War Clouds

"Ah, you've fully recovered now. Didn't the Young Clan Head and Hizashi go to the Ninja Academy today? If I remember correctly, you're supposed to graduate next year."

Soji was quite surprised that the two brothers had skipped school and were sparring at home instead.

"The entire school is on break today, so we had nothing to do and stayed home together. Father also hasn't allowed us to go out and wander around recently."

The two brothers had long sensed the strange atmosphere in the village. Whether ninja or civilians, everyone's faces were filled with unease.

Konoha's security forces even patrolled until the early hours every day, while Anbu ninja could occasionally be seen darting across the streets and rooftops.

After hearing Hyuga Hiashi's words, Soji was certain that Konoha was already preparing for another Ninja World War.

Meanwhile, in the Hyuga Clan's council hall, the nine Main House members all wore grave expressions.

The Third Hokage had just issued war-preparation orders to every ninja clan. All that remained was for each clan to return and inform their members.

As for the Hyuga Clan, orders from the Hokage Building were generally discussed first by the Main House elders, after which Branch House representatives would be summoned to make the final decision.

Among the Main House members in the council hall, including Hyuga Kumokawa, three were already past fifty. The remaining six, including the Clan Head, were all still in their prime.

"The Third Hokage and the Council of Elders have demanded that every ninja clan prepare at least one-third of its ninja. If war breaks out, every clan must mobilize at least three-quarters of its ninja for battle. What are everyone's thoughts on this order?"

As the Hyuga Clan Head, Hyuga Ryusuke had immediately notified the Main House elders to gather at the clan head's residence after attending Konoha's high-level meeting that morning.

"Ah, are we going to war again? I wonder how many Hyuga Clan members will die on the battlefield this time."

This was the elder of the Sixth Branch, from the same generation as Hyuga Kumokawa. Since the next generation had little ninja talent, he could only continue contributing from his position as an elder, hoping his grandchildren would amount to something in the future. If he passed it on to the next generation now, they could only be kept around as spoiled rich kids. He no longer expected his son to contribute anything to the clan after inheriting the elder's position.

"Even if a war breaks out, we Main House members won't need to go to the front lines ourselves, right? The Branch Houses will naturally charge ahead for us."

That was the view of the Second Elder. His father had died in the First Ninja World War. Though he possessed ninja talent, he was only a chunin at present, basically the type who stayed in the Main House and coasted through life.

"I agree with the Second Elder."

"So do I."

After the Second Elder voiced his opinion, the elders of the Fourth Branch and Eighth Branch also expressed their agreement.

"I disagree! As members of the Main House, we should be guiding the Branch Houses. In recent years, our Main House has barely produced any powerful ninja. If this continues, even if we can control the Branch Houses through the Caged Bird, the other ninja clans in Konoha will truly see us Main House members as useless parasites. I suggest that Main House members should also be ready to go into battle at any time!"

This was the proposal of the Seventh Branch elder, who still retained the heart of a ninja.

"I rather support the Seventh Elder's opinion."

The elder of the Fifth Branch then voiced his own view.

Soon afterward, fierce arguments erupted throughout the council hall.

"Everyone, calm down first."

Seeing the elders arguing without end, Hyuga Ryusuke, as the Clan Head, could only step in to smooth things over.

The elders who had been arguing turned their gazes toward Hyuga Ryusuke, then collectively looked toward the elders who had yet to express an opinion.

That was because the three elders who had not spoken were the oldest people in the council hall and the most prestigious among the elders.

They were the three elders past fifty whom Soji had seen in the council hall earlier, including his grandfather, Hyuga Kumokawa.

Even the Clan Head had to show them respect, since they belonged to the older generation.

It should be noted that there was no real hierarchy among the elders. The First Elder and Eighth Elder held the same status; the titles had merely been established by the Main House ancestors for ease of distinction.

"First Elder, Third Elder, Sixth Elder, what are the thoughts of you three?"

Hyuga Ryusuke, as Clan Head, asked on behalf of the younger elders.

"Since war is unavoidable, then the Hyuga Clan must face it in the best possible condition. We absolutely cannot allow the village or our enemies to look down on us."

"The Hyuga Clan is also part of Konoha. The Sixth Elder is right. Since the Third Hokage has already issued the order, we should simply draw ninja proportionally from among the genin, chunin, and jonin. Trying to cut corners is not advisable."

The Sixth Elder and Hyuga Kumokawa voiced their opinions one after the other.

"As for whether Main House members should be sent to the battlefield, I suggest that they participate—but not in the early stages of the war. They should enter in the later stages. After all, how can a member of the Hyuga Clan Main Family go without seeing blood? Entering later can also ensure the safety of the Main House's Byakugan."

Finally, the First Elder gave his opinion.

The three older elders exchanged a knowing glance. They had all lived through the brutal First Ninja World War together, after all. They possessed at least that much foresight.

The three elders truly had more wisdom from having lived longer. Their arrangement for the Main House members completely eased the conflict between the two factions.

Going to the battlefield later would satisfy those Main House members who wanted to fight, while allowing those unwilling to personally enter battle to safely gain experience and earn merit. It was killing two birds with one stone.

"Good. Once this meeting ends, make the arrangements according to the words of the First Elder, Third Elder, and Sixth Elder. Does anyone have any objections?"

