Chapter 16: The Correct Way to Use the Simulator
[Who is your true enemy?]
This question appeared in the evaluation of the fourth simulation.
Hyuga Hinata didn't understand.
Why, in every simulation, no matter how she acted, no matter how much she changed in between—the moment the Cloud Village threatened war, Konoha would retreat in exactly the same way.
Compromise. Every single time, compromise.
Sacrificing Uncle Hizashi—in three out of four simulations, that was the ending. It stood before her like an insurmountable chasm.
Why?
Hyuga Hinata didn't understand.
Konoha Village was clearly the strongest shinobi village. The Third Hokage was clearly the strongest Hokage. So why keep yielding to the Cloud Village's extortion again and again?
[Who is your true enemy?]
A vague answer already existed in her heart. Though she didn't know if it was correct, she had to say it: Konoha itself.
[What truly killed the one you cherish?]
It was Konoha—so weak it could only compromise!
Hinata wobbled unsteadily to her feet, swaying like someone gravely ill.
Lost and aimless, she wandered the corridors. Turning a corner, whispered gossip from several maids polishing the floor drifted into her ears.
"Hey, did you hear? The village gates were really lively today."
"What happened? Some noble visiting again?"
"Even rarer than that! It was Lady Tsunade!"
"Oh my! Really? She's been gone from the village for years now. I thought she'd never come back..."
"Tell me about it. I caught a glimpse from far away—still so beautiful, doesn't look forty-something at all."
Who was Tsunade?
"Um..."
Hinata's voice came out soft and slightly hoarse, but her sudden appearance startled the maids who'd been slacking off.
"Lady Hinata!"
"Who is this Lady Tsunade you were talking about?"
Immediately, one of the older maids looked up, eyes shining with admiration.
"Lady Tsunade is a village hero and the First Hokage's granddaughter. Along with Lord Jiraiya and Orochimaru, she was the Third Hokage's student. Together they're called the Legendary Sannin!"
"Then... why would such an amazing shinobi leave the village for so many years? And the Sannin... I don't think I've ever seen any of them."
The maids exchanged glances, all showing troubled expressions. The older maid answered hesitantly, "Well... Lady Hinata, we don't really know the details either. Just heard that back then, Lady Tsunade and Lord Third had some kind of disagreement. After that, Orochimaru defected, and then Lord Jiraiya left Konoha pursuing Orochimaru."
"After all these years, Lady Tsunade is the first of the Sannin to return to Konoha. As for more... probably only Lord Hiashi would know."
A disagreement with the village leadership...
Hinata's heart jumped. Vaguely, a flash of inspiration streaked through her mind—too fast to grasp.
She thanked the maids and turned toward her father's study.
Hyuga Hiashi sat upright at his desk handling clan affairs. Hearing the knock, he acknowledged without looking up, signaling her to enter.
Hinata pushed open the door. "Father."
"What is it?"
"I want to know... about Lady Tsunade."
Hyuga Hiashi set down his brush and looked at her. "Why are you asking about this?"
"Just curious. I heard Lady Tsunade returned to the village. Why would such an exceptional shinobi leave for so many years?"
Hinata paused slightly before continuing. "And besides... aren't shinobi forbidden from leaving the village without permission?"
Tsunade's back in the village?
Hyuga Hiashi temporarily shelved that question, studying Hinata carefully. He could sense his daughter had undergone some kind of change—especially these past few days, as if hiding secrets she wouldn't reveal.
After a moment's consideration, he decided to speak honestly. "Because she and the Third Hokage have an extremely serious disagreement."
This matched what the maids had said, but hearing Father use the words "extremely serious" suggested the truth wasn't so simple.
"What... kind of disagreement?" She couldn't help asking.
Hiashi's gaze carried more scrutiny. "It goes back to the Second Shinobi World War. The First Hokage's grandson—Tsunade's younger brother—died in that war. Tsunade is Konoha's most outstanding medical ninja, hailed as a legendary healer. She believed that if three-man squads could be equipped with medical ninja, it might greatly reduce casualties."
"Therefore, she proposed to Lord Third that every three-man squad be mandatorily equipped with one medical ninja. Even if they could only perform simple bandaging and surgery, it would let injured shinobi hold on until more skilled medical ninja arrived."
Hinata's eyes brightened momentarily before dimming again. "Lord Third didn't agree?"
"No." Hiashi's answer came crisp and direct.
"Konoha was still at war then. We simply didn't have sufficient resources or personnel to train that many medical ninja. To stabilize the village's situation, Lord Third ultimately rejected Tsunade's proposal."
Hiashi looked at her deeply before speaking with gravity. "Hinata, if you can figure out the real reason Tsunade left the village, you'll already be a qualified main family heir."
"Finally... I'll give you one more hint. Even now, Tsunade's proposal has never been implemented."
Hinata froze briefly before quietly acknowledging and leaving the study.
After this conversation, she felt much of the gloom weighing on her heart lift. Collecting herself, she returned to her room and sat at her desk, opening the Life Simulator again.
One question had been circling in Hinata's mind for a long time now. Why, during the second life simulation, had a third option suddenly appeared? Yet in the subsequent third and fourth simulations, no new options ever emerged?
Before running the second simulation, had something special happened?
She closed her eyes, struggling to recall memories from that time period.
That's right—the day before the second simulation, she'd gone to find Kiyonari.
That night, she'd confirmed whether the Life Simulator was real or fake. She'd also learned about Neji's recent situation from Kiyonari, easing her inner anxiety.
After her mindset had calmed down somewhat, the simulator had generated a third option based on her current calm state—do nothing and wait.
The Life Simulator simulates based on "my current self" as the baseline.
The knowledge I possess, my mental state, my relationships, my abilities... all of these cause the simulator to change. They're variables.
Her approach had been wrong all along. She shouldn't just struggle within the limited options the simulator provided, trying to find some illusory optimal solution. What she should do was take action in reality—proactively increase the variables!
Tsunade.
That name surfaced in her mind again. If she could befriend Lady Tsunade in reality...
That's it. This was the real method to break through!
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