"Big Brother… actually, he's wary of everyone," Nawaki said slowly, thinking as he spoke. "I don't know why, but the first time I met him, I could feel it. He's on guard against everyone."
"It's like… everyone in the world is his enemy."
(Akira Hyūga: If you lived surrounded by monsters, wouldn't you be on guard too?)
Tsunade frowned.
Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Hyūga clan hid many things beneath the surface. The seal itself couldn't be removed, so everything was simply suppressed and left unspoken.
Perhaps Akira's personality had been shaped by that very curse.
But what did he mean by breaking free from the cage?
Could he have found a way to remove the Caged Bird Seal?
Tsunade fell into thought.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Even Konoha had never been able to break that cursed seal. Root had reportedly attempted it several times in secret, only to abandon the effort in the end.
After all, anything that might damage the village's stability couldn't be done openly by the Hokage. That kind of dirty work naturally fell to the shadows—Root, the underground of Konoha.
Nawaki, unaware of what his sister was thinking, continued.
"But actually, Big Brother Akira isn't like he seems. He's… really kind."
Tsunade couldn't agree with that at all.
That boy had once slaughtered an entire bandit group. The killing intent he displayed back then had been frightening.
Nawaki continued, recalling past memories.
"But his kindness is only toward ordinary people. Sometimes he helps old people cross the street, rescues kittens stuck in trees, and takes lost children back home."
He had witnessed those things himself, back when Akira had experimented with completing small civilian requests from mission boards. When no rewards followed, Akira eventually stopped—but Nawaki had seen enough.
Nawaki hadn't decided to follow Akira because of strength alone. It was because of what he had seen.
Tsunade frowned.
That doesn't sound like the same person at all.
The Akira she remembered was arrogant, sharp-tongued, and infuriating.
Was Nawaki even talking about the same person?
It had to be two different people.
"But Big Brother Akira treats ninja differently," Nawaki admitted with a shrug. "That's because no one can really get close to him. No one understands how he thinks."
As he spoke, Nawaki's expression grew almost fervent.
"Big Brother Akira is someone with great wisdom. You just haven't seen it, Sis, because you've never stepped into his world. Only I have."
Only by unifying the world… could true peace be achieved.
Tsunade clicked her tongue.
Isn't that just an excuse for having terrible social skills?
She had looked into Akira's background before. His relationships had always been poor. In the past, he'd at least gotten along somewhat with members of the Hyūga branch family—but after the conflict with the main house, even that small bit of goodwill had disappeared.
At the Academy, he'd never been particularly close to anyone either.
In other words—
Akira Hyūga had no friends.
Why did that thought almost make her laugh?
Tsunade shook her head. She wasn't the kind of person who took pleasure in others' misfortune.
"In any case," Nawaki said firmly, "Big Brother Akira is definitely not the person you think he is."
But Tsunade clearly didn't believe him.
As the saying goes, prejudice is like a mountain in the heart—no matter how hard you try, you can't move it.
Tsunade was a perfect example.
Meanwhile
"Ah—choo!"
Akira rubbed his nose.
Am I catching a cold? Why do I keep sneezing lately?
He was currently directing Machi as she rearranged the house. The furniture he'd purchased had all arrived, and she was moving things around efficiently.
Nen users were physically strong; moving furniture was nothing to Machi.
Still—
"You said this was another world," Machi said expressionlessly. "Then show me some proof."
She felt like every time she blinked, she was doing housework again.
It was like she'd become a full-time maid.
Her Nen abilities weren't meant for cleaning houses! And someone from Meteor City doing chores like this—if word got out, it would be humiliating.
"No rush," Akira said, yawning. "You'll see soon enough."
Winter had come to the Land of Fire, but the war showed no signs of ending. Konoha was still sending reinforcements to the borders.
According to the original course of history, the conflict would drag on for years. But with Hanzō taking the initiative this time, Akira wasn't sure how things would unfold.
Sooner or later, Machi would see the realities of the ninja world for herself.
Suddenly, Machi stopped moving and turned toward the door.
Akira followed her gaze. With a quick motion, he used the Machi Summon Card to dismiss her.
A figure pushed open the door and stepped inside.
It was Crow, the Root operative with black markings on his mask.
"I didn't know Root had learned manners," Akira remarked casually.
Crow's face was hidden behind his mask, his voice flat and emotionless.
"You have a new mission. Reinforcements for the Land of Earth front."
Akira looked at him in surprise.
"What happened?"
Danzō was supposed to be commanding operations near Amegakure. Why was he being reassigned to the Iwagakure front?
Crow didn't hide the truth.
"Something major has happened. Iwagakure has launched a large-scale offensive. Even the Tsuchikage himself has taken the field. All Root personnel are being deployed under ANBU cover to assist the front lines."
The order had come directly from Danzō.
"The Tsuchikage himself…" Akira clicked his tongue.
Not entirely surprising.
During the Third Shinobi War, Ōnoki had personally entered battle multiple times. The Third Raikage of Kumogakure had even been surrounded and killed by Iwa forces under his command.
"When do we leave?" Akira asked, rising from the sofa.
"Now."
Departure
So much for rest.
Akira had barely spent a few days in Konoha before leaving again.
Crow led the way. Behind them, masked figures appeared one after another.
Looking back at the group, Akira realized—this was practically the entire Root force mobilized.
At this time, Danzō and Hiruzen were still largely aligned. With Konoha in danger, both sides were willing to commit everything.
Akira suddenly recalled something.
"If I remember correctly… Ōnoki fought Hiruzen during the Second Shinobi War. Could that be now?"
But Root was being deployed first, while Hiruzen remained in the village.
Which meant—
If the front lines failed, Hiruzen himself might have to step in.
At present, Konoha only had three figures capable of independently holding a battlefield: Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, and Sakumo Hatake.
The Sannin were strong, but not yet powerful enough to anchor an entire front alone. They still operated mainly in small-team formations.
"Looks like this one's going to be dangerous," Akira muttered.
The exact timeline might differ slightly, but the general direction of events seemed clear.
Leaves rustled as the group sped through the forest, wind from their movement stirring the branches.
The Root operatives silently increased their pace.
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