No matter what, the end of a war was something worth celebrating.
Yet while the village was filled with laughter and cheer, Hyuga Hinata was hiding in her room, anxiously waiting for the Life Simulator's cooldown to end.
Tonight, the Kumogakure delegation would send someone to the Hyuga compound to scout, and tomorrow they would act. Factoring in the cooldown, this was her last chance to simulate.
[Year 54 of Konoha. The Kumogakure delegation arrives, and Father becomes even busier. I find another chance to sneak out of the estate, planning to go look for Neji-nii.]
[However, just outside the wall, I spot a suspicious figure. His skin is dark, very much like someone from the Land of Lightning.]
[Now, I have three choices.]
[1. Shout loudly that there is an enemy-village spy here.]
[2. Ignore it and continue looking for Neji.]
[3. Do nothing and immediately return to my room.]
"I choose the third."
[Before he notices me, I quietly retreat back inside the wall and run back to my room. Uneasy, I fall into a heavy sleep. The intruder seems to stop there—nothing happens that night.]
[At dawn the next day, a new choice lies before me.]
[1. Go find Kiyonari and Neji to discuss a plan.]
[2. Tell Father what I discovered last night.]
[3. Go with Kiyonari to find Tsunade-sama.]
The instant the third option appeared, Hinata's eyes lit up, and the restless anxiety in her chest eased a little.
Next, she chose the third option—and, at the cost of lengthening the cooldown, activated [Designated Simulation].
[I decide to find Hyuga Kiyonari first. After I explain why I came, I don't even get a chance to fully explain the reason before he takes me to meet Tsunade-sama.]
[Then I tell her everything I discovered last night, and carefully imply that the intruder may be part of the Kumogakure delegation. If mishandled, it could spark a diplomatic incident.]
[Before I can finish speaking, Tsunade-sama's gaze sharpens and her expression turns dark.]
["That's exactly the kind of thing they'd do—just like last time."]
[Tsunade-sama lets out a cold laugh and says she'll back me up. She only tells me to be careful tonight, and to make sure Father doesn't fall asleep.]
[Night falls. I return to my room on my usual schedule.]
[Soon, an extremely faint footstep comes from the window. My palms are slick with cold sweat. I force myself to stay calm and keep pretending to sleep. At the critical moment, Father bursts in and subdues the intruder with a single strike.]
[Kumogakure's backlash and threats arrive right on schedule. Tsunade-sama condemns Kumogakure's shameless actions and refuses to compromise. The Hokage's resolve to end the war is equally firm. The entire village plunges into fierce argument.]
[Neither side can convince the other. No one yields. An answer cannot be given for a long time.]
"Haa…"
Seeing this, Hinata finally let out a small breath of relief.
Now she understood: some things didn't have to end with a clear result. Sometimes, no result was itself a result. Father was always like that—he might only stay silent, but she could read his stance.
And that was exactly what Hinata had hoped to get out of using [Designated Simulation]. Her purpose was to test whether Kumogakure's "threat" was just talk—or whether they truly meant to start a war.
[However, a main-family elder privately contacts Uncle Hizashi.]
[No one knows what they said. No one knows what method the elder used. Perhaps it was an order from the main family, perhaps the "greater good" of the clan, perhaps Neji's future…]
[In any case, when Tsunade-sama and Father arrive at Uncle Hizashi's house, it is already too late.]
[Uncle Hizashi has committed suicide. The Caged Bird curse seal on his forehead has activated as well, destroying the Byakugan from the inside. Externally, there is no visible change.]
[Tsunade-sama's fist clenches until it cracks, but now it is useless.]
[He is dead, and Konoha's argument ends abruptly.]
Everything had still circled back to the same familiar road.
Hinata hurriedly flipped through the remaining text. Even by the end of the simulation, she still couldn't get a definitive answer.
But she decided—no, she decided to gamble.
She would gamble that Kumogakure's threat was only a verbal threat, because she couldn't accept any of the simulator's outcomes.
As for what would happen if war truly came… Hinata could no longer imagine it.
She turned her head to look out the window, only then realizing how deep into the night it already was.
A night passed.
Creeeak—
Hinata hadn't slept well.
Even knowing the intruder wouldn't make a move tonight, she'd still been on edge. Maybe… that was what books meant when they said "ignorance is bliss."
Standing at the door of Hyuga Kiyonari's home, Hinata took several deep breaths before raising her hand to knock.
From the moment she knocked on this door, everything would change.
The door opened quickly, revealing Kiyonari. "Hinata? This early… You look awful. What happened?"
"Kiyonari-kun…" Hinata stepped closer, forcing down the roughness in her voice. "I want to see Tsunade-sama. There are some… very important things I have to tell her—and I have to tell you too."
"Okay."
Kiyonari was the same as always.
Whenever she asked something of him, he never pressed for reasons. He simply nodded, accepted it, and then arranged everything.
That quiet reliability—just standing next to him—gave Hinata an instant sense of safety.
The two of them arrived at the Senju estate. As expected, Shizune was the one who opened the door.
"Shizune-oneechan, Tsunade-sama… teacher, is she awake?" Hyuga Kiyonari stumbled over his words a bit—he still wasn't used to the title.
"She drank pretty happily last night, but Tsunade-sama went to bed early too. She's already awake," Shizune said, leading them inside as she spoke.
"Please wait in the living room for a moment. I'll go inform Tsunade-sama right away."
Seconds ticked by. Footsteps sounded in the hallway, then the sliding door opened.
Tsunade had clearly just finished bathing. She wore a loose, pale-green yukata, the neckline hanging open, revealing a wide expanse of snowy skin and a deep valley of cleavage. The sash was tied carelessly at the waist. Her long blonde hair was still damp, draped down her back, a few strands stuck to the pale side of her neck, bright droplets sliding down and dripping from the ends.
The moment she entered, a faint fragrance mixed with the warm humidity of bath steam swept over them.
Shizune hurried in behind her with a towel, exasperation overflowing. "You should at least dry your hair."
"It's fine, it'll dry later anyway," Tsunade waved it off, unconcerned, her eyes fixed on the two kids.
"Alright—talk. You came running over here first thing in the morning. What is it?"