- ? (Naruto)

Naruto immediately looked at Homura while feeling a bit puzzled by Homura's strange behavior.

Though Naruto hasn't realized it yet, Homura has an innate fear of being sneaked on or having people take his back.

This is due to Homura being afraid of his deeds or parentage ever being found out, and now that he has been around Naruto for so long; that fear has done nothing but further exasperate.

-... I-I (???)

The person who had interrupted Naruto's and Homura's little tirade of blame and denial happened to be a petite girl with a short haircut bowl-like haircut or whatever kind of haircut she is sporting...

Even though she had interrupted them, she could barely form a sentence since then.

She wasn't even looking at the 2 boys.

She seemed to have intentionally avoided their gaze this entire time.

-....(I-I have to properly thank them.) (???)

But soon enough, she raised her head and seemed to have something to say... Homura freaked out!

- Eh!!! (Holy sh*t! The f*ck!? A Yokai! )

Homura was taken for a loop when he looked at the girl's eyes.

Although nothing about the girl in front of him was previously abnormal or noteworthy, However, it rapidly changed as soon as she raised her head... her most distinguishing feature was exposed for him to see.

It was her eyes... her seemingly blank-looking eyes...

This shocked Homura.

So much that he could not help himself to be taken aback by her eyes and even backed away a little... as if he was scared of her.

In truth, he was scared... a little.

Not that he would admit to that.

However, that did not change the fact that her eyes were nothing of the likes he had ever witnessed.

They seemed otherworldly even.

Thus, he could not hide the surprise on his face and reacted the way he did. 

Not that it was ever his intention to react the way he did but... her eyes were just a bit too much for him to get used to it and hide his thoughts.

Especially more so, since such eyes did not exist in his previous world.

... It was as if the girl in front of him lacked irises.

The thought of it being true; made Homura uncomfortable to no end.

-!! (???)

The short-haired girl seeing this, could not help herself but look away from Homura; due to his untamed reaction...

- Homura! That's rude! How could you act like that?! (Naruto)

- S-shut up!!! (What the!? What the actual f*ck!? H-How is he not freaking out!? That yokai's e-eyes are... Eyes?)

- What did you say! (Naruto)

Naruto seemed to be ready to attack Homura at any time but a voice soon calmed him down.

- N-no it's ok... (???)

- Huh!? but... (Naruto)

The girl tried to defend Homura, even though she was the one who was made to feel uncomfortable due to Homura's behavior and the way he looked at her.

A look, full of suspicion.

... but it soon turned into a look of someone experiencing extreme confusion.

- ... Naruto, I will wait for you over there...- said Homura pointing at a tree with his index finger.

He also soon left after he said that, without waiting for a response from Naruto.

Thus, leaving the latter a bit flabbergasted by the entire thing.

- Huh? W-wait!...That guy... what is up with him today?... (Naruto)

Before Naruto had even a chance to finish his sentence, Homura had already started running and was far away from Naruto.

His speed was pretty fast for a kid, but not too fast... at least not too farfetched for the standards of the people living within this world.

-(T-that girl... was she Hinata?... Those eyes... those whitish-looking eyes, were different from the anime but... it has to be her. But on a closer look, her irises are clearly defined... I was just surprised by it since it took me off guard... I definitely wasn't scared. Damn Horror movies! Why did you have to condition me to be afraid of the unknown.)

Homura was an avid watcher of Horror movies in his past life. 

Not that he liked them specifically but he did like to watch movies with a great amount of suspense and films that were not mainstream or for pretentious douchebags. 

Hinata's eyes did remind him a bit of that.

Unlike the portrayal of the Hyuga's eye color in the anime being lavender, what Homura saw was more akin to what he remembered their depiction in the manga.

...pure white.

As the namesake of their kekkei genkai is referred to as the white eye... the eyes of Hinata Hyuga were white, or at least of a whitish hue... there is no denying that.

He could not get it wrong, from how close he had been to her only a few seconds ago.

Although he was not right next to her, he was still close enough to her in range; to not mistake what he had seen.

-(... Hyuga Hinata.)

Hinata Hyuga.

Also known as the current Hyuga clan's patriarch; firstborn daughter.

As well as the next heir of the main house of the Hyuga clan.

Incidentally, she was also the woman that Naruto would marry in the future.

-(W-why was she over there... and by herself?)

It is not every day you see the daughter of a clan head in a random part of the village.

Especially alone and seemingly without supervision of any kind.

Clans like the Hyuga clan, are different from clans like the Uchiha, Nara, or even the Akemichi.

Some clans elect their leaders and some don't.

Unlike the Uchihas, which are pretty much just a group of people who happen to share blood ties and live together in the same area; and have a designated leader and elders to represent them.

The Hyuga is a bit more complicated in the way their clan is structured.

They are separated into a main and side branch.

