Hatred can be inherited.
The catalyst for the Third Great Ninja War was Sasori of the Red Sand from the Sand Village assassinating the Third Kazekage.
The reason he did this was that his parents were killed during the Second Great Ninja War by the Leaf's Sakumo Hatake.
Because Sakumo Hatake committed suicide, Sasori could no longer take revenge on his true enemy. Instead, his resentment turned toward the Third Kazekage for failing to protect his comrades.
Sakumo Hatake was known as the "White Fang of the Leaf" and was Kakashi's father. His chakra sabre, the "White Fang" that terrified the ninja world, was now in Kakashi's hands.
Hatred was passed down seamlessly, generation after generation.
How many more were there like the Sand's Sasori or the Leaf's Kakashi across the great ninja villages?
Byakuya didn't know.
What he did know was that he had to kill the three Sand ninja not far away and loot their rations. Otherwise, he was going to starve in this endless sea of trees.
His main body hid. Under the cover of darkness, his Shadow Clone quietly crept within range for Storm Style: Torrential Lightning. He formed the seals.
He opened his mouth and spat a beam of brilliant lightning that seemed to banish the darkness.
It was as if lightning from the high heavens had condensed into a raging river, precisely enveloping the three Sand ninja.
Storm Style was simply too fast.
By the time the Sand ninja sensed danger and reached for their weapons, illuminated red by the campfire, it was already too late.
Torrential Lightning pierced their vital organs.
Even though they remained conscious for a split second, their entire bodies were paralyzed. They couldn't counterattack, nor could they use any secret techniques to send out intel before dying.
Byakuya's Shadow Clone threw shuriken to finish them off completely.
He searched the bodies.
Loot obtained:
Essential survival tools for the wild.
A space-time scroll with unknown contents.
Three bags of soldier pills (partially eaten).
Four sealed intelligence scrolls.
A detailed map of the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
A Body Flicker Jutsu scroll.
Byakuya took his spoils and headed north—anywhere but east toward the Land of Fire.
Pakura had the fog of war in her eyes, and so did he.
Without a "god's eye view," making the absolute correct decision in the moment was incredibly difficult.
The ambush on the three Sand ninja had been extremely risky.
Byakuya worried that using Storm Style would reveal his position. But he was equally worried that using kunai or shuriken from a distance wouldn't kill them instantly, allowing them to signal nearby allies.
He sprinted through the nocturnal forest for over two hours. His stamina was still plentiful.
The looted soldier pills tasted weird—spicy, with unknown additives.
But they filled his stomach, and were actually slightly better than the ones Byakuya had brought.
He climbed a mountain.
The sky was turning a pale, sickly blue.
The wind was cold.
Only after arriving in the Land of Rivers did he understand just how complex the terrain could be.
Below the mountain was a canyon. He could faintly hear the sound of rushing water.
Byakuya picked an easy path down. At the foot of the mountain, he leaped across the canyon, landing steadily on the opposite bank.
If not for his enhanced stamina, speed, and chakra capacity, this canyon would have stopped him dead.
Once he broke out of the forest, he encountered a desert wasteland.
In hindsight, he realized something.
He had successfully executed a strategic retreat from Pakura, a ninja with Kage-level combat power.
Although the process had been heart-stopping, it had boosted his combat experience immeasurably.
Byakuya sighed. "The Way of Laying Low is hard. If not for my diligent daily training, I probably would have died under Pakura's Scorch Style."
Credit also went to his relentless practice of the Shadow Clone and Substitution Jutsu.
The desert wasn't entirely uninhabited.
He passed a town built on an oasis, where he took a satisfying hot bath and rested for two days to recharge before setting off again.
Time to head back to the Leaf.
The benefits of his increased Vitality were showing. After a major battle and excessive chakra depletion, Byakuya suffered zero lingering side effects.
Moreover, after completing Destiny Choice 2 and receiving the Major Increase in Chakra Quality, the chakra inside his body had begun to slowly grow on its own.
It also gave Byakuya a feeling that his chakra was exceptionally pure.
He learned the Body Flicker Jutsu he looted from the Sand ninja and developed it into a Storm Style Body Flicker. The principle wasn't complex: use Storm Style chakra for an explosive burst of acceleration to achieve high-speed movement. Because Storm Style combined Lightning and Water natures, the Storm Style Body Flicker was faster, more precise in its landing, and easier to balance than the standard version.
Reviewing his current arsenal:
Transformation Jutsu: One of the basics. Couldn't fool someone of Pakura's level and hadn't been used in combat, but should be useful in a duel against a peer.
Clone Jutsu: Replaced by the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which was Byakuya's main focus.
Lightning Style: Earth Flash: Useless on its own. Pros and cons were obvious.
Water Style: Wild Water Wave: Same tier as Earth Flash.
Summoning Jutsu: Goes without saying. Being able to travel light in the Land of Rivers was thanks to using this with space-time scrolls.
The space-time scrolls had many uses; Summoning was just one category. The expensive ones didn't even need hand seals, just a pulse of chakra to activate.
He had finally mastered Tobirama's version of Water Style: Water Formation Wall, giving him a solid defensive jutsu.
His battle with Pakura proved that his Storm Style Kekkei Genkai could go toe-to-toe with Scorch Style.
A dangerously close battle had validated his recent training results.
For this mission turn-in, he needed to think carefully about what reward to ask Root for.
Forbidden Jutsu?
Definitely not. If he dared ask, Root would immediately suspect his motives.
S-Rank Jutsu, specifically Tobirama Senju's Water Style: Water Severing Wave?
Honestly, Byakuya was very tempted. Learning the principles of Water Severing Wave could help him develop new Storm Style jutsu.
Like Madara Uchiha's Sage Art: Storm Style Light Fang.
Developing Storm Style jutsu while standing on the shoulders of Tobirama Senju would be much easier.
Learning Earth nature transformation and shape manipulation also needed to be put on the agenda. Taking this opportunity to ask Root for a few Earth Style jutsu was another option.
Sounds of battle came from ahead.
Byakuya stopped and looked around.
He was in the desert. Without Earth Style, he couldn't hide underground.
Just as he was about to turn and speed toward the Land of Fire, the battlefield rapidly shifted toward him.
It was Rock ninja and Sand ninja.
Seven Rock ninja were chasing four injured Sand ninja.
This was the Third Great Ninja War—a chaotic mess.
It made sense. Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Rock, was an ambitious schemer. He wouldn't let a chance slip by to attack the Sand while they were missing their Kazekage.
Perhaps due to the sudden appearance of a mysterious figure in a black trench coat and Shuten-doji mask, both sides paused.
The Rock ninja worried he was Sand reinforcement. The Sand ninja feared he was a Rock spy stationed in the Land of Rivers. Both groups pulled back, staring intently at his every move.
"Why are Rock ninja in the Land of Rivers?" Byakuya asked in a raspy voice.
A Sand ninja answered, "They want to flank our Land of Wind. We ran into their unit during recon. Who are you?"
"ANBU. Here to eliminate spies threatening the village in the Land of Rivers."
Byakuya didn't lie. He was an off-the-books operative for the Leaf's ANBU Training Division.
The four Sand ninja instantly relaxed and laughed loudly. "Rock dogs! Was chasing us fun? Now we'll show you what pain is! Come over here, friend! Let's butcher these Rock dogs together!"