The blood-red moonlight gradually faded. After Namikaze Minato, the Third Hokage, and the ANBU withdrew, only the Hyuga clan's elite remained in the forest.
They had just gone head-to-head with a monster like the Nine-Tails. Now, exhaustion washed over them. Many dropped to the ground, sitting where they stood—catching their breath and silently rejoicing that they'd survived such a nightmare.
Hyuga Hiashi glanced back at his resting clansmen, but didn't rush to have Satoru teleport them home. Instead, he turned to speak to his son about his future.
The way the ninja world nurtured geniuses was not quite as Satoru had imagined.
As a member of the Main Family, he would, of course, receive the clan's best protection—that went without saying. But that didn't mean the Hyuga intended to keep him like a delicate flower in a greenhouse, training endlessly within the clan compound.
Every powerful ninja was forged in blood and sweat. Whether Hyuga or Uchiha, every great family understood that truth.
Take Uchiha Itachi, for example—he had displayed talent far beyond his age at an early stage. During the brutal Third Great Ninja War, even children were sent to the front lines, and the village itself was attacked more than once.
As members of Konoha's Military Police, the Uchiha had joined the war effort early on. When Itachi was only four years old, his father Uchiha Fugaku had taken him to the battlefield under the pretext of a mission.
Hyuga Satoru was the same age as Itachi. While Satoru was still training safely at home, Itachi had already witnessed war firsthand.
Hiashi, who always compared the Hyuga with the Uchiha, couldn't ignore the difference.
A year ago, Satoru was still immature in his eyes. But now, having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, and having stayed calm even in the face of a tailed beast—he had already proven himself worthy to step into the real world.
For Satoru's growth—and admittedly, to match the Uchiha's progress—Hiashi wanted his son to make a name for himself in the ninja world.
His plan began with using his personal recommendation to have Satoru promoted directly to Special jonin.
If, while that Uchiha boy was still slogging through the Ninja Academy, his own son was already recognized as a Special jonin, then the Hyuga clan would be decisively ahead—at least in prestige.
Of course, Hiashi valued his son's opinion. He wasn't forcing anything—this was more of a discussion, to hear what Satoru thought.
"Recommend me to become a Special jonin?" Satoru blinked. "Is that even possible?"
"Come to think of it… I'm not even a genin yet, am I?"
"And if I become a ninja and start taking missions for the village, won't that mean less time for my own training?"
He didn't reject the idea, but he was concerned about the time commitment.
As a ninja, he understood the importance of battle experience. But at his current stage, he didn't think he needed to rush into missions to grow stronger.
There was still much for him to learn, and he was still young—the gains from focused training were enormous. He didn't share his father's competitive mindset.
He just wanted to take one steady step at a time, advancing at his own pace.
"Hmm… Satoru, you underestimate yourself," Hiashi chuckled. "Or rather—you underestimate the power of the Flying Thunder God."
"A Special jonin is not the same as an ordinary jonin. If one possesses a unique skill that others cannot match, that alone is enough for the rank."
"You've mastered the Flying Thunder God, and you possess the Byakugan. With my recommendation, your promotion is guaranteed."
"It doesn't matter that you've never been a genin."
"And as a Special jonin, you won't have to worry about missions eating into your training time."
"The Hyuga Main Family rarely goes to the front lines unless by choice. No one can force you to take missions you don't wish to."
"My goal is simply to make it easier to assign you to missions that are beneficial for your growth when the time is right."
"Of course, I'll help you assess each one—balancing safety with challenge. The purpose is to train you, not endanger you."
Hiashi's plan was clear: by granting Satoru the Special jonin title, he'd open access to every mission rank—from E to S.
He would then handpick suitable assignments based on Satoru's evolving strength and experience.
And as a member of the Hyuga Main Family, they had the privilege to refuse the Hokage's direct orders if necessary.
For ordinary shinobi, each mission was a trial between life and death. During wartime, many assignments were suicide missions.
But for the Hyuga main branch, the mission system was merely a training ground. Low-risk missions were for polishing skills and building prestige; high-risk ones could be declined.
You could see this attitude reflected later in Team 8 under Yuhi Kurenai—with Hyuga Hinata on the team, they were almost never sent on dangerous operations. Even after Hiashi had given up on her, the protection persisted.
Kurenai herself had time to fall in love and even get pregnant during her active duty—completely unlike Kakashi, who landed in the hospital every other mission, or Asuma, who ultimately died on the front lines.
By the time Hinata joined Naruto in the mission to pursue Sasuke, it was already a large-scale group operation—and yet she still needed reminders to use her Byakugan. Her lack of combat experience said everything about the downside of overprotection.
Satoru listened carefully to his father's explanation, then nodded after a brief moment of thought.
If becoming a Special jonin wouldn't mean being forced into constant missions, it didn't sound bad.
And if there were suitable tasks that could help him gain real combat experience—he could accept that.
"Thank you, Father."
"I'll trouble you to handle the recommendation process."
Satoru bowed slightly before his father, giving him full respect in front of the gathered clan members.
"What silly thing to say?" Hiashi laughed heartily, patting his son's head. "It's because you're exceptional, that's all."
Once everyone had recovered, Satoru used the Flying Thunder God to teleport the entire group back to the clan compound.
Upon returning, Hiashi dismissed the others after giving a few brief instructions.
That night, Satoru slept peacefully at home—but elsewhere in the village, the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' rampage still weighed heavily.
Konoha Hospital was overflowing with the wounded.
And across the village, countless families spent a sleepless night.
...
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