Ambition

When something called "ambition" burned fiercely in his heart, Hyuga Kagami's thoughts grew even sharper.

Among the Kage-level powerhouses of White Fang and the Sannin's generation, some had died, some had fled, and some had left. Now, only Jiraiya remained, distracted and with no interest in the position of Hokage.

Among the Kage-level powerhouses of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's generation, aside from the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, who were respectively the Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the heads of the major clans—such as Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, and Ino-Shika-Cho—were also quite formidable. But they still fell just short of true Kage-level strength.

Konoha's gap in talent had become unmistakably clear!

This was a massive crisis for Konoha, but for Hyuga Kagami, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Because for him, the only true competitors left were rising ninjas of his own generation, such as Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, Shisui, and Itachi.

As for Shisui and Itachi, the two outstanding new-generation members of the Uchiha Clan, the stronger they became, the more the village would fear them because of the strained relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village. In reality, they had already been excluded from the competition.

"In the future, this place will be my stage!"

Hyuga Kagami was utterly certain of it. It was both confidence in himself and hope for the future!

As for how exactly he would seize power, Hyuga Kagami currently faced two problems.

The first was his Tenseigan. Although Hyuga clan members did not casually activate their Byakugan within the village, if anyone happened to activate theirs in front of him, his Tenseigan would immediately be exposed. After all, the Tenseigan, which seemed to contain the stars of the heavens, was clearly different from the pure white Byakugan.

The second was his identity as a former subordinate of Orochimaru.

Hyuga Kagami had not thought of any good solution to the first problem and could only temporarily avoid Hyuga clan members. As for the second, considering the village's current shortage of manpower and the Uchiha Clan drawing the attention of the village higher-ups, he felt that it might not be difficult to resolve if handled properly.

Then Hyuga Kagami's expression darkened. "A Chunin—and a Chunin promoted during wartime at that. My status is far too low. Anyone can step on me!"

Over the past few months, Hyuga Kagami had truly had enough of this frustration.

The helplessness of being ordered around, the resentment of being listed as a target of the Purge, and the sorrow of having no control over his own fate—these experiences had taught him the simplest truth.

If he did not want to be stepped on, he could only climb higher.

"I need a new persona in the village, one different from the mediocre persona I had in the past!"

Whenever he thought about raising his status, Hyuga Kagami instinctively thought of the Fourth Hokage.

That was right. The Fourth Hokage was the quintessential example of a common-born ninja rising to prominence in this era of the Ninja World.

If he had to summarize the Fourth Hokage's traits, the words "powerful," "sunny," and "high-profile" immediately came to Hyuga Kagami's mind.

The crueler the war, the brighter the stage.

It could be said that the Third Shinobi World War had made the Fourth Hokage, allowing him, as a young common-born ninja, to obtain the position of Hokage, which represented the highest authority in the Ninja World.

Now that the war was over, if Hyuga Kagami wanted to gain immense prestige, he had to be even more high-profile than the Fourth Hokage.

He had to present himself before everyone as an unparalleled powerhouse, make them all understand his strength, and ensure that whenever people considered the next Hokage, his figure would instinctively flash through their minds.

Of course, changing one's persona had to be gradual. He could not rush it, or he would inevitably arouse the suspicions of the village higher-ups.

Having made up his mind, Hyuga Kagami stopped wasting time and immediately began to act.

During peacetime, the fastest way to display one's talents was by taking missions. Moreover, an impressive mission record was also an important basis for promotion.

With that thought, Hyuga Kagami immediately headed to the Mission Center.

Compared to usual, the Mission Center was somewhat deserted today.

Arriving at the counter, Hyuga Kagami said to the staff member, "I'm Chunin Hyuga Kagami. Please show me what B-rank missions are available."

After verifying Hyuga Kagami's identity, the staff member handed him a mission list. "These are all B-rank missions. You'd better choose from the first few pages. Those clients have been waiting anxiously."

