"I remember you saying you didn't want to serve in the Anbu. Why did you agree to take on this task in the end?"
"Shinichi, if the Fourth Hokage forced you, your father can represent the Hyūga clan and intercede on your behalf."
After returning from the Hokage Tower, Hyūga Shinichi informed Hyūga Hiashi of his new appointment by the Fourth Hokage. His identity was somewhat special, and some matters needed to be communicated in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Upon hearing that Hyūga Shinichi had been appointed as an Anbu Squad Leader by the Fourth Hokage to investigate the mysterious organization, Hiashi felt some confusion.
He remembered that when Shinichi first returned, he had received an invitation from the Fourth Hokage, but Shinichi had declined at the time. Why, in such a short time, had his son changed his mind so quickly? Hiashi suspected the Fourth Hokage had exerted pressure, and the expression on his face became somewhat displeased.
Their Hyūga clan now possessed the ability to "overturn the table" [i.e., challenge authority]. With strength as their foundation, Hiashi naturally spoke with much more conviction.
"This matter is a little different. The Fourth Hokage didn't force me to become an Anbu Squad Leader; I agreed to it myself."
"I suspect that mysterious organization will definitely not stop their activities. Coincidentally, that organization has some connection to Uchiha Obito, who attacked Kushina-sensei back then."
"By seizing this opportunity to use the village's power to protect our Hyūga clan's businesses, isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"
"Father, think it through carefully."
Hearing Shinichi's explanation, Hyūga Hiashi was momentarily stunned but quickly grasped the central point.
If this matter hadn't been reported to the Fourth Hokage, the attack on the Hyūga clan's Bounty Stations would have remained a family affair. To protect the clan's interests, the Hyūga clan would have had to expend considerable manpower and resources, both guarding against future attacks and tracking the enemy to resolve the matter completely.
However, thanks to Shinichi's maneuvering, the mysterious organization became a powerful enemy threatening the village's security. To protect the village, the Fourth Hokage was willing not only to grant Shinichi authority but also to dispatch the village's elite to assist Shinichi in investigating the perpetrators.
Just as Shinichi said, this was indirectly using the village's resources to protect their Hyūga clan's exclusive businesses—a beneficial arrangement serving two purposes. It could protect the family's interests, and at the same time, Shinichi could leverage this matter to gain a certain level of political influence within the village's management system.
The rank of Anbu Squad Leader, reporting directly to the Hokage, was naturally not considered a high position. In the politically complex landscape of Konoha, there were dozens of squad leaders under the Root and the Third Hokage's Anbu units. Adding in Minato's newly established Anbu system, "Squad Leader" was hardly a "high official."
However, while the rank of Anbu Squad Leader was not high, the power it held was immense. The Fourth Hokage had fully entrusted the investigative authority to Shinichi, and Shinichi only reported to the Fourth Hokage. This meant that Hyūga Shinichi, in the process of investigating the mysterious organization, became an Imperial Envoy with the power to "act first, report later."
Holding the power of life and death, Hyūga Shinichi undoubtedly wielded enormous authority. Furthermore, this would become an important piece of capital for Hyūga Shinichi to participate in various village affairs.
Although the Hyūga clan was different from the guarded Uchiha clan, with its members widely involved in various village affairs, the actual level of participation by clan members was extremely limited.
Setting aside the Main Family, the highest rank achieved by a Branch Family member in the village was merely a small leader in the Barrier Team. Although some clan members successfully became Jōnin, they often did not possess the qualification to lead a squad like true Elite Jōnin; they were mostly used as reconnaissance specialists carrying out missions under others.
The Hyūga name sounded impressive, but they were often excluded from high-level political decision-making.
If the Uchiha clan was dissatisfied with the status quo and restless, could the Hyūga clan truly be content with it?
Thinking carefully, before the Konoha elders started cracking down on the Uchiha, they had first targeted the Hyūga clan. If Hyūga Shinichi hadn't suddenly emerged, the Hyūga clan would have been forced to capitulate when the Cloud Village envoy infiltrated Konoha, attempting to steal the Byakugan.
Now, with the rise of Hyūga Shinichi, the pride and ambition within the Hyūga clan were also swelling. Did they not hope that a Hokage could emerge from their clan?
