"What did you just say?!"
The Fourth Raikage slammed his fist down on his desk, shattering it with a loud crack. His voice thundered through the room.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke actually had the audacity to say that?!"
"Yes, Raikage-sama! He said, 'If you want war, then we'll give you war!'"
The envoy who had just returned from Konoha quickly reported everything to the Raikage, sending him into a rage.
"That brat is going too far!!!"
Completely ignoring the fact that he was the one who had tried to scheme for the Hyūga Clan's Byakugan, the Raikage shouted furiously.
"That damn kid! Namikaze Minato is already dead, and he still dares to be so arrogant?! Is he trying to start a war?!"
"Raikage-sama, please reconsider."
A beautiful young woman with dark skin and soft lavender hair spoke calmly.
"Asakawa Kiyosuke is extremely powerful. If he self-destructs, the resulting blast is on par with Killer B-sama's Tailed Beast Bomb. He's also a skilled infiltrator—he once snuck into Kirigakure and left them suffering a huge loss."
"If he dares come here, I'll make sure he never leaves!"
The Fourth Raikage might have been hot-headed, but he wasn't stupid.
"Where's B right now?"
"Killer B-sama is training in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning," the girl replied.
"Hmph. That bastard Asakawa Kiyosuke is a real pain..." The Raikage muttered.
It wasn't his elemental abilities that were the problem—it was his tendency to just blow everything up.
If he pulled something like that in Kumogakure, they'd end up needing a rebuild like Konoha.
Who could tolerate that?
If he kept showing up every few days, the village wouldn't even have time to take on missions anymore.
After thinking for a while, the Raikage made his decision.
"Mobilize our forces. Gather them at the border of the Land of Fire. Mabui, get in touch with Konoha. This matter isn't going to end like this. I want a duel with Asakawa Kiyosuke. If I win, there's no need for war. We'll maintain the peace treaty as it stands."
"Raikage-sama, are you saying…"
"I'm going to kill Asakawa Kiyosuke. I'll show Konoha that Kumogakure isn't something you can just mold with your hands!"
The Raikage stood up with a fierce gleam in his eyes.
"C, go get B. Tell him training time's over—it's time to fight!"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Mabui and a blond young man immediately set off.
Meanwhile, most of the shinobi in Kumogakure began marching toward the border of the Land of Fire.
In an instant, tension spread like wildfire, and the atmosphere of war once again loomed over the continent.
...
Konoha – Hyūga Clan Compound
After settling the matter with Kumogakure, Kiyosuke was now treated as an honored guest by the Hyūga brothers. He had helped the clan and their family—naturally, they were going to treat him well.
Kiyosuke often brought Naruto along to mooch meals, too.
In the courtyard...
Three-year-old Hinata and four-year-old Hyūga Neji were sparring.
Neji's talent was extraordinary. If he hadn't been born into the branch family, he would have been the most suitable heir to the main family. Unfortunately, fate had other plans—it was cruel and twisted.
Still, since he hadn't lost his father, Neji didn't hold any resentment toward the main family, nor did he resent Hinata. He actually liked his younger cousin quite a bit. He was gentle during their matches and even gave her guidance as they trained.
Kiyosuke sat with Naruto, along with Hiashi and Hizashi, watching them spar.
Hiashi, however, was not pleased with his daughter's performance.
Her personality and talent weren't nearly enough to inherit the clan's legacy. She needed much harsher training.
They weren't worried about Kiyosuke watching the children and learning their secret techniques.
Everyone knew the Hyūga Clan's techniques were only truly effective when paired with the Byakugan. Learning them without it was meaningless.
"Kiyosuke-san! I wanna train too!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as he watched Hinata and Neji sparring.
"Hm? You don't even know what chakra is—how the hell are you going to train anything?" Kiyosuke flicked Naruto on the forehead.
"Ow!"
Naruto rubbed his head, grumbling.
"But Hinata and Neji are training. Even Sasuke started already."
"They have inherited techniques. The Namikaze and Uzumaki clans both have unique things passed down. You can't learn that stuff yet."
Kiyosuke picked at his ear as he spoke.
He didn't know if the Namikaze clan had any inherited techniques, but Minato's Rasengan wasn't something Naruto could learn at this stage. And as for the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts—Naruto would need a solid foundation first.
Not to mention, Kiyosuke didn't know any of that himself. He'd probably need to go dig through the Uzumaki records one of these days and see if he could find any sealing scrolls.
"Ah? But I can learn taijutsu, right?"
"You want to learn?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically and shouted, "I'm gonna be a great ninja just like Dad! I'll become Hokage!!!"
"Hahaha, sure. Go over there and get into horse stance."
"Horse stance?"
Kiyosuke demonstrated the position for Naruto and told him to copy it.
"We're starting with the basics. Hold that for... hmm, five minutes."
"Hmph! Don't underestimate me!"
Naruto stood with determination and dropped into a horse stance.
Hiashi said, "Kiyosuke-sama, with that posture, Naruto's body probably won't last five minutes."
"I know. The beginning is always the hardest."
Kiyosuke squinted at Naruto.
"If he wants to train, then let him. Laying the foundation now will help later. Because of the Nine-Tails, he has poor chakra control. His jutsu consume far more energy than a normal shinobi's. I'm making him start with the basics so it won't be as hard for him later."
Hiashi gave a thoughtful nod, and Hizashi also seemed to understand something.
Not even three minutes had passed before Naruto started whining.
"Kiyosuke-san, I'm so tired!"
"Oh? Is that so? I was going to teach you something cooler if you held out for an hour."
Kiyosuke smirked.
Putting Naruto in horse stance wasn't just training—it was good for his body. There were no downsides.
"Can I rest a bit before squatting again?"
"Sure."
"Yay! Hinata, let's go play!"
Just finishing her training, Hinata glanced timidly at her father. Without his permission, she didn't dare move.
Hiashi surprisingly gave her a nod. Hinata's eyes lit up with joy, and her face turned red as she looked at Naruto.
Hizashi said, "Neji, go take a break too. Look after Hinata-sama and Naruto."
"Yes, Father."
Neji exhaled deeply, then left with Hinata and Naruto.
A child needs to relax, too.
He couldn't let his own resentment toward the main family affect Neji. The boy was innocent.
Just then, an ANBU appeared—it was Kakashi.
"Kiyosuke. Third-sama wants to see you. It's about Kumogakure."
"What now? Are those lunatics stirring up trouble again? Can't they give it a rest? Is their problem that they've got too much energy and nowhere to spend it?"
Kiyosuke stood up, grumbling all the while. Something didn't feel right about this.
Hearing the mention of Kumogakure, the Hyūga brothers stood up solemnly.
"Kiyosuke-sama," Hiashi said, "we'll go with you."
"Oh, sure. Let's go."
The group immediately headed for the Hokage's office.
People are always a threat—before, now, and always.