Hyuga Tetsu.
He was a branch family ninja in the same class at the Ninja Academy as Hyuga Yuu, and a year older.
He had brown hair tied into a neat ponytail and a stern face, making him seem like a very serious person.
Previously, Hyuga Yuu hadn't interacted much with him, only encountering him a few times while on missions with the border Reconnaissance Squad. At that time, he was a member of Reconnaissance Squad Nine.
Perhaps they had exchanged a few words during breaks between shifts, but Hyuga Yuu, busy practicing the Byakugan Invisibility Technique at the time, really couldn't remember what Hyuga Tetsu had said to him.
"Don't you remember?"
"Last year, when Squad Eight and Squad Nine were on patrol, we talked."
At this, Hyuga Tetsu looked at Hyuga Yuu, his brows slightly furrowed, and said in the tone of an elder brother, a year his senior:
"Even then, I asked you what you were thinking."
"Why can't you be more normal?"
"You always stick to those strange methods, always disregard what outsiders think, always act independently and believe you're right."
"But what was the result?"
"You used a cunning method to awaken your Byakugan early, but you neglected the practice of the clan's secret techniques. Your failure in the Chunin Exams is the price you brought upon yourself!"
Listening to these words, Hyuga Yuu's eyes remained unmoving, only responding faintly:
"Oh."
"You—"
Receiving such a perfunctory answer, a vein throbbed slightly on Hyuga Tetsu's forehead, and he was about to erupt.
Hyuga Yuu interrupted him first: "Is there anything else?"
Hyuga Tetsu took a deep breath, suppressed the dissatisfaction rising in his heart, and with a grim face brought up another matter, questioning:
"I heard you gave up Elder Chongguang's letter of appointment?"
Hyuga Yuu gave him a strange look, then calmly nodded: "That's right."
Hyuga Tetsu grew even angrier at Hyuga Yuu's indifferent attitude.
He clenched his fists, his face sinking as he looked at Hyuga Yuu, and reprimanded:
"What exactly are you thinking?"
"You, Hyuga Yuu, have neither aptitude nor strength. You only got this opportunity, this special treatment to act so recklessly as a branch family member, because you were lucky enough to have parents who saved the Main Family Elder!"
"Do you know what a precious opportunity you've rejected?"
"Do you know that Elder Chongguang has been waiting for this day to repay your parents' kindness?"
"Do you know how many people in the branch family envy you?"
Hyuga Yuu smiled,
"Envy what? Envy that I can kowtow to people every day?"
Hyuga Tetsu's face was livid, his lips pressed together. He laughed in anger, pointing at Hyuga Yuu and rebuking:
"Hyuga Yuu!"
"Are you still dreaming your unrealistic ninja dream?"
"But even if you don't care about outsiders' ridicule or the reputation of the Hyuga Clan!"
"Why don't you think about Natsu?"
"What did Natsu do wrong to be stuck with a good-for-nothing like you?!"
"Starting as a servant, getting trained and entrusted with important responsibilities, becoming a steward of the Main Family—Hyuga Yuu, both you and I should know that this is the highest possible path for you in this life!"
"It's also the only way you can be worthy of Natsu!"
"But now, but now... you've thrown away this opportunity with your own hands!"
Hyuga Tetsu stared at Hyuga Yuu with a look of bitter disappointment, bloodshot veins crawling across the whites of his eyes. His gaze held regret, annoyance, and even more, a burning rage, a rage that wished he could take his place.
Hyuga Yuu understood.
He tilted his head, looking at Hyuga Tetsu with an amused expression, and asked:
"You like Natsu?"
Hearing this, Hyuga Tetsu's body trembled. The anger on his face quickly vanished like melting snow under the warm sun, replaced by a blush as red as scorched earth in midsummer.
He pressed his lips together, trembling for a moment.
Then, he lowered his face and head, stiffly extended his hand, grabbed Hyuga Yuu's arm, and spoke in a muffled voice:
"Come with me!"
"Go apologize to Elder Chongguang and beg him to retract his decision. You will continue to work for the Main Family."
"I... I will help you become a steward of the Main Family, and even... even become the chief steward overseeing the Hyuga Clan's affairs."
