Unicycle, Clown, Bumper Guard General

The Hyuga Ninja wore grim expressions.

Hizashi Hyuga's uncle in particular had frowned so hard that Minato personally watched him crush a passing fly between his brows.

At the time, Minato had been utterly awed by the Hyuga Clan's powers of observation. Only later did he realize that Hizashi's uncle had simply been too troubled.

The Hyuga Clan's most important asset outside the village had been targeted. It left them unable to eat or sleep with worry.

Hizashi Hyuga fell back to walk with Minato's team, who were around his age.

During the Chunin Exams, Hizashi Hyuga had lost to Minato, but he did not resent him.

He simply could not beat him. The gap between them was a little too great. He truly could not beat him.

As they traveled, Minato was also considering how to gain enough strength, influence, and a foundation in Bumper Guard Road.

The Autumn Fruit Organization was his core. They could not keep getting driven from place to place by nobles. They needed a relatively safe and friendly base for development.

He had initially allowed the Autumn Fruit Organization to flee to Bumper Guard Road because the Bumper Guard General had not yet come of age and had weak control over the region.

But now, it seemed Bumper Guard Road was not peaceful either. That Grand Minister was extremely forceful, even daring to criticize Konoha.

Minato said to Hizashi Hyuga, "Hizashi, have your uncles direct people to survey the land. Let's think of some other solutions."

Hizashi asked doubtfully, "Is there any other solution?"

Minato said:

"I've read some history books. The biggest problem with young nobles like this is often their struggle for power against ministers with overwhelming authority.

Isn't Bumper Guard Road's Grand Minister powerful? That's good. Let's find the Bumper Guard General and see whether we can find an opening through that young general."

Hizashi Hyuga was a ninja from a noble background, and he immediately judged that this approach was feasible.

Other than assassinating the Grand Minister, this was the only move outside the board. As for assassinating the Grand Minister, it was too serious a matter. It was not that he could not be killed; the consequences would simply be terrible.

Daimyo and nobles supported the ninjas. The two sides were partners. If they directly assassinated a noble minister and someone traced it back to them, the Hyuga Clan's foundation in Konoha would suffer a devastating blow.

The Hyuga Clan was famous for providing formidable, flawless defense. If they stopped doing defense work and started carrying out assassinations, other nobles would also feel uneasy.

Hizashi spoke to his uncle for a few moments, then returned to Minato's side and said:

"My uncle agreed that we should give it a try. I'll find a way to locate the Bumper Guard General. One of our Hyuga Clan ninjas, Hyuga River, is by his side. He is one of the Bumper Guard General's Guardian Ninja."

Hizashi Hyuga led the others to the Capital City of Bumper Guard Road first, but they neither found the Hyuga Clan's Guardian Ninja nor the Bumper Guard General. The Bumper Guard General was not in the Capital City.

Using the Hyuga Clan's intelligence, they asked around and followed the trail until they arrived at a certain town.

Hizashi Hyuga activated his Byakugan and searched outside the town. Confused, he said, "The merchants of our clan said they came this way."

Minato said, "Let's go in and rest first. We'll continue tomorrow. I didn't expect the Bumper Guard General's whereabouts to be confidential enough that even the Hyuga Clan couldn't track him down."

Akimichi Jirokuma asked, "Hizashi, didn't your family's Guardian Ninja leave behind any clues or information?"

"No. That's exactly what's strange."

After entering the town, Hizashi Hyuga found an inn and paid for their rooms.

They were helping the Hyuga Clan, so the Hyuga Clan covered all expenses.

The Hyuga Clan was extremely wealthy. They might not necessarily be Konoha's strongest ninja clan, but they were certainly its richest.

After night fell, Minato saw bonfires outside the town. Some kind of event seemed to be taking place.

He quickly said to Uzumaki Shinmen, "Little brother, come on. Let's go outside the town and see what fun things they have."

He had spent a week or two with Uzumaki Shinmen now, but the child was still somewhat cold and detached.

Minato did not miss any opportunity to let Uzumaki Shinmen experience the warmth of ordinary life. It could help dilute the despair and isolation left behind by his imprisonment.

After hiding their forehead protectors, Minato disguised himself as an ordinary person and left the inn with Shinmen. A ninja's identity could sometimes bring trouble, so it was best to be cautious outside the village.

Outside the town, Minato saw a circus beside the bonfire.

"Oh, it's a traveling circus."

A Clown riding a unicycle wobbled over to Minato.

"Want to watch the circus? Tickets are only 300 ryo!"

The Clown was not very old, around ten.

Minato pointed at Shinmen beside him. "Do children under six get in free?"

"No. Our circus mainly attracts children. If you have a relative over sixty, though, they can get in free."

"Not even half price?"

"No! I ride a unicycle every day, and my butt is covered in bruises. For the sake of my butt, no half-price tickets!"

Minato took out 600 ryo and handed it to the Clown.

The Clown produced two tickets. "Hope you enjoy yourselves."

There were many families with children inside the circus. The first act Minato saw was mind-reading magic.

"Shinmen, go try it. See how he reads minds."

Shinmen did not want anyone reading his mind, but he had no choice but to step forward to keep Big Brother Minato company.

Yes, Shinmen believed he was keeping Big Brother Minato company. He himself had no interest whatsoever in these amusements.

Fortunately, it was not genuine mind-reading. Shinmen drew a card, and the magician, though blindfolded, accurately guessed its suit and number.

How amazing.

After guessing correctly five times in a row, Shinmen seemed to become somewhat interested. He began silently reciting an incorrect number in his mind, yet the magician always guessed the card correctly.

Minato's eyes shifted. He had clearly sensed chakra just now.

Looking closer, the magician's eyes were covered tightly. Something was suspicious.

The area covered by the blindfold seemed to be exactly where the veins at the temples bulged when the Byakugan was activated.

This... this was not mind-reading magic. Wasn't this Byakugan x-ray vision?

The middle-aged man before him was very likely a Hyuga Clan ninja.

A Hyuga Clan ninja could not possibly casually run off to some corner of the Land of Fire and use ninjutsu to perform magic tricks.

Minato swept his gaze over the entire circus. The more he looked, the more something felt wrong.

The fire-breather took a mouthful of alcohol and blasted it into the air. Though he made no motion to light it, he created a fireball two or three meters in diameter.

How was that a fire-breathing act? Looking closely, wasn't that Fire Release?

A lion jumped through rings of fire. The look in its eyes was sharper than that of a four- or five-year-old child. How could that be a lion? It was clearly a Summoning Beast that had been nurtured by chakra for a long time and gained intelligence.

Would a circus have so many strong, able-bodied people with obvious signs of training?

As he played around the circus with Shinmen, Minato carefully observed the troupe.

The more he observed, the more evidence he found for his suspicions.

By the latter half of the night, there were fewer and fewer visitors, and more details of the circus became apparent.

The mind-reading magician never removed his blindfold, yet he occasionally turned his head toward the entrance.

Every time the fire-breather finished breathing flames, he immediately turned his head away to keep the firelight from interfering with his vision and looked toward the entrance.

According to publicly known information, the Bumper Guard General was only nine years old. Combined with what Hizashi had learned—that the Hyuga Clan's Guardian Ninja and the Bumper Guard General were nearby—

Could that child Clown riding the unicycle at the entrance be the Bumper Guard General?

Minato was deeply puzzled. Why was the general of an entire region pretending to be a Clown?