Hyuga Ryusuke was very satisfied with the proposals of the three older elders. He could even say that he could find no flaws in them at all.

The elders in the council hall then exchanged a few quiet words. In the end, both factions unanimously agreed to the arrangement.

"Mm. Then the initial arrangements for preparing the clan members for war will be entrusted to the three elders."

In this matter, Clan Head Hyuga Ryusuke trusted the three older elders more.

"Clan Head, I have one more small suggestion."

Just as the meeting was about to end, Hyuga Kumokawa spoke to Hyuga Ryusuke again.

"Oh? Does the Third Elder have another idea? Please, speak freely."

At that moment, the Clan Head and the other elders all looked at Hyuga Kumokawa. They truly could not think of anything that had been overlooked, so their faces were filled with confusion.

Hyuga Kumokawa took a deep breath and said, "Clan Head, elders, my personal suggestion is that if any clan member volunteers for battle, they should be given priority consideration, whether they are from the Main House or the Branch House."

After hearing Hyuga Kumokawa's words, the council hall fell silent. No one had expected him to make such a suggestion.

This suggestion could not exactly be called good, but neither could it be called bad. It had both advantages and disadvantages.

Its advantage was that it would let everyone else in Konoha see the determination of the entire Hyuga Clan. In particular, if Main House members voluntarily applied to go to the battlefield, it would further raise the morale of Branch House members on the front lines and reduce the criticism other ninja had toward the Hyuga Main Family.

As for the downside, there was the fear that those who volunteered would be overconfident. To put it bluntly, they might not know their own limits. They could even disrupt the cohesion of their original teams and cause trouble for their comrades. Then it would truly be a case of not fearing godlike opponents, but fearing pig-headed teammates.

After a unanimous discussion, everyone still agreed to Hyuga Kumokawa's proposal.

Since no one voiced an objection, the proposal had no effect on Main House members who did not want to go to the battlefield. Those Main House members who wanted to fight supported it even more, while the other two older elders tacitly approved the suggestion as well.

"Then it's settled. This afternoon, notify the Branch House representatives and hold another meeting. We'll finalize the matter then."

Regarding the coming war, not a single Main House member, from the Clan Head to the elders, had considered the opinions of the Branch House. To them, the Branch House only needed to accept its assignments.

Even the relatively open-minded elders had never placed the Branch House on equal footing with themselves. At most, securing them a few benefits was considered the height of their mercy.

Perhaps this habit had become ingrained in the blood of every Main House member. They had never felt there was anything wrong with it. Wasn't everything simply natural?

While his grandfather Hyuga Kumokawa was meeting with the Clan Head and Main House elders, Hyuga Soji kept asking the Hyuga Hiashi brothers about the rules and regulations of the Ninja Academy.

After all, he would be entering the Ninja Academy in a year. It was always good to learn about the school in advance.

By the time Soji enrolled next year, the Hyuga Hiashi brothers would be at the age to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

Hyuga Soji had been born in Konoha Year 23, while the Hyuga Hiashi brothers had both been born in Konoha Year 19, making them four years apart. In this era, roughly twenty years after the end of the Warring States Period, most students entered the Ninja Academy at six and graduated at ten.

Only after the Third Ninja World War did the Ninja Academy's regulations change to a six-year educational system, which meant that most of the new generation of ninja graduated at twelve.

The reason for the two-year difference in education was that many ninja of this era learned and practiced their knowledge and ninjutsu in war.

War could break out at any time, and there simply was not enough childhood to spend studying. As a result, many children matured especially early, and some had blood on their hands at a very young age.

Ever since the ninja villages had been established, the minimum age for ninja going to war had gradually risen. During the Warring States Period, there were records of six-year-old children going to the battlefield. It was outright child labor exploitation!

Ninja of this era were already considered long-lived if they reached fifty. Their bodies had accumulated too many hidden injuries in their youth, and the aftereffects naturally erupted as they grew older.

After asking the Hyuga Hiashi brothers about the school's rules and regulations, Hyuga Soji suggested joining the two brothers in their training.

"All right, but Soji, don't push yourself too hard. We're four years older than you, so you might not be able to keep up with our training."

After thinking about it briefly, Hyuga Hiashi agreed. In his eyes, Soji was only a little over five years old, while he and his younger brother Hizashi had already studied at the Ninja Academy for three years. He would treat it as guiding Soji.

Since Hyuga Hiashi, the older brother and Young Clan Head of the Main House, had agreed, Hizashi Hyuga, as both a Branch House member and the younger brother, naturally would not object.

Besides, Hizashi Hyuga's status was already lower than that of Hyuga Soji of the Main House, so he had no standing to object.

"Soji, watch closely from the side. Hizashi and I will use the Byakugan and Gentle Fist to spar with each other. How much you can learn from watching will depend on you."

After saying that, Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga both activated their Byakugan. Their eyes turned pale blue-white, veins bulged around their eyes, black markings appeared in their pupils, and they simultaneously assumed the opening stance of the Gentle Fist.

To an outsider, if not for the conspicuous Caged Bird mark on one of their foreheads, they would truly seem like someone looking into a mirror.

Watching this scene, Hyuga Soji's eyes also took on a serious look.