Playmates and Guards! - Naruto: The Primal Hyuga Pierces the Shinobi World

After a period of deliberation, Minato Namikaze finally understood Danzō's intention.

While protecting the Hyūga might not be entirely an excuse, and Danzō might genuinely harbor such thoughts, his primary goal was to use this opportunity to embed his own spies within the Hyūga Clan.

Namikaze Minato had a few political allies in Konoha Village. The Hyūga, due to their close relationship with him, were reluctantly one of them. Suppressing the Hyūga was essentially a subtle way of restricting Minato.

Minato naturally wouldn't agree to let Root ninjas interfere. However, Hyūga Hiashi had led a large number of elites out of Konoha, leaving the Main Family with only the old, weak women and children. The recent assassination attempt served as a reminder to Minato that he absolutely had to protect Hiashi's family.

The morning sunlight streamed through the window. Minato sat behind his desk, contemplating for a long time, still struggling to decide whom to send to guard the Hyūga. His usable leverage was simply too limited...

However, a moment later, a light flashed in Minato's eyes, and he had an idea.

...

Inside the Hokage's office.

Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi stood before Minato's desk, quietly listening to Minato and Hyūga Shin's conversation.

"Lord Shin, I plan to let Shisui and Kakashi assist in protecting Hyūga Shinichi."

"They are both very outstanding ninjas of the Village. On Shinichi's path of growth, they can serve as both opponents and partners."

"Furthermore, they are young, and Shisui and Shinichi already know each other. They should have many common topics."

"After what happened, I am very concerned about Shinichi's safety. During Hiashi's absence, let the Village shoulder the task of protecting the Main Family."

"The duration will be until Hiashi returns to the Village."

Hyūga Shin was now the spokesperson for the Main Family, so consulting with him on specific matters was the right thing to do.

Minato, after careful consideration, selected the people who would assist the Branch Family guards in protecting Shinichi: Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi. These were the two most outstanding ninjas he could deploy.

Although neither was very old, their strength was beyond doubt. Shisui was the Uchiha's most talented genius, and Kakashi had already matured into an excellent ninja. With them present and the assistance of the Branch Family guards, safety should be guaranteed.

Another factor in Minato's consideration was that both Kakashi and Shisui were orphans, meaning they could reside in the Hyūga compound for a long-term assignment without family interference.

Hyūga Shin, standing nearby, was seriously scrutinizing Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi, deep in thought. Unlike Minato, Hyūga Shin did not feel the Main Family needed protection from the Hokage's side. He trusted his clan members to protect Shinichi. Moreover, Shinichi's personal strength was immense.

As the Clan Elder, he, like Hiashi, was very concerned about Shinichi's training. Unlike the busy Clan Head, Hiashi, the Elder Shin had plenty of free time. His greatest pleasure was watching Shinichi train and grow rapidly. In the entire Hyūga Clan, only Hyūga Shin understood Shinichi's ability best, besides Shinichi himself.

Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi... They were indeed geniuses, but Shinichi truly didn't need their protection.

However...

This matter could not be viewed solely from the perspective of protection. Directly rejecting the goodwill released by the Fourth Hokage would be impolite.

Furthermore, there was another important point: Hyūga Shin felt Shinichi needed peers to spend time with and communicate with. The main family's children did not attend the Ninja Academy. No matter how mature Shinichi was, in Shin's eyes, he was still a child. A child of his age needed playmates.

"Fourth Hokage, thank you for your concern for our Hyūga Clan."

"Please trouble yourself with this matter."

"Also, let's treat this as a mission officially issued by the Hyūga Clan to the Village."

"We Hyūga will pay the Village and the two of them a reward, based on the standard of an A-rank mission."

Namikaze Minato was humble, even using the honorific "sama" when addressing Hyūga Shin. Hyūga Shin reciprocated, giving Minato face while also providing tangible benefits to Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi.

Hyūga Shin's consideration pleased Minato. Cooperating with a mature and intelligent person like Hyūga Shin was always enjoyable. Although Kakashi and Shisui never cared about money, Hyūga Shin's generosity made them feel appreciated, warming their hearts.

...

Hyūga Shinichi received the news in the afternoon. Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui quickly packed their belongings and officially moved into the Hyūga compound.

The A-rank escort mission standard meant they were essentially personal bodyguards. After being assigned their quarters, Kakashi and Shisui were brought to the dojo to meet Shinichi. Seeing Shisui and Kakashi arrive and understanding their intent, Shinichi truly felt what it meant to be part of the "Privileged Class."

"Brother Shisui, Senior Kakashi."

"Just treat this as friends visiting each other; there's no need to be so reserved."

Shinichi smiled as he greeted the two, who were fully armed and serious.

"No, this is a protection mission."

"Friendship is one thing, the mission is another." Shisui, instead of Kakashi, said solemnly. His serious demeanor made Shinichi scratch his head. Seeing Kakashi's equally earnest expression, Shinichi assumed Kakashi agreed with Shisui's statement.

"Brother Shisui, don't be so serious."

"How about you give me some tips on shuriken throwing technique? Your throwing skill is a goal I aim for."

Since mastering the Flying Thunder God, shuriken and kunai throwing had been a focus of Shinichi's training.

However, his talent in this area was not outstanding, and he couldn't compare to Shisui. Using this as an excuse, Shinichi hoped Shisui would guide him while simultaneously helping them both relax and be less reserved. Since they were comrades who would likely fight together in the future, Shinichi didn't view himself as a high-and-mighty employer.

"This..." Despite his hesitation, Shisui was quickly pulled into the center of the dojo by Shinichi. Hyūga Kazutaka, sensing the opportunity, quickly set up targets.

At Shinichi's enthusiastic invitation, Shisui no longer refused. Sparring with shuriken throwing would not interfere with his protection mission. Kakashi also did not object. He quickly surveyed the dojo environment, then stayed close by.

Shisui's Shurikenjutsu was outstanding. His application of the shuriken far exceeded Kakashi's expectations.

Watching Shisui casually throw several shuriken that collided mid-air and curved to hit distant targets, even Kakashi, who was already a Jōnin, was impressed. Uchiha Itachi's Shuriken jutsu was guided by Shisui.

If he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, Shinichi would have thought someone was boasting if they told him someone could use kunai throwing to lock down a Rinnegan's shared vision. But such an incredible feat truly happened.

That was the last glimmer of glory for the kunai throwing technique in the future "Gundam" wars. Shinichi, having mastered the Flying Thunder God, naturally craved this skill.

...

With Kakashi and Uchiha Shisui moving into the Hyūga compound, Shinichi's life became fulfilling and diverse. The two were technically guards, but more often served as Shinichi's sparring partners and playmates. The three were all geniuses, living together, researching Ninjutsu, and practicing Taijutsu together. Everyone's strength increased rapidly.

Chapter 78 - Playmates and Guards!