Shinichi's life returned to peace. Since Shin Hyūga returned to the village, all clan affairs have been handled by Shin, finally freeing Shinichi from miscellaneous tasks and allowing him to focus on his training and ninjutsu development.
His life was busy and disciplined: bedroom, dojo, training ground—a three-point path that was anything but monotonous. The company of Kakashi Hatake, Shisui Uchiha, and Itachi Uchiha added many colors to Shinichi's childhood.
In the blink of an eye, winter passed.
Spring thunder boomed, and a fine, continuous rain fell from the sky, tapping softly on the roof tiles with a gentle white noise. The light rain soaked the earth, and the scent of fresh grass filled the courtyard.
On the long corridor in front of the dojo, Shinichi sat cross-legged by the edge, gazing up at the gray sky. Beside him, Shisui Uchiha leaned lightly against a pillar, watching the scene in the yard.
Itachi Uchiha, displaying the most childish innocence, sat barefoot on the edge of the corridor, his legs swinging back and forth, seemingly enjoying the rainy weather. As for Kakashi, a faint sadness crossed his face as he looked at the spring rain, lost in contemplation of some past memory despite his young age.
The brief respite during training was what Shinichi enjoyed the most. His time spent with Shisui, Itachi, and Kakashi was like this spring rain: quiet yet deeply nurturing. Their personalities were somewhat similar; none of them was loud or boisterous, yet their bond deepened daily through this peaceful routine.
Cloud and Mist Village Updates
Recently, the tension in Konoha has eased.
The Cloud Village was clamoring for war over the killing of their envoy, but aside from deploying troops at the border for deterrence, they made no further moves. Word had it that the Cloud Village's Two-Tails Jinchūriki had encountered problems during training. Fortunately, the Jinchūriki was training outside the village in the Cloud-Lightning Gorge.
The Tailed Beast's rampage only killed some Cloud Village guard ninja and the Jinchūriki itself, without causing major destruction to the village. However, due to the Jinchūriki incident, the Cloud Village was likely unable to launch a full-scale war at this time.
Replacing a Jinchūriki is a matter of paramount importance for a hidden village. Lacking a massive combat force, the Cloud Village had no confidence in overwhelming Konoha, so the front line remained largely a standoff, with only small-scale skirmishes involving intelligence ninja.
This mode of warfare suited Danzō Shimura perfectly; he and his Root were gaining the upper hand in the intelligence war.
Meanwhile, the battle situation on the Mist Village front was gradually becoming clear and stable, with a noticeable reduction in the number of engagements. Minato Namikaze felt that the Mist front was stabilizing and intended to recall some troops.
Having previously communicated this to the Hyūga clan, Minato planned to let Hiashi and some Branch Family ninja return to Konoha first.
However, Hiashi Hyūga declined Minato's kind offer.
The reason was simple: during his time commanding the front line, Hiashi Hyūga discovered a ninja in the Mist Village who possessed their Hyūga clan's Byakugan.
After several rounds of investigation, the Konoha side had identified the opponent as a young ninja named Ao, around thirty, with exceptional strength. The leakage of the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai was a top-priority crisis for the Hyūga clan.
Hiashi Hyūga, as the Main Family head, intended to personally lead a team to retrieve this Byakugan. His refusal of Minato's offer was partly due to this consideration. Retrieving the Byakugan during wartime would not invite criticism; however, if Konoha and the Mist Village were to sign a peace treaty afterward, reclaiming the Byakugan would be seen as undermining relations, creating extremely unfavorable public opinion for the Hyūga clan.
Ao of the Mist Village was nicknamed the "Byakugan Killer." Investigation revealed that a significant portion of the Hyūga Branch Family ninja losses on that front line had been due to ambushes planned and led by Ao. Possessing the Byakugan, Ao understood it well, making him proficient at dealing with the Byakugan-wielding Hyūga Branch Family.
Although this individual had been discovered to possess the Byakugan years ago and was on Konoha's and the Hyūga clan's wanted list, a detailed investigation revealed that he had been specifically targeting the Hyūga clan. This discovery infuriated Hiashi, and he was determined to eliminate this "Byakugan Killer" given the current opportunity.
However, the opponent seemed aware that he had become the Hyūga clan's prey. After accidentally encountering Hiashi Hyūga in one skirmish, he went into hiding and reduced his activity, turning the Hyūga clan's pursuit into a cat-and-mouse game.
Ao was already an elite Jōnin of the Mist Village with outstanding strength, and having acquired the Byakugan, his anti-reconnaissance abilities had greatly improved. This elusive mouse often led his pursuers into pre-arranged traps, causing considerable trouble for the Konoha pursuit team.
With the Hyūga clan's elite forces constantly being drawn out by the "Byakugan Killer," the front-line commander, Orochimaru, could not advance the war effort further.
