The blood-red moonlight gradually faded. As Namikaze Minato, the Third Hokage, and his Anbu departed one after another, only the Hyūga Clan elites remained in the forest.
Having just struggled against a monster like the Nine-Tails, the Hyūga ninjas were now slumped on the ground, recovering their physical strength and celebrating their survival from such a creature.
Hiashi looked back at his resting clansmen. He did not rush Shinichi to take them back to Konoha but began discussing Shinichi's future arrangements with him.
The way the ninja world cultivated geniuses was slightly different from what Shinichi had imagined. It was beyond doubt that he, as the Main Family heir, would be well-protected by the Hyūga Clan members. However, this did not mean the Hyūga Clan would treat Shinichi like a flower in a greenhouse, merely confining him to the compound for physical Ninjutsu practice.
Every powerful ninja grew through a baptism of sweat and blood. Both the Hyūga and the Uchiha, as great clans of Konoha, deeply understood this point.
Uchiha Itachi showed talent far surpassing his peers early on. The Third Great Ninja War was incredibly brutal; Konoha Village not only sent young ninjas to the battlefield, but its homeland was also subjected to enemy attacks. The Uchiha, as the Konoha Military Police Force, had also joined the battlefield early.
It was precisely at the age of four that Uchiha Fugaku, taking advantage of a mission, brought Itachi to the battlefield. Hyūga Shinichi was the same age as Uchiha Itachi; while Shinichi was training in the compound, Itachi had already experienced battle.
Hiashi had always secretly compared Shinichi to the Uchiha. A little over a year ago, Shinichi seemed immature in Hiashi's eyes.
But now, having mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and remaining calm even under the threat of the Tailed Beast, Shinichi was qualified to step onto the battlefield.
Considering Shinichi's development, and also to surpass the Uchiha, Hiashi hoped Shinichi would make a name for himself in the ninja world. Using his authority to recommend Shinichi for the Special Jōnin rank was Hiashi's first move. By having his son become a Special Jōnin while that Uchiha boy (Sasuke) was still languishing in the Ninja Academy, the Hyūga Clan would be "far ahead" in reputation!
Of course, Hiashi also greatly valued Shinichi's own thoughts. His conversation now was a consultation, checking if Shinichi had any opinions or ideas about this.
"Recommend me to be a Special Jōnin?"
"Is that really possible?"
"Besides, I don't think I'm even a Genin yet, am I?"
"And becoming a ninja and performing the Village's missions, wouldn't that mean I won't have much time left for training?"
Shinichi wasn't particularly against becoming a Special Jōnin; he was only concerned that his training time would be reduced.
As a ninja, he naturally understood the importance of accumulating combat experience. However, at the same time, Shinichi didn't feel he needed to gain strength this way right now. He still had much to learn, and this was the time his body was still growing.
The benefits of training were undoubtedly immense, so there was no need to be so hasty. He was different from Hiashi; he didn't have that intense desire for comparison. He only wanted to proceed steadily along his own path, step by step.
"Hmm... Shinichi, you are underestimating yourself."
"Or rather, you are underestimating the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"A Special Jōnin is different from a regular Jōnin. One can become a Special Jōnin by possessing expertise in a certain area that others cannot match."
"With your mastery of the Flying Thunder God and the Byakugan, my recommendation guarantees you the rank of Special Jōnin!"
"It doesn't matter that you are not even a Genin yet."
"Once you become a Special Jōnin, you don't need to worry too much about missions taking up your training time."
"Our Hyūga Main Family rarely steps onto the battlefield unless necessary. Unless you volunteer, no one can force you to take missions you don't want to do."
"Making you a Special Jōnin is simply to give you the qualification to be inserted into certain suitable missions when they arise in the Village."
"Of course, I will discuss and weigh the mission difficulty with you. It will both ensure your safety and give you adequate tempering."
"The main purpose is your tempering."
Hyūga Hiashi's plan was shrewd. As a Special Jōnin, Shinichi would be qualified to participate in missions of all difficulties in the Village, from Rank E to Rank S. Hiashi intended to select appropriate missions for Shinichi's tempering based on his skill and experience at different periods.
Furthermore, being born into the Hyūga Main Family gave them the privilege of choice. If necessary, they could even refuse the Hokage's assignments.
For ordinary ninjas, every mission was a trial of life and death, and during wartime, many missions were certain death sentences. But for the Hyūga Main Family, Konoha's mission system was merely their training ground: missions with low danger would be taken to gain experience and prestige, and missions with high danger would be avoided.
This could be seen in the future of Team 8, led by Kurenai. Team 8, which included Hyūga Hinata, rarely took on high-risk missions, even after Hiashi had essentially given up on Hinata. Furthermore, their Jōnin sensei, Kurenai, even managed to date and become pregnant.
This was completely different from Kakashi, who spent months in the hospital after a few missions, and vastly different from Asuma, who died on the frontline.
When Hinata and Naruto pursued Sasuke together later, it was a collective action by a large force. Even so, Hinata needed others to remind her to use her Byakugan, showing how lacking her combat experience was—a disadvantage caused by excessive protection.
Shinichi listened carefully to Hiashi's explanation. After a brief consideration, he nodded silently. If becoming a Special Jōnin didn't mean that Konoha would forcibly assign him missions and waste his training time, then this was acceptable. If there were suitable missions for him to practice and opportunities to fight different people, Shinichi would naturally accept it.
"Thank you, Father."
"Please go to the trouble of recommending me for the Special Jōnin rank."
Shinichi bowed slightly to Hyūga Hiashi. In front of so many clan members, Shinichi gave his father the full respect due.
"What nonsense are you saying?"
"This is because you are excellent enough!"
Hiashi laughed happily and patted Shinichi's head.
Then, after the Hyūga clan members had rested, Shinichi used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring everyone back to the compound. Upon arriving home, Hiashi gave a few instructions to the clan members before dismissing them.
That night, although Shinichi could sleep peacefully after returning home, the disaster caused by the Nine-Tails continued to affect many villagers. The Konoha Hospital was overcrowded. No one knew how many families were unable to sleep peacefully that night.
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