It is not just the Hyuga, but some clans have what is called the main family which is protected and rules their entire clan's affairs or has the final say in the matters pertaining to their clan.

The Hyuga main branch seems to act in that kind of manner as well.

The Hyuga's main branch is pretty much considered their royal family, which the side branch has to be loyal towards and give their life; if the need ever arrives.

... In other words, not a great deal.

For those in the side branch.

Which is like 99 percent.

But If you are part of the main branch, then you have a pretty easy life... well, not everyone.

Exceptions are always a factor in life. 

Regardless of that, it is undeniable that the main branch has privileges that the side branch can only dream of.

At least the people within the main branch, don't have an ugly seal plastered onto their forehead that can kill them at any moment.  

They have bodyguards, caretakers, and just overall general staff to help them in whatever matter they need assistance with... the side branch has to help and provide them with whatever they may need, even though they are all related to them in one way or another.

Cases like Neji who is directly related to Hinata by being cousins, or his father who is the twin brother of the current patriarch also exist.

It is a far cry from the other noble clan in Konoha with a Doujutsu.

Sasuke's family is pretty normal in comparison.

If you don't count the fact that his father was trying to entice his 13-year-old son to get involved in a coup d'état that might have destroyed the entire village... or still could.

Anyway, regardless of that... questionable story or moment, there is no doubt that Sasuke's family is pretty normal... when still omitting events that may occur in the future and their Kekkei genkai needing to kill close friends or steal the eyes of closely related individuals. 

For example, there are no real differences between Itachi and Shisui.

There are plenty of differences but for this example to work, we have to omit all of them. 

... there are no real differences between Itachi and Shisui.

Except for the fact, that one is expected to be the next clan leader due to being the son of the current leader and perhaps being more of a genius.

Itachi does not have a purer Sharingan due to his heritage or is considered to be special because of his blood.

Blood purity or privilege in the Uchiha clan isn't really a thing... unless it would actively put their kekkei genkai in danger.

-(I've heard that... Uchihas choose their leaders because of their fighting prowess and not because of blood ties, but I am not too sure if that is true. Otherwise, that would make Madara and Sasuke directly related and that does not seem to be the case. I am almost certain that Madara lived and died alone... well Obito and the Zetsus were there, but still... to meet Hinata all alone like that was... unexpected to say the least. Does she just wander around town... alone... all the time? If that is true... I might need to rethink my current strategy. However...)

Homura had thought of getting the drop on Hinata, in order to get a few strands of her DNA samples.

Unfortunately for him, he did not really bring with him; any of the needed tools and he wasn't mentally prepared for any of that at the moment.

Not that he would give up this easily, but the cons, simply outweighed the pros of this situation.

Even if he did manage to steal her DNA, because she had seemingly no bodyguards around to escort her... what next?

Naruto was here...and he most likely had someone guarding him... not at all times, but probably most times, not that Homura had any way of knowing that. 

Regardless of that fact, what would even do with her DNA at the moment?

Would he inject her blood within himself?

Is he going to try to learn the gentle fist?

Will he even be able to awaken the byakugan?

Will he lose one of his sharingans due to the byakugan?

Is he going to change his entire routine in order to try to learn how to use the byakugan?

The byakugan does not require trauma or strong emotions to awaken, so it is a better alternative and it seems that more Hyugas are born with it than Uchihas with the sharingans, although there is no proof of such a fact anywhere.

Not only that, but it is also a heavily kept secret of the hidden leaf and the Hyuga clan.

Something, that he did not even know if he could ever get from her DNA alone.

Perhaps he could pass it down to his descendants... but at that point, it would simply be useless to him.

Growing an entire organ or changing one, was far beyond the level of anything he had attempted at the moment.

-( Byaku-sharingan...?...that... that sounds stupid. I don't think anyone could make it sound credible. Not even with Madara's voice. And I accepted that he grew a face on his chest due to injecting someone else's DNA without suffering from any issues... Wait! Will, I also grow a Hinata's face on my chest as well?... that could explain how Shin got all those eyeballs. I need to start studying more or go to the library.)... *sigh* Great! I hate reading! (at least for the biology and language stuff. I am more of a physics and IT guy.)

There was no sure way that he would know if he could do it, without prior proof or experimenting on himself... not that he was too fond of the idea.

Besides, If caught by anyone in a seat of power or the Hyuga clan... how will he explain himself?

Will they plaster that evil tattoo onto his forehead as well?

What will he do if his dark eyes turn white forever?

Won't that just draw more unwanted attention onto himself?

... So in other words, Hinata being there was just more of a pain in the ass for him, than a positive thing.

It was just making him, unable to control himself due to the greed he was experiencing.

It was starting to affect his mental judgment and overall reasoning.

Not only that her being here was an entire set of problems that he wanted to avoid.

In fact, he wanted to avoid meeting more troublesome people.

He was already too close to the jinchuriki of the village and had beef with Sasuke... even if he would never admit it.