Hyuga Kagami also knew that the village was severely short-handed and that many missions had piled up, so he said nothing more and immediately began reviewing the list.

The village's mission classifications were strict. Jonin could accept all missions, including S-rank missions. Chunin could only accept missions from B-rank to D-rank, while Genin could only accept C-rank to D-rank missions.

Among them,

S-rank missions were generally commissions from organizations, primarily involving assassinating important figures or stealing confidential intelligence.

A-rank missions were mostly also commissions from organizations, primarily involving protecting important figures or hunting down Rogue Ninja.

B-rank to D-rank missions were generally commissioned by individuals. B-rank and C-rank missions involved combat, while D-rank missions did not.

Hyuga Kagami was a Chunin, but without using the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, he possessed the strength of a Special Jonin. Therefore, B-rank missions were the most suitable choice for him.

After briefly looking through the mission list, Hyuga Kagami frowned.

The missions themselves were not particularly difficult, but the vast majority had personnel requirements. Even those with the lowest requirements needed at least a two-ninja team to accept them.

At that moment, a small figure appeared at the service window beside Hyuga Kagami.

Hyuga Kagami glanced over from the corner of his eye, then froze.

That little fellow was none other than the Uchiha Clan's genius, Uchiha Itachi!

Though he was only six or seven years old, Itachi already displayed a maturity far beyond his age. Despite his small stature, he reviewed the mission list with the seriousness of an adult.

A moment later, Itachi returned the mission list to the staff member and asked in a somewhat childish voice, "Excuse me, are there any C-rank missions that can be accepted by one person?"

The staff member at Itachi's window seemed long accustomed to dealing with the Uchiha Clan. He was not surprised that a six- or seven-year-old child wanted to accept a C-rank mission alone, merely shaking his head as though it were perfectly ordinary. "No. If you want to accept a C-rank mission, you should find ninjas you know and form a team."

Itachi looked troubled upon hearing this and murmured, "Looks like I can only wait for Brother Shisui to return to the village."

Hyuga Kagami smiled beside him. "Kid, you haven't even graduated yet, have you?"

Itachi answered politely, "Because of the reconstruction, the Ninja Academy has been on break for four months."

Hyuga Kagami had not expected that the Ninja Academy had also been destroyed during the Nine-Tails Incident. "Since you're on break, you should stay home. It's dangerous for you to take missions alone."

With a very serious expression, Itachi said, "The village is short-handed right now, and many missions have piled up. If no one handles them for too long, it will badly damage the village's reputation. In the future, the village will gradually receive fewer commissions."

Hyuga Kagami was stunned for a moment, unsure what to say.

After studying Hyuga Kagami for a moment, Itachi asked, "Excuse me, senior, are you a Chunin?"

Hyuga Kagami nodded.

Delight appeared on Itachi's face. "Then, senior, do you need more people? My name is Uchiha Itachi. Although I have not graduated yet, I am already a qualified Genin."

Hyuga Kagami shook his head. "I'm accepting a B-rank mission. You're not suitable for it."

The village was currently suspicious of the Uchiha Clan, and Hyuga Kagami had not yet completely shaken off the trouble surrounding himself. Thus, he did not want to have any dealings with the Uchiha Clan.

Itachi hurriedly said, "I've checked the B-rank missions too. None can be accepted by a single person, so senior, you must need a teammate as well, right?"

Hyuga Kagami considered it. He would inevitably have to deal with powerful members of the Uchiha Clan in the future, so it was necessary to learn about the Uchiha Clan's fighting style in advance.

And Itachi was one of the most dazzling members of the Uchiha generation. Establishing a personal connection with him early might produce some unexpected benefits.

Smiling, Hyuga Kagami, now having made up his mind, said, "All right. But you must follow all my orders and cannot act on your own."

Itachi quickly bowed to Hyuga Kagami. "Please rest assured, senior."