Perhaps Shinichi himself didn't harbor such thoughts, but he couldn't control the minds of the clan members. If such an opportunity truly presented itself, the Hyūga clan likely wouldn't hesitate to proactively bestow the "Yellow Robe" [i.e., make him the leader] upon Hyūga Shinichi.
Although Hyūga Hiashi had never voiced his deepest expectations for Shinichi, Shinichi becoming an Anbu Squad Leader to carry out the Fourth Hokage's mission was exactly what Hiashi wanted. As long as Shinichi wasn't being coerced, he was very happy to see Shinichi participate in important village affairs. This was beneficial both for Shinichi and the Hyūga clan.
After a brief thought, Hiashi naturally understood the nuances. When he raised his head to look at Shinichi again, his tone shifted: "Shinichi, I understand your reasoning."
"As the Hyūga Main Family, protecting one's safety is important, but being afraid to act for fear of failure is also unacceptable."
"I am very confident in your strength. Having mastered the Flying Thunder God, I shouldn't need to worry about your safety."
"However, I still must say this: the battlefield is not like training. Accidents can happen at any moment."
"When carrying out missions outside, you must be careful."
"Don't trust others easily; don't blindly overrate your own strength, and absolutely do not underestimate any opponent!"
Since Shinichi's becoming a Squad Leader to investigate the mysterious organization was now a certainty, Hyūga Hiashi, as his father, offered this heartfelt advice. He was confident in his son's talent and strength, but his age was his only worry—he feared his son's youthful exuberance might lead to a great loss. In the ninja world, the consequence of a great loss is often the loss of one's life.
"I will be mindful. The strength of that organization cannot be underestimated. I will definitely be fully alert and will not give them any opportunity."
Shinichi promised solemnly. The enemy was Akatsuki, so Shinichi would naturally be fully alert.
Akatsuki... they were the super-powerful enemies who could even defeat the peak Jiraiya. Although he had some strong allies now, Shisui, Guy, and Kakashi were still young.
Shinichi already had a plan: he intended to defeat Akatsuki members one by one. When the time was right, he would infiltrate the Land of Rain and drag Nagato out. Truthfully, even the current Shinichi was not confident he could defeat the Six Paths of Pain, especially since Nagato was always accompanied by Konan during this period. She was a powerful woman capable of forcing Obito to use Izanagi, and her destructive power was certainly at the "Kage" level.
If his squad encountered an attack involving a billion exploding tags, Shinichi couldn't think of any countermeasure other than escaping with the Flying Thunder God. Even if Kakashi mastered the Mangekyō Sharingan, his half-baked Kamui probably wouldn't be able to stop it... He wasn't sure if the Susanoo could withstand Konan's "output."
A Brief Reprieve
The news of Hyūga Shinichi going on a secret mission quickly spread through the household. Not only did Hyūga Hiashi know, but also Shin, Hanako, and even little Hanabi knew that her older brother would be leaving the village again.
Although Hanabi hadn't spent much time with Shinichi, their blood bond was strong, and Hanabi also looked very disappointed to learn her brother was leaving.
During dinner that evening, Hinata, who had returned from school, also heard the news at the table. This instantly soured the good mood she had been in all day. Although the child was somewhat spoiled, she was still raised in a ninja family. Despite her inner disappointment and dissatisfaction, she didn't show it outwardly.
Hinata was reaching the age of understanding; she knew it was normal for her ninja brother to be busy. But even so, Hinata was sullen, eating her meal without saying a word. Although it was the age of understanding, it was also the age of craving attention and affection. Hiashi was busy, Shinichi was busy, and even Hanako's love couldn't completely soothe the loneliness in the hearts of Hinata and Hanabi.
Affection is different from affection, and companionship is different from companionship. Hanako, as the children's mother, still couldn't fill the gap left by the lack of fatherly and sibling closeness.
Hyūga Shinichi didn't notice Hinata's unhappiness; his focus at the moment was on how to proceed with his work...
A Warm Interlude
The appointment of Anbu Squad Leader came through quickly, but the team was slow to assemble.
Shinichi asked the Fourth Hokage about this delay. Minato explained that both Shinichi and Shisui had just finished the mission of guarding Kushina, and he had promised everyone a month's vacation. The team didn't need to depart until the break was over.