Hyuga Tetsu was, after all, still a fourteen-year-old boy. He couldn't hide things, and even made such a twisted promise to Hyuga Yuu out of momentary impulse.
However, Hyuga Yuu shook his head, calmly withdrawing his arm.
Hyuga Tetsu looked up in disbelief, glaring at Hyuga Yuu with a dark expression.
"You... I've conceded this much, what more do you want...?"
As he spoke, a hint of panic rose on his face again.
"I understand, I can still—"
"Enough, Tetsu." Hyuga Yuu interrupted him, turning his body to let him see behind him.
At that moment, in the corridor on the second floor of the apartment, a wooden door marked with the number 205 opened.
A girl stood smiling at the doorway. She wore a pure white slip dress, her long hair tied back, and her skin was so fair it seemed to glow. The fluorescent light from the corridor ceiling made her look like a translucent, pale porcelain doll.
Like a virtuous wife, she tilted her head, watching them with a gentle smile that no one could find fault with.
It was Hyuga Natsu.
"Natsu..." Hyuga Tetsu looked at the girl's figure, all words caught in his throat at that moment. Finally, he could only look up helplessly, pleadingly, at Hyuga Yuu's amused expression.
As if begging Hyuga Yuu to agree to his terms,
As if he was so humble that he would sell his soul to the devil just to have a legitimate reason to appear before the girl.
But Hyuga Yuu was not the devil.
He looked at Hyuga Tetsu with a calm, almost indifferent expression, a few obscure and inexplicable glints gradually appearing in his eyes.
Then, he suddenly asked:
"Tetsu, is Squad Nine's transfer order for tomorrow?"
"Yes, that's why I came to find—" Hyuga Tetsu nodded subconsciously, then half-finished his sentence, suddenly looking a little embarrassed. He raised his hand to add, "No, don't misunderstand, I mean..."
Hyuga Yuu frowned slightly, thought for a moment, then asked again: "Is the destination Kusaba Coast?"
Kusaba Coast.
Located on the east side of the Land of Fire, connected to the Land of Waves, it was one of the main routes to the eastern front of the Land of Fire at this time of year.
Hyuga Tetsu froze in place, his expression as if saying "How do you know?" but he forcibly swallowed the words that were about to escape his lips.
Ninja missions have confidentiality regulations, especially during wartime. Although the mission Hyuga Tetsu was to carry out was not the most critical part, it was still of great importance.
He couldn't tell Hyuga Yuu.
However, from the changes in Hyuga Tetsu's expression, Hyuga Yuu had already guessed the answer.
Squad Nine, to which Hyuga Tetsu belonged, was led by a Hyuga Clan Jonin. They had returned to the Village from the Land of Rain battlefield half a month ago and, according to custom, would rest in the Village for a month.
Yet, Hyuga Yuu had seen members of Squad Nine resupplying their ninja tools when passing by the training ground, clearly having received an urgent mission to go out. And there weren't many missions currently requiring Hyuga Clan members to go out specifically.
Based on this deduction, the Main Family's young master, Hyuga Genkō, would likely depart the Village for the Hidden Mist battlefield tomorrow.
Seeing Hyuga Yuu suddenly fall silent and lost in thought, Hyuga Tetsu gritted his teeth and spoke forcefully again:
"Anyway, I don't have much time to talk about this with you, Hyuga Yuu. You must come with me to Elder Chongguang's place now."
"Tetsu."
Hyuga Tetsu's anxious voice brought Hyuga Yuu back to attention. His expression shifted slightly, as if he had made a decision, and he interrupted the other party with unusual calmness,
"What?"
"I won't give Natsu to you."
Hyuga Tetsu's eyes widened abruptly. "You... what are you talking about?"
"I will become a Chunin, become a Jonin, become an elite Jonin."
"Then,"
"Become the Hokage."
Hyuga Yuu spoke with conviction, calmly, even indifferently:
"You're right, I will pursue this absurd ninja dream—"
"Until I die."
Listening to such an irrelevant reply.
Looking at the calm and serious Hyuga Yuu.
For some reason, Hyuga Tetsu felt his mouth go dry.
Yet, strangely, he also felt a sense of relief, as if he had been granted a great pardon.
"You... you're simply..."
"Crazy."
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