Hyuga Hiashi's letter of recommendation carried tremendous weight.
On the very day it was submitted, even though there were many of Konoha's senior officials present in the Hokage's office, apart from Homura Mitokado, who couldn't resist taking a jab at Hiashi, everyone else's attitude toward Hyuga Satoru was strangely ambiguous.
Even Danzo—who in Satoru's impression was the one man who always found fault in everything—chose to tacitly approve on this matter.
And once the rest of the higher-ups learned that Satoru had already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, their initial shock quickly turned into delight.
Because that meant… for the next fifty years at least, Konoha no longer needed to worry about lacking heirs to its power!
Though Satoru was still young, in the ninja world, strength is the right to speak—and the Flying Thunder God Technique is strength, and therefore authority!
Its weight in the balance of power far surpassed even the Byakugan bloodline limit of the Hyuga clan.
Thus, Hyuga Satoru became the youngest Special jonin in the village's history.
Though not yet a full jonin in title, the moment his appointment order was issued, his name once again spread widely throughout Konoha's ninja circles.
Of course, what circulated was only his fame—not the fact that he had mastered the Flying Thunder God.
The village leadership, with a tacit understanding, collectively chose to keep that secret.
After all, the ninja world never lacked for geniuses; what it lacked were those allowed to grow smoothly into adulthood.
The ninja world was vast, and Konoha wasn't the only village known for producing prodigies. Other villages, too, frequently had young geniuses whose names echoed across the land.
So even after becoming a Special jonin, Satoru's daily life didn't change much.
The only noticeable difference was his father, Hyuga Hiashi.
His son had become the youngest Special jonin in village history, and as a father, Hiashi was even more excited than Satoru himself.
Whenever he walked the streets, people would praise him for having raised such a son. The countless congratulatory words left Hiashi walking on air, his usually stern and dignified face now glowing with pride and brimming with smiles.
Many in the clan thought their austere clan head had somehow changed his personality.
For Satoru personally, the promotion brought little change.
But for the Hyuga clan, his achievement caused a massive shift in atmosphere.
When clan members mingled with their friends and peers from other families, the subject of their genius clansman inevitably came up.
Hearing others speak in awe of Satoru filled every Hyuga with pride.
While they admired the Main Family's heir, the resentment long simmering in the hearts of the Branch Family members was, to some extent, soothed.
When the Main Family was weak, Branch members often felt bitter about their own subservient status—resenting the idea that such a "feeble" Main Family had the right to lead them merely by birthright.
But Satoru's existence had largely dispelled such thoughts.
After witnessing his overwhelming talent, the Branch Family could only sigh, "As expected of the Main Family."
Under such a leader, they felt that being guided by the strong was only natural—no resentment, no unwillingness.
Though it didn't fundamentally solve the conflict between the Main and Branch Families, Hiashi could clearly feel that the Main Family's authority had been greatly reinforced. His own commands carried more weight, and even the clan's cohesion was noticeably stronger.
That realization brought him boundless joy.
Even his relationship with his younger twin brother, Hyuga Hizashi, became more harmonious.
The two brothers, born twins, had near-equal talent—if anything, Hizashi's aptitude was slightly higher.
It was precisely because of that that Hizashi had always been bitter about being born a few minutes later, relegated to the Branch Family. That unfair twist of fate had long been his heart's shadow.
But after Satoru's birth and dazzling rise, that shadow slowly dissipated.
Seeing his nephew's meteoric growth, Hizashi could only sigh—perhaps their father's decision back then had indeed been the right one.
If the Main Family's heir was a prodigy like this, then he, Hizashi, would willingly devote himself to supporting him.
As for his own son…
With such an elder cousin as an example, surely he too would become an outstanding ninja!
Time passed quietly. A week later, a major event shook Konoha Village—Under orders from the higher-ups, the territories of the great clans were redrawn.
The Uchiha clan, originally located in the central district, was relocated to the outskirts of the village. The lands of other clans were also adjusted slightly.
Only the Hyuga clan remained untouched at the very heart of Konoha. Their territory, in fact, expanded somewhat with their growing numbers.
Satoru didn't know exactly what had transpired in that meeting, but according to his father, even though Clan Head Fugaku objected, his protests were suppressed by the Advisory Council.
The Fourth Hokage had tried to mediate, but in this matter, even he couldn't do much to help the Uchiha.
And Satoru could more or less guess why.
The essence of pushing the Uchiha out of Konoha's center lay in the leadership's distrust—and in the need to separately control the clan capable of manipulating tailed beasts.
Even Minato Namikaze couldn't overrule the elders led by the Third Hokage.
From this, Satoru understood one thing clearly:
Minato's authority had its limits.
The Advisory Council, Root, ANBU Commander, and even the head of the Nara clan—all were people loyal to the Third. Minato stood almost alone.
He might be the Hokage, but in great matters, he was restrained on all sides.
Only in smaller affairs could he still make decisions freely.
So, shortly after Satoru's appointment, Minato personally selected teammates for him.
That's right—this new squad was formed entirely around Satoru.
Though Satoru held the title of Special jonin, the Fourth Hokage clearly didn't treat him like a "normal" one.
The squad's captain was Aburame Shibi, twenty-seven years old—an age when a ninja's strength and experience were at their peak. Once Minato's own teammate, Shibi was someone he deeply trusted.
The second member was a chunin named Uchiha Shisui—only ten years old, yet already famous within the Uchiha clan as a prodigious talent.
The third teammate was Might Guy, seventeen or eighteen, full of energy and spirit. He had just been promoted to jonin and had limited mission experience.
It was clear this team wasn't your standard configuration of "one jonin leading three Genin."
In times of war, a team like this could even play a significant role on the front lines.
But when Satoru learned who his teammates were, his expression froze solid.
Known facts from the future:
Uchiha Shisui would awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan,
and both Aburame Shibi and Might Guy would live all the way to the end.
So that led to one terrifying question—
Who… would be the one to help Uchiha Shisui awaken his Mangekyo?
…
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