That was the official line. In reality, Minato used this time to dispatch a large number of Anbu for scouting. They soon found the battlefield where Shinichi had fought Sasori and Kakuzu, located about a hundred kilometers from Konoha.
Although Hyūga Shinichi's Mini Tailed Beast Bomb had wiped out many traces, the crater left by the explosion became an easy target for the Anbu to find.
The skilled Anbu also found metal remnants in the pit and some broken, incomplete puppets around the battlefield. After confirming the location, Minato had the Anbu attempt to track the enemy. However, the enemy's escape route was only traceable for a few dozen li before the traces were completely concealed and vanished.
Kakuzu must have been fleeing in a panic and didn't have time to cover his tracks. But after running a distance and realizing Shinichi wasn't pursuing him, he calmed down and began silently erasing his trail. Although they couldn't track Kakuzu based on the traces, the earlier signs pointed the Anbu in the right direction: the enemy seemed to have fled towards the Land of Waterfalls (Takigakure) in the northwest, which aligned with Shinichi's intelligence.
Minato didn't mention this private investigation to Shinichi because there were no major findings. He planned to summarize the intelligence for Shinichi when his team departed. However, Minato hadn't expected the investigation to yield practically nothing after all that time...
With the team deployment delayed, Hyūga Shinichi was not in a hurry. He also lacked the latest intelligence on Akatsuki. Although he had a direction in his mind, there was no need to rush. Taking advantage of the free time, Shinichi made time to spend with his family. Since Hinata had school during the day, Shinichi spent time playing with Hanabi.
The children in this world matured incredibly fast. While little girls their age in other places were still playing house, Hanabi was playing ninja games. Sometimes, Shinichi couldn't help but sigh: "She's only three years old?" But recalling that the Uchiha were already killing people on the battlefield at age four, looking at Hanabi wielding a wooden kunai, Hyūga Shinichi felt a lot more balanced.
It was a beautiful afternoon in the Hyūga residence.
Shinichi was lying diagonally on the tatami beneath the window, holding a copy of Detailed Explanation of Chakra Nature, yawning as he read, while his peripheral vision tracked Hanabi, who was running and rolling around in the empty room. Although it was a wooden kunai, the tip was still sharp, so he had to keep an eye on her.
Hanako had enjoyed her post-lunch nap and had gone out for afternoon tea with her girlfriends, leaving the childcare duty to Shinichi. This was the routine of his short vacation.
Little children seemed to possess a complete world of their own in their minds. Hanabi mumbled words Shinichi couldn't understand, swinging the kunai with conviction at the air in front of her. Even though she was playing alone, she didn't feel bored.
After playing for a while, Hanabi seemed to feel things were getting a bit monotonous. She threw down the wooden kunai and ran, leaping into Shinichi's arms. She poked her little head out from beneath the arm holding the book, twisted her neck to look at the pages, and asked sweetly:
"Brother, what are you reading?"
Shinichi adjusted the pillow behind his head and replied, mimicking Hanabi's voice:
"Reading a book."
He didn't know why that answer was funny, but Hanabi grabbed Shinichi's collar and climbed up, then rested her chin on Shinichi's jaw and stared at the incomprehensible pages.
A few minutes later, perhaps bored or perhaps rested enough, Hanabi pried open Shinichi's hand, got up, ran to the center of the room, picked up the kunai from the tatami, and continued playing by herself.
A cool breeze swept in through the window. Feeling the coolness from outside, Hyūga Shinichi placed the book aside and comfortably crossed his legs. Sometimes, the things one pursues in life don't need to be excessive. The leisurely time spent with family is enough to cherish for a lifetime.
Though young, Hanabi probably couldn't grasp Hyūga Shinichi's current state of mind. But years later, when Hanabi grew into an adult, she might suddenly recall the peaceful time she spent with her older brother in her childhood. The current scene might be the happy memory Hanabi would never be able to return to in the years to come.
The leaves in the courtyard rustled softly. The breeze brushed his face, and Hyūga Shinichi gently drifted off to sleep.
Hanabi played for a while longer, perhaps feeling tired again. Looking back, she saw her older brother had closed his eyes. She tiptoed to Shinichi's side and gently waved her small hand in front of his face.
Seeing that Shinichi didn't react, the child plonked herself down next to Shinichi, grabbed his arm, used it as a pillow behind her head, crossed her legs just like him, and settled down for an afternoon nap.
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