While his personal strength was formidable, it did not mean that Orochimaru was invincible at this stage. After Rin Nohara's death, the Three-Tails was recovered by the Mist Village and sealed within a ninja named Yagura, who became the Jinchūriki. Yagura's body was highly compatible with the Three-Tails, and within just a few years, he had mastered its power. To counter the formidable Orochimaru in this war with Konoha, the Mist Village had this Jinchūriki personally lead their forces.
Facing the nearly perfect Jinchūriki Yagura, Orochimaru currently lacked effective countermeasures. Research on Hashirama Senju's cells had not yet reached a usable level. Though research into the White Snake system had begun, applying it to combat was still premature.
As for the forbidden technique Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation), while it was in the middle stages of development, its successful execution was still far off. That Orochimaru could maintain the current battle line against Yagura was already an outstanding achievement.
Correspondingly, the fact that the Mist Village, under Yagura's leadership, could maintain its results against Orochimaru's aggressive offense elevated Yagura's prestige within the Land of Water.
One front was a standoff, and the other was a prolonged engagement. Konoha was quite satisfied with this outcome; this situation provided Konoha with an opportunity to recuperate, and people were gradually moving beyond the shadow of the Third Great Shinobi War.
A Letter from the Front
"Dada-da—" "Brother—" "Father's letter is here!"
A rush of footsteps sounded from one end of the corridor. Turning his head, Shinichi saw Hinata, with her bobbed hair, running towards him, shouting and waving a letter in her hand. A year older after the New Year, Hinata was becoming increasingly lively, her personality distinctly different from the quiet, gentle little girl in Hiashi's memory.
Rushing to Shinichi's side, Hinata familiarly greeted Kakashi, Shisui, and the others. Then, as if asking for a reward, she handed the letter to Shinichi. As Shinichi took the letter, preparing to read it, Hinata wrapped her arms around him from behind, rested her chin on his shoulder, and peered out to ask:
"Brother, what did Father write in the letter?"
Although Hinata had started her education early, she was still young and did not recognize many characters. She could only understand a limited part of Hiashi Hyūga's letter.
"Didn't you have Mother read it to you?"
Shinichi smiled, took the paper out of the envelope, and began to read the contents quickly.
"Mother hasn't seen it yet. I brought it straight to you the moment I got it."
As she spoke, a proud expression appeared on Hinata's face. While reading the letter, Shinichi praised her with a smile: "Wow, I really have to thank you then."
"I'll take you out to buy candy later."
Shinichi coaxed Hinata. However, after finishing the content of the letter, Hiashi's expression darkened.
"What's wrong?"
Though young, Hinata was perceptive and noticed the change in Shinichi's expression, immediately asking.
"Oh, nothing, it's good news." "Father is coming back."
Even as he said this, Shinichi did not smile. Hinata, not understanding the reason for his change, immediately cheered at the news of Hiashi Hyūga's return. Shouting with joy, she "dada-da'd" away, seemingly to find Hanako to "report and claim credit."
However, Shinichi's companions were not as naive as Hinata. They could tell from Hiashi's face that something must have happened on Hiashi Hyūga's end...
"Hiashi..."
Shisui looked at Shinichi with concern. Itachi and Kakashi also turned their gaze towards him.
"My father was ambushed by the enemy on the front line. Although he successfully broke through the encirclement, he sustained some injuries, including a fractured arm and leg, and needs to return to the village for recuperation. He is currently being escorted back by Branch Family members and comrades." "This letter is barely a message of safety."
A hint of worry flashed across Shinichi's brow. Hearing the news, Kakashi came up behind Shinichi and offered comfort:
"It's normal for ninja to get injured. And you've already received your father's message of safety, so you don't need to worry." "A fracture won't be life-threatening. He'll be fine after a period of rest. Don't worry."
As a ninja himself, Kakashi felt that an injury of this degree was hardly worth stressing over.
"I'm not worried about that..." "The reason Father was ambushed was that he was trying to recover a Byakugan that had fallen into enemy hands." "He deliberately exposed himself by returning to the front to force the opponent to reveal themselves, hoping for a chance to kill the enemy." "But he was defeated in the battle with the Mist Ninja." "Father is returning under escort, and he has also written to request that my uncle, Hizashi Hyūga, lead the elite to continue the pursuit, determined to retrieve the Byakugan." "That is what worries me." "If my father couldn't accomplish it, my uncle likely can't either." "If the enemy simply sets traps centered around that ninja named Ao, as long as my Hyūga clan is intent on recovering the Byakugan, it's inevitable that they will fall into the opponent's prepared traps." "This time, my father narrowly escaped under guard. If it were my uncle, he might not come back alive."
Shinichi Hyūga's brow was tightly furrowed. As he spoke, he picked up the letter again and read it carefully one more time. The others looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Hiashi Hyūga was not just worried about his father; he was considering every person close to him.
"What do you plan to do?" Itachi asked, looking at the scene in the courtyard without turning his head. He knew Hiashi well enough to realize that he already had an idea.
"I want to personally experience the effect of the Flying Thunder God Technique when used on the battlefield."
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