Chapter 21: The Final Life Simulation
Regardless, war's end was something worth celebrating.
However, in stark contrast to the village's atmosphere of laughter and joy, Hyuga Hinata was hiding in her room, anxiously waiting for the Life Simulator's cooldown to expire.
The Cloud delegation would send someone to scout the Hyuga compound tonight. Tomorrow they'd act. Counting the cooldown time, this was already her last simulation opportunity.
[Konoha Year 54. The Cloud Village delegation arrives, and Father becomes increasingly busy. I find an opportunity to slip out of the estate again, intending to search for Neji.]
[However, just outside the compound wall, I notice a suspicious figure. The person has dark skin, very similar to someone from the Land of Lightning.]
[I have three choices.]
[1. Shout loudly that there's an enemy village spy here.]
[2. Ignore it and continue searching for Neji.]
[3. Do nothing and immediately return to my room.]
"I choose the third option."
[Before the person notices me, I quietly retreat back inside the wall and run to my room. I fall into an uneasy sleep. The intruder seems to have stopped there—the night passes without incident.]
[The next morning dawns, and a new choice presents itself.]
[1. Seek out Kiyonari and Neji to discuss countermeasures.]
[2. Report last night's discovery to Father.]
[3. Go with Kiyonari to find Lady Tsunade.]
The instant the third option appeared, Hyuga Hinata's eyes lit up brightly. Her anxious, unsettled mood calmed considerably.
Next, she selected the third option while activating [Designated Simulation] at the cost of increased cooldown time.
[I decide to first find Hyuga Kiyonari. After explaining my intentions, unexpectedly, before I can elaborate, he takes me to meet Lady Tsunade.]
[I then explain last night's discovery in full detail, tactfully indicating the person might be a Cloud Village delegation member. If handled improperly, it could trigger a diplomatic conflict.]
[Before I finish speaking, Lady Tsunade's eyes have already turned sharp, her expression darkening.]
["This is exactly the kind of thing they'd do. Just like before."]
[Lady Tsunade laughs coldly, stating she'll support me. She just tells me to be careful tonight and have Father stay awake.]
[Night arrives. I return to my room following my usual routine.]
[Soon, extremely subtle footsteps come from the window direction. My palms are covered in cold sweat. I desperately maintain calm, continuing to feign sleep. At the critical moment, Father bursts in and subdues the intruder with one strike.]
[The Cloud Village's counter-accusations and threats arrive as expected. Lady Tsunade denounces the Cloud Village's shameless behavior, absolutely refusing to compromise. The Hokage's determination to end the war is also firm. All of Konoha falls into fierce argument.]
[Both sides argue endlessly. No one can convince anyone. No answer can be given for a long time.]
"Whew..."
Seeing this, Hyuga Hinata relaxed slightly.
She now understood—some things didn't necessarily need results. Sometimes, no result was itself a result. Father was always like this. Though he only remained silent, she could read his attitude.
This was also the result Hinata hoped to achieve using [Designated Simulation]. The purpose was to verify whether the Cloud Village's "threats" were merely verbal, or if they'd truly wage war.
[However, a main family elder privately contacted Uncle Hizashi.]
[No one knows what they discussed. No one knows what methods the elder used. Perhaps the main family's command. Perhaps the clan's greater good. Perhaps Neji's future...]
[In any case, when Lady Tsunade and Father rushed to Uncle Hizashi's home, everything was already too late.]
[Uncle Hizashi had already committed suicide. The Caged Bird seal on his forehead had already activated, destroying the Byakugan from within. The exterior showed no change.]
[Lady Tsunade's fists clenched with audible cracking, but now it was too late.]
[The person was already dead. And Konoha's debate came to an abrupt halt.]
Events still returned to the familiar path. Hyuga Hinata quickly skimmed the remaining content. Even when the simulation ended, she couldn't obtain a definitive answer.
But she thought—no, she was gambling.
She decided to gamble that the Cloud Village's threats were only verbal, simply because she couldn't accept any of the simulator's outcomes.
As for what might happen if war truly came, Hinata couldn't imagine anymore.
She turned her head toward the window, only then realizing night had already fallen deep.
One night passed.
"Creak—"
Hinata had slept poorly last night.
Though she knew that person wouldn't act tonight, she'd still been on edge. Perhaps... this was what books meant by "ignorance is bliss."
Hinata stood before Hyuga Kiyonari's door, taking several deep breaths before stepping forward to knock.
From the moment she knocked on this door, everything would be different!
The door quickly opened, revealing Hyuga Kiyonari. "Hinata? So early... your complexion is terrible. What happened?"
"Kiyonari-kun..." Hinata moved closer, struggling to suppress the slight discord in her voice. "I want to see Lady Tsunade. I have something... very important I must tell her. And tell you too."
"Alright."
Kiyonari was consistent as always.
Whenever she made a request, he never asked why—just nodded in agreement and arranged everything.
This silent reliability meant just standing beside him instantly gave Hinata a sense of security.
The two arrived at the Senju estate. Unsurprisingly, Shizune answered the door.
"Shizune-nee, has Lady Tsunade... Sensei woken up yet?" Hyuga Kiyonari's tongue slipped—he still wasn't used to that form of address.
"Though she drank quite enthusiastically last night, Lady Tsunade went to bed early. She's already awake now." Shizune explained while leading them inside.
"Wait in the guest room for a moment. I'll go notify Lady Tsunade immediately."
Time passed minute by minute. Footsteps echoed from the corridor before the sliding door opened.
Tsunade had obviously just bathed, wearing a loose light-green robe. The neckline hung open loosely, revealing expanses of snow-white skin and deep valleys. The robe's sash was tied casually. Her long blonde hair still hung wet down her back, several strands clinging to her pale neck as crystalline water droplets dripped from the ends.
As she entered, a faint fragrance mixed with steam's warmth washed over them.
Shizune chased in from behind, handing over a dry towel with complete helplessness. "At least dry your hair."
"It's fine, it's fine. It'll dry soon enough anyway."
Tsunade waved dismissively, her gaze looking straight at the two. "Speak. Coming to my place so early in the morning—what's going on?"
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