Not that the latter reason, would be easily exposed.

However, the more threads leading to himself and the more dangerous his existence and survival may become.

Not just because of Danzo, but anyone with a nefarious agenda could start paying attention to him or worse; being forcefully used by them...

He had seen plenty of examples of that within the anime.

He wasn't ready for any of that, and he knew that Hiruzen did not set up that kind of protection for him... just from watching the anime he knew that Hiruzen's personality was that of a soft/cheap/perverted bastard.

It was both a grace for him but also a nightmare. 

In the words of a famous and dead avenger... It just wasn't a great plan.

Overall, his profile was already too big for a random orphan.

So getting close to the Hyuga's little princess was a step too many!

A step, that he wasn't willing to take... at least not at the moment.

Besides, he already knew when exactly he would get his best chance to get her DNA, and if they happen to be in the same class; the chances would be far greater.

-( This just confirms it. I need to keep a close eye on Naruto, at all times! If I knew this ahead of time... I could have planned something!) *sigh* what a waste.

There were too many eyes, or more specifically, there were simply too many people that saw Homura in his current location for him to deny anything; if he had taken the opportunity for granted and to stole Hinata's DNA.

He would need to get creative in order to come out on top without any suspicions... in other words, it wasn't worth the headache.

- Huh!? ( Now that I think about it... why did I freeze like that? Her eyes were a bit scary but... why?)

Homura's reaction towards Hinata's eyes was indeed strange, not just to the person he made feel uncomfortable; but he himself was quite confused as well.

Little did he know that there was a reason to it... but it had to do when he was much, much younger.

- Hey, Homura what happened out there? (Naruto)

Homura looked at the young boy rushing towards him, from the path he had just taken.

- Huh? You too. You're back early... What happened?

- Eh?! Nothing, really! My scarf had gotten damaged by those guys from before and she was apologizing for it. (Naruto)

- You mean the guys that beat your ass!

- I-It wasn't a fair fight! (Naruto)

- Sur-! Wait!? Why did she apologize for that?

- Oh! They were picking on her first and I protected her! Hehehe! (Naruto)

-... It didn't seem like that to me, though. (Always playing the hero... what is wrong with this guy?)

- S-shut up! I told you! They got the drop on me!

- Sure, sure. Let's just go! (Naruto)

Homura started walking away.

He was tired of having to argue more than needed to with Naruto, their conversations never seemed to end.

It was always back and forth. 

But also because the cold weather was starting to get onto his nerves.

He was wearing sandals.

Which was the casual wear within this world.

The sandal industry must be a very good business within this world is the thought that popped up inside Homura's head. 

Regardless of that, it is not exactly the most appropriate thing to wear in cold weather.

- Hey, wait for me! (Naruto)

-...

Naruto called out to Homura, but the latter ignored him and continued walking; seemingly preoccupied with something else. 

One thing was bothering him throughout this whole exchange.

-(A scarf, huh? A scarf... Why does that sound familiar?... actually this whole thing sounds familiar for some reason... but I can't just seem to put my finger on it... whatever...)

If the situation did sound familiar it was because his mind had repressed a lot of things but he also did not have the full story of a specific movie that he hated and could not bother to pay attention to.

Nonetheless, he knew that this moment was special for Naruto's life and he didn't want any part in it. 

He didn't want to disturb Naruto and Hinata.

Those 2 were not to be disturbed.

If he interferes too much with the timeline when those 2 are involved, he may get a Toruto or Maruto and perhaps something even worse... although, to him, anything was better than Boruto.

So it was not like he felt that anything was lost for it.

Little did he know that he had already interfered in a very important moment for the 2.

But was that worth the trouble?

Who knows... Homura is not too picky about the entire idea of preserving the timeline.

In fact, he doesn't give a rat's ass about the timeline, or its integrity.

If Kaguya or Madara were to win in the end, he is ok with it... since that meant he had failed in his plans and ambitions.

At least, he would go peacefully and end up turning into a Zetsu... not that he is too fond of the idea either.

But it was an outcome that was worth realistically considering.

The world after that whole debacle was not something that he cared about in any fashion.

He only cared that the war happens, more or less in the same manner that it did in the manga.

Only during the 4th shinobi great war, could he get Zetsu DNA or the DNA of reanimated corpses of powerful/deceased shinobis who would be brought back to life (somewhat) with edo tensei.

Some would be random sacrifices used as a medium to perform the jutsu, while some would use their original bodies as a medium alongside the sacrifice of a random person.

Whatever the case may be, it was the best way for Homura to get stronger.

With everyone busy with the war, and at the same overall location.

He will have all the time he needs to plan accordingly and move freely.

Whatever the situation or state of the world might be at that time, the 4th shinobi world war was the moment that would define Homura's life and future within this world.

chapter end

*Sorry for the late update, busy with life but things should be more stable next month *