, she hoped to meet Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari’s teacher, Baki, and kill him with her own hands.

But now, it felt like she was moving in the opposite direction. What stupid things had she been doing lately? Letting the enemy lead her by the nose… attending the Five Kage Summit, then gathering personnel to root out the White Zetsu’s clones in the village.

Everything had seemed normal, even made her somewhat complacent. But now, it felt like a slap in the face.

Had they really cleared them all out? They had fallen right into another one of the enemy’s traps!

“What did you say this morning?” Naruto didn’t seem bothered, holding a glass of ice water as he drank.

The temperature outside wasn’t high, dropping to nearly two or three degrees after nightfall, yet Naruto still enjoyed sipping ice water while thinking things through.

There weren’t many things that made him use his brain, but Kabuto was a worthy opponent.

“I…”

“You said you’d ensure Ino and Hinata’s safety, but you couldn’t even handle a few stray White Zetsu. You were played for fools.” Naruto retorted.

“Yes.” Yugao had nothing to say in response. That was indeed the truth.

By now, she had accepted the fact that she was truly incompetent.

She might handle things well under normal circumstances, but when faced with this kind of twisted, indirect conflict, she still struggled.

She no longer had the face to bring up Naruto going to the front lines. If she couldn’t even resolve his concerns about those left behind, what right did she have to say anything?

Yugao left, her pride thoroughly bruised.

At the same time, she realized the enemy wasn’t as simple as they appeared on the surface. There might be deeper meaning behind why this war had started during this long winter.

…

Hokage’s Office.

Kakashi had a headache, rubbing his temples. Not far from him were several large display screens. A curvaceous woman with a similarly stern expression spoke gravely.

“The sea has already started freezing. Our people can’t get through. It’ll take at least a month for them to arrive.”

“A month?”

“The war will already be decided in a month. What’s the point of reinforcements by then?”

After the Five Kage confirmed their alliance, they often needed to communicate while organizing their respective troops.

The intelligence department had moved the conference equipment directly into the Hokage’s Office.

Even late at night, the Five Kage were still discussing military affairs.

Due to the winter freeze, it was difficult for Shinobi Forces from various countries to assemble. The waters outside the Land of Water had already frozen over. Deploying troops would take three months, or a month at the earliest.

The situation wasn’t much better in Kumogakure. The Samurai of the Land of Iron weren’t afraid of the cold, but they weren’t of much use.

Generally, wars rarely broke out in winter.

People needed to eat, and marching in winter conditions was extremely harsh. A single misstep could lead to getting caught in a blizzard. No one would choose to start a war in winter for this reason.

But the White Zetsu didn’t need to eat. They were merely clones, completely obedient to Kabuto’s orders.

“How is the situation in the Land of Fire, Hokage?”

Hearing someone call him, Kakashi quickly opened his eye, suppressing a yawn. He had been working nonstop for two days without a moment’s rest.

“Cough, the situation in the Land of Fire has temporarily stabilized. The five thousand White Zetsu from the border have been temporarily repelled.” Kakashi said with a serious expression.

In truth, it wasn’t that they had repelled them… the White Zetsu had retreated on their own. The White Zetsu in Konoha had been screened once, but whether any remained was still unclear.

Just as Kakashi was zoning out, the Five Kage’s meeting concluded.

Knock, knock, knock.

The office door was knocked.

Hinata carefully opened the door and breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw it was Naruto.

“Come in first.”

“Okay.”

Naruto was also curious about why she was so urgently looking for him. He bent down to change his shoes, only to find Hinata already kneeling down, naturally helping him into a pair of warm cotton slippers.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Do you still remember what I told you last time?” Hinata looked nervous, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.

“Don’t…?”

“You’re so annoying!” Hinata’s face flushed red as she punched him lightly. After punching him, she pulled him over to sit on the sofa. This was her room alone, but it was even larger than Naruto’s living room and bedroom combined.

“Not that!” She said, slightly annoyed.

“Well, then it’s hard to guess. You like to endure and don’t like to speak up.” Naruto said with a grin, still unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

“Naruto.”

“Hmm?”

“I think… I might be pregnant.”

“Huh?!” Naruto froze, unable to laugh now.

‘First, Ino was pregnant, and now Hinata was pregnant.’

Although… although he had been mentally prepared, he hadn’t expected the odds to be 100%, ‘Were my fertility really that good?’

“Naruto, you… what’s wrong?”

“I’m happy.”

“But you don’t look happy. You seem… upset.” Hinata said, unusually hurt.

‘That’s because Ino is pregnant too.’ Naruto thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed, ‘Why did it have to be now? The village’s affairs weren’t even settled yet.’

‘That vile little Kabuto… who knew what methods he would use to continue his assassinations?’

“No, absolutely not.” Naruto quickly composed himself, swiftly covering for himself, “I was just thinking that the village isn’t safe, which makes me even more worried about you.”

“The village…” Hinata thought about what had happened during the day. Although the Anbu had dealt with those White Zetsus, she knew very well that a similar situation might happen again at any time.

If it were just her, she wouldn’t be afraid. Hinata was a Jonin herself, not some helpless weakling. But now she wasn’t alone, and she couldn’t help but worry.

“Then… what should we do?” She asked anxiously.

“It’s okay. I know a place that’s absolutely safe, lively and perfect for resting during pregnancy.” Naruto smiled, wrapping his arms around Hinata.

“But I don’t want to leave the village. My father, everyone else…” Hinata’s voice was hesitant, “Can’t I stay in the village?”

“No.” Naruto brought out the plan he had prepared long ago, speaking softly, “The situation in the village is complicated right now. Those White Zetsu are coming after me.”

“Six years ago, I offended someone. Now he wants to hurt you to make me suffer. If he finds out you’re pregnant, he’ll stop at nothing to cause trouble.”

“As long as you’re safe, everyone will be safe. Your father and everyone else will be fine. Listen to me, okay, Hinata? This will be over soon.”

“Really?” She asked.

“Mm.” Naruto nodded.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked up at Naruto and asked, “Is Ino okay?”

“She’s fine.” Naruto’s expression remained calm. He needed to keep the two separated. “She wasn’t feeling well earlier, but she’s better now.”